Comments on: 5 Greatest Space Operas (And No, Foundation Isn’t One Of Them)

By: David

David — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:52:23 +0000

Any such list that leaves out the Gaean Reach (slash Oikumene) novels of Jack Vance is mere piffle. Vance is the grand master, and simply cannot be ignored.

By: Mike K

Mike K — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:24:47 +0000

how about Wing Commander, both video game and movie?

By: Thomas

Thomas — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:50:44 +0000

@Ian,

Like Stephen, I have always considered Dune to be more of a planetary romance than space opera. The Foundation is not rubbish, it simply is not space opera. The characters and settings, like Asmiov’s other works, are secondary to the “gimmick” of the book. This makes it more like hard Sci-Fi than space opera.
As far as the new stuff, Reynolds is excellent, but so is Dan Simmons’ Hyperion books, I am amazed no one has mentioned them. Simmons really pushes the boundaries of what can be done with human-only space opera.

By: SCHONOVIC

SCHONOVIC — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 05:40:49 +0000

MY SPACE OPERA INCLUDES THE HUMANS LORDS PIRATES(AS A POWER IN THEIR OWN RIGHT) GAZELLIONS AND THE MEGALANIC EMPIRE AND SPANS TO THE YEAR 3206. IT KICKS ANY SPACE OPERA’S YOU KNOW WHAT!!!!!!!

By: Dr. Neutron

Dr. Neutron — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 03:00:57 +0000

I think James H. Schmitz’s “Federation of the Hub” universe deserves to be in any such list, as does Mike Resnick’s “Birthright” universe, (particularly the novel, “Santiago”). Many of Samuel R. Delaney’s novels such as “Nova”, “Babel-17″, and “Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand” Are also unjustly absent. I can’t think of many shows of western origin that haven’t already been named, but anime series such as “Outlaw Star”, “Cowboy Bebop”, and “Mobile Suit Gundam” are all worth consideration.

By: Pierre

Pierre — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:39:39 +0000

One of my favourite “space operas” (and I think it does fit the genre) was Stephen Donaldson’s “gap” series. Great characters. Ridiculously convoluted plots.

By: Ana

Ana — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:22:58 +0000

What? No mention on the very first space opera of all time, John Carter of Mars?
For shame…

By: Rob C

Rob C — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:04:57 +0000

Simon Green’s Deathstalker series was hilarious, grandiose, epic, believable, horrifying, and best of all, addicting. It was the longest 10 years of my life waiting for the finale!

By: I Come For Love: Getting Down With Aliens | Science Not Fiction | Discover Magazine

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:14:57 +0000

[...] people expect a lasers-and-spaceships spectacle, but there’s more to science fiction than space opera: tightly drawn character studies that don’t require an army of CGI artists and a rendering [...]

By: Raul Soto

Raul Soto — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:43:44 +0000

I’d like to add two Japanese space operas from the 70s:

1. Space Pirate Captain Harlock (Uchū Kaizoku Kyaputen Hārokku)

2. Space Battleship Yamato (Uchū Senkan Yamato)- shown in the US as StarBlazers, in Latin America as Nave Espacial Intrépido

By: Doug Chaplin

Doug Chaplin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:21:59 +0000

And for a series with a difference, I would rate Stephen Donaldson’s foray away from fantasy and into hard sci-fi very highly: his Gap Series is astonishingly good.

By: Ian Sales

Ian Sales — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:46:31 +0000

@Steve Davison – the Hartwell is The Space Opera Renaissance, which seems to me more like an attempt by Hartwell to prove that the New British Space Opera (as it was called) was: a) not new, and b) not British. In defence of his argument, he claimed that 1980s military sf by the likes of David Weber was actually space opera. There are some good stories in the anthology, but Hartwell’s agenda means it also includes some right clunkers and some that aren’t space opera by any stretch of the imagination.

And then you have the two Brian Aldiss anthologies – Space Opera and Space Odyssey. Aldiss does great introductions, but he can’t pick stories to save his life. The contents of Space Opera are mostly unmemorable, and several don’t even fit the definition. A better pair of anthologies, with a higher space opera hit rate, would be his Galactic Empires Vol 1 and Vol 2, although they include a lot of old, creaky and not very well written space operas.

By: Paladin

Paladin — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:18:06 +0000

I would’ve included David Brin’s “Uplift” series and Greg Benford’s “Galactic Center” saga in this list.

Actually i’m surprised nobody mentioned them yet.

By: Mark Lund

Mark Lund — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:22:24 +0000

I have always enjoyed the Star Wars saga and Babylon 5. Star Wars in particular had a great way of weaving so many interesting planets and cultures together. Take a look at First World on http://www.firstworldmovie.com or on IMDB at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1056062/. If I’m able to complete First World as a feature, it should have the makings of a space opera.

By: Duncan

Duncan — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:52:14 +0000

I would include Peter F Hamilton for his prose!

There is the Reality Dysfunction series set in the Conferedation Universe
And the Commonwealth Universe – Dreaming Void is the series he is working on now!