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Here's a list of Sci-Fi / Space Opera stories written specifically for the Young Adult audience since YA became a recognized book category. 'YA Space Opera' is defined as a science-fiction based novel STARRING A YOUNG ADULT PROTAGONIST (age 12-17) on an extra-planetary or galactic scale which has a heavy emphasis on character development and (usually) beating overwhelming odds in addition to the worldbuilding and science. YA Space Opera tales that include contemporary YA issues and concerns, relationships, and other story lines which appeal to YA sensibilities are welcome. Earth-bound dystopia is explicitly disqualified unless it contains a significant space element such as an alien invasion, alien first-contact, or a quest to get into outer space.

This listopia is maintained by the Space Opera Fans community. Come join us! https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

We maintain MANY listopias in many space-opera sub-genres ... just visit our community to find the right 'fit' for your Space Opera sweet tooth.

AUTHORS: these listopias are a pain-in-the-butt to update (requires grovelling to Goodreads administration), so you will not endear yourself to the very small and intimate community of avid sci-fi readers you hope to reach if you are a jerk and spam this list with irrelevant crap or every...single...book in your series. You will quickly find yourself blacklisted from people's reading lists if you act like a jerk, so please be polite and follow the rules. If you want to get to know us, come visit us and interact as a READER.
1

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4.12 avg rating — 1,013,319 ratings
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2

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4.40 avg rating — 404,998 ratings
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3

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4.23 avg rating — 461,508 ratings
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4

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4.24 avg rating — 161,535 ratings
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5

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3.77 avg rating — 119,378 ratings
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6

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 480,209 ratings
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7

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3.94 avg rating — 155,180 ratings
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8

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3.89 avg rating — 71,594 ratings
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9

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4.43 avg rating — 81,439 ratings
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10

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4.01 avg rating — 55,138 ratings
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11

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4.15 avg rating — 9,257 ratings
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12

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4.06 avg rating — 34,459 ratings
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13

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3.83 avg rating — 149,778 ratings
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14

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4.44 avg rating — 5,433 ratings
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15

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3.84 avg rating — 5,744 ratings
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16

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4.35 avg rating — 238 ratings
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17

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4.31 avg rating — 1,475,547 ratings
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18

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3.71 avg rating — 1,906 ratings
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19

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3.89 avg rating — 23,605 ratings
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20

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4.09 avg rating — 74,233 ratings
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21

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3.84 avg rating — 1,229,053 ratings
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22

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4.44 avg rating — 57,825 ratings
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23

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4.27 avg rating — 785,480 ratings
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24

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3.71 avg rating — 14,254 ratings
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25

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3.85 avg rating — 13,563 ratings
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26

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4.29 avg rating — 32,802 ratings
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27

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3.96 avg rating — 74 ratings
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27

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3.74 avg rating — 1,033 ratings
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29

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4.10 avg rating — 803 ratings
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30

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4.14 avg rating — 2,321 ratings
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31

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4.18 avg rating — 244 ratings
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32

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4.30 avg rating — 1,775 ratings
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32

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4.07 avg rating — 44,644 ratings
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34

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3.84 avg rating — 80,679 ratings
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35

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3.93 avg rating — 22,316 ratings
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36

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4.06 avg rating — 5,333 ratings
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37

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4.10 avg rating — 14,950 ratings
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38

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4.26 avg rating — 58,933 ratings
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39

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3.87 avg rating — 8,443 ratings
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40

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4.11 avg rating — 5,885 ratings
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41

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3.60 avg rating — 2,407 ratings
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41

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3.78 avg rating — 516 ratings
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43

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3.80 avg rating — 6,592 ratings
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44

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4.13 avg rating — 3,135 ratings
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45

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3.53 avg rating — 14,802 ratings
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46

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3.76 avg rating — 2,222 ratings
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47

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3.75 avg rating — 9,639 ratings
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48

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3.68 avg rating — 1,582 ratings
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49

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4.39 avg rating — 378 ratings
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50

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4.38 avg rating — 235 ratings
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51

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3.65 avg rating — 2,278 ratings
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51

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3.54 avg rating — 626 ratings
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53

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4.34 avg rating — 80 ratings
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54

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3.40 avg rating — 8,124 ratings
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55

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3.74 avg rating — 1,439 ratings
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56

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3.54 avg rating — 615 ratings
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57

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3.58 avg rating — 79 ratings
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58

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4.41 avg rating — 311,522 ratings
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59

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3.53 avg rating — 13,703 ratings
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59

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3.82 avg rating — 12,438 ratings
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61

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3.99 avg rating — 705 ratings
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62

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3.93 avg rating — 352,192 ratings
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63

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3.99 avg rating — 81 ratings
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64

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3.75 avg rating — 1,647 ratings
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65

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4.16 avg rating — 2,901 ratings
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65

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3.45 avg rating — 849 ratings
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67

