Play Book Tag discussion

This month was very close between the top two vote-getters, but edging out the win is:

space opera

Anita can provide some voting stats when she returns. Until then...

Please share your reading plans and recommendations below!

Remember, for the regular monthly reads, the book can be shelved as space opera on Goodreads, or be a book that is not yet shelved that way but you feel should be.

To find books to read for this tag, please visit:

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

Ahhh!! I am really excited about this tag. Partly because it sounds like a great end-of-the-summer adventure, partly because it stretches my reading boundaries, and partly because it is the narrowest tag we have had in a while and I love that.

I do not know whether I want to go classic space opera or new release bestseller. It may depend on what I can easily get my hands on! But, here are my options:

New(ish) Releases
The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley
The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
Binti and Home by Nnedi Okorafor
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Fortune's Pawn by Rachel Bach

Classics
Dune by Frank Herbert
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Foundation by Isaac Asimov

SO MANY OPTIONS! Maybe I will aim for one new(ish) release and one classic....

For my recommendation, if you are unsure of the genre and haven't read it yet, I highly recommend Ready Player One. It is a bit of a cheat because it actually takes place on Earth, but the action is in a space-based virtual reality, so I would totally count it ;)

I've been meaning to read Ender's Game for a while, so I'm going to take that opportunity to do that now!

Well, shoot! I was really hoping for betrayal!

I do have 2 books on my tbr with this tag... BUT one of them I was planning to read before the end of this month for a June monthly challenge (if I get to it!).

So... that leaves:
Catacombs: A Tale of the Barque Cats by Anne McCaffrey

I'm not into sci-fi at all, but it will be nice to stretch my reading outside of my comfort zone. The only book I've read that is on the list is The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 5 stars for me, highly recommended. Other than that, I have also read (and loved) Ready Player One, though I'm a bit unsure, I wouldn't really label it as space opera - although what Nicole says is true :)

The only book I have on my TBR is Solaris, so I might go with that or rely on your recommendations instead :) I tried to watch the movie twice but fell asleep both times, but the book might be very different...

UGH.

If it were the 80's I'd be into this tag- that is when I started the Dune series, and read quite a bit of sci-fi (Dragonriders of Pern was a favorite series); but it's going to be a stretch for me now.

I read Ender's Game earlier this year for the Bestseller tag because it also fit the prompt: A bestseller from a genre you don't normally read for the Popsugar Challenge I am doing. I rated it a 3, and it took me two weeks to read - very slow for me. But I did some research and have decided to read:

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Here's hoping I like it.

Definitely going with Dune since it is on the PBT top 100. How can I not? A little nervous since sci fi is not typically my thing, but I am looking forward to sttttretchiiing. I, unfortunately, have nothing to recommend

I am very excited! I don't read a lot of science fiction and I'm looking for something a little lighter to break up the Man Booker longlist reading I'll be doing for our blog's shadow panel.

I can't remember who it was (maybe Diane) who wrote that she didn't think the classics qualified but I've seen several of them listed under best space opera lists so at leas for me, I do think I'll count those. I don't think it has to have a romantic element to qualify as space opera but rather does have to have an emphasis on social relationships.

As soon as I get home, I will post my recommendations.

I'm in the group that doesn't read much sci-fi so I was hoping for Betrayal, I had quite along list there. I can recommend Ready Player One, I read that for a tag this past year and loved it. Hope I can find something to love this month too.

I read a lot of space opera scifi in the late '70's. That was a looong time ago. This tag makes me want to reread Asimov or Clarke to see if I still enjoy it as much. My recommendations are those well known titles:
Foundation
The Caves of Steel ( a robot novel, sort of follows on from I, Robot)
Dune
The Sparrow (Not the first thing that comes to mind, but I think it qualifies)

Not sure what I'll get to yet. There are several female authors of this genre that I've never read.

Yay! Up to a couple of years ago the label space opera would have been reason enough not to read a book. But I have since read a couple of the classics and they have changed my mind.

My top recommendation would be Ender's Game - even if it does not fully fit the pulpy original meaning of the tag.

For me I have my sights on Leviathan Wakes.

Sushicat wrote: "For me I have my sights on Leviathan Wakes..."

I saw that one as well and it piqued my interest. I will definitely look for your review!

I'll probably read "Home"

I do recommend Seveneves even though I know some people hated it. ahem.

Ahem. That was was me. Hated is not a strong enough word.

