Dune

In Herbert's legendary space opera, Dune, protagonist Paul Atreides confronts treachery, prophecy, intergalactic schemes, and a battle to control the most powerful substance in the universe. To win, he must awaken a secret power in the depths of his soul.

Hyperion

This first book in the Hyperion Cantos series won the Hugo Award for best novel. Come for the story of a perilous pilgrimage across a distant, war-torn galaxy. Stay for the ancient artifacts, mysterious powers, and an unforgettable enigmatic creature known as the Shrike.

A Memory Called Empire

Also a Hugo award winner, this book follows a young ambassador as she navigates the intricate politics of the Teixcalaanli Empire. She is quickly thrown into a series of cultural clashes and political intrigues that set her on a mission to avert a war of total destruction.

Leviathan Wakes

In this sci-fi take on the classic noir detective story, set in a future where humans have successfully colonized the solar system, a freighter captain and a cop unravel a conspiracy that could ignite an intergalactic war and threaten humanity's existence among the stars.

Consider Phlebas

In the first novel in the author's Culture series of space operas, a shapeshifting mercenary embarks on a desperate mission, caught between warring civilizations in a high-stakes, galaxy-spanning conflict.

Ancillary Justice

This space opera set thousands of years in the future somehow feels less distant than it did even a year ago with the recent boom in AI. The story imagines the Radch empire which uses AIs to control human bodies and use them as soldiers.

A Fire Upon the Deep

This space opera weaves together multiple storylines, exploring a universe-spanning conflict between warring civilizations of differing technological sophistication and the struggle to prevent a cataclysmic entity known as the 'Transcend' from destroying everything.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Join this diverse crew of misfits as they journey aboard the Wayfarer to the far reaches of space, discovering the complexities of love, identity, and the vastness of the cosmos.

Gideon the Ninth

Book 1 of Muir's Locked Tomb Series is a darkly humorous tale that follows swordswoman Gideon and witch Harrow as they compete in a deadly trial and navigate an intricate web of politics and intrigue in a crumbling space empire.

Revelation Space

In a future where humanity has reached the stars, a scientist and a cyborg crew form an alliance and head to a remote planet to uncover the secrets of a long-dead alien civilization. A killer intent on keeping the secret hidden will stop them at any cost.

Ringworld

A motley crew of explorers sets off to investigate the mysterious, colossal Ringworld, uncovering its secrets and confronting the dangers of an enigmatic alien structure.

Too Like the Lightning: Book One of Terra Ignota

Palmer's award-winning book is set in a 25th-century Earth, where gender norms are taboo and abundance is maintained by skillful central planners. But this closely controlled society's stability is threatened by a child with the power to make his imagination reality.

Ender's Game

A child prodigy is trained to become humanity's ultimate weapon against an alien threat, uncovering secrets and conspiracies as he grapples with the weight of his destiny.

The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition

Not your typical space opera, in this story an emissary from Earth is sent to a frozen planet where he must navigate the intricate politics and culture of a planet where gender is fluid and sexual prejudice is absent, while also confronting his own deep-seated beliefs.

Binti

A young woman from a remote African tribe leaves home to attend a prestigious interstellar university, confronting alien species, ancient technology, and her own identity.