After
Salvation Lost
Peter F. Hamilton2019
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
Same propulsive register, still space opera
- pace0prose-1bleak0
Star Wars - The New Jedi Order - Vector Prime
R. A. Salvatore1999
Twenty-one years after the Empire's fall, a race of extra-galactic invaders attacks the New Republic using organic technology.
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
A Night Without Stars
Peter F. Hamilton2016
On the planet Bienvenido, humans face an increasing threat from the Fallers. A small group attempts to lead a technological revolution to escape.
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
The Ashes of Worlds
Kevin J. Anderson2008
Multiple alien races and human factions engage in a final galactic war. It is the concluding volume of a seven-book space opera series.
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak0
Tiamat's Wrath
James S. A. Corey2018
The eighth Expanse novel follows a scattered resistance fighting an interstellar empire. It tracks several viewpoints across a colonized galaxy.
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
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
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
Radiance
Catherynne M. Valente2015
A documentary filmmaker disappears on Venus in an alternate 1980s solar system. The story is told through scripts, interviews, and letters.
propulsive → dreamlike, still space opera
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace0prose+1bleak0
Perhaps the Stars
Ada Palmer2021
A global war between ideological factions reaches its conclusion. The story is told through a dense, 18th-century style narrative voice.
propulsive → meditative, still space opera
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
Against the Day
Thomas Pynchon2006
A massive ensemble cast navigates the globe between the 1893 World's Fair and WWI. The plot spans airships, math, and secret societies.
propulsive → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
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
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
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.
propulsive → cold, still space opera
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
To recover
- pace0prose-2bleak-2
Star Nomad
Lindsay Buroker2016
A fighter pilot and a small crew of strangers attempt to escape a system-wide war in a freighter. It is a character-driven space adventure.
propulsive → playful, still space opera
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
All Systems Red
Martha Wells2017
A self-aware security android hacks its own governor module to watch soap operas while protecting a team of scientists on a distant planet.
propulsive → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose-1bleak-2
The Rowan
Anne McCaffrey1990
A powerful telepath living in isolation connects with a distant mind to defend against an alien invasion. It follows their psychic courtship.
propulsive → earnest, still space opera
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
- pace0prose-2bleak-2
Redshirts
John Scalzi2012
Low-ranking crew members on a starship realize they are disposable characters in a sci-fi television show. They attempt to escape their fate.
propulsive → playful, still space opera
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
All Systems Red
Martha Wells2017
A self-aware security android hacks its own governor module to watch soap operas while protecting a team of scientists on a distant planet.
propulsive → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
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
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
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.
propulsive → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-2bleak-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
- pace+1prose-2bleak-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
Slower
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
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.
propulsive → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-2prose+1bleak-1
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
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+1bleak-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
- pace-2prose0bleak-2
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
- pace-2prose-1bleak-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
Heavier
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Consider Phlebas
Iain Banks1987
A shape-shifting mercenary works for an alien empire to retrieve a rogue AI during a galactic war. He faces a series of deadly set-pieces.
propulsive → bleak, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
An Exchange of Hostages
Susan R. Matthews1997
A surgeon is drafted into a space empire's corps of torturers. He tries to maintain his ethics while being trained to inflict pain.
propulsive → clinical, still space opera
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+1
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
- pace0prose-1bleak+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
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
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.
propulsive → tense, still space opera
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