I recommend:
Foundation
For those who like YA: Illuminae. It's a bit predictable and some of the teenage angsty dialogue is rough but overall it's entertaining and the presentation/format is very cool.
Ancillary Justice
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I will be reading:
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Jen, we may be reading the same book!!

Nicole R wrote: "Jen, we may be reading the same book!!"

yay!

Jen wrote: "Nicole R wrote: "Jen, we may be reading the same book!!"

yay!"

I'm going to read it too.

Perfect! My library has it on audio so I will probably down load it at the start of the month.

Ladyslott wrote: "Jen wrote: "Nicole R wrote: "Jen, we may be reading the same book!!"

yay!"

I'm going to read it too."

Excellent

Woot woot! I'm going to reread Dune since it's my all-time favorite book. I might read a Star Wars book too just for the hell of it. :) And, if I can get to it, I may read Illuminae since I own it and haven't read it yet.

I would have been happy with either betrayal or space opera, although betrayal is easier to work with the summer road trip challenge :-D

Like many, I always thought that I didn't like sci-fi, but lately I've liked quite a few sci-fi books (although not specifically space opera).

Recommendations:
Saga Graphic Novel series (warning about graphic content)
The Sparrow
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Martian (is on the shelf, although I'm not sure I would say that it qualifies)

What I'll read:
Illuminae or
Red Rising

Guys, you are going to have to help me here. I have never ever missed or skipped a tag. But to say I'm out of my element is an understatement, one of the alien/space metaphors would work well here. This stretch for me is intergalactic. So... Enders game? What is this? Is there something anyone would think is a read I might enjoy? Should I go with Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?

JoLene wrote: "Recommendations:
The Sparrow ..."

Crap. The Sparrow is a space opera too?! That one is sitting on my table staring at me right now....

Amy wrote: "So... Enders game? What is this? Is there something anyone would think is a read I might enjoy? Should I go with Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?"

For a description of Ender's Game check out the book page, it sums it up better than I ever could.

I will warn you that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a very....silly?....book. Not sure the correct word there, but it is not even remotely serious and is very absurd. I was not a huge fan of it, but plenty of PBTers are so they may weigh in with a different thought.

If you are not sure about the genre, why don't you pick something shorter so it is not such a commitment? I haven't read it, but Binti won the Hugo and Nebula awards and it is only a novella at 96 pages. Then, if you like it and want to read more, the longer sequel Home is out as well.

Nicole R wrote: "JoLene wrote: "Recommendations:
The Sparrow ..."

Crap. The Sparrow is a space opera too?! That one is sitting on my table staring at me right now...."

So, my understanding of space opera is that it focuses on the relationships of people (and perhaps aliens) in the setting of space. "The Sparrow" is definitely about relationships, but it does not have the soap-opera-y feel.

JoLene wrote: "So, my understanding of space opera is that it focuses on the relationships of people (and perhaps aliens) in the setting of space. "The Sparrow" is definitely about relationships, but it does not have the soap-opera-y feel...."

I was really excited about this tag from the moment I saw it was an option and now I am overwhelmed by choices! I may leave The Sparrow for an if-I-get-to-a-third book situation because it is something I am more likely to pick up even without this tag.

Amy, I adored Hitchhiker's, but it will depend. As Nicole says it is very very silly, and the humour is very British. I don't know if that's your thing.

I'll admit that I was hoping to avoid this tag, but of course I will now embrace it wholeheartedly. My recommendation is definitely Ready Player One.

I tried to read Ender's Game and threw in the towel so I might give that another bash. I think I will also read Illuminae.

@Amy,
I read Hitchhiker a long, long time ago. I think I was in my Vonnegut phase. I'm not so sure that I would like it and the Vonnegut books as much now as I have less tolerance for the absurd.

@Nicole R, The Sparrow is pretty grim. It deals with some extremely dark material and it actually took me a while to get through. If it hadn't been highly recommended, I would have put it down after the first couple chapters.

JoLene wrote: "@Nicole R, The Sparrow is pretty grim. It deals with some extremely dark material and it actually took me a while to get through. If it hadn't been highly recommended, I would have put it down after the first couple chapters. "

I am prepared for grim, other people have warned me it is dark. I don't mind the occasional dark book as long as there is not unnecessary and graphic sexual abuse.

*Upon rereading, I realize that all sexual abuse is unnecessary. I mean unnecessary as it does not serve to substantially move the story forward or lead to the development of a characters.

I loved Foundation
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series and
Binti
I'm still not sure what I'll read...

This is a great tag! Such a good reason to finally start reading Dune. Wanted to read that book for so long, but never really got or took the time.

