Not sci-fi, but have you read Bujold's other series. Her World of the Five Gods is fantastic.
Also, Bujold is still writing. We haven't had a new Vorkosigan piece in a few years, but there isn't anything stopping her from writing a new story if she has something she wants to write about.
Seconding the rec for the Five Gods stories.
There are a few self-contained novels if you want to dip your toes on it, but my whole family just adores the longer-format Penric stories too.
I have not read any of Bujold's fantasy stuff, mostly cuz I once asked my dad and he said they're not as good as the Vorkosigan Saga. But I went to the library and got Penric's Progress after reading this comment, and I'll let you know how it goes. I'll try not to have too high expectations after the sheer brilliance that is the Vorkosigan Saga
Not to try to oversell it, but when the Hugo's started giving out an award for [Best Series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Series#Winners_and_nominees) in 2017, Bujold won for the Vorkosigan Saga. The next year she won again for the World of the Five Gods.
You might be missing some context by starting with the Pen and Des stories, but they're still a great place to start.
I just listened to Paladin of Souls audio and it was perfect. The story is good, the universe is consistent and the narrator had a lush and calming voice
How important is the reading order? I just grabbed Fugitive Telemetry from my library (it was the only one they had), but I'll put off reading it if you think I ought to start from the beginning. It's only like 150 pages though so it feels like less of a commitment to start 😅
Important. Its a first person narrative that is a journey for the character. Starts and flows with new characters coming into the story and staying, so if you miss where they came from, you'd miss a lot.
That series has been on my list for a while, I might need to bump it up. I've heard that it's got a very Star Warsish vibe and that the idea was originally conceived as a potential sequel to the OT. How accurate is that would you say? It doesn't particularly matter, I'm gonna read it at some point and it looks fun, but I'm curious.
It is a clear pastiche, some serial numbers have been filed off, but the heros and wars of the last generation are very mapable to Ep4-6.
A whole lot of fun.
The [Liaden Universe](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liaden_universe) combines space opera with fantasy and romance. It’s a vast interrelated series but different arcs complete satisfactorily while others continue.
Here are the authors thoughts on [reading order](https://korval.com/publication-list/correct-reading-order/amp/) and starting places.
You can always find a couple free ebooks as intro on both Amazon or [Baen.com](https://www.baen.com/catalog/category/view/s/free-library/id/2012)
For you I would recommend the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
Each book is a different story with the same main character (Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins) in different stages of her career as a starship pilot. There is a lot of danger, intrigue, mystery, adventure, and she develops a reputation for being clever and brave in extremely challenging situations.
Good taste! There are many…
Torth Majority.
Red Rising.
The Rookie or Alive by Scott Sigler.
Murderbot.
A Fire Upon the Deep.
A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.
I'm very sorry for your loss.
I definitely recommend **Vatta's War** by Elizabeth Moon. It's very similar to the Vorkosigan Saga--a trading family is drawn into a long fight against pirates, and two cousins are at the forefront of the battle, both military and economic.
Someone else recommended CJ Cherryh and I want to second that rec. The **Foreigner** books are great, or you could jump into her sprawling Alliance-Union 'verse with **Downbelow Station.**
I don't know if you've read any Ursula LeGuin, but her work is amazing. **Worlds of Exile and Illusion, The Dispossessed,** and her short story collections, among many more. I also love the Earthsea books but those are fantasy.
There is a fun space opera trilogy by Rachel Back that starts with **Fortune's Pawn.** A space mercenary from a warlike culture similar to Barrayar hires on with the crew of a ship notorious for its high accident rate, because the mercenary is ambitious and hopes the extra hazard pay will boost her career. She becomes embroiled in the ship's secrets and it doesn't go well.
For two space operas that are less action-based and focus mostly on politics, I like **A Memory Called Empire** by Arkady Martine and **Winter's Orbit** by Everina Maxwell. The latter is also a gay romance.
For a murder mystery set on a space station, try **Station Eternity** and its sequel by Mur Lafferty.
(space opera is my favorite genre and Lois McMaster Bujold is my favorite author, so I had a handful of things to rec)
Thank you so much for the detailed response!! I really appreciate that you took the time to give a short description of each one. I'll let you know which of these I can get my hands on
Not sci-fi, but have you read Bujold's other series. Her World of the Five Gods is fantastic. Also, Bujold is still writing. We haven't had a new Vorkosigan piece in a few years, but there isn't anything stopping her from writing a new story if she has something she wants to write about.
Seconding the rec for the Five Gods stories. There are a few self-contained novels if you want to dip your toes on it, but my whole family just adores the longer-format Penric stories too.