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3.51 avg rating — 105 ratings
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68

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4.07 avg rating — 858 ratings
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69

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 224 ratings
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70

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 224 ratings
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71

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 224 ratings
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72

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4.22 avg rating — 2,777 ratings
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73

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3.90 avg rating — 1,157 ratings
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74

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3.89 avg rating — 99 ratings
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75

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4.17 avg rating — 463 ratings
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76

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3.61 avg rating — 1,028 ratings
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77

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4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings
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77

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4.12 avg rating — 2,543 ratings
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77

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4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings
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77

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3.86 avg rating — 590 ratings
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77

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3.55 avg rating — 47 ratings
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77

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 11 ratings
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77

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4.47 avg rating — 38 ratings
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77

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
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77

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3.81 avg rating — 36 ratings
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77

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4.67 avg rating — 12 ratings
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77

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3.93 avg rating — 31,331 ratings
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77

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3.94 avg rating — 23,409 ratings
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77

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3.67 avg rating — 39 ratings
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77

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4.05 avg rating — 27,797 ratings
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77

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4.13 avg rating — 12,274 ratings
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77

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3.75 avg rating — 3,637 ratings
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77

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4.14 avg rating — 711 ratings
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77

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3.58 avg rating — 1,070 ratings
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77

by
3.82 avg rating — 274 ratings
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77

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 5 ratings
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77

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4.38 avg rating — 53 ratings
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77

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4.39 avg rating — 79 ratings
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77

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4.64 avg rating — 25 ratings
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77

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3.86 avg rating — 7 ratings
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51 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Anna 345 books
358 friends
Betsy 2621 books
28 friends
Charlotte 514 books
29 friends
Shannon 2154 books
17 friends
Kate 1249 books
73 friends
Clare 8484 books
348 friends
Soumya 1374 books
38 friends
Sarah 2211 books
95 friends

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-6 of 6 (6 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Erin Lynn (new)

Erin Lynn Does The Fifth Wave really count? I don't see it as a space opera because it takes place on Earth...


message 2: by Anna (last edited Mar 11, 2015 06:45PM) (new)

Anna Erishkigal Erin Lynn wrote: "Does The Fifth Wave really count? I don't see it as a space opera because it takes place on Earth..."

I take a very expansive view of Space Opera when it comes to the paltry amount of decent sci-fi out there for teens. It involves an alien invasion, so from the alien's point of view, yeah... it's space opera-ish (sorta).

The alternative is to have our community members keep shoving a 1950 edition of Heinlein into kid's faces and then get miffed about 'youth today' when the kid shoves it right back :-P


message 3: by Kate (last edited Jun 20, 2015 06:29PM) (new)

Kate Any recs that don't have much romance (or have a queer romance, I'd like that), don't involve war, and involve friendly aliens?


message 4: by Anna (last edited Jun 20, 2015 09:27PM) (new)

Anna Erishkigal Kate wrote: "Any recs that don't have much romance (or have a queer romance, I'd like that), don't involve war, and involve friendly aliens?"

Hi Kate!

I took the liberty of looking at your bio and noticed you have both telepathy and cats listed in your interests, so based on that I think you'd enjoy the following series:

Frontier Series by Leonie Rogers - empathic sentient black panthers on a colonized planet

Frontier Resistance by Leonie Rogers Frontier Incursion by Leonie Rogers

Star Kingdom series by Jane Lindeskold and David Weber telepathic six-legged sentient cats on a colony planet

A Beautiful Friendship (Honorverse Stephanie Harrington, #1) by David Weber Fire Season (Honorverse Stephanie Harrington, #2) by David Weber Treecat Wars (Honorverse Stephanie Harrington, #3) by David Weber

Now as for a queer romance, we have a folder within our Space Opera Fans community where our member share book recommendations, including alternative lifestyles. I have not read these books myself, but am basing it off our members recommendations:

Stolen Time by J.M. Brink

Discussion thread is HERE: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan Saga, Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan Saga, Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan Saga, Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan

A lot of community members report liking the Saga space opera/alien graphic novel series, but it has some MATURE topics in it.

The Girls From Alcyone (The Girls from Alcyone #1) by Cary Caffrey

Has mature topics in it.


I hope you find these helpful? Happy reading!


message 5: by Kate (new)

Kate Anna wrote: "Kate wrote: "Any recs that don't have much romance (or have a queer romance, I'd like that), don't involve war, and involve friendly aliens?"

Hi Kate!

I took the liberty of looking at your bio an..."


Thanks! I've read Saga and the first Stephanie Harrington book, and the rest look really good! I'm going to check out the Frontier series.


cathedralwindow85 of BRISEIS I think that these books should be added to a hyped-up type of Accelerated Reader!, maybe called Starship Accelerated Reader! with a space ship on the book jacket sticker. Just a thought. Along with Ursula K. LeGuin, etc.
--cathedralwindowgirl85.


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