As a recommendation: Red Rising , Golden Son and Morning Star by Pierce Brown are really, really great!

Have fun reading those out of this world books!

I've got nothing, no recommendations, no ideas of what I will read.

BnB, we can struggle through this one together. Lots of people recommend The Sparrow, so I am thinking of it. I just read something else by this author. I think it may even be a High Note. If it's for 2016, then I would be 8/9. At this rate, I may read whatever of the four I requested comes to the library first. The 96 page Binti sounds about right.

Amy wrote: "BnB, we can struggle through this one together. Lots of people recommend The Sparrow, so I am thinking of it. I just read something else by this author. I think it may even be a High Note. If it's ..."

I've read The Sparrow and would recommend that and it is a high note. I've had Ender's Game on my list forever, so that may be what I read.

My phone cannot access it. Does anyone know if it is also a high note for 2016?

Amy wrote: "My phone cannot access it. Does anyone know if it is also a high note for 2016?"

Here's the link: https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

If you access Goodreads on your phone browser as opposed to the app you can access all the features. I just sent all this from my phone. I will bypass the app for certain features

Thank you - and the Sparrow isn't on there. It was for 2015. My phone only let me get the the original thread where the 2016 list wasn't up yet. May be Binti after all. It will surely be something.

Amy wrote: "Thank you - and the Sparrow isn't on there. It was for 2015. My phone only let me get the the original thread where the 2016 list wasn't up yet. May be Binti after all. It will surely be something."

For future reference you can find all the lists on the group bookshelf. The admins have organized the shelves in a very nice way and have ones labeled with each year. The app doesn't let you look at the bookshelf but if you open Goodreads on your phone browser you can have access to everything.

Well I may just pull out one of my daughters Star Wars chapter books.....ugh. But I haven't missed a month yet.

Up until this tag, I felt bad about my lack of reading progress ever since my son Quinn was born...I have a better chance of winning the lottery than finishing Dune. If time permits, I'll try Red Rising or Old Man's War, but no one should hold their breath waiting for my review.

I strongly recommend something by Lois McMaster Bujold. If you like a little romance, strong female characters that will read fast I think you would be happy with this series. The first book is Shards of Honor and the second which is really good is Barrayar. Ethan of Athos is a stand alone about an all male planet that has had their supply for reproducing babies tampered with.

I really liked Dune which I read this year. Foundation is great.

I will second the recommendation for Seveneves. But is is long.

Nicole R wrote: "Ahhh!! I am really excited about this tag. Partly because it sounds like a great end-of-the-summer adventure, partly because it stretches my reading boundaries, and partly because it is the narrowe..."

Hyperion is a classic, but I couldn't think of the name of it when we were discussing it in the voting thread. I liked it better than Dune, but it is long. You'll probably like this better than Seveneves, but I preferred Seveneves overall.

Jen wrote: "If you access Goodreads on your phone browser as opposed to the app you can access all the features...."

I don't have a smartphone, but I sometimes use my tablet. I rarely use any website's app vs the regular site via the browser. (Unless I can't seem to access it any other way). I find the apps aren't usually as robust at the site itself. (And because I'm usually on my PC, I know where everything is, so it's easier and quicker, anyway!)

I sense some disappointment and uncertainty of where to fruitfully turn for reading choices. Not sure what I'll read. I render up for your imagination some thumbnail sketches of some of my favorites which I see as fitting the tag (longer ones from me are on GR):

Ancillary Mercy —Ann Leckie
Brilliant Hugo Award-winning entry to a series about a far-future where there is a tyranny of individual minds based on a cybernetic network controlled by a single emperor cloned on many local interstellar settlements. Our hero breaks free of the group mind to lead a revolt. Mind bending fun (and gender bending fun as well).

Leviathan Wakes --James Corey
Another Hugo Winner that has been turned into a fabulous cable series. Despite the dystopia of human exploitation in the colony wolrds, there is a space opera quality in the adventures of derring-do that the independent and plucky crew of the warship Rocinante takes on to save the solar system from the nefarious use of an alien life form as a weapon. The arms race has the power triumvirate of the Earth, Mars, and the Outer Planets Alliance on the verge of starting a war with apocalyptic risks. I think it most fun to read the books before watching the video adaptation.

