#BookishThoughts-Top 5 Books Set In Space I Have Read/Would Like To Read

Tagged by Susan aka Novel Lives in her latest fiendish thing -I mean, it’s a Saturday, do I really have to think?-I have chosen my Top 5 space set books which I have either already read or am planning to read.

This is a good chance to work through a backlog of space adventures on my TBR , and by space, this is categorised by anything outside of Earth’s orbit (my post, my rules!)

I’ll link author sites at the foot of the post to stop it getting messy !

Book 1-‘Hyperion’ by Dan Simmons This is the first in the Hyperion Cantos series and it has been way too long since I read it. Taking influences from both the poem of the same name by Keats as well as the format of the Canterbury tales (strangers each on a journey, each with a tale to tell).

Set in the 29th Century, the human race is now known as ‘The Hegemony of Man’ and pass through portals known as farcasters to access the thousands of planets we now inhabit.

Hyperion is an outcast planet with no farcaster so is treacherously difficult to get to and is the host of Time Tombs, guarded by a terrifying creature named The Shrike.

AI’s are now known as ‘Ousters’ and are about to wage war on Hyperion in order to access the Time Tombs.

On the brink of war, 7 pilgrims set out to Hyperion and tell the tales of why they are going there.

Book 2-‘A Memory Called Empire’ by Arkady Martine–this debut novel and part 1 in the Teixcalaan series, finds Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died.

But no one will admit that his death wasn’t an accident–or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court.

Who was behind the murder and how can Mahit avoid being killed, herself? She needs not only to solve it but also to rally against the expansion of the Teixcalaan Empire which is threatening the station which she has come from!  A stunning start to a series, I have begun this but not yet finished-it is now on my radar to do so.

Book 3-‘Space Opera’ by Catherynne M Valente–After galaxies were torn asunder during the Sentience Wars, an uneasy peace has descended and to celebrate this, the Metagalactic Grand Prix was suggested. This is kind of like ‘***** has Talent’, but set in space! Except you could actually die a death, a real one, as well as a metaphorical death. It is a quasi continuing of the war but fought with muscical instruments and song instead, an actual space opera.

                               ”Mankind will not get to fight for its destiny – they must sing.”

This has been kicking around my tbr for a while, and I really really want to read it. We loved Catherynne’s ‘‘Fairyland’‘ series so expect this to be as readable, funny and glorious too!

Book 4-‘Alien-Out Of The Shadows’ by Tim Lebbon  come on, there had to be some Aliens in here and Tim is one of the best film to book writers. He manages to capture the essence of the films which we all know so well, yet also bring his individual style to bear, offering a fresh twist on a classic theme. AND it’s canonical! Chris Hooper, miner on board the ship Marion, has discovered the hardest material known to man, trimonite.

However, the sand blasted desert landscape of planet LV178 is about to get a whole lot more bleak looking as a shuttle containing one Lt Ellen Ripley crashes into the Marion and deep in the mined caves, something begins to stir…

I’ll be honest, this is on my husband’s shelf, he is a huge Aliens novelisation/Tim Lebbon fan and I am going to nick it from him, no telling on me, right?

Book 5-‘The City In The Middle Of The Night’ by Charlie Jane Anders Now this I started and again stopped because I got so easily distracted! It was a brilliant opener, really sweeping then ‘Ohhh shiny other books!’ and I was off starting another one. Honestly, this year I have been a rubbish reader with about 10 begun yet not finished books. No more! I am 100% planning on finishing this one!

This novel is set on a planet named January,where night and day are very clearly defined.One side lives in frozen darkness, the other in unending sunshine. When an exiled girl, Sophie, is sent to the dark side and presumed dead, she is rescued by the creatures who live there.Trying to hide from those who cast her out, she finds that there are other plans in store for her as she has proved, by living , that it is possible to go from one extreme to another and survive. And when the governements control every aspect of your life, this is extremely dangerous…

Thanks to Susan for this challenge, I am going to try and read all of these by the end of October! Here is an awesome interview with Charlie Jane Anders about ‘The City In The Middle Of The Night’, Arkady Martine introducing ‘A Memory Called Empire’, the trailer for ‘Aliens-Out Of The Shadows,’ and links to webistes for each author as well as interviews.

Hope you enjoy!

Links-https://www.tor.com/2009/05/27/better-to-travel-hopefully-dan-simmons-hyperion/

https://www.tor.com/2018/04/10/book-reviews-space-opera-by-catherynne-m-valente/

Websites-https://www.dansimmons.com

https://www.timlebbon.net/

http://www.catherynnemvalente.com

https://www.cityinthemiddleofthenight.com/

https://www.arkadymartine.net/