There are lot of science fiction subgenres – from post-apocalypses to time travel to generation ships to first contact. But probably one of the longest lasting and most malleable is the space opera. In the introduction to this collection New Adventures in Space Opera Jonathan Strahan gives a primer on the development and features of this subgenre from its first appearance in the 1890s (!). Strahan considers a number of definitions of space opera but lands on this one: “romantic adventure set in space and told on a grand scale”.
To give more boundaries, Strahan chooses these rules for the stories that he has chosen for this collection. First, that they should take place on a ship or in space and only occasionally touch down on a planet. Second that the universe should be populated and there should be encounters. And thirdly, that the stakes should be high.
Strahan gives a quick history of space opera and highlights the greats from the 1950s through to the 2000s. But his focus here is on modern space opera, a period he starts at 2011. His view is that these authors changed the nature of space opera in that the characters were becoming more diverse and they began to question the structure of the world around them. In Strachan’s view, this period began with James SA Corey’s Leviathan Wakes (first book of the 9 volume Expanse series) and moved through a range of exciting modern space opera authors like Anne Leckie, Yoon Ha Lee, Arkady Martine and Tade Thompson.
This collection feature stories by many of these names and a few other recent stars of modern science fiction including Becky Chambers, Lavie Tidhar, Charlie Jane Anders and somewhat older timers (who were doing this form of modern space opera well before 2011) like Alastair Reynolds. Some of the stories are set within the universes that these authors are famous for – for example Yoon Ha Lee’s “Extracurricular Activities” is set in the universe of his fantastic Machineries of Empire trilogy and Becky Chambers’ “A Good Heretic” which is set in her award winning Wayfarers universe. Others deliver brand new ideas and somehow manage to pack some fascinating characters and huge mind-bending ideas into some very small spaces.
New Adventures in Space Opera is a great collection for lovers of this form of science fiction, featuring many of the greats of the modern canon. For others it will provide a tantalising entrée into one of the most vibrant corners of current science fiction and a list of authors that readers cannot go wrong with.
New Adventures in Space Opera editted by Jonathan Strachan
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