Space Opera Science Fiction

The science fiction genre has become increasingly influential in mainstream popular culture, evolving into one of the most engaging storytelling tools we use to think about technology and consider the shape of the future. Along the way, it has also become one of the major lenses we use to explore important philosophical questions. The origins of science fiction are most often thought to trace to Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, a story born from a night of spooky tale-telling by the fireside that explores scientific, moral, and ethical questions that were of great concern in the 19th century - and that continue to resonate today.

This book contains 26 of the greatest science fiction stories ever written. They represent the considered verdict of the Science Fiction Writers of America, those who have shaped the genre and who know, more intimately than anyone else, what the criteria for excellence in the field should be. The authors chosen for the Science Fiction Hall Fame are the men and women who have shaped the body and heart of modern science fiction; their brilliantly imaginative creations continue to inspire and astound new generations of writers and fans.

In this thrilling second book of the Earthborn trilogy, Lucas and Asha have survived the decimation of Earth at the hands of the invading Xalans and seek safe haven with their enemy's true foes, the Sorans. They find a lush planet inhabited by a civilization far more advanced than their own, waging a seemingly endless war against a constantly evolving enemy. The Sorans call the pair of them the "Earthborn", and they're welcomed as heroes, almost as gods.

A formidable alien armada stands on the brink of vanquishing the cosmos, their gaze set firmly on every inhabited world. The last line of defense? An eclectic crew of improbable champions: a maverick starfighter pilot, a daredevil stuntwoman, a lethal super-assassin, and a cosmic prankster with alien tricks up his sleeves. Their mission is to shield not just humanity, but billions of other intelligent lifeforms spanning the multiverse.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

Adrian Tchaikovksy's critically acclaimed stand-alone novel Children of Time is the epic story of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet. Who will inherit this new Earth? The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age - a world terraformed and prepared for human life. But all is not right in this new Eden.

As a Marine, Henry Morgan would have said it was more likely he’d die from enemy fire than from being struck by a flying lawnmower while at a baseball game. But it was the lawnmower that ended up taking him out. A century later, Henry wakes up as a reconstituted intelligence, and is promptly drafted to be the governing AI for America’s first military starship. After decades of model-trained AIs wreaking havoc across the globe, humanity is ready to try something a little more…human.

Goodreads Choice Award for Best Science Fiction Novel To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is a masterful epic science fiction novel from the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of the Inheritance Cycle, Christopher Paolini. Kira Navárez dreamed of life on new worlds Now she’s awakened a...

After the mysterious disappearance of several Rebel transport ships, Luke, Leia, and R2-D2 journey across the galaxy in hopes of discovering the fate of the missing ships.

A day of training at the Jedi temple takes a sinister turn when the temple is attacked by an unknown assailant and a Jedi master is taken. Obi-Wan and Anakin are thrown into a race against time to save their friend and uncover who is behind the attack.

Listen on if you dare! This unique in-world collection hallows the spooky tales and ghost stories that would have kept young Luke and Leia up at night. Created by George Mann and Grant Griffin—the same team behind the stunning Star Wars: Myths & Fables—these seven frightful fables have been carefully woven from the expansive fabric that is the Star Wars galaxy.

Vor knapp einem Jahrhundert hat sich die Galaxis entzweit - ein Krieg löschte beinahe sämtliches Leben aus. In der Folge erfand man eine gemeinschaftsbildende Tradition: Etwas Schönes und Unterhaltsames, um den Frieden, die Liebe und das Leben zu feiern. Und so wurde der metagalaktische Grand Prix geboren, in dem alle empfindungsfähigen Zivilisationen friedlich gegeneinander antreten. Seitdem muss jede neue Spezies, die Mitglied der kosmischen Gemeinschaft werden will, an der Show teilnehmen.

On the world called Hyperion, beyond the law of the Hegemony of Man, there waits the creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all.

Micah Cole has been in deep space for three years while his parents chase their obsession with finding intelligence to the far corners of the universe, but Micah dreams of the friends he left behind and counts the days until they return home. When a devastating meteor shower nearly destroys their ship, Micah is separated from his family and stranded on Sovereign, a vast planet of raging rivers, towering forests, and deadly creatures. If Micah ever wants to see his family or his home again, he’ll have to learn to how to survive on a hostile alien world, all alone.

Bloomsbury presents The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu, read by Daniel York Loh. Read the award-winning, critically acclaimed, multi-million-copy-selling science-fiction phenomenon – soon to be a Netflix Original Series from the creators of Game of Thrones. Imagine the universe as a forest...

A Princess of Mars was the first book by Edgar Rice Burroughs to feature the character John Carter. It led to an 11-book series featuring his adventures and became the basis for the 2012 movie. Carter is a war-weary former military captain during the Civil War who is inexplicably transported to Mars. He quickly (and reluctantly) becomes embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions among the inhabitants of the planet.

In this Star Wars audio adventure, General Leia of the Resistance trains Rey in the ways of the Force, preparing her for an important mission to find a wayfinder that would lead them to the secret location of the evil Sith Lord, Emperor Palpatine. Join Rey in this retelling of Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, as she travels from planet to planet to defeat Kylo Ren and the Emperor in hopes of restoring peace to the galaxy.

Bloomsbury presents Death's End by Cixin Liu, read by Daniel York Loh. Read the award-winning, critically acclaimed, multi-million-copy-selling science-fiction phenomenon – soon to be a Netflix Original Series from the creators of Game of Thrones. Half a century after the Doomsday Battle, the...

Taking a job from Jabba the Hut is always risky business, but this run might prove to be even more risky than usual. When Han and Chewie make a crash landing enroute with the Falcon’s hold filled with stolen Imperial tech, they are reminded again that things rarely go smoothly on a smuggler’s run.

Hard-core, fast paced science fiction, John Scalzi's Zoe's Tale is the fourth in The Old Man's War series. She won't go down without a fight. It's not every day you up sticks and move to another world. But then, Zoë Boutin-Perry's life has never been ordinary. She's the adopted teenage daughter...