Recs if you like Space Opera (Space Opera, #1)...
the quiet side of tomorrow
Not all science fiction is laser battles and intergalactic warfare! This list is aiming for the softer side of sci-fi. The kind where the stars hum quietly, the characters pause to breathe, and discoveries are found within. ✨
I’m attempting to cultivate a collection of books that are low stakes, cozy sci-fi, filled with found family, gentle exploration, and quiet wonder. 😌
If you have recommendations, please leave them in the comments! 📝
vibrant, hopeful, interstellar: space opera
“the universe is what we make of it. it’s up to you to decide what part you will play.”
space opera focuses on interstellar travel and epic adventures, often with larger-than-life characters, dramatic plots, and an optimistic tone. originally coined in the 1940s as an insult, it has since grown into a vibrant and expansive subgenre.
Hugo Award for Best Novel (2010 - 2026)
In honour of the 2026 nominations, this list compiles all the nominees for the Hugo Award for Best Novel from 2010 - 2026.
Has ridiculous premise, leans hard into it
Books that hinge on a completely ridiculous premise and then they go hard and make the absolute most of it. Sometimes with way more emotional depth than you'd expect.
I can't remember the title, but the cover is blue
Ah yes, this ol' issue that has plagued librarians and bookstore clerks for decades.
And sometimes you find the right book, but... can you even call that shade blue?
alphabet soup group
Books on my TBR with LGBTQIA+ characters or themes.
PDX Queer Book Club
Incredible Sci Fi You've Probably Never Heard Of
Do you feel like you've read everything there is to read? Or get annoyed that the same books are on all the rec lists? Well, here are some more obscure masterpieces!
Some of the covers are terrible - especially among the older or self-pubbed books; there's a few YA in here; and some that are science fantasy rather than 'pure' sci fi. But trust me: they're all EXCELLENT. (And if you already love a bunch of these, let's be friends!)
Genres you never knew could mix!
Those books that know how to mix things up!
This Is Ridiculous And We Both Know It
A Reading List for the Chronically Unserious
D20 A Starstruck Odyssey
Dropout TV gives us A Starstruck Odyssey inspired by the comic based off the stage play set on a spaceship called The Worst venturing across planets to save a moon! From droids to slugs this season has it all! This may be one of the best seasons of Dimension 20 with the ridiculous humor and classic Intrepid Heroes heart.
beyond our skies
exploring the galaxy, remembering earth.
Set in Space 🔭
I enjoyed the movie very much. I was just wondering, did you ever consider having more horses in it? Well, we would have liked to. But it was difficult, obviously, being set in space.
🌈Rainbow Mafia Agenda🏳️🌈
Great, enjoyable, and/or interesting fiction books featuring queer characters of all kinds!
With a couple nonfiction books thrown in as well, for flavor.
There are a few in here for which people might, hypothetically, argue over whether they're queer enough for the queer list, but which I've included anyway because vibes/because I personally interpret them as queer. For example: older books that were originally intended or most commonly regarded as feminist but not queer, but which many queer people may relate to or find meaning in regardless (e.g. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, or The Song of Mavin Manyshaped by Sheri S. Tepper).
