Space Opera Fans discussion

This thread is for nominations for READER category for October 2020.

READER books need to be
* currently in print in either hardback or paperback (or both). Requiring a special order from a store or website counts, but not if the book is only available used.
* currently available in multiple ebook formats, from multiple vendors
* Space Opera, which means a spaceship has to be involved in the story somewhere.
* If it is part of a series, it needs to be suitable to being read without having read other books in the series.
* Please no blatantly erotic books, as some of our members are not full adults yet.

RULES:
* you may nominate one book on this thread.
* you may second as many nominations as you like on this thread.
* it is okay to nominate the same book on more than one nomination thread, as long as it meets the criteria
* books we already have on our bookshelf will be disqualified
* If a book you nominate or second is selected, you are expected to post at least one comment about it on the thread about the book.
* In about two weeks I will draw a book randomly, with each second being one raffle ticket for the book. That is, a book with three seconds (so four of us want it) will get three chances in the pool.

It is likely helpful if you know something about a book that has been nominated if you mention it in this thread, whether it is for or against the book.

I’d like to read Hyperion by Dan Simmons, but a) I don’t know whether it is actually space opera or not, and b) I don’t know whether the group has already discussed that one or not. So, if it’s not suitable for whatever reason, no worries :-)

It’s not on our bookshelf. From the description it seems to involve people going to Hyperion. If that’s done on a spaceship then we can call it close enough - if it gets a second.

Okay, I tend not to read synopses or book blurbs so as not to learn to much about a story before I read it, but I’ll have a look just to get a better idea of whether it could be categorised as space opera or not, and then get back to you :-)

Looks like it does: Seven pilgrims come together aboard the treeship Yggdrasil to make a journey to the remote planet Hyperion.

Hmmm. Okay, I’ve read a bit more about it, and am reporting back.

At first, this line got my hopes up: “On the eve of Armageddon, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set forth on a final voyage to Hyperion seeking the answers to the unsolved riddles of their lives.” I thought, okay, cool; spaceships.

But upon further reading, I found several descriptions comparing Hyperion to The Canterbury Tales or even a collection of short stories. It seems the pilgrimage to the world of Hyperion is just a backdrop, a sort of framework, in which individual pilgrims’ tales are told.

So... I dunno. Sounds borderline to me at best, in terms of it being space opera or not. I still plan to read it, but I think I’ll withdraw it as a Group Read nomination, from both categories.

Teresa wrote: "Looks like it does: Seven pilgrims come together aboard the treeship Yggdrasil to make a journey to the remote planet Hyperion."

Yes, but... read my previous comment (we both posted at the same time hehe) :-)

It does look like an excellent book though, space opera or not! And like I said in the other thread, I’ve read another book by the same author and thought his writing was top notch.

I'd like to read it, too, so I'm seconding it. The first chapter is also set on a spaceship hovering over a planet. I'd say it has enough space travel to qualify.

Hyperion isn’t Space Opera. It might barely qualify as Planetary Romance, but it’s mostly just people in a train car telling stories. I found it exceedingly dull, but I’m in a minority on that.

Have you read Chilling Effect? It is a very funny Latinx Space Opera with Spanish expressions that give it the humorous note.

I thought we had established that this group's definition of qualifying for space opera is that space travel or space ships need to be involved somewhere. Can't we simply stick to this very simple definition, since the category of planetary romance is no longer even in use?

Trike wrote: "Hyperion isn’t Space Opera. It might barely qualify as Planetary Romance, but it’s mostly just people in a train car telling stories. I found it exceedingly dull, but I’m in a minority on that."

I could not finish it, too boring.

As moderator, as long as there’s a spaceship involved and a technological society, it’s fair game.

Thank you for clarifying, Teresa.

Leticia wrote: "Have you read Chilling Effect? It is a very funny Latinx Space Opera with Spanish expressions that give it the humorous note."

I read that last week and found it to be a bit of fun. My brief non-spoiler review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

PLEASE make it clear when you nominate or second a book. Right now I’m ignoring Chilling Effect. If you meant that as a nomination or second, please say so.

Eva wrote: "I thought we had established that this group's definition of qualifying for space opera is that space travel or space ships need to be involved somewhere. Can't we simply stick to this very simple ..."

Yes, but I just wanted to set expectations. Ancillary Justice is quite good but so many people kept calling it Space Opera when it most decidedly isn’t that it changed my impression of it. I kept waiting for the epic stuff to kick in and it never does. “Space” is barely a factor, and spaceships hardly at all. I liken AJ to mannered drama like The Age of Innocence or Downton Abbey rather than Star Wars.

Hyperion is the same way. Yes, technically they’re on a space ship, but it’s barely relevant. People looking for one thing might be disappointed when served up another thing entirely.

As for Planetary Romance, people might not be familiar with the term but that genre is still alive and well. The most popular film of all time, Avatar, is PR, and Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Dune is coming out soon. CJ Cherryh just released the 18th (?) installment of her Foreigner series, and recent award winners by Charlie Jane Anders (The City in the Middle of the Night) and Arkady Martine (A Memory Called Empire) are decidedly Planetary Romance. Plus a lot of video games.

I agree the subgenre needs a new name, but until that comes along we have to make do.

Second: HYPERION. I've not read it, but I certainly enjoyed others by Mr. Simmons and I'm going to read Hyperion, even if it is not chosen for the group read.:) I'm thankful that Gaines suggested it.

Summary so far:
Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Nominated by Gaines. Seconded by Eva and Reading Reindeer.

Teresa wrote: "PLEASE make it clear when you nominate or second a book. Right now I’m ignoring Chilling Effect. If you meant that as a nomination or second, please say so."


I'm nominating it if the group hasn't read it yet.

I'm seconding this one too, would definitely read it if it wins.

Second: CHILLING EFFECT

As it is Divergent SF:)

Summary so far:
Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Nominated by Gaines. Seconded by Eva and Reading Reindeer.
Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes. Nominated by Leticia. Seconded by Eva and Reading Reindeer.

Nominations are now closed. I count two seconds for each book. Rolling random numbers now.

Random numbers picked Chilling Effect.