I love Neal Asher’s books, found him a long time ago in one of those “year’s best” collections of short stories from the library (though the ones with fantasy and horror were always the best, I think I read every single collection for every year and found so many good writers that way.)
They are full of action, good characters and worlds and ideas, sweeping and huge settings. Feels almost more like watching a movie to read them.
Who among us likes these action packed stories?
Some of my all time favorites are the Spinward Fringe series by Randolph Lalonde, The Intrepid Saga from the Aeon 14 universe, and the Imperial Radch Trilogy from Ann Leckie.
A Memory Called Empire was really good, but it wasn’t a space battle shoot-em-up, more like large scale political intrigue and murder mystery.
@Izzy brought up Tchaikovsky’s Final Achitecture and @ScrumblesPAbernathy mentioned Children of Time series, loved those. Right now I’m on the second of his Bioforms books, Bear Head. After that it’s back to Idris and The Lords of Uncreation.
While it probably doesn’t qualify as space opera, I have to throw in The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. I just fucking love Murderbot and ART.
There’s always the Bobiverse, The Culture Series, and The Cluster Saga, too.
Anyone who hasn’t read The Murderbot Diaries should read The Murderbot Diaries right now!
…I had to stop and wonder why Murderbot wasn’t space opera, but I suppose it’s too close and personal and doesn’t have the sweeping scope.
Still, insofar as sci-fi goes, it’s very accessable and modern and relevant.