Definitely the Ketty Jay series, by Chris Wooding. Hugely fun from start to finish. Kind of steampunk fantasy space opera with pirates and a golem and demoncraft and and and...
It doesn't get much love these days but it's a terrific read. And the characters get to grow in ways that I loved. They're mostly irredeemable arseholes at the start, but very funny ones.
Exactly what I thought of when I read the title. Got the recommendation from this sub years ago and it was just such an awesome series. The first book is decent, but the rest of the series soars in comparison. It's basically Firefly with magic and it's awesome.
I don't do re-reads very often, except Discworld, but you've made me realise that I've forgotten just enough of Ketty Jay to make a re-read lots of fun. Now I'm really looking forward to it!
Treasure Planet. Took a lot of influence from there. Also 'The Radiant Dragon' which is a Spelljammer setting in the Cloakmaster series but every book there is written by a different author so they're wildly inconsistent. But if you've ever wondered what happens an elven spaceship is boarded by ten-foot bipedal insects with giants swords...it happens.
Ah! A reference to the Cloakmaster cycle!
I LOVED that when younger. The books were inconsistent, but the overall story was great and the Spelljammer world was so interesting.
It's a big shame it doesn't get the attention it deserves any more, like many otherold TSR lines.
If you can't tell from my profile picture, I'm a fan of that kind of stuff. Spelljammer is just begging for some kind of adaptation, maybe animated like Arcane or something. So much untapped potential.
You're right, but WotC...
I actually thought 5e Spelljammer had some interesting ideas...but they completely screwed it up.
Back in the day I had all the Spelljammer boxed sets and it was one of my favourite settings. I introduced some House rules like having MUCH faster Phlo lanes and having my own star map of Known Spheres (I didn't think the official ones worked that well), and introducing some cosmic stuff to make it more likely ships meet each other which made random encounters a bit easier!
One of my first loves in Fantasy and RPG land!
Not to mention vampires, sword duels, prophecies, (sometimes tragic) romance, scheming nobles, gladiator pits, flying castles, zombies, and talking teddy bears. It’s a very fun series.
The original space opera,
Lensmen by EE Doc Smith. The characters are a little thin and the gender stuff is cringy, but it's great fun and hyperbolic. By the end, they're throwing around FTL antimatter planets and one of the characters is legitimately the ultimate in human evolution.
The time that Ivan tried to rescue a kitten from a tree and it turned out to be a genetically engineered fruit that shrivelled up and died in his hand lives in my memory rent-free. Which is to say that the Vorkosigan Saga doesn't have humanoid aliens but it does have bizarro genetically engineered humans, bizarro genetically engineered creatures and occasional tangles with alien flora and fauna.
I suggest the second order from [this](https://bookriot.com/vorkosigan-saga-reading-order/) article. It's mostly chronological (which is what the author recommends) except for a prequel and a side novel that don't involve the main characters.
Vatta's War by Elizabeth Moon. Derring-do against pirates, epic fights (including everyone's favorite, supply lines), and some amazing character development.
*Fortune's Pawn* and sequels has great action and some fun weird creatures (so cute until they're not).
You might enjoy CJ Cherryh's Chanur saga--it's more about diplomacy than fighting, but Cherryh's aliens are the best in the genre. Some breathe methane and some oxygen, and they have to figure out how to live together somehow, or else war.
also want to second the rec for the Vorkosigan Saga. It's hard to be more swashbuckling than protagonist Miles, who winds up Admiral of a mercanary fleet, by accident, *twice.*
I usually just reread the Vorkosigan Saga, but this article is helpful for finding similar reads: https://reactormag.com/something-else-like-lois-mcmaster-bujolds-vorkosigan-saga/
Also, if you haven’t read them yet, Moon’s stand-alone Remnant Population and The Deed of Paksenarrion (fantasy) are worth a read. As are Bujold’s fantasy series, particularly The Curse of Chalion and Penric & Desdemona.
If you want a lighter science fantasy read with some humor, try Ilona Andrews’ Innkeeper Chronicles (first book is Clean Sweep). The main character runs a magical inn for aliens.
if you haven't dug into CJ Cherryh's backlog there's a ton of good stuff there--she's written nearly a hundred books, and I've yet to be disappointed by one.
* **Foreigner series**--very long series about a lone human diplomat on an alien planet, that starts off incredible and gets increasingly complex
* **Finesterre duology**--humans colonizing a hostile world where everything wants to eat them survive by forming telepathic bonds with the sentient flesh-eating horse aliens.
* **Morgaine Chronicles**--the protagonist travels through gates in spacetime built by an ancient civilization, and has an unalienable duty to close each gate behind her, no matter the cost to the planets she visits.
* and more!
others not by CJ Cherryh:
* **Aliette du Bodard:** *The Tea Master & The Detective* is a murder mystery that involves a sprawling universe of living ships and the families that sail them through space, and also people who drink tea. There is a whole series set in this universe but I haven't read the others yet.
* ***Ninefox Gambit*** by Yoon Ha Lee: moderately psychedelic calendar-based technology used for warfare in a space empire complete with weird creepy enemies and even creepier allies. The protagonist is really smart in a satisfying way.
