Polygon recommends ten modern space operas for readers seeking Star Wars- and Dune-style stories of interstellar conflict, political intrigue and ambitious world-building.

– Pandora’s Star — Peter F. Hamilton: cosmic mystery, AI and an unleashed alien threat.
– Leviathan Wakes — James S. A. Corey: solar-system rivalry escalates after alien technology is discovered.
– 2312 — Kim Stanley Robinson: a climate-damaged humanity faces a Solar System-wide conspiracy.
– Ancillary Justice — Ann Leckie: an AI-linked survivor seeks revenge within a powerful empire.
– The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet — Becky Chambers: a warm, character-led found-family space journey.
– Ninefox Gambit — Yoon Ha Lee: a soldier joins minds with a dead tactician to retake a fortress.
– The remaining selections continue the focus on high-stakes space opera, blending action, politics and speculative ideas.