What is a good hard sci-fi/space opera book to read?
Im a big fan of the science fiction universe, and especially the space opera setting: inter-species alien confederations, space exploration, political
I'm a big fan of the science fiction universe, and especially the space opera setting: inter-species alien confederations, space exploration, political intrigues... The only thing it lacks is the scientific rigor of hard scifi. I'm completely new to science fiction in literature, and I'm looking for something good to read that follows my criterias... Any ideas?
or:I'm a big fan of the science fiction universe, and especially the space opera setting: inter-species alien confederations, space exploration, political intrigues... The only thing it lacks is the scientific rigor of hard scifi. I'm completely new to science fiction in literature, and I'm looking for something good to read that follows my criterias... Any ideas?
or:3 good ones to start you out are \"They Shall Have Stars\" by James Blish-- \"Citizen of the Galaxy\" by Robert Heinlein and \"Old Man's War\" by John Scalzi--the 1st two are considered to be classics by many--but the 3rd one is an excellent read as well!
or:Check out the Deathstalker series by Simon R. Green. Awesome book series. It can get pretty complex. And before you ask. No. I does not have anything to do with that crappy movie series from the 80's.The series is set in a far-future, fictional universe, dominated by a vast and powerful human empire that has fallen from its ancient beginnings into cruelty, decadence and oppression. Alien species when encountered are subjugated or exterminated; internal dissent is ruthlessly put down, and power is concentrated in the hands of a psychotic empress (known as the \"Iron Bitch\") and a number of aristocratic families, or clans.Under the justification of protecting the empire from external threats, the empress maintains the status quo by playing off different groups against one another, preventing any organisation from becoming powerful enough to challenge her rule. Cloning is commonplace, with clones being regarded as non-people for use as expendable slave labour. Some people, known generically as espers, have various psychic powers including telekinesis, telepathy and teleportation \u2013 these, too, are carefully regulated and exploited by the empire.The vast majority of imperial citizens, while denied many forms of political self-expression, appear to lead fairly normal lives under the fiefdoms of the different clans. The author draws a parallel to certain periods of the Roman Empire, with the citizenry being kept compliant through the use of public holidays and spectacles such as gladiatorial games. Although a parliament exists, its autonomy and influence are trivial \u2013 in large part due to the widespread corruption that permeates every facet of the empire's institutions. The empire's official religion, the Church of Christ the Warrior, acts as an arm of the imperial throne and maintains its own military forces to counterbalance those of the clans.
