Olympos

The New Space Opera #1

Gardner R. Dozois2008

An anthology of eighteen original short stories by various authors exploring modern themes in the space opera subgenre.

pace0·prose0·bleak-1

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.

propulsive → dreamlike, still space opera

pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

Invisible Cities

Italo Calvino1972

Marco Polo describes fifty-five imaginary cities to Kublai Khan. The book is a series of short, prose-poem meditations on urban existence.

propulsive → meditative

pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1

Feersum Endjinn

Iain Banks1994

Four characters navigate a crumbling megastructure on a dying Earth. One quarter of the book is written in phonetic, non-standard spelling.

propulsive → playful, still space opera

pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

On a Pale Horse

Piers Anthony1983

After accidentally killing the personification of Death, a man must take over the office. He navigates the bureaucracy of the afterlife.

propulsive → playful

pace0·prose-2·bleak-2

The Stainless Steel Rat

Harry Harrison1961

A futuristic con man is caught by the Special Corps and forced to use his criminal skills to catch other lawbreakers.

propulsive → playful, still space opera

pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

Tuesdays with Morrie

Mitch Albom1994

A journalist reconnects with his dying college professor for weekly lessons on life. They discuss aging, regret, and love as the professor declines.

propulsive → tender

pace-1·prose-2·bleak-2

Chilling Effect

Valerie Valdes2019

A spaceship captain completes dangerous missions to pay off a ransom for her kidnapped sister. The crew includes a pilot who is a sentient plant.

propulsive → playful, still space opera

pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

The Star Kings

Edmond Hamilton1949

A 20th-century man swaps bodies with a prince 200,000 years in the future. He must lead a galactic empire against a tyrant's fleet.

Same propulsive register, still space opera

pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

The Star Wars Trilogy

George Lucas2018

A farm boy joins a rebellion against a galactic empire. He learns to use a mystical force under the guidance of an exiled knight.

propulsive → earnest, still space opera

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

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.

propulsive → meditative

pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1

Dandelion Wine

Ray Bradbury1946

A twelve-year-old boy experiences a series of vignettes over one summer in 1928 Illinois. The chapters focus on small-town life and aging.

propulsive → elegiac

pace-2·prose0·bleak-2

For Us, the Living

Robert A. Heinlein2003

A 1930s pilot wakes up in the year 2086. The book consists of long dialogues explaining the social, economic, and sexual norms of the future.

propulsive → earnest

pace-2·prose-1·bleak-2

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.

propulsive → bleak, still space opera

pace0·prose0·bleak+1

Dark Age

Pierce Brown2019

An outlawed revolutionary fights a losing war on Mercury while an exiled heir attempts to reclaim a space empire. It is a violent military epic.

Same propulsive register, still space opera

pace0·prose0·bleak+1

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.

propulsive → bleak, still space opera

pace0·prose-1·bleak+1