The Fantasy Review’s list of 7 New Space Opera Books to Read in 2024.
Machine Vendetta (Prefect Dreyfus Emergency, #3) by Alastair Reynolds
Book 1: The Prefect
Book 2: Elysium Fire
From the blurb of Machine Vendetta: (POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR: The Prefect AND Elysium Fire.)
Panoply is a small, efficient police force, dedicated to maintaining the rule of democracy among the ten thousand disparate city-states orbiting the planet Yellowstone.
Ingvar Tench was one of Panoply’s most experienced operatives. So why did she walk alone and unarmed into a habitat with a vicious grudge against her organization?
As his colleagues pick up the pieces following her death, Prefect Tom Dreyfus must face his conscience….
Rendezvous with Corsair by Jack Campbell
From the blurb of Rendezvous with Corsair:
Jack Campbell’s New York Times bestselling The Lost Fleet sci-fi adventure series has transported legions of fans out of this world and into the heat of battle. Now, readers will discover how it all began―not only for John “Black Jack” Geary and his descendant Commander Michael Geary, but for those who fought and sacrificed so much alongside them.…
The Engineer (The Last Horizon, #2) by Will Wight
Book 1: The Captain
From the blurb of The Last Horizon: (POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR: The Captain)
“I can’t juggle starships. I make the ones who can.”
The battle with the Iron Legion has left The Last Horizon battered and broken, drifting in space. Varic needs an exceptional Engineer to fix his ship, and there’s only one person for the job: Mell, the master Aether Technician.
But first, they have to break her out of prison.…
The Icarus Twin (The Icarus Saga #2) by Timothy Zahn
Book 1: The Icarus Plot
Book 3: The Icarus Job (release date: March 5, 2024)
From the blurb of The Icarus Twin: (POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR: The Icarus Plot)
For years Gregory Roarke and his Kadolian partner Selene worked as crocketts, combing through the atmospheres of uninhabited worlds for places that might be colonized or hold valuable resources. Now, they quietly work for the Icarus Group, a top-secret government organization hunting for portals created by a long-vanished alien race, portals that can teleport a person hundreds or thousands of light-years in the blink of an eye.…
Scorpio (Frontlines: Evolution, #1) by Marko Kloos
From the blurb of Scorpio:
On a distant Earth colony, an orphaned survivor of an alien invasion discovers that the greatest world-ending dangers aren’t behind her.
It’s been eight years since an alien invasion drove a small surviving group of settlers to seek refuge in an underground shelter. Cut off from the rest of humanity, the ragtag band has maintained a narrowly functioning colony due to communal effort and salvage runs. Alex Archer has her own duties as a dog handler. While this off-world colony may be harsh, Ash, Alex’s black shepherd raised to sense threats, makes living in it a little nicer….
The Principle of Moments (Order of Legends, #1) by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson
From the blurb of The Principle of Moments:
Asha Akindele has lived her whole life on Gahraan, just like the rest of humanity, eking out an existence between factory assembly lines and constant terror. Then she discovers she has a sister imprisoned by Emperor Thracin, and is forced to make a choice: remain a slave, or escape and risk everything in the name of family.…
Eclipsed Crown (The MacLee Chronicles #3) by Jina S. Bazzar
Book 1: Splendor’s Orbit
Book 2: Imperial Stardust
From the blurb of Eclipsed Crown: (POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR:Splendor’s Orbit AND Imperial Stardust)
Krozalia’s fragile stability rests on Leann’s ability to protect Dolenta—the very same cargo she once ferried across the stars. With the Tanue untethered and the emperor dead, Captain Leann has less than three days to help the princess claim the throne. But this time, the captain’s long-buried goals entwine with a decades-old scheme, unveiling a truth that will reshape the destiny of Krozalia and the galaxy itself.…
