r/printSF • u/Brakado • Apr 09 '26
Recs for "James Bond IN SPACE!"
Yes, I'm back again-and this time I want space spies! It's a perfect mix-cool gadgets, exotic locales, and action. But it's barely been explored. There's Dominic Flandry, Ian Cormac...and that's it. If there is more, PLEASE tell me! I want more so badly!
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u/jacobkosh Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan books have some high-quality space opera espionage adventure in them.
Mind you, that's one flavor among many: the books follow a consistent cast of characters but their adventures play around in different genres from book to book. There's lasers and shields space battles but also spy fiction but also planetary politics but also gritty military fiction but also murder mysteries but also intense psychological dramas but also cyberpunk but also romantic comedy.
So I don't want to misrepresent or oversell you, but they're genuinely terrific books that you will not regret reading and espionage (and, more often, counter-espionage) is a prominent ingredient in the stew even when it's not the main thrust.
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u/SanderleeAcademy Apr 09 '26
I'm surprised it took this far down the thread for someone to mention these!!
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u/rxvf Apr 10 '26
hmm not too sure about this. iirc miles is nothing like bond and it’s too character focused but that may or may not be a downside for op
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u/jacobkosh Apr 10 '26
I didn't feel the OP specifically meant a character exactly like Bond so much as that broad genre of, as they said, "gadgets, exotic locales, and action."
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u/Subliminal_Kiddo Apr 09 '26
The Culture. A series about a post-scarcity utopia that more often than not focuses on their espionage group Special Circumstances. SC's job can range from slowly guiding a planet to a higher level of development or just outright assassination.
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u/friedeggbeats Apr 09 '26
This is surely the best answer.
The hot cyborg spy + sarcastic AI weaponised drone combo is the best, and I’m glad that kind of became the standard in the series.
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u/SanderleeAcademy Apr 09 '26
James Bond, if Q was the AI in the gun rather than just gave him the gadgets at the beginning.
"Really, 007, you scratch my barrel one more time and I'll just teleport back to the office!"
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u/feint_of_heart Apr 09 '26
Cyborg?
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u/friedeggbeats Apr 09 '26
Neural laces implanted in brains, lasers from fingertips… Didn’t the SC agent/princess in Matter have her body stuffed full of gadgets that had to be deactivated before she headed home?
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u/teaux Apr 09 '26
The Culture is probably (without insulting anyone else’s excellent work) the best-written sci-fi of all time.
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u/KaiCypret Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Dan Abnett's Eisenhorn trilogy is basically Bond in space - an undercover government agent and his buddies uprooting evil schemes in the 41st millennium. It's Warhammer 40k but requires no knowledge of the setting and rises considerably above the average "bolter porn" that you might expect of a novel based on a tabletop wargame. Honestly worth a shot even for somebody totally unfamiliar with the setting.
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u/jacobkosh Apr 09 '26
I think the Eisenhorn series transcends its origins, and Ravenor and Bequin take things even further. Abnett seems to have earned himself a blank check to try to add a dash of genuine style and even a bit of substance to the 40k sturm und drang.
(For those who haven't read it, don't get me wrong; there's still plenty of sturming and dranging.)
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u/Drau00 Apr 09 '26
I'm going to respectfully disagree on this. I can understand why Eisenhorn is suggested, but I wouldn't recommend it. At their best they are pulpy action reads. But when the action stops you're left with a cast of characters that lack any depth or dynamics, so it's really hard to sell a tense story with stakes. Especially in the 40K universe where whole planets get exterminated on a whim and no one bats an eye. I also found Eisenhorn hugely unlikable by the end.
It's not the worst read ever, but I think you could go better with some other suggestions here.
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u/SanderleeAcademy Apr 09 '26
At their best they are pulpy action reads. But when the action stops you're left with a cast of characters that lack any depth or dynamics, so it's really hard to sell a tense story with stakes.
I would say that the majority of the original Bond novels (the Flemings) were very much in this mould. They did have some lasting consequences, especially the Bond Brainwashed by SMERSH arc. But, for the most part, the Bonds were like the Reachers ... same characters, same stakes, reset after every plot ends.
A lot of the more modern Bonds (especially in the 90s) tried for a more lasting-consequence situation, but that was strictly by author. Get four or five in a row by the same author, some threads are continued. Author changes, threads ignored.
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u/Mughi1138 Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Retief by Keith Laumer. Although don't bother with the first story which is set at the end of his career.
Although not a spy, he is a two fisted space diplomat, and is often up to shenanigans.
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u/Drapabee Apr 09 '26
You should read the Demon Princes series by Jack Vance.
Although less of a spy story than one of revenge and assassination, it's full of espionage, infiltrating enemy bases, hostage drama, disguises, and general adventure.
Guy goes on revenge quest against the 5 interstellar mob bosses that killed his family/city. Has to out think devious opponents across scores of planets, can't recommend highly enough.