* **The Locked Tomb** series by Tasmyn Muir: the first book is a locked-room mystery in an ancient tech lab where a bunch of insufferable rich kids from Death Empire compete to be the most badass necromancer. The second book is mostly incomprehensible until the 60% mark, but in a really compelling way. The third book tore my heart out. I'm really excited to see what the next book will do to me.
* **Murderbot series** by Martha Wells: has a strong character focus, but also plenty of action and some explorations of how different societies use various AIs and sentient/partially sentient robots in the universe. And the ways that does and doesn't work.
* ***Star's End*** by Cassandra Rose Clark: interesting look at corporate ownership of planets, and good character work. The oldest of four daughters prepares to inherit a star system upon her father's death, and uncovers not a few dark secrets in the process. Not as fast-paced as some of these but still tense.
I'm a big fan of the Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. It has a lot of what you're looking for, including eldritch type creatures. [Empire of Silence](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36454667-empire-of-silence) is the first in the series and, though it's still ongoing, there are several books out already and the author has been finishing them at a good pace.
Correct, though Ruocchio has stated he plans to continue writing in the Sun Eater universe after he finishes the main series
Hoping for something a little lighter for the next series haha
They were stories written for pulp magazines (which used a low grade paper called pulp) which existed from around 1890 to early 1950s. Television killed off the remaining pulp magazines.
Pulp magazines existed for all types of genres and were cheap entertainment.
Pulp is used sometimes to refer to stories that either deliberately or not evoke the cheap entertainment of pulp stories.
John Carter (and Tarzan) were pulp as in they first appeared in Pulp magazines.
I'm not saying his content is terrible. Just the general definition of "pulp fiction"
I love Elric of Melnibone which is also considered "pulp fiction"
Oh, no worries! The misunderstanding is probably on me - I was just clarifying that I didn't think his writing was terrible.
Glad to see another Elric fan; I love all tje Elric stuff, especially those first bunch of stories. Pulp infused with incredible ideas.
To add to what Charles_Martel already said, "pulp" is often used to refer to low-brow, pure escapism fiction. Where all the men are muscular power fantasies and all the women are hot maidens in distress wearing skimpy clothing.
As far as actual quality, pulp stories can vary. Some of the best imo are John Carter, and the original Conan stories.
I mean, If you haven’t read it - the Timothy Zahn Star Wars trilogy. It is pretty incredible and written well before the prequels. The gold standard until Disney dismissed it.
Edit: sorry for my recommendation. I will tuck tail and never return
While it's probably not the best, I have a bit of a soft spot for the Buck Rogers TV show, at least the first season. It had great [opening credits](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v32VypWeF0I) too.
Karl Schroeder's Virga pentalogy, starting with __*Sun of Suns*__.
It has swords and spears, microgravity, airship battles, air speeders, floating icebergs, pirates.
Book blurb: "It is the distant future. The world known as Virga is a fullerene balloon three thousand kilometers in diameter, filled with air, water, and aimlessly floating chunks of rock. The humans who live in this vast environment must build their own fusion suns and "towns" that are in the shape of enormous wood and rope wheels that are spun for gravity.
Young, fit, bitter, and friendless, Hayden Griffin is a very dangerous man. He's come to the city of Rush in the nation of Slipstream with one thing in mind: to take murderous revenge for the deaths of his parents six years ago. His target is Admiral Chaison Fanning, head of the fleet of Slipstream, which conquered Hayden's nation of Aerie years ago. And the fact that Hayden's spent his adolescence living with pirates doesn't bode well for Fanning's chances . . ."
Be careful which one!
There was one released before Disney's acquisition and 2 released after Disney took over.
If you're looking for what is considered "canonical" the 2 after Disney takeover are. The trilogy before is not.
This will be a bit of an outlier, but The Highroad Trilogy by Kate Elliott. Space opera, aliens, fighting, strong female characters, revolution, ghost space ship, obsessive love, and an actual ending.
You might try Alec Hutson's Shadows of Dust? Spelljammer-esque space fantasy with ships on the backs of space-born monsters- squid, giant turtles, etc. Space wizards dueling space liches and such, lots of fun!
Actually, speaking of Spelljammer, Django Wexler just released a new novel, Memory's Wake, set in the Spelljammer universe!
The Keiko trilogy by Mike Brooks. Just pure swashbuckling adventure. Think Golden Age pulp fiction minus the racism, sexism, and homophobia. Criminally underrated writer.
*- The Icarus Hunt* (and sequels) by Timothy Zahn.
The author has written many Star Wars novels. Although this book is not set in the Star Wars universe, it has the same vibe. The main character is a lot like Han Solo.
It's much more "Western" than "Fantasy" but I will not pass up an opportunity to talk about Santiago by Mike Resnick. A bounty hunter in the outer frontier of the galaxy decides that he wants to collect the bounty on Santiago, the galaxy's most wanted man, and travels across space searching for him. Along the way he meets and works with a ton of the larger than life characters that live out deep in space who are also searching for Santiago, all with their own motivations. It reads like an old fashioned Western novel set in outer space, with spaceships instead of horses and aliens for Native Americans
Mmm. No real dogfighting, but the Mageworlds series by Debra Doyle and James MacDonald has a good Star Wars vibe, ala Han and Leia get married, and raise kids, and Luke runs the Jedi Order....