The Warrior's Apprentice ---Lois McMaster Bujold
This is a space opera full of humor while wrapped around tragedy, a social satire, and a coming of age tale. Though third in the Vorkosigan series, it is the first in the series with Miles Vorkosigan as the star. Son of a planetary Prime Minister, Miles at 17 gets booted out of the Imperial Academy due to limitations of a birth defect affecting his legs and soon finds a secret pathway to fulfill his ambitions for accomplishments while on an interstellar excursion. From a small act of kindness in helping a washed-up pilot in an arms shipping scheme, he ends up in the middle of a planetary civil war. With each improvisation in problem solving, his schemes escalate, and he ends up "accidentally" building up a mercenary space navy. Definitely fun and a good way to begin a love affair with Miles in his career of 15 books of adventure, heroism, humor, and even romance.

Seveneves--Neal Stephenson
As a species survival tale after an astronomical disaster from the moon’s breakup, this one could be seen as a stretch to fit with a space opera tag. For me the adventure of creating a means for human society to live in space and the optimism to create a healthy human society does make the fit for this tale to be happy hanging with other space opera. The can-do of human heart, teamwork, and creative engineering gloriously led to enough people to survival in orbit for thousands of years until Earth became livable enough for return of their descendants. There’s that old-time wonder and pride in short supply among so much grimdark dystopias and apocalyptic threats to existence.

Pandora's Star--Peter Hamilton
This is up there with the best of the best for sci-fi space opera extravaganzas. It’s got world-building par excellance, brilliant projections of technology, and a great cast of characters. Set in 2380, Hamilton poses for us a Commonwealth of hundreds of planets colonized by different styles of humanity, made possible by wormhole technology. Immortalizing rejuvenation, artificial intelligence, and computer storage of human memories are standard fare woven into the saga in fresh ways. The few aliens encountered so far appear benign but mystifying. Fortunately, there are three colorful characters to bring life to the advancing threads of the epic---a scientist, a businessman, and a policewoman. All involved in agendas that come to coalesce around bringing all factions together to fight a war to the finish with a dangerous alien species that threatens human existence.

Zoe's Tale --John Scalzi
Very refreshing blend of space opera and a coming of age tale. The fourth in a series starting with Old Man’s War, this one is told from the perspective of Zoe, the 16-year old adopted daughter of ex-soldiers in the galactic warfare between species for habitable planets. Her parents are tasked with leading a new colonization effort. The read is great fun with its balance between Zoe trying to succeed in the typical social challenges of a teenager and her growing leadership in solving problems of survival on the new planet. When it turns out that the colony is but a pawn in the larger conflict between the human Colonial Union and a large alien alliance, Zoe gets to play an important role in a mission to save the colony. As with Heinlein, we get a great mix of humor, imaginative technology, fascinating aliens, and ethical and political conundrums. Even better, Scalzi doesn’t preach, just delivers well on laughs, awe, thrills, and, occasionally, tears.

House of Suns —Alistair Reynolds
I loved the hopefulness of this grand conception of humanity in the far future. I was surprised it worked so well for me as there is so much uncertainty about human survival on the near term that I figured speculation on a timescale would feel fairly meaningless. For example, I just couldn’t relate to the spiritual beings of Well’s “Time Machine”, the Eloi, and I was weirded out by the remnant human society clinging to a distant future existence in Benford’s “Great Sky River.” Here we have a line of humans still much like us who retain the sense of wonder and exploration that made Star Trek so popular.

The Raven Stratagem —Yoon Ha Lee
A terrific space opera from an emerging talent who is already in the running in this year’s Hugo Awards for the first entry in this trilogy, Ninefox Gambit. The setting is far-future with hundreds of colonized worlds included in one or the other of six competing confederations. New discoveries like practical immortality technology, super weapons, or collaboration with alien civilizations threaten the balance of power. Our heroes vary between trying to equalize, neutralize, or exploit the likely winner of the race to reach a safe conclusion for humankind. The personalities at play are marvelously rich, and, like in Game of thrones, you root for the bad guys sometimes.

Player of Games --Iaian Banks
A very satisfying read for me and a worthwhile homage to a modern master of science fiction who died recently. Thjs book kicks off a rare society that qualifies as a utopia. If you think a utopia is likely to be boring, prepare to be surprised. While AIs run much of the infrastructure and systems planning, the humans a chance to harness their true creativity. Is it a surprise that game playing has become a major purpose or ambition for life? The AIs in this tale break the mold in their quirky and wizardy personalities.

