Over 200 space operas by women/NB authors (a list in progress)

[Thomas]

▽ symbol indicates LGBTQ+ author (if I have made any omissions here, let me know and I will fix)
♦ symbol denotes a novella

• After the Crown by K.B. Wagers ▽
• Against the Odds by Elizabeth Moon
• Alien Earth by Megan Lindholm (aka Robin Hobb)
• Alien Influences by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• Alliance by S.K. Dunstall
• Alliance Rising: The Hinder Stars I by C.J. Cherryh & Jane Fancher ▽
• All Systems Red by Martha Wells ♦
• Ally by Karen Traviss
• Ammonite by Nicola Griffith ▽
• An Ancient Peace by Tanya Huff ▽
• Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
• Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie
• Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie
• Artificial Condition by Martha Wells ♦
• Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi ▽
• Barbary Station R.E. Stearns ▽
• Behind the Throne by K.B. Wagers ▽
• The Better Part of Valor by Tanya Huff ▽
• Between Darkness and Light by Lisanne Norman
• Beyond the Empire by K.B. Wagers ▽
• Beyond Varallan by S.L. Viehl
• Binti: The Complete Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor
• Blood of a Thousand Stars by Rhoda Bellezza
• Boneyards by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• Braided World by Kay Kenyon
• Bright of the Sky by Kay Kenyon
• Buried Deep by Kristine Kathryn Rush
• Change of Command by Elizabeth Moon
• Chanur's Endgame by C.J. Cherryh ▽
• Chanur's Homecoming by C.J. Cherryh ▽
• Chanur's Legacy by C.J. Cherryh ▽
• Chanur's Venture by C.J. Cherryh ▽
• Circle's End by Lisanne Norman
• City of Pearl by Karen Traviss
• City of Ruins by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• City Without End by Kay Kenyon
• A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold
• A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers ▽
• Code of Conduct by Kristine Smith
• Cold Welcome by Elizabeth Moon
• Command Decision by Elizabeth Moon
• Confluence by S.K. Dunstall
• Consequences by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• Contact Imminent by Kristine Smith
• Cordelia's Honor (Bind-up of Shards of Honor and Hugo winner Barrayar) by Lois McMaster Bujold
• Cross Fire by Fonda Lee
• Crossing the Line by Karen Traviss
• Crossways by Jacey Bedford
• Crystal Line by Anne McCaffrey
• Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey
• Cuckoo's Egg (Age of Exploration, #3) by C.J. Cherryh ▽
• Cyteen by C.J. Cherryh ▽
• Dark Nadir by Lisanne Norman
• Dark Orbit by Caroline Ives Gilman
• Decision at Doona by Anne McCaffrey
• Defy the Fates by Claudia Gray
• Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
• Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray
• A Different Light by Elizabeth A. Lynn ▽
• The Disappeared by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• Diving into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• The Dopplegänger Gambit by Lee Killough
• Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh | Hugo Award winner ▽
• Downtime by Cynthia Felice
• Duplicate Effort by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• Dust by Elizabeth Bear
• Earth Herald by Jan Clark
• An Earthly Crown by Kate Elliott
• Eclipses by Cynthia Felice
• Empire of Dust by Jacey Bedford
• Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Bellezza
• Empress of Earth by Melissa Scott ▽
• Endurance by S.L. Viehl
• Endgame by Kristine Smith
• Engaging the Enemy by Elizabeth Moon
• Eternity Row by S.L. Viehl
• Exit Strategy by Martha Wells ♦
• Exo by Fonda Lee
• Extremes by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• Falcon by Emma Bull
• Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold
• Finity's End by C.J. Cherryh ▽
• Fire Crossing by Cheryl J. Franklin
• Fire Margins by Lisanne Norman
• Five-Twelfths of Heaven by Melissa Scott ▽
• Fool's Run by Patricia A. McKillip
• Fool's War by Sarah Zettel
• Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh ▽
• Forerunner by Andre Norton
• Fortune's Pawn by Rachel Bach
• Fortune's Wheel by Lisanne Norman
• Free Chocolate by Amber Royer
• Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
• Ghost Shadow by Cheryl J. Franklin
• Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
• Grasp the Stars by Jennifer Wingert
• Groundties by Jane Fancher ▽
• The Heart of Valor by Tanya Huff ▽
• Heaven's Queen by Rachel Bach
• Heavy Time by C.J. Cherryh ▽
• Heliopause by J. Dianne Dotson
• Hellburner by C.J. Cherryh ▽
• His Conquering Sword by Kate Elliott
• Honor's Knight by Rachel Bach
• Hunting Party by Elizabeth Moon
• Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
• In Conquest Born by C.S. Friedman
• The Inquisitor by Cheryl J. Franklin
• Into the Fire by Elizabeth Moon
