Top 10 Best Space Opera Books to Read in 2026

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - In this essential Star Wars Legends novel--the first ever to take place after the events of the original trilogy--Grand Admiral Thrawn makes his debut on the galactic stage.Five years ago, the Rebel Alliance destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and drove the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting twins. And Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of Jedi Knights. But thousands of light-years away, the last of the Emperor's warlords, Grand Admiral Thrawn, has taken command of the shattered Imperial fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the New Republic. For this dark warrior has made a vital discovery that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to build.About the AuthorTimothy Zahn is the author of more than sixty novels, nearly ninety short stories and novelettes, and four short-fiction collections. In 1984, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novella. Zahn is best known for his Star Wars novels (Thrawn, Thrawn: Alliances, Thrawn: Treason, Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising, Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, Specter of the Past, Vision of the Future, Survivor's Quest, Outbound Flight, Allegiance, Choices of One, and Scoundrels), with more than eight million copies of his books in print. Other books include StarCraft: Evolution, the Cobra series, the Quadrail series, and the young adult Dragonback series. Zahn has a BS in physics from Michigan State University and an MS from the University of Illinois. He lives with his family on the Oregon coast.

The second novel in an epic crossover trilogy uniting characters from every corner of the Star Trek universe, revealing the shocking origin and final fate of the Federation's most dangerous enemy--the Borg. On Earth, Federation President Nanietta Bacco gathers allies and adversaries to form a desperate last line of defense against an impending Borg invasion. In deep space, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Captain Ezri Dax join together to cut off the Collective's route to the Alpha Quadrant. Half a galaxy away, Captain William Riker and the crew of the Starship Titan have made contact with the reclusive Caeliar--survivors of a stellar cataclysm that, two hundred years ago, drove fissures through the structure of space and time, creating a loop of inevitability and consigning another captain and crew to a purgatory from which they could never escape. Now the supremely advanced Caeliar will brook no further intrusion upon their isolation, or against the sanctity of their Great Work. For the small, finite lives of mere mortals carry little weight in the calculations of gods. But even gods may come to understand that they underestimate humans at their peril.About the AuthorDavid Mack is the multi-award-winning and the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-eight novels of science fiction, fantasy, and adventure, including the Star Trek Destiny and Cold Equations trilogies. His extensive writing credits include episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and he worked as a consultant on season one of the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy. Honored in 2022 as a Grand Master by the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, Mack resides in New York City.

LOCUS AWARD WINNER - The multiple-award-winning science fiction master continues the epic adventure that began in Hyperion, where the opening of the Time Tombs threatens to alter the very fabric of time and space, in the second novel in the Hyperion Cantos. "One of the finest achievements of modern science fiction."--The New York Times Book Review The shadow of war has fallen on the Web. In the corridors of power on Tau Ceti Center, chaos reigns. Out of reach from the clashing empires, the artificial intelligences of the TechnoCore manipulate everyone and everything. And on Hyperion itself, where battle rages in the skies and on the streets, the mysterious Time Tombs are opening. And the secrets they contain mean that nothing--nothing anywhere in the universe--will ever be the same.About the AuthorWinner of the Hugo Award, several Bram Stoker and Locus Awards, and a pair of World Fantasy Awards, Dan Simmons, author of 32 novels, is widely accepted as one of the giants of SFF. He lives in the Front Range of Colorado with his family.

In 1966 the author, newly graduated from college, went to work for the MIT laboratory where the Apollo guidance system was designed. His assignment was to program the complex lunar landing phase in the Lunar Module's onboard computer. As Apollo 11 approaches, the author flies lunar landings in simulators and meets the astronauts who will fly the LM for real. He explains the computer alarms that almost prevented Neil Armstrong from landing and describes a narrow escape from another dangerous problem. On Apollo 14 he devises a workaround when a faulty pushbutton threatens Alan Shepard's mission, earning a NASA award, a story in Rolling Stone, and a few lines in the history books. This memoir is a new kind of book about Apollo. It tells a story never told before by an insider -- the development of the onboard software for the Apollo spacecraft. It makes a vertical connection between technical details and historic events, but by broadening the story using his own experiences as he grows into adulthood in the 1960s the author draws a parallel between that era of successful space exploration, and the exploration, inner and outer, that was taking place in the culture.