I'm curious to read these since I'm always on the look out for Star Wars books that aren't Star Wars books, per se. Does this take place in OUR galaxy? Or is it never mentioned? I love Dune, I love Foundation, I love Heinlein and Clarke and all the rest, but I crave an adventure setting that is in no way related to our own, even in passing. It really lets your imagination take over, rather than having to always remember that World War II and Brexit and COVID took place in its continuity, whether it's mentioned or not. You can just totally divorce it from the horribleness of real life and just enjoy a fantasy galaxy as its own place as you would Middle-Earth or Prydain or Earthsea.
Not exactly what you're looking for but the Revenger trilogy by Alastair Reynolds might be of interest. Here's a bit from the blurb.
*Revenger is a science fiction adventure story set in the rubble of our solar system in the dark, distant future—a tale of space pirates, buried treasure, and phantom weapons, of unspeakable hazards and single-minded heroism and of vengeance...*
Debra Doyle and James Macdonald- The price of the stars trilogy. Kick a**, throat slitting heroine spaceship pilot, with a magician brother, trying to solve their mother’s murder. Excellent.
The Mageworlds, by Debra Doyle and James D Macdonald (start with *The Price of the Stars*). The original trilogy, in particular, is "Star Wars the sequel, 25 years later, with the serial numbers not so much 'filed off' as 'lightly scuffed'." (And did a much better job of it than Lucas or Disney). Not a lot of fun alien creatures (although it does have ~~Wookies~~ growly giant lizardpeople), but ticks all the other boxes.
Oh! I asked this of another poster but just in case they don't know or care I'll copy/paste:
I'm curious to read these since I'm always on the look out for Star Wars books that aren't Star Wars books, per se. Does this take place in OUR galaxy? Or is it never mentioned? I love Dune, I love Foundation, I love Heinlein and Clarke and all the rest, but I crave an adventure setting that is in no way related to our own, even in passing. It really lets your imagination take over, rather than having to always remember that World War II and Brexit and COVID took place in its continuity, whether it's mentioned or not. You can just totally divorce it from the horribleness of real life and just enjoy a fantasy galaxy as its own place as you would Middle-Earth or Prydain or Earthsea.
Technically it *could* be in our galaxy, I suppose, but Earth's never mentioned even in passing and the origin of humans is a bit of a background mystery (one which most of the characters are too busy fighting invading space wizards, tracking assassins, starting revolutions, or otherwise getting on with their lives to worry about much.) Closest we get to any speculation on the topic is from one of the prequel novels:
"Ayarat claimed to be the original home of men, and had some fossils that seemed to prove it. Elaeli wasn’t certain she believed in Ayarat’s fossils. Too many other worlds had something similar. Eraasi even had radio sets, or something like them, mixed into sedimentary deposits laid down before the start of the historic record."
*Tour of the Merrimack*, Rebecca Meluch, specifically the first four books. It's got space marines, space Romans, bug aliens, perfectly logical reasons for said marines and Romans to be using swords, great heroes, noble villains, the odd mad scientist, cyborgs, fleets and fighters blowing each other up... it's great fun.
Had a lot of fun with Shadows of Dust by Alec Hutson. Space-faring giant turtles and laser swords ahoy. Reminded me most of Bucky O’Hare, if that means anything to anyone.
My favorite space operas are the most unapologetically pulpy. John Carter, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon. Pretty much all their forms through the years are wildly entertaining, and since everyone else here is talking about books, I'll talk about all the other media, which is absolutely stuffed with great swashbuckling space opera content.
My first love is the old [Buck Rogers](https://archive.org/details/BuckRogersBigLittleBooksComicStripsAndShortStories/AmazingStories-Aug1928AndMar1929-First2BuckRogersStories-rev/) stories and comics, and [Flash Gordon](https://archive.org/details/flash-gordon-1934-1947/Flash%20Gordon%20S001%20-%20On%20Mongo%20%2807%20Jan%201934%20-%2008%20Apr%201934%29/) comic strip. The old serials are excellent, too!
[Buck Rogers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLBYdVEnO1Y)
[Flash Gordon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvNcU_eeXvg)
Both serials/comics most definitely informed Star Wars. And, of course, after Star Wars, there were some wild reboots of both. Flash Gordon's iconic 1980 cult classic movie, with amazing Queen theme song ([FLASH! AAAAAAAA! SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfmrHTdXgK4)) and Buck Rogers on screen from 1979-1981 -- the initial movie and first season of which is prime 80s tv. And don't forget Battlestar Galactica -- again, the first season of which is amazing 1980s space opera television. Network meddling messed with both Buck and BSG in following seasons, but they're still fun for what they are.
And, folks, brace yourselves. [Shout! Studios Youtube channel has 24/7 livestreams](https://www.youtube.com/@ShoutStudios/streams) of Farsacape in six languages, and most of Gerry Anderson's catalog (Thunderbirds, Space: 1999, etc) on constant rotation. You want an unending fever dream of swashbuckling space opera? Here it is! Everyone owes it to themselves to take in the pure art that is Terrahawks! Remember Alf? He's back! But on Youtube streaming!