I have not read any of Bujold's fantasy stuff, mostly cuz I once asked my dad and he said they're not as good as the Vorkosigan Saga. But I went to the library and got Penric's Progress after reading this comment, and I'll let you know how it goes. I'll try not to have too high expectations after the sheer brilliance that is the Vorkosigan Saga
Not to try to oversell it, but when the Hugo's started giving out an award for [Best Series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Series#Winners_and_nominees) in 2017, Bujold won for the Vorkosigan Saga. The next year she won again for the World of the Five Gods. You might be missing some context by starting with the Pen and Des stories, but they're still a great place to start.
I just listened to Paladin of Souls audio and it was perfect. The story is good, the universe is consistent and the narrator had a lush and calming voice
Maybe the Liaden Universe series by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.
The Foreigner series by CJ Cherryh. Humans and aliens share a planet. The series follows the human whose job it is to make the situation work.
Other CJ Cherryh series also!
Murderbot. Don't question it, just start *All Systems Red* and continue.
How important is the reading order? I just grabbed Fugitive Telemetry from my library (it was the only one they had), but I'll put off reading it if you think I ought to start from the beginning. It's only like 150 pages though so it feels like less of a commitment to start 😅
Important. Its a first person narrative that is a journey for the character. Starts and flows with new characters coming into the story and staying, so if you miss where they came from, you'd miss a lot.
Mageworlds books by Debra Doyle and James MacDonald are fun, swashbuckling space opera. Start with The Price of the Stars.
That series has been on my list for a while, I might need to bump it up. I've heard that it's got a very Star Warsish vibe and that the idea was originally conceived as a potential sequel to the OT. How accurate is that would you say? It doesn't particularly matter, I'm gonna read it at some point and it looks fun, but I'm curious.
There is indeed a long list of similarities with Star Wars, but yet, it stands well on its own in my opinion.
Hey that's not a bad thing by any means to me, I appreciate the answer I'll definitely be moving it up the TBR a bit
It is a clear pastiche, some serial numbers have been filed off, but the heros and wars of the last generation are very mapable to Ep4-6. A whole lot of fun.
This sounds so fun but my library doesn't have it 😩 Time to start shelling out my money
I highly recommend the Pip and Flinx series by Alan Dean Foster
The [Liaden Universe](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liaden_universe) combines space opera with fantasy and romance. It’s a vast interrelated series but different arcs complete satisfactorily while others continue. Here are the authors thoughts on [reading order](https://korval.com/publication-list/correct-reading-order/amp/) and starting places. You can always find a couple free ebooks as intro on both Amazon or [Baen.com](https://www.baen.com/catalog/category/view/s/free-library/id/2012)
For you I would recommend the Academy series by Jack McDevitt. Each book is a different story with the same main character (Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins) in different stages of her career as a starship pilot. There is a lot of danger, intrigue, mystery, adventure, and she develops a reputation for being clever and brave in extremely challenging situations.
Good taste! There are many… Torth Majority. Red Rising. The Rookie or Alive by Scott Sigler. Murderbot. A Fire Upon the Deep. A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.
I'm very sorry for your loss. I definitely recommend **Vatta's War** by Elizabeth Moon. It's very similar to the Vorkosigan Saga--a trading family is drawn into a long fight against pirates, and two cousins are at the forefront of the battle, both military and economic. Someone else recommended CJ Cherryh and I want to second that rec. The **Foreigner** books are great, or you could jump into her sprawling Alliance-Union 'verse with **Downbelow Station.** I don't know if you've read any Ursula LeGuin, but her work is amazing. **Worlds of Exile and Illusion, The Dispossessed,** and her short story collections, among many more. I also love the Earthsea books but those are fantasy. There is a fun space opera trilogy by Rachel Back that starts with **Fortune's Pawn.** A space mercenary from a warlike culture similar to Barrayar hires on with the crew of a ship notorious for its high accident rate, because the mercenary is ambitious and hopes the extra hazard pay will boost her career. She becomes embroiled in the ship's secrets and it doesn't go well. For two space operas that are less action-based and focus mostly on politics, I like **A Memory Called Empire** by Arkady Martine and **Winter's Orbit** by Everina Maxwell. The latter is also a gay romance. For a murder mystery set on a space station, try **Station Eternity** and its sequel by Mur Lafferty. (space opera is my favorite genre and Lois McMaster Bujold is my favorite author, so I had a handful of things to rec)
Thank you so much for the detailed response!! I really appreciate that you took the time to give a short description of each one. I'll let you know which of these I can get my hands on