Space Opera Fans discussion

This thread is for nominations for THEMED category for June 2021.

THEMED books need to be currently in print on at least one platform, and fit the theme for the month. If there is no spaceship involved, then it must take place on another planet with a technological society. If it is part of a series, it needs to be suitable to being read without having read other books in the series. Frequently books in this category will be those from major publishers that are no longer in print as paperback (or haven't yet made it to paperback), but Kindle Exclusive books are allowed too. It is perfectly fine to nominate a book here that would qualify for one of our other categories.

CURRENT THEME: Female Leader. The main character (or at least one of the POV characters) must be female and in a leadership position such as captain of the ship. This discussion thread is similar:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

RULES:
* you may nominate one book on this thread.
* you may second as many nominations as you like on this thread.
* it is okay to nominate the same book on more than one nomination thread, as long as it meets the criteria
* don't nominate a book we already read RECENTLY (more than two years ago is fair game for Themed)
* If a book you nominate or second is selected, you are expected to post at least one comment about it on the thread about the book.
* On the 22nd I will draw a book randomly, with each second being one raffle ticket for the book. That is, a book with three seconds (so four of us want it) will get three chances in the pool.

It is likely helpful if you know something about a book that has been nominated if you mention it in this thread, whether it is for or against the book.

I nominate Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon. This was a group read back in 2017 but I’m about ready to reread the series for the umpteenth time.

I nominate On Basilisk Station. The group read it back in 2015, but it's definitely worth reading again. For those of you who haven't read it, it's about a female captain with a new (but very old) ship and a brand new assignment to the worst post in the fleet.

I'll also second Trading in Danger. I haven't read those in a while. It's not my favorite series but I did enjoy them.

I’ll second On Basilisk Station. It’s been several years since I reread that one.

I'll nominate , which features a small ship crewed by female felines.

We read Pride of Chanur in 2017 so it’s fair game. I’d second it however I already reread it this year. It’s a great book.

I'll second The Pride of Chanur. It's been a while since I've read that.

I'm not sure it qualifies here, but I shared in the female captain discussion. The main character isn't a captain, and the captain is a genderless species. The ship's crew is mostly female, with the exception of a male sasquatch. It's a strange book, and it sort of reminded me of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or Guardians of the Galaxy. I read it at the end of last year, and enjoyed it.

Laz wrote: "I'll nominate , which features a small ship crewed by female felines."

This seems to be a popular recommend. I'll "third" it. I've never heard of it, and with all the support, I'm curious!

Summary so far:
Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon. Nominated by Teresa. Seconded by Betsy.
On Basilisk Station by David Weber. Nominated by Betsy. Seconded by Teresa.
The Pride of Chanur by C.J. Cherryh. Nominated by Laz. Seconded by Betsy and Lady.
Ella Rosa and the Song of the Seirenes by S. V. Reimers. Nominated by Lady. Awaiting seconds.

I’ll second Trading in Danger. I haven’t read Elizabeth Moon before.

Recommending something a bit newer since we’ve read Pride of Chanur, Honor Harrington and some of the others mentioned.

Alisha Marchensko is captain of the dilapidated Star Nomad, a position she’d rather not find herself after being a fighter pilot. However ... after recuperation in the aftermath of the Empire/Alliance Wars, the Nomad gets her into the skies again on her way to collect her daughter.

Before she gets home though, she has to do a slight detour for her new passengers, an Starseer aspirant named Yumi, a somewhat mysterious monk and a cyborg from the ‘other faction’ in the war. Things get ... exciting, too much so for a battered old freighter without weapons.

Our captain is funny, quick-witted and full of sassy snark and a handy scheme up her sleeve. It’s been a hell of a ride so far.

I can get on board re-reading any of the nominees, however.

Oops, this has been a discussion book before.

I'm not sure if we've read this but I nominate Rika Outcast by M.D. Cooper

Maureen : we can reread books, as long as it has been at least two years. Star Nomad counts as a nomination.

Ninefox Gambit !

