@zityz: I have read a couple Star Wars books over the years, and I've never thought that they were very good.
There is something to be said for a writer that creates their own universe. I feel there is a passion there that makes it greater than writing something within someone else's fiction.
" Have you seen Firefly/Serenity? You could also check out the Foundation books. Starcraft also has one of the better space opera stories in a videogame. "
The Foundation books are awesome! I actually only read the original trilogy, but man they're great!
Anything by Alfred Bester. I loved "The Demolished Man" and "The Stars My Destination" and I'm not even really into reading sci-fi. The only other one I enjoyed was the "Ender's Game" series.
The Reality Dysfunction, by Peter F. Hamilton. (huuuggeee book. But worth every moment. It's described as an all-out Space Opera). Foundation Series, Isaac Asimov Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat, Harry Harrison.
@Mordukai
said:
" I am shocked and disappointed no one even mentioned Dune. Shame on you all. "
" Have you seen Firefly/Serenity? You could also check out the Foundation books. Starcraft also has one of the better space opera stories in a videogame. "
The Foundation books are awesome! I actually only read the original trilogy, but man they're great! "
@Musou: The original trilogy is where it's at, that's where Asimov wanted to end it. Fan and publisher pressure is what made him continue the series after such a long hiatus.
@Mordukai: I've only read the first book of Dune, liked it but couldn't recommend the whole series based on it alone. I should really work on that.......
I haven't gotten around to playing it yet, but, if I remember the reviews and previews I saw of it ages ago correctly, Rogue Galaxy had one. It's a PS2 game and I found it for only $5 at a local Walmart bargain bin so you may find it in one near you as well. Worth looking into if you can find it.
Honestly, if you like what Mass Effect is selling, the only real answer is "Babylon 5." That show is epic beyond belief, and BioWare was pretty clearly taking some cues from it, especially in the first game.
The big problem with recommending B5 to people is that the first season can get kind of awful. The show was conceived with a 5 year story arc written before the first episode was shot, and since it builds so much on itself you cannot really skip the first season. But if you can push through to the cast changes and the story shifting into high gear in Season 2, you get the best sci-fi ever put on TV.
But if you have your heart set on a book I add my voice to those recommending Dune.
@McGhee_the_Insomniac: If you're gonna read any Star Wars books, read the Thrawn trilogy Timothy Zahn wrote. They were the first books in the expanded universe that were written and still the best. That's the series that introduced Grand Admiral Thrawn...obviously...who's one of the coolest characters in the Star Wars universe. SO GODDAMN GOOD. Unless those were the ones you read...then nevermind. Dune is really interesting. I've only read a few but enjoyed them.
If I'd been here and hour and 20 earlier we'd have posted the exact same thing. Not much compares to it, it's got the right epic scale being space, and oh the opera of it all. Wish the original novels were available in English. I'd even settle for Tytania's in English. I'm about to start watching LOGH Spiral Labyrinth, I'll probably return to this thread for more "Watch Legend of Galactic Heroes" later :]
" I've started re-playing Mass Effect and it has gotten me in the mood to read grand and sweeping sci-fi with a similar story. What can the hive-mind of Giantbomb recommend? "
Is this some sort of pisstake? How about the Mass Effect series of books and audio cassettes? They're available on all good google searches and if you buy today we'll even throw in this raised eyebrow.
That scene in the fifth element where the blue chick makes that ill beat while corbinmaman is doing shit? Thats sorta opera IN SPACE Also the episode of startrek where the doctor starts singing opera.
For Reading: I'd recommend Simon Green's Deathstalker series. It is a bit of a campy parody (though lovingly so), but it also gets real raw at certain points. Plus it has lots of clone-incest-rape. And that's always fun, right?
For Watching: I echo Babylon 5. The single greatest series of Sci-Fi television ever, and a pretty clear inspiration for Mass Effect, especially the inter-species intrigue elements. As others said, parts of the first season can be kinda brutal, but the third and fourth are absolutely stunning despite their limited budget and occasional hamming acting. Plus it has fucking Tron in it.
Maybe watch Farscape? It's more "space opera" than any other sci-fi show I can think of, plus it's a ton of fun. And it gets better in the later season as it gets crazier.
I highly recommend all books In the Ender's Game series. If you want anime, most Gundam series are fantastic. There's a lot of others to recommend, but I won't bother just now because I sense the oncoming onslaught of empty shells that were once people, yelling "anime's for jerks!"
Dune by Frank Herbert (the greatest Space Opera of all time bar none. Inspired Star Wars and countless other imitations)
Great modern Space Opera: Hyperion series by Dan Simmons Revelation Space and others in the series by Alistar Reynolds Culture series by Iain M Banks (Consider Phlebas, Player of Games, Use of Weapons, etc.) Reality Dysfunction by Peter Hamilton.
Star Trek: Deep Space 9 got pretty good in the later seasons, also the mini series and first couple of seasons of the new Battlestar Galactica were really good. Also as someone mentioned earlier Babylon 5 was an amazing show. The first season was kinda rough at some points, but the second, third, and fourth season were great, the fifth season was more or less tacked on really.
As much as I enjoy movies, anime and the new battlestar tv series, non of these can compare to a great novel. Someting about using your mind to imagine what's written down. It makes it more real some how, you experience the story with the characters.
" I can't see a book based on a game EVER being very good. Unless someone were to tell me (in a convincing fashion) otherwise. Which you haven't done. "
Actually, the 3 Mass Effect novels that have come out have all been written by the guy behind the game's scripts, Drew Karpyshyn, and they're really very good novels that expand some interesting areas of the ME universe. The first book covers Captain Anderson's SPECTRE Candidacy that he mentions in ME1 and Saren's downfall under the manipulation of Sovereign, and the other two books focus more on some of Cerberus' machinations in the universe in the background of the games (the third one is set after ME2, actually, at least I think it is).
They're easily the best 'gaming' novels I've read, and they're not particuarly expensive. I'd recommend picking them up if you really enjoy the Mass Effect universe - but read them in order if you do. The plots don't explicity carry on from each other (Well, the first and second don't, but the second and third books, Ascension and Retribution, do) but there is a main recurring character across all three books, Kahlee Sanders, so you'll want to follow her story from the beginning.
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