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5 editor’s picks matching Space Opera
A voiceless woman, a disillusioned soldier, and a divided solar system collide under the weight of control and resistance.
The First Sister
Dystopian · Sci-Fi · Space Opera
Our take
A voiceless woman, a disillusioned soldier, and a divided solar system collide under the weight of control and resistance. Known only as First Sister, a priestess bound to the war machine of Earth and Mars, begins to question her role as power shifts around her. Parallel journeys of loyalty and defiance expose fragile alliances and buried truths. The First Sister is a space opera about agency, oppression, and choosing who you serve.
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About the book
Combining the social commentary of The Handmaid’s Tale with the white-knuckled thrills of Red Rising, this epic space opera filled with “lush prose” (Publishers Weekly) follows a comfort woman as she claims her agency, a soldier questioning his allegiances, and a non-binary hero out to save the solar system.
First Sister has no name and no voice. As a priestess of the Sisterhood, she travels the stars alongside the soldiers of Earth and Mars—the same ones who own the rights to her body and soul. When her former captain abandons her, First Sister’s hopes for freedom are dashed when she is forced to stay on her ship with no friends, no power, and a new captain—Saito Ren—whom she knows nothing about. She is commanded to spy on Captain Ren by the Sisterhood, but soon discovers that working for the war effort is much harder when you’re falling in love.
Lito val Lucius climbed his way out of the slums to become an elite soldier of Venus but was defeated in combat by none other than Saito Ren, resulting in the disappearance of his partner, Hiro. When Lito learns that Hiro is both alive and a traitor to the cause, he now has a shot at redemption: track down and kill his former partner. But when he discovers recordings that Hiro secretly made, Lito’s own allegiances are put to the test. Ultimately, he must decide between following orders and following his heart.
With “a layered, action-filled plot and diverse characters” (Library Journal), The First Sister explores the power of technology, colonization, race, and gender andis perfect for fans of James S.A. Corey, Chuck Wendig, and Jay Posey.
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Ideal for readers looking for rebellion, brutal competition, political intrigue, and large-scale science-fiction action.
Red Rising
Dystopian · Sci-Fi · Galactic Empire · Space Opera
Our take
A New York Times bestseller called “relentlessly entertaining,” this dystopian science-fiction novel follows Darrow, a laborer from Mars’s lowest caste who infiltrates the ruling Golds to destroy the society that enslaved his people, with a 4.6-star rating from more than 107,000 Amazon reviewers. Ideal for readers looking for rebellion, brutal competition, political intrigue, and large-scale science-fiction action.
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About the book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pierce Brown’s relentlessly entertaining debut channels the excitement of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.
“Red Rising ascends above a crowded dystopian field.”—USA Today
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, Shelf Awareness
“I live for the dream that my children will be born free,” she says. “That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them.”
“I live for you,” I say sadly.
Eo kisses my cheek. “Then you must live for more.”
Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he toils willingly, trusting that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.
But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and lush wilds spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.
Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.
Praise for Red Rising
“[A] spectacular adventure . . . one heart-pounding ride . . . Pierce Brown’s dizzyingly good debut novel evokes The Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, and Ender’s Game. . . . [Red Rising] has everything it needs to become meteoric.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow.”—Scott Sigler
“Red Rising is a sophisticated vision. . . . Brown will find a devoted audience.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch
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Gideon the Ninth throws swordplay, necromancy, and gallows humor into a gothic sci-fi blender.
Gideon the Ninth
LGBTQIA+ · Sci-Fi · Space Opera
Our take
Gideon the Ninth throws swordplay, necromancy, and gallows humor into a gothic sci-fi blender. Trapped serving her bone-witch nemesis, Gideon joins a lethal trial where immortal power is the prize and betrayal is guaranteed. Sharp, chaotic, and wildly original, this is lesbian necromancers in space doing absolutely nothing the easy way.
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About the book
Gideon the Ninth is the first book in the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Locked Tomb Series, and one of the Best Books of 2019 according to NPR, the New York Public Library, Amazon, BookPage, Shelf Awareness, BookRiot, and Bustle!
WINNER of the 2020 Locus Award and Crawford Award
Finalist for the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Series!
Finalist for the 2020 Hugo, Nebula, Dragon, and World Fantasy Awards
“Unlike anything I’ve ever read. ” —V.E. Schwab
“Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space!” —Charles Stross
“Deft, tense and atmospheric, compellingly immersive and wildly original.” —The New York Times
The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.
Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.
Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.
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A mind-reader conscripted into the military.
Ocean’s Echo
LGBTQIA+ · Sci-Fi · Space Exploration · Space Opera
Our take
A mind-reader conscripted into the military. A duty-bound soldier ordered to control him. But instead of obeying, they fake the bond. In Ocean’s Echo, a standalone sci-fi adventure from Everina Maxwell, Tennal and Surit’s deception spirals into a war, a conspiracy, and an impossible choice. Can two unwilling weapons of war change the fate of worlds?
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About the book
A mind-reader and a mind-controller. A fake bond that could save them—or destroy them both.
Tennalhin Halkana is a flirt, a disaster, and a security risk. As a reader, he can read minds and navigate chaotic space, making him both valuable and dangerous. Drafted into the military against his will, he’s ordered to sync with Lieutenant Surit Yeni, a principled soldier and an architect—someone who can control minds. But Surit refuses to force the bond. Instead, they fake it.
Their deception is pushed to the brink when a mission unearths a terrifying power that could change the balance of the galaxy. Now, their fake sync may be the only way to survive.
A thrilling standalone sci-fi adventure set in the world of Winter’s Orbit, Ocean’s Echo delivers intrigue, romance, and high-stakes action.
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Magic birds, galactic invaders, and a dragon in disguise.
Isles of the Emberdark
Fantasy · Sci-Fi · Space Exploration · Space Opera
Our take
Magic birds, galactic invaders, and a dragon in disguise. Sixth of the Dusk is Brandon Sanderson’s newest Cosmere novel, expanding his beloved novella into an epic of survival, myth, and starbound ambition. With 4.8 stars on Amazon and stunning illustrations by Esther Hi’ilani Candari, this standalone adventure dives deep into both sea and sky.
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About the book
On the deadly island of Patji, Dusk is a trapper who lives by instinct, magic, and the supernatural birds he calls Aviar. But when invaders from the stars threaten to conquer his world, he must sail into the emberdark in search of salvation—armed only with his birds, a canoe, and his hard-won survival skills.
In the emberdark, a young dragon named Starling is trapped in human form, flying with a starship crew deep in debt and desperation. When she discovers a portal that could change everything, her path collides with Dusk’s in a galaxy-spanning race for freedom.
Sixth of the Dusk expands Sanderson’s original novella into a sweeping Cosmere novel full of myth, magic, and cosmic stakes. Survival isn’t guaranteed. But legends rarely start with safety.
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