Kathryn wrote: "Ninefox Gambit !"
I’ll second this. It’s on my TBR shelf. :)

Summary so far:
Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon. Nominated by Teresa. Seconded by Betsy and Caitlin.
On Basilisk Station by David Weber. Nominated by Betsy. Seconded by Teresa.
The Pride of Chanur by C.J. Cherryh. Nominated by Laz. Seconded by Betsy and Lady.
Ella Rosa and the Song of the Seirenes by S. V. Reimers. Nominated by Lady. Awaiting seconds.
Star Nomad by Lindsay Buroker. Nominated by Maureen. Awaiting seconds.
Rika Outcast by M.D. Cooper. Nominated by Emily. Awaiting seconds.
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee. Nominated by Kathryn. Seconded by Maureen.

Please note that it is fine to nominate a book on both the Themed thread and the Reader thread, or if it doesn’t fit the rules for Reader on both Themed and Limited.

I'll second (third) On Basilisk Station

Striving for the stars

I would like to self nominate my own newly released book, Striving for the stars-Book one of the Kelras Chronicles.
Releasing today 16/5/21 on amazon, apple, kobo, google and most other online bookstores.

Which is for young adults, and the young at heart. The Kelras Chronicles, follows the journey of Aristeia Kelras. As she seeks to build a life for herself away from the scrap planet she has called home for eighteen years. In book one, we follow Aristeia as she journeys to join the Astrum fleets elite officer training academy where she hopes to train as a pilot, and commissioned officer.

This is clean read, with no sexual content, or mature themes. This was written to be a light hearted read, that would be suitable for younger readers while still being enjoyable for the older readers.

I'll second Ninefox Gambit.

I'll second Star Nomad.

Summary so far:
Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon. Nominated by Teresa. Seconded by Betsy and Caitlin.
On Basilisk Station by David Weber. Nominated by Betsy. Seconded by Teresa and Adrian.
The Pride of Chanur by C.J. Cherryh. Nominated by Laz. Seconded by Betsy and Lady.
Ella Rosa and the Song of the Seirenes by S. V. Reimers. Nominated by Lady. Awaiting seconds.
Star Nomad by Lindsay Buroker. Nominated by Maureen. Seconded by Audrey.
Rika Outcast by M.D. Cooper. Nominated by Emily. Awaiting seconds.
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee. Nominated by Kathryn. Seconded by Maureen and Laz.
Striving for the stars by Taniko K Williams. Nominated by Taniko. Awaiting seconds.

I will also second Maureen's comment that we explore new books instead of re-reads, acknowledging that some folk haven't read the classics by Moon or Cherryh.

Laz wrote: "I will also second Maureen's comment that we explore new books instead of re-reads, acknowledging that some folk haven't read the classics by Moon or Cherryh."

I have to chuckle when I read that. I recall when those books weren't considered classics, as they had just come out. How time flies.

I can't see it, but has Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie been read? my goodreads app keeps crashing.

Ancillary Justice features a strong female lead, though I guess technically she is more AI then person.
If not already read, can I nom a second book?

never mind, I just reread rules, and it's one nom. Ignore me, I'm sleep deprived.

You can nominate it on the Reader nominations thread if we haven’t read it recently.

New books are good. Rereading good books is good too.

And we read Ancillary Justice in 2015 so it’s fair game. The reason I tweaked the rules to allow rereads was because the group had been discussing books for so long that a lot of our members had missed most of those discussions and it was getting harder and harder to think of books I want to nominate that we hadn’t already discussed.

Oh, I’d love a month where we nominated intelligent ships! Maybe we can save the Imperial Radch series for then?

Sounds fun!

How about Native Tongue - Susette Haden Elgin It is easiest to find as an ebook on Amazon. But it is about female linguists in the future and language and is written by a linguist. First book of a trilogy.

Going by memory that book takes place completely on Earth. Yes there are aliens. And by vague memory it was a patriarchy. It would be a real stretch to call it space opera. Her Ozark books at least take place on another planet.

Nominations are now closed. I count these seconds:

2 : Trading in Danger
2 : On Basilisk Station
2 : The Pride of Chanur
1 : Star Nomad
2 : Ninefox Gambit

That’s a total of nine seconds. Rolling random numbers now.

The random numbers have spoken. Our Themed pick for June is The Pride of Chanur

If you are disappointed, please remember to nominate your book next month on either Reader or Limited nomination thread, as appropriate.