Red Lightning —John Varley
Revives the great pleasures I had when I first discovered sci-fi as a youth. Wonderful coming of age story from the perspective of a teenage boy, Ray, whose parents run a hotel at a colony on Mars. Something fast and massive hits the Atlantic, causing tsunamis that destroy most of the east coast of the U.S. Ray rises to the challenges associated with a trip by his family to Florida to try to rescue his grandmother. As if that isn’t enough adventure for his family, he has to take heroic action to save the day from an invasion of Mars by mercenary forces from Earth. In the process, he learns the meaning of courage, the fulfillment of first love, and the value of family loyalty. Sentimental yes, but a lot of fun and a thoughtful rendering of the consequences of a near apocalyptic blow to America.

Ringworld’s Children --Larry Niven
I totally loved this return to Ringworld, the mysterious artificial world that has the surface area of a million Earths and populated by hundreds of hominid species that have evolved there from humanoid placed there a half-million years earlier. Since its discovery Ringworld has been the target of multiple alien species now engaged in warfare to gain access to its technology (the Fringe War). I found the characters wonderful, the technologies marvelous, and the plot filled with exciting puzzles and thrilling action. It was great to spend time with the ostrich-like alien Louis Wu again and be surprised to find their team joining forces with a species known as the Protector, not seen since it starred in a book by that name published 43 years ago. This kind of literature can be escapist but it also expands my mind's horizons.

.Diving Into the Wreck —Kristine Rusch
I give this one good marks for creating a female character with all the heroic features of Chuck Yeager, the early test pilot who possessed the “right stuff” sought by all astronauts in the Tom Wolfe history of the space race in “The Right Stuff.” Her profession involves finding and investigating derelict space ships and then making money from their value as historical artifacts or as salvage. The drama and suspense here kicks in when her most recent discovery in interstellar space is a craft from Earth several thousands of years old, which should make it impossible to be where it is. She gets pretty kickass in getting to the bottom of this problem.

Other great reads:
--Exploration/colonization:
In Heart of the Comet--David Brin/Gregory Benford: these classic authors team up to deliver an imaginative tale of humans stuck in the hollow of a comet trying to deal with hybridizing with plant species.
Tao Zero—Poul Anderson: an interstellar trip goes wrong and becomes a trip to the center of the galaxy and all members on board are challenged have to get along for life now forever breached from home
Red Mars--Kim Stanley Robinson: fresh look at colonization and challenges of terraforming; part of a trilogy
The Integral Trees-- Larry Niven: wonderful imagination of a far-future human colony in the microgravity of gigantic floating trees

--Aliens
Pushing Ice--Alistair Reynolds: fun and intriguing tale of asteroid miners who chase an alien craft out of the solar system and get taken on a mind-blowing interstellar adventure
Fire Upon the Deep--Vernor Vinge: thrilling story in a distant future with many aliens at various stages of transcendence, featuring a family taken hostage by a brutal race and used as pawns in a galactic conflict
Gateway--Fred Pohl: outrageously fun adventures of explorations of recently discovered wormholes using ships left behind by aliens, only some of which lead to new worlds
The Mote in God’s Eye--Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle: nice attempt to portray how contact with very alien aliens might polarize human society
Titan--John Varley: fun and eerieness abounds in this tale of humans captured by a planet-sized being with lots of wonders to show; the beginning of a trilogy
Ringworld--Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle: great sense of adventure and wonder exploring a vast constructed artifact around a star

Amy wrote: "Thank you - and the Sparrow isn't on there. It was for 2015. My phone only let me get the the original thread where the 2016 list wasn't up yet. May be Binti after all. It will surely be something."

Since you liked The Hunger Games, you might want to try Red Rising. I loved the first book of The Hunger Games, but this was even better.

Uhm. I might go with Ender's Game in the end. I see that many of my friends loved it.

Michael wrote: "I sense some disappointment and uncertainty of where to fruitfully turn for reading choices. Not sure what I'll read. I render up for your imagination some thumbnail sketches of some of my favorite..."

Michael - I nominate you as the official ambassador for the Space Opera tag. Quite an impressive list and great summaries. I'll rethink my prior dread of the tag based on your post/suggestions. Thanks.

Michael wrote: "I sense some disappointment and uncertainty of where to fruitfully turn for reading choices. Not sure what I'll read. I render up for your imagination some thumbnail sketches of some of my favorite..."

Ancillary Mercy is the conclusion In the series. I assume you meant to recommend the first one Ancillary Justice?

Nicole R wrote: "JoLene wrote: "Recommendations:
The Sparrow ..."

Crap. The Sparrow is a space opera too?! That one is sitting on my table staring at me right now...."

I did like that one!