Time to Vote for Your Top Space Opera Books and Series
Are you among the legions of space opera fans in the Discover Sci-Fi community? If so, you’re in great company! We are huge fans of space opera! We love it for its epic scale, its awe inspiring focus on interstellar exploration, the high stakes drama, the unforgettable heroic characters, and so much else. With its thrilling adventures, and fantastic settings, space opera is escapism at it’s finest. And who couldn’t use a little of that from time to time? With tales often told over several books, this is also the perfect genre for the voracious readers among us.
As with military sci-fi, there are almost too many great space operas out there to properly define the best of the genre, but this week, we invite you to join us in trying.
Five years ago, just as we did with military sci-fi, we polled our community about their favorite space opera series at that time. And after a similarly fierce round of voting this top 10 list of titles prevailed.
Once again, 5 years later, we’re revisiting the question, looking to see how the list may have changed.
As such, we've cataloged twenty of the best space opera books and series in the poll down below, and we’d love for you to vote for your favorites. Vote for as many as you’d like, and if think of any that aren’t on the list but that you feel deserve a mention, please shout it out in the comments.
Ready? Go!
I wouldlike to have voted for Space colony one by JJ Green.
Thanks
How did Dune not make it back onto the list – especially with the renewed interest from the films!
Vatta’s War series should also be there.
Absolutely
Liaden Universe, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
How could you not have The Grand Tour by Ben Bova.
Yet another vote for Lee & Miller’s Liaden Universe
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller’s Liaden Universe is my definition of space opera.
How did Mark Wayne McGinnis not make the list?
Amaranthe by G S Jennsen is definitely missing.
Agree!
Dune series, Foundation series, and first and foremost, the Lazarus Long series. All of these should be on the list.
Yes to Dune and Foundation.
Not familiar with Lazarus Long.
Instead, I will add John Ringo’s Troy series (starting with “Live Free or Die”).
What about Hell Divers?? One of the best recent series.
Sandsbury-Smith? Helluva series (no pun intended), but I wouldn’t really clarify it as space opera. It’s more dystopian (though I am 4 books behind; after getting into an argument with the author on Facebook, haven’t really wanted to continue buying the series 🤷♂️)
i agree with Foundation series and Dune series being included on the list
Definitely
Spinward Fringe by Randolph Lalonde
Yes! This series is my favorite!
The crimson deathbringer by Sean robins and Black fleet by Joshua dalzelle
The Gap Series, Stephen Donaldson never gets a mention
That sir is a great shout.
Was looking for that, and was going to bring it up too!
I would vote for the Dune series by Frank and Brian Herbert with Kevin J. Anderson as authors for the best series in Sci Fi drama.
I didn’t care for the “House…” prequels, but I thought the Butlerian Jihad books were quite interesting (and the wrapping up of the Atreides/Duncan Idaho stories by Herbert/Anderson were fairly decent).
Although I love and voted for Honor Harrington, wouldn’t that be more Military Sci-Fi?
For best Space Opera, personally I would choose the Black Ocean series by J. S. Morin which is not listed here.
I agree, Where is Dune and also The Foundation series
Where is the Silver Ships series by S H Jucha?
‘The Survivors’ by Nathan Hystad
‘Backyard Starship’ by Chaney and Maggert
Expeditionary Force by Craig Alanson is pretty magnificent. I’d have put that in my top ten in a heartbeat.
Hell Divers is pretty decent too.
Big fan of D.J. Holmes’ Empire Rising
I would like to include “The Lost Fleet” series by Jack Campbell. Its a series of over 12 books now and I have reread them all at least 10 times now over the years.
I love the whole “relativistic combat”, where it actually takes some time to notice an enemy is already in your system, due to the speed of lights across systems measured in light-hours.
I’m surprised that there is nothing from the Star Wars Universe, unless the rules are that it has to have started as a book series? Also, Dune made the top 10 last time but isn’t even in the preliminary list this time?
Foundation.
Rama
The Delphi series by Bob Blanton
The Vetta’s War series by Moon
The Empire Of Man series and the
Live Free or Die series by John Ringo
The RCN series by David Drake
Second for Ringo’s “Troy” series.
Yes! Drake’s RCN series, and Weber & Ringo’s Universe of Man!
After the obvious, Dune and Foundation, Larry Niven’s? Ringworld, Harry Harrison’s Stainless Steel Rat, Issac Asimov’s Robot series. The Pern books for the dragons of course. All of Douglas Adams Hitchhiker books and all of the books by the madman that wrote Do robots dream of Electric Sheep, because his work is one stream of consciousness to me.
Long live Philip K Dick.
The Lensmen series by E.E Doc Smith and any of the classic Mars books by several authors.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Dune, Saga of the Seven Suns, I mean come on.
Okay, agree with including Dune and the Foundation. Have started to reread Dorsai series by Gordon Dickson. Should be on the list too. And what about the Cassandra Kresnov series .
I would think Heinlein’s Lazarus Long books would have been included as well as The Dune series but I’m guessing they threw out the bait and are looking to see what bites
The Saga of the Seven Suns by Kevin J. Anderson.
THE SUN EATER SERIES!
Foundation
And
Murderbot
Dune and Foundation
Gateway series by Frederick Pohl.
I’ve read a few of these sci fi series once (Hyperion Cantos, Zones Of Thought, Revelation Space, and the Commonwealth Saga) but there’s one series I’ve at least twice all the way through and that’s The Deathstalker Series by Simon R Green!
Um you missed out the Xeelee Sequence, Stephen Baxter
I know the first book is dystopian, but Red Rising’s 2nd book, Golden son is pure space opera. And the next three follow in the same vein.
Why does no-one talk about Star Fist. What a compelling series.
Last time we did this there was an option to add our own favorites. Why that time but not this time or did I somehow not receive that email? I’d definitely want to add The Frontiers Saga by Ryk Brown and Frontlines by Marko Kloos!
E.E. Doc Smith “Lens” Series would have my vote as well.
The Dorsai series by Gordon Dickson, The Talents series by Anne McCaffrey, Koban series by Stephen W Bennett, and Humanx Commonwealth Series by Alan Dean Foster would all have got my vote 😀
Have you considered the following?
“Rise of the Republic” by James Rosone & Miranda Watson
“Blood on the Stars” by Jay Allan
“Brutal Response” by Michael Anderle
“A Learning Experience” by Chris Nuttall
“The Empire’s Corps” by Chris Nuttall
“Odyssey One” by Evan Currie
And now I have a new reading list.
Great list, but I would definitely add Dune, Cities in Flight by James Blish and the Skylark series by EE Doc Smith
Backyard Starship series. JN Chaney & Terry Maggert.
Missing Dahak 3 books) and Empire of Man (4 books) by David Weber.