★ A NEW FORCE IS HERE ★DANA KIPPEL - CREATOR, SPEAKER, AND VISIONARY OF THE PLASMA-CONSCIOUSNESS MOVEMENT - REACHING MILLIONS WORLDWIDEPlasma makes up 99.9% of the visible universe, yet it remains the least understood force in existence. What if plasma is more than matter? What if it is a living, multidimensional intelligence... the hidden force bridging consciousness and reality?At nearly 700 pages in a spacious 8×10 format, this groundbreaking metaphysical guide is both a comprehensive science-meets-spirituality exploration and a personal companion for your journey of transformation.In A New Force: Plasma, Consciousness, and the New Human Potential, Dana Kippel reveals that plasma is not only around you... it's within you, responding to your thoughts, emotions, and awareness. With clarity and vision, she shows how this forgotten force can reshape reality, awaken synchronicity, and ignite the next stage of human potential.If you are curious about consciousness, plasma cosmology, quantum spirituality, ancient mythology, or the path to unlocking your true self, this book is an invitation to remember the power that has always been yours.About the AuthorBains, Kam: - Senior designer at Hay House Publishing for 5 years (with over 10 years graphic design experience). Designed 60+ covers and collaborated with a number of bestselling authors.Wickramasinghe, Kamala: - Kamala Wickramasinghe, MA, is a freelance writer and editor with a master's degree in English from the University of Cambridge. The managing editor of the Institute for the Study of Panspermia and Astroeconomics (ISPA), she lives in Cardiff, Wales.Kippel, Dana Beth: - Dana Kippel is a polymath, author, filmmaker, futurist, and advocate for mental health and neurodivergence, pioneering the study of plasma intelligence and consciousness. Her groundbreaking work explores plasma as a bridge between dimensions, shaping human perception and unlocking new human potential. Her mission is to empower people, to remind them they are never alone, and to re-spark their curiosity in the magic of life. Beyond her research, Dana finds joy in mountain views, warm summer nights, the scent of fresh sweet musk, theme parks, books, movies, games, her family, her friends, her corgi, and the mystical moments that find her when she least expects them.She also shares her explorations of plasma, consciousness, and human potential with a global audience across social media, where her work has inspired millions.

The mysteries of the Fifth Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam have long puzzled students of Vedic cosmography and astronomy. Confronted with a description of the universe that seems much at variance with the information provided by our senses and standard astronomical calculations, foreign observers-and even Indian commentators-from the Middle Ages up to the present have concluded that the Bhagavatam's account, elaborated in other Puranas, must be mythological. On the other hand, the same persons have been much impressed with Vedic astronomical treatises, the jyotisa-sastras, which provide remarkably accurate measurements of the solar system. In Vedic Cosmography and Astromomy, Dr. Thompson shows that the Fifth Canto's cosmography and the accounts of the solar system found in the jyotisa-sastras are not contradictory, but that they in fact represent distinct yet mutually consistent ways of comprehending a universe with important features beyond the range of ordinary sense perception.solar system found in the jyotisa-sastras are not contradictory, but that they in fact represent distinct yet mutually consistent ways of comprehending a universe with important features beyond the range of ordinary sense perception.

Galaxy's Edge Season 2 continues as Wraith discovers crucial intel about the threat that past The Gap, beyond Galaxy's Edge. Meanwhile, Prisma undertakes and arduous journey and the legionnaires of Zombie Squad search for Masters.

The Savage Wars never ended... As Kill Team Victory and General Chhun take control of the cities on Kima, a war every bit as spiritual as it is physical rages in the deepest parts of galaxy's edge. The Legion, and the Republic military at large, struggle to deal with a sudden multitude of planetary invasions and uprisings -- with rumors of mysterious ships breaking the peace achieved by Article Nineteen. Meanwhile Captain Aeson Keel continues his search for Prisma, aided by friends from both his past and present. But only mankind's oldest ally can hold back the tide of ultimate destruction. For an unknown darkness is closing in, and the Republic once again stands on the threshold of galactic war. Join us for this, the first entry in the thrilling two-part conclusion to Galaxy's Edge Season 2!

The Darkest Secrets Stay HiddenGalaxy's Edge Season Two continues as a divided galaxy is navigated by heroes forced to chart their own dangerous courses.Wraith, seeking to acquire intel on the mysterious Kill Team Ice, finds himself teamed up with an unlikely Nether Ops ally. Zora and Garret, in pursuit of a lost friend, will have their loyalty to Captain Keel tested. And the strain on Nilo and Black Leaf continues to grow, with unexpected intensity.For all of them, the path forward is a crooked one, weaving through House of Reason loyalists, Bronze Guild bounty hunters, brutal slavers, Legion operators, and the mysteries now emerging from the empty and foreboding space beyond galaxy's edge. And each step along that path only seems to reveal a new, darker truth about what's coming for them.But one thing is increasingly certain. War is brewing.

IT ALL ENDS HERE.Every decision, battle, triumph, and heartache has led the galaxy to this moment.The Republic is spun wildly into sudden war as Gomarii slavers, in overwhelming numbers, strike on behalf of their Savage allies. The battle is fiercest on a newly rediscovered world: Earth.But galactic war is only the symptom of an older, deeper, and far more dangerous conflict. Now Keel and Ravi must work frantically to assemble the warriors needed to withstand an ancient threat, and Prisma must wrestle to control her own inner darkness. While on the front lines, Death's grim specter comes for Chhun and Victory Company.For once again, a Legion stands steadfast before the void.KTF Part Two marks the end of Galaxy's Edge: Season Two, and of the expansive story arc that began long ago with Legionnaire. Read on with caution, for here is where the characters you have come to know and love will meet their ultimate fates.