2026-08-04 21:35 UTC
Replies (18)
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@IanMoore3000@mastodon.ie 2026-08-04 21:36
@peterdrake@mstdn.social have you read Ancillary Justice?
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@MiaMarkTwo@syzito.xyz 2026-08-04 21:37
@peterdrake@mstdn.social Doesn't tick all those boxes but if you've not yet read Becky Chambers, stop what you're doing and buy them all now.
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@StephaneHuart@mastodon.social 2026-08-04 21:49
@peterdrake@mstdn.social The Expanse series is great (especially the first one imho). And for a smaller scale story with a cool variation on a "first contact" story, and a very cool sub-theme about the concept of consciousness, there is Blindsight from Peter Watts
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@paulmasson@mathstodon.xyz 2026-08-04 21:50
@peterdrake@mstdn.social The Machineries of Empire trilogy by Yoon Ha Lee. Lots of weird technology and confusing pronouns. Short chapters so moves quickly.
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@alicemcalicepants@ohai.social 2026-08-04 22:01
@peterdrake@mstdn.social I've just read and enjoyed Nadia Afifi's Nabatea duology (A Rebel's History of Mars and A Fugitive's History of the Known Universe). Ada Hoffmann's The Outside trilogy also springs to mind 😊
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@taak@troet.cafe 2026-08-04 22:12
@peterdrake@mstdn.social Becky Chambers Wayfarer series. Loved it so much. Monk and Robot series is also awesome.
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@onkelgoergen@mas.to 2026-08-04 22:24
@peterdrake@mstdn.social Binti
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@SimonCHulse@mastodon.nz 2026-08-04 22:24
@peterdrake@mstdn.social the most recent relatively-unknown sci-fi book I read was “To Swim in a Sea of Stars” by Christopher Paolini (author of “Eragon” and its sequels) No bonus points, but it had an unputdownable storyline and the protagonist is female. Adult fiction, but with a few references to his prior writing aimed at younger audiences, if you’re looking out for them.
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@Hyperlynx@aus.social 2026-08-04 23:09
@peterdrake@mstdn.social you've no doubt already read the Imperial Radch series, but it's my favourite, so I'm going to take the excuse to recommend it anyway.
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@backupbear@aus.social 2026-08-04 23:12
@peterdrake@mstdn.social The Noumenon Trilogy by Marina J. Lostetter is difficult to go past. Slow Gods by Claire North is a standalone but still worth going for. For older, the rarely heard of "Phoenix Legacy" trilogy by MK Wren is great space opera.
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@fulanigirl@mstdn.social 2026-08-04 23:53
@peterdrake@mstdn.social Try Mahmud El Sayed : THE REPUBLIC OF MEMORY. Hundreds of people on ship making a 400 year voyage to somewhere, taking care of their frozen ancestors when something goes awry. Different castes have different solutions. Try it, you may like it.
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@ike_seblon@mastodon.social 2026-08-05 00:45
@peterdrake@mstdn.social Nova by Samuel R Delaney
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@kingsleybugarin@social.vivaldi.net 2026-08-05 02:52
@peterdrake@mstdn.social I don't think anybody has mentioned these yet. Space Opera - Catherynne M. Valente Culture series (10 books) - Iain M Banks
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@thebaywindowgirl@toot.wales 2026-08-05 07:18
@peterdrake@mstdn.social Have you read Refractions and Inversions by MV Melcer?
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@slightwitch@mastodon.gamedev.place 2026-08-05 09:03
@peterdrake@mstdn.social Another vote for Elizabeth Bear’s White Space Some Desparate Glory, Emily Tesh and It *is* space opera though that’s not the focus of the first novel—The Locked Tomb series, starting with Gideon the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir
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@wwfsmd@mstdn.ca 2026-08-05 12:37
@peterdrake@mstdn.social No bonus points for The Spiral Wars by Joel Shepherd. He's Australian and I think that makes a difference. Some of the crew of the ship disagree on policy, more than superficially, often about AI. Plot moves along through 10 books. Audiobooks read by Jim Lee with a great voice. Latest book 2025.
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@lianna@micro.webgarden.click 2026-08-05 13:50
@peterdrake@mstdn.social I can really recommend John Scalzi's The Collapsing Empire and its sequels.
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@adric@atlbbs.com 2026-08-05 20:25
@peterdrake@mstdn.social The Unstoppable Trilogy by @charliejane@wandering.shop starting with _Victories Greater than Death_ is fantastic reading and might match all your criteria: diversity, space opera, plenty of action, (dodging spoilers) 😺