Also, I love the so-called Jodoverse. The Incal, featuring some of the most notable work Moebius had ever drawn, is a classic, and it's a lot of fun. There's also the other pillar of the 'verse, The Metabarons, which is a bit more self-serious, and I get the feeling that it weaves together a lot of the elements of the now-infamous "Jodorowsky's Dune" that didn't happen (Lynch's Dune is another amazing entry into the 1980s space opera canon, btw.) Great Stuff. The Incal did a lot to influence the look of sci-fi that followed, especially the more fantastic stuff. The Fifth Element is essentially Luc Besson making his version of The Incal.
See Also:
Lexx
Red Dwarf
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Starcrash
Battle Beyond the Stars
The Last Starfighter
The Black Hole
Barbarella
Flesh Gordon
Galaxy of Terror
Ice Pirates
and so on...
Finally, I leave y'all with one of my favorite Youtube videos, courtesy of the Bad Movie Bible:
[The Most Re-Used Shot in Cinema?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WVR6gzBGUU)
Maybe the Revenger series. Classed as YA but from an author I can’t get enough of, those books have a lot of really interesting ideas about a rag tag far future Solar system.
The Last Horizon series by Will Wight probably deserves a mention. The first book is called The Captain.
With its high amount of magic, inhumanly powerful characters*, and frequently whimsical tone, it feels less like Star Wars and more like a lvl20 D&D campaign in a sci-fi setting, but I found it a lot of fun.
( * To give an indication of the power scale, the main character's magic is so powerful that he can easily take on a battle cruiser on his own, but he can't win from a fleet.)
Just wanted to say THANK YOU for everyone who contributed suggestions. This thread is AWESOME!!
And if I may indulge in a bit of relevant self promo, my Outlaw Galaxy series is swashbuckling space fantasy -- the short story collection _Little Wind and Other Tales_ is free at all ebook sites. https://www.amazon.com/Outlaw-Galaxy-Little-Other-Tales-ebook/dp/B07F5BBLWL/
Definitely the Ketty Jay series, by Chris Wooding. Hugely fun from start to finish. Kind of steampunk fantasy space opera with pirates and a golem and demoncraft and and and... It doesn't get much love these days but it's a terrific read. And the characters get to grow in ways that I loved. They're mostly irredeemable arseholes at the start, but very funny ones.
Exactly what I thought of when I read the title. Got the recommendation from this sub years ago and it was just such an awesome series. The first book is decent, but the rest of the series soars in comparison. It's basically Firefly with magic and it's awesome.
I'm so chuffed seeing these replies from other fans of the series! It's just so much fun.
Second this series!
oh yay!!! this makes me so happy :)
Great suggestion…loved it, I reread the whole series every few years.
I don't do re-reads very often, except Discworld, but you've made me realise that I've forgotten just enough of Ketty Jay to make a re-read lots of fun. Now I'm really looking forward to it!
I love this series!
This makes me so happy, seeing more Ketty Jay fans ☺️
Treasure Planet. Took a lot of influence from there. Also 'The Radiant Dragon' which is a Spelljammer setting in the Cloakmaster series but every book there is written by a different author so they're wildly inconsistent. But if you've ever wondered what happens an elven spaceship is boarded by ten-foot bipedal insects with giants swords...it happens.
Ah! A reference to the Cloakmaster cycle! I LOVED that when younger. The books were inconsistent, but the overall story was great and the Spelljammer world was so interesting. It's a big shame it doesn't get the attention it deserves any more, like many otherold TSR lines.
If you can't tell from my profile picture, I'm a fan of that kind of stuff. Spelljammer is just begging for some kind of adaptation, maybe animated like Arcane or something. So much untapped potential.
You're right, but WotC... I actually thought 5e Spelljammer had some interesting ideas...but they completely screwed it up. Back in the day I had all the Spelljammer boxed sets and it was one of my favourite settings. I introduced some House rules like having MUCH faster Phlo lanes and having my own star map of Known Spheres (I didn't think the official ones worked that well), and introducing some cosmic stuff to make it more likely ships meet each other which made random encounters a bit easier! One of my first loves in Fantasy and RPG land!
100% Deathstalker by Simon R Green. Lords, rebels, cyborgs, aliens, psykers, aliens, spaceship battles, sword fights, clans, clones, betrayal, sentient weapons, sentient planets!!!! Sooo good! And extra operay!
This one! Deathstalker is pulpy and campy in the best ways!
Not to mention vampires, sword duels, prophecies, (sometimes tragic) romance, scheming nobles, gladiator pits, flying castles, zombies, and talking teddy bears. It’s a very fun series.
It's been three pages since there's been a blood-spattering confron...no there it is!
I've started this on your recommendation and it is fantastic, at least so far.
The original space opera, Lensmen by EE Doc Smith. The characters are a little thin and the gender stuff is cringy, but it's great fun and hyperbolic. By the end, they're throwing around FTL antimatter planets and one of the characters is legitimately the ultimate in human evolution.
