7/19/2023 0 Comments Books like the expanseIf you like the mixture of noir and SF, I have a whole different batch of recommendations for you. Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold.I wrote about this book in a review post, where I recommended it to fans of the TV series Firefly, another wonderful example of a crew to fall in love with. While Frey, captain of the Kitty Jay, is more of a ne’er-do-well than Holden, who always strives to do the right thing, the two crews share the camaraderie of those forced to live and work together in tight spaces, and yet have their own secrets to keep. It has one of the most entertaining crews in SFF with the motley assemblage of misfits who keep the airship Kitty Jay in the air. Not space opera, but more of a steampunk-ish fantasy heist. Tales of the Kitty Jay by Chris Wooding, beginning with Retribution Falls Hopefully that won’t keep away male readers, because this is grade ‘A’ SF. There’s plenty of action, danger, and space opera shenanigans, but also a big dash of romance. But the ship is even more dangerous than she thought. She takes a position on a ship called The Glorious Fool because she was told a year on board would give her enough of a reputation that she would be a shoe-in to win a place amongst the king’s guard known as Devastators. Sounds like a dude, right? But she’s a kick ass female soldier. Paradox series by Rachel Bach, beginning with Fortune’s PawnĪ huge part of the appeal of this series is lead character Devi Morris, a mercenary who has a strangely intimate relationship with her weapons, a love ’em and leave ’em attitude towards relationships, and a burning ambition. It doesn’t have the tight focus on our solar system and there are aliens, so probably more for the SF fans. Forster and Patrick O’Brian, but in space. This series is very much for fans of C.S. But things are more exciting than she anticipated. In this first volume, Honor has been set up to fail by a superior who hates her and sent to a backwater system. Much of the focus is on shipboard life and crew dynamics, which should appeal to fans of The Expanse. This long-running space opera series is centered on Royal Manticore Naval office Honor Harrington. Honor Harrington series by David Weber, beginning with On Basilisk Station The book (and presumably series) has two main points of view, that of Jim Holden and focused on him and his crew, and a second point of view with noir-tinged belter cop Miller. If you like the shipboard bits with Holden and how his crew work together, here are some books to try: If you have been loving the show so far or are a fan of the books that the show is based on, I have some suggestions of books to read. There is a missing person case, a hangdog cop and plenty of noir atmosphere. The other clever thing the authors (Corey is a pseudonym for two sf writers, Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) have done to bring in a wide readership is to have the first volume adopt some of the trappings of another popular genre, the mystery. It makes the series more accessible to readers (and now viewers) who are not necessarily long-time SF fans. It’s a canny choice, keeping the action close to our planetary home and the actors human. Divisions in human society have developed between the major outposts of Earth, Mars and the outer planets, with mutual distrust between all factions. In this novel, humanity has spread throughout the solar system, but no further. This season of The Expanse is based on the first book of James S.A. I promise not to spoil anything for those who haven’t watched yet! I can’t wait to see how it develops as the season goes on and how faithful it remains to its source material. So far, it’s a stylish adaptation, with some nice acting and great scenery. Tonight will be episode two, setting the hook even deeper to get viewers sucked into this new series that promises to bring the network back to its science fiction roots. Last night was the official Syfy network premiere of the new space opera tv series The Expanse, although some folks watched the show online when it went up a couple of weeks ago.
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