Some stories simply take multiple volumes to tell. Or an event or person dealt with in an early book may suggest repercussions to be written about in a later book. If there wasn’t room for a person or landscape in book one, then maybe they can enter the story in book two or three. I think it’s natural for writers who love world-building to want to expand their worlds through different characters, different plots, and different time frames. A universe, ‘a narrative world,’ is also a form of creation, and many writers want to explore beyond the confines of a single story. But what does it mean for the writer? What is the advantage of returning to the same world over multiple books?Ī big, well-constructed universe will offer a multitude of story openings just as our own Earth’s history is a foundation for so many different tales. You’ve written interestingly on multi-volume series, what that means for the reader. It also takes place in the same extended universe of Cherryh’s 1981 Downbelow Station. There are five books in the series: the original book, a follow-up trilogy, and a final sequel.

We as readers see him both as an alien and as one of us. From the point of view of the other characters, he is the alien. The politics are labyrinthine and the action is exciting, and then she adds to the mix the arrival of a single, lone human-a species no one in the setting has ever seen before. They are our frame of reference, which means they are not alien to the story or to themselves but only to us. The sheer inventiveness Cherryh displays with her aliens is fabulous. The books are set in a region of space where humans are not known, and where alien spacefaring species struggle with their own political upheavals while juggling inter-species diplomacy, trading, and interaction. However, over the years I’ve noticed that certain critics will forgive such choices on the part of writers they favor while criticizing writers they don’t respect for doing much the same thing.įor me, space opera is just another setting. No need for everyone to like any one thing. I believe some writers don’t like it because aspects of physics and technology may be squishy or ignored or wrong for example, it might use a form of impossible space travel, which some people dislike on principle. I love its ability to mix intimate arias (deep dives into character) with huge chorus numbers (a major battle, for example). Like opera, space opera isn’t afraid to be a little bit ridiculous, stagey, and overwrought, as long as it is satisfyingly dramatic, comic, or both. I love its flexibility and sense of fun, which also leaves room for serious subject matter. What are your feelings about ‘genre,’ more generally? I understand the appeal as a reader, but I know lots of writers who buck against the concept. Space opera differs from other styles of science fiction by celebrating its more fantastical, unrealistic, and adventurous elements, since they are foundational to its charm. Space opera differs from ‘standard’ fantasy in having a science-fiction style setting-outer space, ray guns, spaceships, orbital habitats, and so on-rather than being set in a landscape grounded on a specific world, possibly enlivened by the presence of magic. “Space opera often features high stakes embedded in big-ticket action, with an emphasis on warfare or adventure” A focus on characters and character interaction is also typical of the sub-genre. Its bright, bold, splashy setting does not need to strictly adhere to what we currently know about and can accomplish with science and technology. Space opera often features high stakes embedded in big-ticket action, with an emphasis on warfare or adventure. It may or may not feature alien species depending on the goals of the writer. For me, its chief characteristics are that it takes place partly or wholly in outer space, with or without trips to planets, moons, or technological structures. I define space opera as a sub-genre of science fiction and fantasy. Might you quickly outline the idea of ‘space opera’ for our readers, and what marks space operas apart from other sci fi books? Foreign Policy & International Relations.

Space warfare books