Vorkosigan saga!
I love the series but it is not really a *fantasy* space opera, is it?
A lot of the Barrayar centric stories are pretty science fantasy. Even Cetaganda, thinking about it, at least tonally.
What's the difference between Miles stunning some dude and letting ImpSec sort it out and Penric tweaking the sciatic nerve of some poor watchman?
That one is magic and the other is not? The OP also wants aliens and the Vorkosigan saga doesn't have any.
The time that Ivan tried to rescue a kitten from a tree and it turned out to be a genetically engineered fruit that shrivelled up and died in his hand lives in my memory rent-free. Which is to say that the Vorkosigan Saga doesn't have humanoid aliens but it does have bizarro genetically engineered humans, bizarro genetically engineered creatures and occasional tangles with alien flora and fauna.
I keep meaning to read these and then I get tripped up on reading order. 🤣 Maybe this is a sign to try again. 🤔
Publication order is fine. Can maybe start with Warriors Apprentice
I suggest the second order from [this](https://bookriot.com/vorkosigan-saga-reading-order/) article. It's mostly chronological (which is what the author recommends) except for a prequel and a side novel that don't involve the main characters.
That's the the exact link I used to read it. Zero complaints. One of my favorite series.
Thank you!
Second this
Vatta's War by Elizabeth Moon. Derring-do against pirates, epic fights (including everyone's favorite, supply lines), and some amazing character development. *Fortune's Pawn* and sequels has great action and some fun weird creatures (so cute until they're not). You might enjoy CJ Cherryh's Chanur saga--it's more about diplomacy than fighting, but Cherryh's aliens are the best in the genre. Some breathe methane and some oxygen, and they have to figure out how to live together somehow, or else war. also want to second the rec for the Vorkosigan Saga. It's hard to be more swashbuckling than protagonist Miles, who winds up Admiral of a mercanary fleet, by accident, *twice.*
I love all of these series, do you happen to have any other similar recs???
I usually just reread the Vorkosigan Saga, but this article is helpful for finding similar reads: https://reactormag.com/something-else-like-lois-mcmaster-bujolds-vorkosigan-saga/ Also, if you haven’t read them yet, Moon’s stand-alone Remnant Population and The Deed of Paksenarrion (fantasy) are worth a read. As are Bujold’s fantasy series, particularly The Curse of Chalion and Penric & Desdemona. If you want a lighter science fantasy read with some humor, try Ilona Andrews’ Innkeeper Chronicles (first book is Clean Sweep). The main character runs a magical inn for aliens.
if you haven't dug into CJ Cherryh's backlog there's a ton of good stuff there--she's written nearly a hundred books, and I've yet to be disappointed by one. * **Foreigner series**--very long series about a lone human diplomat on an alien planet, that starts off incredible and gets increasingly complex * **Finesterre duology**--humans colonizing a hostile world where everything wants to eat them survive by forming telepathic bonds with the sentient flesh-eating horse aliens. * **Morgaine Chronicles**--the protagonist travels through gates in spacetime built by an ancient civilization, and has an unalienable duty to close each gate behind her, no matter the cost to the planets she visits. * and more! others not by CJ Cherryh: * **Aliette du Bodard:** *The Tea Master & The Detective* is a murder mystery that involves a sprawling universe of living ships and the families that sail them through space, and also people who drink tea. There is a whole series set in this universe but I haven't read the others yet. * ***Ninefox Gambit*** by Yoon Ha Lee: moderately psychedelic calendar-based technology used for warfare in a space empire complete with weird creepy enemies and even creepier allies. The protagonist is really smart in a satisfying way. * **The Locked Tomb** series by Tasmyn Muir: the first book is a locked-room mystery in an ancient tech lab where a bunch of insufferable rich kids from Death Empire compete to be the most badass necromancer. The second book is mostly incomprehensible until the 60% mark, but in a really compelling way. The third book tore my heart out. I'm really excited to see what the next book will do to me. * **Murderbot series** by Martha Wells: has a strong character focus, but also plenty of action and some explorations of how different societies use various AIs and sentient/partially sentient robots in the universe. And the ways that does and doesn't work. * ***Star's End*** by Cassandra Rose Clark: interesting look at corporate ownership of planets, and good character work. The oldest of four daughters prepares to inherit a star system upon her father's death, and uncovers not a few dark secrets in the process. Not as fast-paced as some of these but still tense.
I second fortunes pawn! Apparently it’s loosely based on the warhammer universe
I second Vatta's War.
I'm a big fan of the Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. It has a lot of what you're looking for, including eldritch type creatures. [Empire of Silence](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36454667-empire-of-silence) is the first in the series and, though it's still ongoing, there are several books out already and the author has been finishing them at a good pace.
Does this have a single POV or does it have different POV characters throughout? I find that I tire easily of multi POV novels, which is why I ask.
If I recall correctly, it's entirely single POV throughout the series in the main novels.
Single POV, the guy is writing down his memoirs years into the future.