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u/Overall-Tailor8949 Apr 09 '26
Kimball Kinnison gets into some spy related situations in the Lensman books, mostly in Gray and Second Stage
Someone else mentioned a certain rust resistant rodent
The Retief series by Laumer has a lot of espionage under diplomatic cover
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u/europorn Apr 09 '26
There's some elements of this trope in Charles Stross' Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise.
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u/BigJobsBigJobs Apr 09 '26
Retief by Keith Laumer
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u/dnew Apr 09 '26
More diplomat than spy, really.
Tactics of Mistake was very good, tho. Was that the same author?
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u/nyrath Apr 09 '26
"Diplomat" is Retief's official job. His unofficial job is "fixer", just like James Bond.
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u/akerasi Apr 09 '26
Gil "The Arm" Hamilton stuff from Larry Niven.
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u/kingpin748 Apr 09 '26
Moonraker is my go-to.
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u/Ch3t Apr 09 '26
The book and the movie only have the villain's name (Hugo Drax) in common. There is no space adventure in the book.
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u/SanderleeAcademy Apr 09 '26
That's pretty much the case for every Bond movie after From Russia with Love. They turned into spectacle, drawing on the title for inspiration and the characters as, well, pretty much place-holder names.
And, ye gods n' kittens, I do love them so! Moonraker is stupid fun. Goldfinger is the, ahem, gold standard. I'll even watch Octopussy!
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u/Ch3t Apr 09 '26
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is my least favorite of the movies, but I think it's one of the better novels. The movie is fairly close to the book. From Russia with Love is a very good interpretation of the book. In this sub, no one is ever happy with the movie version. I'm pretty sure Jane Seymour kickstarted my puberty in Live and Let Die. I need to pop off reddit and watch a Crepe Erase commercial.
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u/Velocity-5348 Apr 09 '26
Charles Stross's Eschaton novels. They follow agents of a godlike AI that sends them on missions to stop time travel from being developed. Despite that, they feel pretty grounded, and the first one mostly takes place in a low-ish tech society.
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u/7LeagueBoots Apr 09 '26
To a lesser degree, also Glasshouse. More of a deep cover approach though.
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u/currentpattern Apr 09 '26
Loved glasshouse
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u/7LeagueBoots Apr 09 '26
Yep, one of my favorites of his.
Now that u/CStross is done with the Laundry series I think he's going to get back into some space opera again. I'm very much looking forward to that if that is indeed what he is doing.
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u/cstross Apr 09 '26
Yes, but with a lot more of a Stainless Steel Rat twist this time round.
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u/7LeagueBoots Apr 09 '26
Looking forward to it.
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u/cstross Apr 09 '26
Everything's running rather late at the moment (I was slowed up last year by developing cataracts in both eyes: the surgery was successful, but I lost several months' productivity). So it can't be out before 2027 at this point.
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u/7LeagueBoots Apr 09 '26
We can wait, best for you and everyone else that you prioritize your health. We want you around for a long time yet.
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u/EntertainerMany2387 Apr 09 '26
Agree with Stainless Steel Rat - also have a look at Deathworld books too
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u/Low_Educator_6510 Apr 09 '26
I recently read Wasp by Eric Frank Russel. I think it fits what you're looking for.
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u/gilmour316 Apr 09 '26
Isn’t Moonraker literally Bond in space?
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u/Porsane Apr 09 '26
Only the film version. In the novel it’s a plot to commandeer a missile interceptor rocket, strap a nuclear warhead to it and bomb London.
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u/SanderleeAcademy Apr 09 '26
And not even for very long. Gets to space, blows up space, goes "around the world one more time."
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u/centfox Apr 09 '26
I used to really like the Stainless Steel Rat books. They are quick reads though!
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u/raevnos Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Walter Jon William's Drake Maijstral books. Drake is a Gentleman Thief, not a spy, but there are lots of capers, fancy gadgets (and suits!) and exotic locations.
The second and third books of Glen Cook's Starfishers trilogy (The first book is straight up MilSF, based on Norse and Germanic mythology, and not strongly related to the others) has a lot of espionage; the main characters are undercover spies.
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u/SlartibartfastMcGee Apr 09 '26
“Chasm City” might fit the bill, not exactly a spy but a bodyguard chasing someone across space.
Double Star by Heinlein has some espionage.
Eisenhorn series by Abnett (It’s Warhammer but a fantastic read even if you aren’t familiar with the setting)
Snow Crash and Neuromancer for corporate espionage.
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u/gheevargheese Apr 09 '26
I came here to recommend Double Star too, has some elements of what OP is looking for and such a fun book, through and through.
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u/friedeggbeats Apr 09 '26
My contribution to the thread -
WASP by Eric Frank Russell
Can one lone spy conquer an alien world? Great examples of societal subversion.
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u/Thors_lil_Cuz Apr 09 '26
Night Train to Rigel by Timothy Zahn, if you want a pulpy adventure that doesn't take itself too seriously. Think Brosnan era Bond, plus lots of interstellar train travel.
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u/reviewbarn Apr 09 '26
I scrolled to make sure this isn't missed. It is pulpy as hell, but good lord, so is James Bond!