• Islands by Marta Randall
• Jaran by Kate Elliott
• Jenna Starborn by Sharon Shinn
• Journey by Marta Randall
• Judge by Karen Traviss
• The Kif Strike Back by C.J. Cherryh ▽
• Killashandra by Anne McCaffrey
• The Law of Becoming by Kate Elliott
• Law of Survival by Kristine Smith
• Leap Point by Kay Kenyon
• The Light in Exile by Cheryl J. Franklin
• Linesman by S.K. Dunstall
• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers ▽
• Marque and Reprisal by Elizabeth Moon
• Matriarch by Karen Traviss
• A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
• Merchanter's Luck by C.J. Cherryh ▽
• Metaphase by Vonda N. McIntyre
• Mighty Good Road by Melissa Scott ▽
• Nautilus by Vonda N. McIntyre
• Nimbus by Jacey Bedford
• Northwest of Earth: The Complete Northwest Smith by C.L. Moore
• Obsidio by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
• On a Red Station, Drifting by Aliette de Bodard ♦
• Once a Hero by Elizabeth Moon
• The Outside by Ada Hoffmann
• Paloma by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• A Passage of Stars by Kate Elliott (writing as Alis S. Rasmussen)
• A Peace Divided by Tanya Huff ▽
• The Phoenix in Flight by Sherwood Smith & Dave Trowbridge
• Plague of Memory by S.L. Viehl
• The Price of Ransom by Kate Elliott (writing as Alis S. Rasmussen)
• The Pride of Chanur by C.J. Cherryh ▽
• Primary Inversion by Catherine Asaro
• Prince of Storms by Kay Kenyon
• A Prison Unsought by Sherwood Smith & Dave Trowbridge
• The Privilege of Peace by Tanya Huff ▽
• Prodigy by Jan Clark
• Provenance by Ann Leckie
• Pure Chocolate by Amber Royer
• Razor's Edge by Lisanne Norman
• Rebel Ice by S.L. Viehl
• Reclamation by Sarah Zettel
• Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers ▽
• Recovery Man by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• Red Planet Run by Dana Stabenow
• Revolution's Shore by Kate Elliott (writing as Alis S. Rasmussen)
• Rift by Kay Kenyon
• The Rifter's Covenant by Sherwood Smith & Dave Trowbridge
• Rimrunners by C.J. Cherryh ▽
• Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Le Guin
• Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells ♦
• Rules of Conflict by Kristine Smith
• Rules of Engagement by Elizabeth Moon
• Ruler of Naught by Sherwood Smith & Dave Trowbridge
• Salvage by Alexandra Duncan
• Salvaged by Madeliene Roux
• Salvation Day by Kali Wallace
• Semiosis by Sue Burke
• Shades of Gray by Lisanne Norman
• Shadow Man by Melissa Scott ▽
• The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey
• Shockball by S.L. Viehl
• Silence in Solitude by Melissa Scott ▽
• Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
• Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell
• Snare by Katharine Kerr
• The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge
• Sound by Alexandra Duncan
• Sporting Chance by Elizabeth Moon
• Stardoc by S.L. Viehl
• Starfarers by Vonda N. McIntyre
• Star Gate by Andre Norton
• Star Guard by Andre Norton
• The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley ▽
• Stars Uncharted by S.K. Dunstall
• The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein
• Stronghold Rising by Lisanne Norman
• The Summer Queen by Joan D. Vinge
• The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard ♦
• The Terrorists of Irustan by Louise Marley
• There and Back Again by Pat Murphy
• There Before the Chaos by K.B. Wagers ▽
• These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman
• This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman
• A Thousand Words for Stranger by Julie E. Czerneda
• The Thrones of Kronos by Sherwood Smith & Dave Trowbridge
• Ties of Power by Julie E. Czerneda
• To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers ▽♦
• To Ride Pegasus by Anne McCaffrey
• To Trade the Stars by Julie E. Czerneda
• Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon
• Transition by Vonda N. McIntyre
• Tripoint by C.J. Cherryh ▽
• The Truth of Valor by Tanya Huff ▽
• Turning Point by Lisanne Norman
• The Undefeated by Una McCormack ♦
• An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon ▽
• Uplink by Jane Fancher ▽
• Valor's Choice by Tanya Huff ▽
• Valor's Trial by Tanya Huff ▽
• Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe
• Victory Conditions by Elizabeth Moon
• The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold | Hugo Award winner
• Warchild by Karin Lowachee
• The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold
• We Who Are About To... by Joanna Russ
• The Wilding by C.S. Friedman
• Winning Colors by Elizabeth Moon
• The World Before by Karen Traviss
• World's End by Joan D. Vinge
• A World Too Near by Kay Kenyon
• Wrapt in Crystal by Sharon Shinn
• Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee

[Linnea]

Mmm, I think this is going to be an excellent opportunity for me to read a good chunk of the Sholan Alliance series by Lisanne Norman. (Currently at 100 pp in book 2.)

[42ix]

This list is awesome, Thomas!! I feel like a kid in a candy store :)

[Brianne]

This is fantastic, Thomas!

[Chris]

Are any of these novellas?

[Phileas]

Chris wrote: "Are any of these novellas?"

A couple. The four books by Martha Wells are novellas in her Murderbot series, starting with All Systems Red. The two books by Aliette de Bodard in the list are novellas, On a Red Station, Drifting and The Tea Master and the Detective. Also The Undefeated by Una McCormack. And probably more.

[Thomas]

Chris wrote: "Are any of these novellas?"

Yes, some are, like the Murderbot stories by Martha Wells. I will go through the list and add a new symbol denoting novellas. ♦

[Maija]

Nice resource!

Tanya Huff is an LGBTQ+ author, she's married to author Fiona Patton.

K. B. Wagers is nonbinary. Their official author bio uses they-pronouns, their Twitter bio has both they/she.

[Thomas]

Maija wrote: "Tanya Huff is an LGBTQ+ author...
K. B. Wagers is nonbinary. ..."

Thanks! Will update.

[ECH]

Did LeGuin write anything in this genre? My attempts to find out by googling seem to have been thwarted by her writing a literal opera about space.

[Thomas]

ECH wrote: "Did LeGuin write anything in this genre?"

Mmmm...sorta? Have gone ahead and added Rocannon's World to this list, but in fact most of her best known novels in the Hainish Cycle are more anthropological (Left Hand of Darkness) and political (The Dispossessed, The Word for World Is Forest) novels that take place on other worlds, but don't really incorporate space travel.

[Sookie]

Thanks for the list Thomas. This is excellent!

[Shannon (That's So Poe)]

Very awesome list, Thomas!! Thank you. Also, if you ever get bored and want to add publication years or another symbol for anyone who counts as "diverse" in some way, I know that would be helpful info for a lot of people (but tedious to track down and add). Thanks for putting all this together so far in advance and thinking it out so thoroughly.

[Thomas]

I'm working on a list of books by POC writers and thinking of a list of space operas from the 80s to help start people on Challenge 3 ("before you were born"). Though that one will be daunting.

[Shannon (That's So Poe)]

Thomas wrote: "I'm working on a list of books by POC writers and thinking of a list of space operas from the 80s to help start people on Challenge 3 ("before you were born"). Though that one will be daunting."

That's seriously wonderful! Thanks again for putting in all this work. Some Space Operas from the 70s would help out too, btw...^_^ Although, I found some Octavia Butler that will work for me, so I'm good on that challenge. Right now I'm struggling with finding a 500+ page space opera by a minority woman (A Memory Called Empire was so close at 462 pages, and it sounds like Arkady Martine is queer). Btw, Njeri at ONYX Pages is very into Afrofuturism, so she might have a list she could share with you to help out with the POC writers.

