The Best Space Opera Book

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Dahak
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Post by Dahak »

Warspite wrote:
Dahak wrote:baxters Xeelee series, although I think it might be a bit too "epic" for a space opera...
Yeah, I've read some synopsis of it's books. I want to avoid time travel plots as much as possible.
It is not a time travel plot per se.
Only in Ring actually some time travel happens, but only because the ship, the Great Northern, uses time dilation to get into the far future...
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Warspite
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Post by Warspite »

Dahak wrote:It is not a time travel plot per se.
Only in Ring actually some time travel happens, but only because the ship, the Great Northern, uses time dilation to get into the far future...
Ah! OK. 8)
[img=left]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/ ... iggado.jpg[/img] "You know, it's odd; practically everything that's happened on any of the inhabited planets has happened on Terra before the first spaceship." -- Space Viking
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Post by Dahak »

Warspite wrote:
Dahak wrote:It is not a time travel plot per se.
Only in Ring actually some time travel happens, but only because the ship, the Great Northern, uses time dilation to get into the far future...
Ah! OK. 8)
Oops :)
Just forgot about Timelike Infinity.
There *is* time travel. But Baxter does it consistently and convincing. Not in a Star Trek-ish way :D
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Warspite
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Post by Warspite »

Yeah, Star Trek is NOT the best example of time travel. :roll:
There were good ones in TOS, but when it came TNG, bleh!
[img=left]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/ ... iggado.jpg[/img] "You know, it's odd; practically everything that's happened on any of the inhabited planets has happened on Terra before the first spaceship." -- Space Viking
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A Big Flying Fish
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Post by A Big Flying Fish »

I'm surprised no ones mentioned the culture novels yet. Player of Games or Consider Phlebas are the best I've read so far
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Post by consequences »

The Culture novels are not really Space Opera per se, which is the same way that I feel about Dune.
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The Yosemite Bear
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Post by The Yosemite Bear »

That's why I posted Lensman, it was the first true space opera before the flash Gordon and company showed up.
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Post by consequences »

Yes, but I posted Lensman on Page 1.
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The Yosemite Bear
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Post by The Yosemite Bear »

yeash they werre my first thought too
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Post by Rathark »

Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos (Hyperion, Fall of Hyperion).

The two sequels - Endymion & Rise of Endymion - are almost as good, but struck me as somewhat more conventional. Nonetheless, nothing I know of could touch that space battle in the second half of Rise of Endymion. Anyone who's read the book would know what I'm talking about (Star Tree, anyone?). But then, I've yet to read Consider Phlebas, so what do I know?

Also, Anvil of Stars by Greg Bear. I recall thinking: "One day, the movies will be this good."

Still waiting :?
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Post by Currald »

Lensman wasn't the first space opera. The Skylark of Space, also by Doc Smith, holds that honor. Though the first Lensman books DID come out before Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and their ilk.
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Post by The_Nice_Guy »

Foundation is my fav space opera series, followed by Stackpole's Battletech books.

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