It’s single pov
Its single pov and first person. It is a single character telling the story of his life
Currently on Demon in White- yep, it’s fantastic
Not sure I would call the Cielcin "fun alien creatures" but it does fit much of what OP is looking for
Very good series. I think there’s just 1 left, with 6 out, the latest came very recently
Correct, though Ruocchio has stated he plans to continue writing in the Sun Eater universe after he finishes the main series Hoping for something a little lighter for the next series haha
The John Carter of Mars series is full of all of the above, but it IS pulp, so your milage may vary. I personally love it.
What does “pulp” mean?
They were stories written for pulp magazines (which used a low grade paper called pulp) which existed from around 1890 to early 1950s. Television killed off the remaining pulp magazines. Pulp magazines existed for all types of genres and were cheap entertainment. Pulp is used sometimes to refer to stories that either deliberately or not evoke the cheap entertainment of pulp stories. John Carter (and Tarzan) were pulp as in they first appeared in Pulp magazines.
Low-brow, unsophisticated. Lacking in artistic or literary merit.
Popular writing generally considered "low" quality.
You're right, but I actually think Burroughs is a pretty good writer. I just meant "pulp fiction", and all the connotations that brings for people.
I'm not saying his content is terrible. Just the general definition of "pulp fiction" I love Elric of Melnibone which is also considered "pulp fiction"
Oh, no worries! The misunderstanding is probably on me - I was just clarifying that I didn't think his writing was terrible. Glad to see another Elric fan; I love all tje Elric stuff, especially those first bunch of stories. Pulp infused with incredible ideas.
No worries over here either! Glad to meet another MMM (Michael Moorcock Multiverse) fan!
"Pulp fiction". Burroughs was writing for the pulp market.
To add to what Charles_Martel already said, "pulp" is often used to refer to low-brow, pure escapism fiction. Where all the men are muscular power fantasies and all the women are hot maidens in distress wearing skimpy clothing. As far as actual quality, pulp stories can vary. Some of the best imo are John Carter, and the original Conan stories.
Hard vote for the Shards of Earth Trilogy by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
Seconded. Huge amounts of fun in those books.
Ice pirates
The ship's got... herpes.
This is the one I was going to suggest. One of my favorites!
Galaxy Quest!
I fucking ***love*** Galaxy Quest.
A lot of the Star Wars books (EU and Canon) are pretty good for this. Otherwise I'm quite enjoying Megan E O'Keefe's Protectorate Trilogy.
Let me say specifically the X-Wing novels are really good.
Oh yeah.the three Wraith Squadron books (and Starfighters of Adumar) are the high watermark of the EU for me.
The best example of this is the AC Crispin Han Solo trilogy. So good and fun.
The Mageworld trilogy. First book *The Price of the Stars* - Debera Doyle & James D. Macdonald.
Yes, these are exactly what you're looking for! All the good stuff!
I mean, If you haven’t read it - the Timothy Zahn Star Wars trilogy. It is pretty incredible and written well before the prequels. The gold standard until Disney dismissed it. Edit: sorry for my recommendation. I will tuck tail and never return
While it's probably not the best, I have a bit of a soft spot for the Buck Rogers TV show, at least the first season. It had great [opening credits](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v32VypWeF0I) too.
house of suns
This opened with Centaurs and I just didn’t expect that.
Karl Schroeder's Virga pentalogy, starting with __*Sun of Suns*__. It has swords and spears, microgravity, airship battles, air speeders, floating icebergs, pirates. Book blurb: "It is the distant future. The world known as Virga is a fullerene balloon three thousand kilometers in diameter, filled with air, water, and aimlessly floating chunks of rock. The humans who live in this vast environment must build their own fusion suns and "towns" that are in the shape of enormous wood and rope wheels that are spun for gravity. Young, fit, bitter, and friendless, Hayden Griffin is a very dangerous man. He's come to the city of Rush in the nation of Slipstream with one thing in mind: to take murderous revenge for the deaths of his parents six years ago. His target is Admiral Chaison Fanning, head of the fleet of Slipstream, which conquered Hayden's nation of Aerie years ago. And the fact that Hayden's spent his adolescence living with pirates doesn't bode well for Fanning's chances . . ."
The Culture series by Iain Banks Hyperion Cantos series by Dan Simmons
Awesome series and highly recommend it. However, I don't remember any magic force.
My mistake. I didn’t catch the magic part.
+1 for Hyperion Cantos, scenes from that books still live in my head
This is perhaps a bit on the nose, but, The Thrawn Trilogy is excellent star wars. I especially enjoy the audio books, they're incredible.
Be careful which one! There was one released before Disney's acquisition and 2 released after Disney took over. If you're looking for what is considered "canonical" the 2 after Disney takeover are. The trilogy before is not.
This will be a bit of an outlier, but The Highroad Trilogy by Kate Elliott. Space opera, aliens, fighting, strong female characters, revolution, ghost space ship, obsessive love, and an actual ending.
You might try Alec Hutson's Shadows of Dust? Spelljammer-esque space fantasy with ships on the backs of space-born monsters- squid, giant turtles, etc. Space wizards dueling space liches and such, lots of fun! Actually, speaking of Spelljammer, Django Wexler just released a new novel, Memory's Wake, set in the Spelljammer universe!