[Maija]

Thomas wrote: "Maija wrote: "K. B. Wagers is nonbinary. ..."

Thanks! Will update."

Great! Should the subject line be changed to "...women/NB authors", since we have a nonbinary author there?

[Phileas]

Thomas wrote: "I'm working on a list of books by POC writers and thinking of a list of space operas from the 80s to help start people on Challenge 3 ("before you were born"). Though that one will be daunting."
Now I feel old.

That's So Poe wrote: " Right now I'm struggling with finding a 500+ page space opera by a minority woman (A Memory Called Empire was so close at 462 pages, and it sounds like Arkady Martine is queer)."
She is (quote from her biography on her homepage: " lives in Baltimore with her wife"). For the 500+ pages book I wonder if you'd count the collected Cyteen as one book.

[Agnes]

Thomas wrote: "I'm working on a list of books by POC writers and thinking of a list of space operas from the 80s to help start people on Challenge 3 ("before you were born"). Though that one will be daunting."

Thanks for all the hard work! a list from the 60s would be appreciated too... Sadly, I don't think Asimov's Caves of Steel qualifies for the Readathon....

[Agnes]

That's So Poe wrote: "Right now I'm struggling with finding a 500+ page space opera by a minority woman (A Memory Called Empire was so close at 462 pages, and it sounds like Arkady Martine is queer)...."

Downbelow station by C.J. Cherryh would seem to fit the bill.

[Thomas]

Phileas wrote: "I wonder if you'd count the collected Cyteen as one book."

Cyteen was always a single novel and was only broken down into 3 books due to its size, so yes.

[Thomas]

Maija wrote: "Should the subject line be changed to "...women/NB authors", since we have a nonbinary author there?"

Done. I think (?) Rivers Solomon identifies as NB as well.

[Attila]

Hm, The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel ?

[Kelsey]

Great list!

I notice you've got both The Tea Master and the Detective and On a Red Station, Drifting on the list, but not The Citadel of Weeping Pearls, which is another Xuya novella (and one I recently read for The Reading Rush).

[Shannon (That's So Poe)]

Thank you @Phileas and @Agnes!!!! I spent something like an hour last night trying to figure out what might count. I think I'll try Downbelow Station since I know I've heard Rachel (Kalandi) talk about The Company Wars and am curious.

Also, @Thomas, you're right - from Rivers Solomon's Wikipedia page: "Rivers Solomon is transgender and uses the pronouns they/them."

[Thomas]

Just going to mention that at this point, the OP has maxed out its character limit, and so everyone just feel free to add titles that you think qualify. Keep in mind the inclusion of space travel is key! There are SF novels that take place on other worlds, but feature no scenes in space, and thus aren’t really to be considered space opera.

[Shannon (That's So Poe)]

Any thoughts on if Ambiguity Machines by Vandana Singh would count as a space opera? It's a collection of short SF stories, and I think at least some of them are set in space.

[Thomas]

Any of them novella length and spacey would certainly qualify for Challenge 1.

[Linnea]

Thomas wrote: "Just going to mention that at this point, the OP has maxed out its character limit, and so everyone just feel free to add titles that you think qualify. Keep in mind the inclusion of space travel i..."

Would a book that takes place mostly on a space station count as space opera? Not much space travel per se, but not much planetary adventures either. Like a small scale Babylon 5 kind of thing.

[Thomas]

Oh yes, space stations count. 🙂

[Linnea]

Thomas wrote: "Oh yes, space stations count. 🙂"

Sweet!

[Sci Fi Engage]

Thanks for the list! I’ll work from this as a reference. Starting with The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet. So many authors I’ve never read before, adventure awaits!

[Ash]

Wow that’s an exhaustive list. Thanks Thomas

[Mosher]

Does Edge of Dark by Brenda Cooper count as space opera? its been on my audible list for longer than I care to admit.

[Tom]

I know I have an uncommon opinion that I don't really like the popular trend that a book that has an LGBTQ charactor or a paticuler sex as a protagonist, makes it a "better" book. I think whenever you force an artist to mark off checkmarks to sell books that it takes away from the artists personal creativity for the mob. That being said, if it comes off naturally and not pushed or preachy it does not bother me either. I just don't seek it out as a requirement. All that being said, I am suprised not to see Octavia Butler on the list yet. Books like "Dawn". Her Space Operas and sci-fi dealt with these issues before dealing with these issues were cool, and did it in such a sci-fi way.

