Space Opera Fans discussion

I’ve always liked main characters who weren’t what their society considered normal, particularly those who thought differently.

In the series that starts with The Scent of Metal by Sabrina Chase, the people who traveled to Pluto are mostly scientists with their typical tendency to focus intensely on what interests them with a bunch of military mixed in (OPSEC is of utmost importance). Then there’s the main character, Lea, who even as a scientist acts pretty strange sometimes, and as the story progresses she becomes even more unlike typical humans.

In the series that starts with Linesman by S.K. Dunstall, the main character shows signs of being on the autism spectrum.

Do you have suggestions for more books on this theme?

If cyborgs count, I’d add in Murderbot. People have pegged it as everything from an extreme introvert to being autistic. There are five novellas and one novel, the first being All Systems Red.

The Outside features autistic main character and has the bonus of being written by an autistic author, Ada Hoffmann.

I can’t think of any other Space Opera books off the top of my head, but of course the 800 pound gorilla and template of this is Flowers for Algernon.

In the book Ella Rosa and the Song of the Seirenes, there is a character who is on the spectrum, and has psychic powers. The Star Trek Universe has a few good nonneuroqtypical characters. I wish I could think of more!

Lady wrote: "In the book Ella Rosa and the Song of the Seirenes, there is a character who is on the spectrum, and has psychic powers. The Star Trek Universe has a few good nonneuroqtypical chara..."

Your mention of Star Trek reminded me that the main character of An Unkindness of Ghosts is either autistic or has Asperger’s. I didn’t care for the story but, as always, YMMV.

Bujold’s Vorkosigan series features all sorts of characters, many of whom are neurodivergent, but other than possibly Mark, none of them are main protags.

On my TBR is This Alien Shore, which is apparently all non-neurotypical characters all the time, but I can’t attest to that.

Yoon Ha Lee has aphantasia, which affects their writing, but I don’t think I’d go so far as to say the characters of Ninefox Gambit are not neurotypical. Definitely Space Opera, though.

There are quite a few more I found in my read-books list, especially recently, but applying the filter of Space Opera eliminates most of them. Into the Drowning Deep, which I hated, features an autistic character, for example, as well as deaf characters.

Lindsay Buroker wrote a series Star Kingdom. The main characters are

• A robotics professor who gets space sick before leaving orbit. Talks a lot, and definitely does not fall into the typical hero thinking, talking, or actions.

• A brilliant scientist who’s better at punching people than talking to them.

Lindsay Buroker wrote a series Star Kingdom. The main characters are

• A robotics professor who gets space sick before leaving orbit. Talks a lot, and definitely does not fall into the typical hero thinking, talking, or actions. AND

• A brilliant female scientist who does not know how to react to normal emotions and behaviors and has to look for cues from others, but at the same time wonders why she should have to respond as expected. Definitely on the spectrum and a wonderful character who really does care about her roommate's well-being (the above-mentioned professor).