I Understand Space Opera Very Well
When I heard it was Space Opera Week, I jumped at the chance to participate! Lots of people say that they…
Space Opera
55 Essential Space Operas from the Last 70 Years
What makes a science fiction story a space opera? Well, it needs to take place in space obviously, though not…
6 Space Operas That Explore the Comedic Side of the Cosmos
The term “space opera” conjures grand vistas, massive spaceships, multi-threaded plots of romance and intrigue, dashing protagonists, and dastardly villains,…
Netherspace Brings Space Opera to a Truly Alien Universe
Netherspace is a new space opera from Andrew Lane and Nigel Foster. Probably. It certainly takes an interesting approach to the genre—you’ll be…
In The Stars Are Legion, Kameron Hurley Transforms Space Opera into a Scream of Rage
Book reviews are hardly immune from hyperbole. Despite my attempts at restraint, when I really love something, I can become quite… animated. Dear…
Guest Post: Better Sci-Fi Through Gaming, by Yoon Ha Lee
One of the more entertaining things I got to do while writing Ninefox Gambit was read up on game design and…
Dark Run Deserves to Be This Year’s Breakout Space Opera
You think you might know what Dark Run is about. You might think it is a book that you’ve read before:…
15 Space Opera Books for Firefly Fans
We don’t need to tell you that Firefly has transformed from failed TV series to cultural phenomenon in the years since…
The Promise of the Child Is a Totally Bonkers Space Opera Debut
We talked a bit about space opera lately. It’s a beloved, wide-ranging sub-genre that can be tricky to define, but…
Ancillary Mercy Is the Stunning Conclusion to a New Classic SF Trilogy
If you’ve been paying attention to science fiction over the past two years, you know Ann Leckie’s name. She’s quickly become…
6 Brilliant Sci-Fi Takes on Arthurian Legend
A: The search for a Holy Grail. Chivalry mixed with petty romantic triangles. The wizard Merlin and the sorceress Morgan le…
The End of All Things Is an Imaginative, Quippy Military SF Story Filled with Heart
When someone asks me what got me back into reading science fiction, I point them to John Scalzi’s Old Man’s…
The Expanse Is the Show that Will Rekindle Your Love for Syfy
Syfy wasn’t kidding about wanting to get back into geeks’ good graces: if the pilot episode of December’s The Expanse is…
Into the Void: Linesman Explores Politics, War, and Spaceships with Feelings
Linesman is the first book in a new space opera series from S.K. Dunstall, an adventure that combines statecraft, unlikely alliances,…
Our 6 Favorite Sentient Spaceships
Artificial intelligence comes in many forms: you have your Terminator-type Skynets, formless and godlike; your Ex Machina robots, jump out…
Nemesis Games Is an Interpersonal and Sociopolitical Tour De Force
When I finished Nemesis Games, the fifth entry in James S.A. Corey’s space opera opus The Expanse, I covered my face…
Evolution of a Space Epic: James S.A. Corey’s The Expanse
It’s March 2015, and I am standing on the bridge of a starship. The crew work stations look worn, the walls are…
5 Reasons Iain M. Banks’ Culture Should Be the Next Big Sci-Fi Adaptation
It’s a wonderful time to be a science fiction fan. The television adaptation of James S.A. Corey’s Expanse space opera series is…