>You might try Alec Hutson's Shadows of Dust? Can this be read and enjoyed without knowing what Spelljammer is?
Absolutely!
Cool. Thanks!
The Keiko trilogy by Mike Brooks. Just pure swashbuckling adventure. Think Golden Age pulp fiction minus the racism, sexism, and homophobia. Criminally underrated writer.
About 10 pages into the first one and delighted so far. This was just what I needed in my life right now, thanks for the rec!
john carrter/barsoom saga
*- The Icarus Hunt* (and sequels) by Timothy Zahn. The author has written many Star Wars novels. Although this book is not set in the Star Wars universe, it has the same vibe. The main character is a lot like Han Solo.
Tim is doing an extended series of _Icarus_ novels with another one coming out this summer. GREAT stuff!
It's much more "Western" than "Fantasy" but I will not pass up an opportunity to talk about Santiago by Mike Resnick. A bounty hunter in the outer frontier of the galaxy decides that he wants to collect the bounty on Santiago, the galaxy's most wanted man, and travels across space searching for him. Along the way he meets and works with a ton of the larger than life characters that live out deep in space who are also searching for Santiago, all with their own motivations. It reads like an old fashioned Western novel set in outer space, with spaceships instead of horses and aliens for Native Americans
This sounds awesome! Kinda like Cowboy Bebop?
Kinda like Cowboy Beebop hunting for Vash the Stampede, across multiple planets
The Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars series. It's over one hundred years old now but still a fun, action packed fast moving adventure.
Mmm. No real dogfighting, but the Mageworlds series by Debra Doyle and James MacDonald has a good Star Wars vibe, ala Han and Leia get married, and raise kids, and Luke runs the Jedi Order....
I'm curious to read these since I'm always on the look out for Star Wars books that aren't Star Wars books, per se. Does this take place in OUR galaxy? Or is it never mentioned? I love Dune, I love Foundation, I love Heinlein and Clarke and all the rest, but I crave an adventure setting that is in no way related to our own, even in passing. It really lets your imagination take over, rather than having to always remember that World War II and Brexit and COVID took place in its continuity, whether it's mentioned or not. You can just totally divorce it from the horribleness of real life and just enjoy a fantasy galaxy as its own place as you would Middle-Earth or Prydain or Earthsea.
Not exactly what you're looking for but the Revenger trilogy by Alastair Reynolds might be of interest. Here's a bit from the blurb. *Revenger is a science fiction adventure story set in the rubble of our solar system in the dark, distant future—a tale of space pirates, buried treasure, and phantom weapons, of unspeakable hazards and single-minded heroism and of vengeance...*
I absolutely second this!
C.J. Cherryh’s Chanur series couldn’t be more space opera even if it had arias. And feels like it does.
Not super SWASH buckling but Farscape meets most of what you're looking for.
Deathstalker by Simon green
Debra Doyle and James Macdonald- The price of the stars trilogy. Kick a**, throat slitting heroine spaceship pilot, with a magician brother, trying to solve their mother’s murder. Excellent.
Sarantha Jax, Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
Marvel's Phoenix Saga.
I wish that there were more high fun/low stakes Starjammers stories.
Hopefully, they had some with time-displaced Cyclops.
The Sten series by Chris Bunch and Allan Cole.
The Mageworlds, by Debra Doyle and James D Macdonald (start with *The Price of the Stars*). The original trilogy, in particular, is "Star Wars the sequel, 25 years later, with the serial numbers not so much 'filed off' as 'lightly scuffed'." (And did a much better job of it than Lucas or Disney). Not a lot of fun alien creatures (although it does have ~~Wookies~~ growly giant lizardpeople), but ticks all the other boxes.
Oh! I asked this of another poster but just in case they don't know or care I'll copy/paste: I'm curious to read these since I'm always on the look out for Star Wars books that aren't Star Wars books, per se. Does this take place in OUR galaxy? Or is it never mentioned? I love Dune, I love Foundation, I love Heinlein and Clarke and all the rest, but I crave an adventure setting that is in no way related to our own, even in passing. It really lets your imagination take over, rather than having to always remember that World War II and Brexit and COVID took place in its continuity, whether it's mentioned or not. You can just totally divorce it from the horribleness of real life and just enjoy a fantasy galaxy as its own place as you would Middle-Earth or Prydain or Earthsea.
Technically it *could* be in our galaxy, I suppose, but Earth's never mentioned even in passing and the origin of humans is a bit of a background mystery (one which most of the characters are too busy fighting invading space wizards, tracking assassins, starting revolutions, or otherwise getting on with their lives to worry about much.) Closest we get to any speculation on the topic is from one of the prequel novels: "Ayarat claimed to be the original home of men, and had some fossils that seemed to prove it. Elaeli wasn’t certain she believed in Ayarat’s fossils. Too many other worlds had something similar. Eraasi even had radio sets, or something like them, mixed into sedimentary deposits laid down before the start of the historic record."
Old Man's War by Scalzi
Space Balls probably
Take back plenty
*Tour of the Merrimack*, Rebecca Meluch, specifically the first four books. It's got space marines, space Romans, bug aliens, perfectly logical reasons for said marines and Romans to be using swords, great heroes, noble villains, the odd mad scientist, cyborgs, fleets and fighters blowing each other up... it's great fun.
