Best Space Opera Series: Galaxy-Spanning Sci-Fi to Get Lost In
June 7, 2026
Space opera is science fiction with the dial turned to maximum: interplanetary politics, sprawling casts, and stakes measured in worlds. If you want a galaxy to disappear into, here are the best series to start.
The modern essential
The Expanse — James S.A. Corey The benchmark for modern space opera — grounded, political, and propulsive, following a ragtag crew as a system-wide conspiracy unfolds. Hard SF that never forgets its characters. See our Expanse reading order →.
The operatic epic
Red Rising — Pierce Brown Brutal, Shakespearean, and relentlessly thrilling — a lowborn miner infiltrates the ruling class and ignites a system-wide war. The most purely operatic series on this list. See our Red Rising reading order →.
The cosy counterpoint
The Wayfarers — Becky Chambers Space opera with the violence dialled down and the humanity dialled up. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is a warm, character-driven joy — the antidote to grimdark sci-fi. Browse Becky Chambers →
The genre-defining classics
Hyperion — Dan Simmons A Canterbury Tales-style structure, staggering ideas, and one of the most haunting villains in sci-fi. Essential.
Dune — Frank Herbert The towering classic of the form. See Dune: the books vs the films →.
The new wave
A Memory Called Empire — Arkady Martine Dazzling political space opera about language, empire, and identity — a modern Hugo winner.
Revelation Space — Alastair Reynolds For readers who want their space opera vast, dark, and rigorously scientific.
How to choose
Want grounded and political? The Expanse. Want epic and bloody? Red Rising. Want warm and humane? Wayfarers. Want the foundational classics? Dune and Hyperion. The galaxy’s wide open.