[Shannon (That's So Poe)]

@Tom Lange - The Xenogenesis series is definitely on my TBR for the readathon! I see what you mean about authors adding diversity for diversity's sake - I agree that it's so much better when it feels authentic and meaningful. There are some really awesome own voices authors out there doing Space Operas - Rivers Solomon does black, non-binary, and neurodiverse characters amazingly in An Unkindness of Ghosts, for example.

[Seema]

I've been an avid reader since i was a kid but I've only started interacting with other bookworms on social media in the recent years. Its is the first time I'm participating in something like this and I'm really excited. Some of the books I'm thinking off reading are Ancillary justice, Rama 2, old man's war, any Ben bova novel, maybe start one of kevin j Anderson books...the saga of the sun's series....hope these cover the space opera aspect? I'm a professional scientist, truly love science and reading scifi has definitely contributed to my passion. Dear Thomas, request that you run another readathon on scifi based on on planets in the future. Thank you for the space opera September challenge....I'm looking forward to it ☺

[Roni]

I'm stuck on not being able to find 500 page book. any suggestions?

[Krista]

Also, the Nearspace trilogy by Sherry D. Ramsey: One's Aspect to the Sun, Dark Beneath the Moon, and Beyond the Sentinel Stars !

[Krista]

Veronica wrote: "I'm stuck on not being able to find 500 page book. any suggestions?"

The Expanse books are all over 500 pages long. Also, the books in the Illuminae Files (awesome YA Space Opera) are also over 500 pages.

[Jenny (LobsterGal)]

The Dopplegänger Gambit by Lee Killough is set in Kansas while it is science fiction I would say that it doesn't fit into a space opera.

[Women_of_the_Future]

Hey all,

I stumbled on your group and wanted to share a couple more resources for women authored SciFi, as this is something I'm always searching for too.

1) I have a group on Goodreads that focuses on women authored SciFi and speculative fiction. You DON'T have to be a member to access the group bookshelf 😁

We regularly update the searchable bookshelf and list any known diversity for each author/book and other elements of each book. I think we're the only group that excludes YA. Oh and, we only add out of print books if they're available to borrow from the open library website.

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...


2) SFMistressworks - This blog has a long list of women authored SciFi, including those now out of print and has been reviewing these books for a decade now. It's quite the treasure trove. Here is the first blog post explaining its origin...there are 2 lists of authors below the post.

https://sfmistressworks.wordpress.com...

I hope these are helpful. #readmorewomen!

[Women_of_the_Future]

Oh and Lisa Yaszek is an academic specializing in women authored SciFi. She has a recent anthology The Future is Female! Women's Science Fiction Stories from the Pulp Era to the New Wave

And is great on this episode of the Geeks Guide to the Galaxy...

https://geeksguideshow.com/2019/01/24...

[Eva]

For anyone looking for a 500p+ tome and doesn't mind if it's written by a man: Alastair Reynolds and Peter F. Hamilton have written some very awesome huge space opera tomes. I read House of Suns for last year's tome challenge and it became a new favorite.

In terms of space opera over 500 pages written by women etc.: in addition to the ones already mentioned, there's also:
Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott (brand new!)
Velocity Weapon and Chaos Vector by Megan E. O'Keefe
Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (not much space travel in this one, though)
In the Company of Others by Julie E. Czerneda
This Alien Shore by C.S. Friedman
In Conquest Born by C.S. Friedman
Illuminae (and its sequels) by Amie Kaufman
Fortune's Rising by Sara King
Noumenon Infinity (book 2 of the series) by Marina J. Lostetter
Kingdom of Cages by Sarah Zettel
Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
The Cerulean by Amy Ewing

[Sci Fi Engage]

What a treasure trove of tasty goodness!
OK, I've installed the desktop kindle app (yes, I'm primitive).
And
I've got All Systems Red, locked and loaded, ready for the midnight sprint.
All Systems Red