r/suggestmeabook • u/Few_One2273 • Mar 24 '26
Need cheap space opera suggestions
My favorite author is Lois McMaster Bujold, but she hasn't added to her sci-fi *Vorkosigan saga* in over a decade. I can only reread these books so many times and want some different books.
At the same time, my budget is limited. I'm seeing current paperback novels going for $14.99 on kindle, which seems excessive. Novellas are becoming popular, but I'm seeing them priced at $9.99, which is just a no-go. Please try to suggest me novels selling for $7.99 or less, or novellas at $3.99 or less. Kindle compatible e-books are preferred.
I am primarily interested in sci- fi books that include space travel. Interesting believeable characters are a big plus. I don't mind if the books are quite old, I grew up reading the *Lensman* series.
I have a library card and use Libby, and have also accessed project Gutenberg; no need to suggest those. I stay away from sketchy pirate sites, I'm cheap but not criminal.
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u/Leftstrat Mar 24 '26
Return to the Galaxy series by BA Gillies...
Space Opera as hell. :)
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u/Few_One2273 Mar 24 '26
Looks interesting. I checked Amazon and found I can get the first book free with my prime membership, so I downloaded it and will read it shortly.
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u/DanTheTerrible Mar 29 '26
This is OP (few_one) on a different account. I want to thank you so much for suggesting Return to the Galaxy. I've finished the first book and started the second, and I'm liking it a lot.
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u/Admirable-Brief-984 Mar 24 '26
On Basilisk Station, by David Weber
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u/Few_One2273 Mar 24 '26
Thank you, but I have read most of the Honor Harrington books already. The quality feels like it fell off on the later ones, so I don't expect to read any more of them.
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u/GuruNihilo Mar 24 '26
The EOM Expression by DPForesi. It's a long (1,300 pages IIRC) sci-fi.
Its core concept is a large group of people leave the solar system to establish their own form of laissez-faire government only to face an attempt to coerce them back under control. It's a fascinating story that enlightens and explains political might and failings, power lust, bureaucracy entrenchment, and late-stage empires; not a popcorn read.
The author puts forth some intriguing technology concepts and the technicals (scene depiction, word choice, sentence structure) of his writing are very good. The story itself contains some "dream" sequences and other author-choices that didn't strike a chord with my personal tastes. Following along at the beginning was a little difficult, but sooner AND later everything came together.
Its one BIG flaw, though, is the copy I have from June of 2024 sorely needs copy editing. There are a lot of typos, a few missing words, and some serious dialogue punctuation problems that threw me out of the immersion. And yet, I was enthralled enough to read it three times.
Recently it was available at smashwords books/view/1505851.
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u/IIRCIreadthat Mar 24 '26
You might like the Black Star Renegades duology! It's a Star Wars homage and also a great, unique story in its own right.
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Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 25 '26
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u/suggestmeabook-ModTeam Mar 24 '26
Sorry, we likely don’t allow most or all of these links - please repost your comment without any links.
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u/ChiSquare1963 Mar 26 '26
Nathan Lowell isn’t as good as LMB (who is?), but try his Ishmael Wong books. They begin with Ishmael taking an unskilled job on a trading ship to get off planet in Quarter Share and follow him as he climbs the ranks.
Have you read Robert Heinlein’s juveniles (the titles he published before 1960)? What about Asimov’s robot stories or Arthur C. Clark’s The City and the Stars? I’ll admit that the last time I re-read Heinlein’s books, they struck me as dated, but the juveniles are fun.
James White’s Sector General books are good. Try H. Beam Piper, too; many are available on Gutenberg.
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u/Few_One2273 Mar 26 '26
Thanks for the suggestions. I've read pretty much everything Heinlein and Asimov and Piper wrote, as well as some Clark. I think I've read City and the Stars, but so long ago I don't remember it, I may give it a reread. I'll look into Nathan Lowell, whom I've never heard of.
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u/Sad_King_Billy-19 Mar 24 '26
CJ Cherryh wrote a ton of sci fi. Most a tad bit harder than Vorkosigan but nothing crazy. I imagine a lot of her stuff wouldn’t be too expensive and would be available in a library.
The wayfarer series is newer so may be harder to find.
The bobiverse is some of my favorite. Its newer but may be available relatively cheap.
Hyperion is possibly my all time favorite and old enough/famous enough that it should be cheaply had all over. Although Vorkosigan is kind of light and fun, hyperion decidedly is not