LitQueuelitqueue

After

Star Nomad

Lindsay Buroker2016

5 of 6 directions open — nothing to recover from

More like it

Same playful register, still space opera

1 more ↓

  • Galaxy blues

    Allen M. Steele2008

    A disgraced pilot joins a freighter crew to avoid prison. He must navigate alien politics and a mission involving a black hole.

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Empty Space

    M. John Harrison2012

    Three interlocking timelines follow a widow in London, a detective in a neon city, and a pilot in deep space. The prose is dense and surreal.

    playful → dreamlike, still space opera

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

  • Hunter of Worlds

    C. J. Cherryh1977

    A human is abducted by the Iduve, a cold and powerful alien race, to serve as a translator and pawn in their internal political conflicts.

    playful → cold, still space opera

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

  • Dhalgren

    Samuel R. Delany1975

    An amnesiac wanderer enters Bellona, a city cut off from the world where time and geography shift. He joins a gang and writes poetry.

    playful → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Red Rising

    Pierce Brown2014

    A laborer on Mars discovers his caste is being lied to and undergoes surgery to infiltrate the ruling elite. He joins a brutal war games academy.

    playful → propulsive, still space opera

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2

  • The Stars My Destination

    Alfred Bester1956

    Gully Foyle is left for dead in space and spends years seeking revenge. He travels a future where humans can teleport using their minds.

    playful → propulsive, still space opera

    pace+1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • The Android's Dream

    John Scalzi2006

    A diplomat must find a specific, genetically engineered sheep to prevent an interstellar war. The story is a fast-paced, irreverent space comedy.

    Same playful register, still space opera

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Beelzebub's tales to his grandson

    Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff1950

    An extraterrestrial being explains the history and strange behaviors of humanity to his grandson during a long space voyage.

    playful → meditative

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

  • Ancillary Justice

    Ann Leckie2013

    A lone soldier, once the artificial intelligence of a massive starship, seeks revenge in a single human body.

    playful → meditative, still space opera

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • Children of Dune

    Frank Herbert1976

    The twin heirs of Paul Atreides navigate political conspiracies and their own evolving biology to secure the future of the desert planet.

    playful → meditative, still space opera

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story

    Stephen R. Donaldson

    A space pirate, a victim, and a police officer are trapped in a cycle of abuse and betrayal. The narrative shifts perspectives to reveal lies.

    playful → bleak, still space opera

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+3

  • Star Wars - Legacy of the Force - Sacrifice

    Karen Traviss2007

    Jacen Solo hunts his own parents during a galactic civil war. He commits increasingly ruthless acts to secure his power as a Sith apprentice.

    playful → bleak, still space opera

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+3

  • Star Wars - The New Jedi Order - Star by Star

    Troy Denning2001

    Jedi strike teams infiltrate enemy space to destroy a biological weapon that tracks Force-users. The plot focuses on a high-stakes mission.

    playful → tense, still space opera

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+3