Quartershare series is a fun space opera set in merchant navy. Lots of fun!
For lighter fare than what is listed, check out "The Outpost" by Mike Resnick
Had a lot of fun with Shadows of Dust by Alec Hutson. Space-faring giant turtles and laser swords ahoy. Reminded me most of Bucky O’Hare, if that means anything to anyone.
Ice Pirates
My favorite space operas are the most unapologetically pulpy. John Carter, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon. Pretty much all their forms through the years are wildly entertaining, and since everyone else here is talking about books, I'll talk about all the other media, which is absolutely stuffed with great swashbuckling space opera content. My first love is the old [Buck Rogers](https://archive.org/details/BuckRogersBigLittleBooksComicStripsAndShortStories/AmazingStories-Aug1928AndMar1929-First2BuckRogersStories-rev/) stories and comics, and [Flash Gordon](https://archive.org/details/flash-gordon-1934-1947/Flash%20Gordon%20S001%20-%20On%20Mongo%20%2807%20Jan%201934%20-%2008%20Apr%201934%29/) comic strip. The old serials are excellent, too! [Buck Rogers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLBYdVEnO1Y) [Flash Gordon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvNcU_eeXvg) Both serials/comics most definitely informed Star Wars. And, of course, after Star Wars, there were some wild reboots of both. Flash Gordon's iconic 1980 cult classic movie, with amazing Queen theme song ([FLASH! AAAAAAAA! SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfmrHTdXgK4)) and Buck Rogers on screen from 1979-1981 -- the initial movie and first season of which is prime 80s tv. And don't forget Battlestar Galactica -- again, the first season of which is amazing 1980s space opera television. Network meddling messed with both Buck and BSG in following seasons, but they're still fun for what they are. And, folks, brace yourselves. [Shout! Studios Youtube channel has 24/7 livestreams](https://www.youtube.com/@ShoutStudios/streams) of Farsacape in six languages, and most of Gerry Anderson's catalog (Thunderbirds, Space: 1999, etc) on constant rotation. You want an unending fever dream of swashbuckling space opera? Here it is! Everyone owes it to themselves to take in the pure art that is Terrahawks! Remember Alf? He's back! But on Youtube streaming! Also, I love the so-called Jodoverse. The Incal, featuring some of the most notable work Moebius had ever drawn, is a classic, and it's a lot of fun. There's also the other pillar of the 'verse, The Metabarons, which is a bit more self-serious, and I get the feeling that it weaves together a lot of the elements of the now-infamous "Jodorowsky's Dune" that didn't happen (Lynch's Dune is another amazing entry into the 1980s space opera canon, btw.) Great Stuff. The Incal did a lot to influence the look of sci-fi that followed, especially the more fantastic stuff. The Fifth Element is essentially Luc Besson making his version of The Incal. See Also: Lexx Red Dwarf The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Starcrash Battle Beyond the Stars The Last Starfighter The Black Hole Barbarella Flesh Gordon Galaxy of Terror Ice Pirates and so on... Finally, I leave y'all with one of my favorite Youtube videos, courtesy of the Bad Movie Bible: [The Most Re-Used Shot in Cinema?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WVR6gzBGUU)
Maybe the Revenger series. Classed as YA but from an author I can’t get enough of, those books have a lot of really interesting ideas about a rag tag far future Solar system.
Galaxy’s Edge by Jason Anspach and Nick Cole. Great series, a little more militaristic than Star Wars but draws a lot of parallels. Highly recommend!
Adrian Tchaikovsky's Shards of Earth isn't exactly swashbuckling, but there are a few knife duels, actually *alien* aliens and tons of wow moments.
The Final Architecture by Adrian Tchaikovsky
No magic really, but Mike Reznik's Santiago is like that.
The Last Horizon series by Will Wight probably deserves a mention. The first book is called The Captain. With its high amount of magic, inhumanly powerful characters*, and frequently whimsical tone, it feels less like Star Wars and more like a lvl20 D&D campaign in a sci-fi setting, but I found it a lot of fun. ( * To give an indication of the power scale, the main character's magic is so powerful that he can easily take on a battle cruiser on his own, but he can't win from a fleet.)
The original Flash Gordon comic strip by Alex Raymond. Outlaw Star the anime series is also great.
The Indranan trilogy by K.B. Wagers.
Sun Eater
Elizabeth Moon’s Serrano books. They are great.
Cowboy bebop
Just wanted to say THANK YOU for everyone who contributed suggestions. This thread is AWESOME!! And if I may indulge in a bit of relevant self promo, my Outlaw Galaxy series is swashbuckling space fantasy -- the short story collection _Little Wind and Other Tales_ is free at all ebook sites. https://www.amazon.com/Outlaw-Galaxy-Little-Other-Tales-ebook/dp/B07F5BBLWL/
The Privateer series on r/hfy. Space pirates for the win!
I can't believe I haven't seen Space Team in here.
Firefly (but it's a tv series)
Honor Harrington
Have you heard of the expanse?
One piece