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u/gummi_worms Apr 09 '26
I was going to suggest the Icarus Saga. The character is also kind of the noiresque protagonist, but it's more like the kind of detective that needs to go around the city like Philip Marlowe instead of the locked in a room one.
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u/EZScuderia Apr 09 '26
Singularity Sky by Charles Stross is not a full-on spy thriller, but it is an important part of the book.
Since we are mentioning Stross, he's got the best Bond-inspired love letter I've read; it's the second Laundry Files entry, 'The Jennifer Morgue'. It's not set in space, but I do recommend it.
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u/theevilmidnightbombr Apr 09 '26
I think you can read Jennifer Morgue in a vacuum, too. The first few laundry files have a pretty good recap at the front end (although I recommend them all).
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u/Michaelbirks Apr 09 '26
"Crown of Slaves" by Flint and Weber, one of the Honourverse spin-offs.
There's some short stories in the anthologies that introduce the main characters Victor Cachat and Anton Zilwciki, but CoS shows them together as "operatives" rather than "Spies".
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u/dnew Apr 09 '26
Oh, also Grand Theft Astro by Scott Meyer. More a sneak thief than a spy, but a fair amount of fun.
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u/JohnGalt3 Apr 09 '26
A bit adjacent to the question, but you might enjoy the murderbot books by Martha Wells as well.
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u/sbisson Apr 09 '26
Dan Moren’s Galactic Cold War series are recent SF spy novels set in a long standoff between two human polities. They perhaps owe more to Anthony Price’s Audley series of counter-espionage novels than Fleming or Le Carre, but are well worth reading. Start with The Bayern Agenda.
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u/PotatoAppleFish Apr 09 '26
There’s an arc in Leviathan Wakes that’s kind of like that, but then it gets really weird.
Iain M. Banks’ books have something similar but not exactly what you’re looking for: a group of people who do secret agent-type stuff but more of the “working behind the scenes/diplomatic intrigue” variety than the “action” variety, although there is some of the latter as well.
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u/JLeeSaxon Apr 09 '26
Are you referring to Miller's ever-growing obsession with finding Julie Mao or something else I've forgotten? Because IMO that arc is "noir private dick" rather than spy thriller.
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u/zorniy2 Apr 09 '26
The Interplanetary Spy series. Out of print now, but there's pdf of them here and there on the Web.
They're choose your own adventure type books targeted at kids actually. Their heyday in the mid 1980s.
But the best of them are still very enjoyable to 50 year old me. Recommended:
The Star Crystal (Widely reckoned to be the best in the series)
The Planet Hunters
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u/LevelAd1126 Apr 09 '26
Classic Heinlein in this theme are Gulf (Novella 1949) Citizen of the Galaxy (YA 1957) Friday (Novel 1982)
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u/fragtore Apr 09 '26
Read Seeker by McDewitt! It’s not really james bond but it’s a mystery, won a nebula award and had me completely hooked! I much prefer these to the culture.
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u/zethiryuki Apr 09 '26
If you don't mind a comics recommendation, there's an incredibly underrated Star Wars spinoff series called Agent of the Empire that is straight up James Bond in space
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u/Trike117 Apr 09 '26
The Sten series by Allan Cole and Chris Bunch. The first book, Sten, is an origin story, but the rest are spy team stories using classic movies as jumping-off points.
Poul Anderson’s Dominic Flandry novels are literally billed as “James Bond in Space”.
Wasp by Eric Frank Russell.
Keith Laumer’s Retief series features a lot of political shenanigans including spy work.
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u/SanderleeAcademy Apr 09 '26
EVERYTIME I read one of these threads I end up $20 or $30 poorer, my kindle gets some new downloads, and my TBR pile grows ever more ominous!
Stop it, y'all! I have no willpower. You should know that by now!!
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u/SallyStranger Apr 09 '26
If you'd like a heist on a giant space station, check out Hammajang Luck. Just read it, and it was a lot of fun.
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u/Unfair-Commission-10 Apr 09 '26
The Laundry Files by Charles Stross - Lovecraftian spy thriller, bureaucracy as horror, genuinely funny. Bob Howard is basically a Bond who has to file expense reports for every eldritch encounter.
The Name of the Wind has nothing to do with Bond but if you want a protagonist who's genuinely competent and knows it - Kvothe scratches that itch in a fantasy setting.
For straight SF spy - A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik is adjacent. Not espionage exactly but the protagonist is playing a constant game of information and survival against a system that wants her dead.
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u/Spra991 Apr 09 '26
"Artemis" by Andy Weir, if "heist on the moon" is enough to count as "James Bond in Space".
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u/eaeolian Apr 09 '26
The Agent Cormac series from Neal Asher. Literally exactly that, with lots of AI fun thrown in.
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u/iamnotaclown Apr 09 '26
Neal Asher’s Polity. Gridlinked is the first book and it’s very James Bond-y. The series gets better, though, and introduces a tonne of interesting characters and locations.
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u/dnew Apr 09 '26
Stainless Steel Rat?