What is Space Opera?

I've been realizing lately, as I've been working on this new story, the one I'm calling a space opera, that lots of people don't really know, or haven't heard of this particular genre term.

So let's discuss!

No, it's not people singing in space. Though that would be awesome. And no, it's not hard science fiction. Because the emphasis is on the drama and not necessarily the science.

I think the term comes from soap opera... so yes, it IS a soap opera in space! Or, it's big saga drama, in space. It's characters dealing with stuff, in space.

In fact, Star Wars is a space opera. Though it has a lot of fantasy elements too. We could call it a space opera fantasy!

Here's what Wikipedia says:

Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, and often risk-taking as well as chivalric romance; usually involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced abilities, futuristic weapons and other sophisticated technology. The term has no relation to music but is instead a play on the term "horse opera", which was coined during the heyday of silent movies to indicate clichéd and formulaic western movies. Space operas emerged in the 1930s and they continue to be produced in literature, film, comics and video games.

Okay, so they say horse opera...which I've never heard of. I like the soap opera idea better. I guess it can be a similar idea anyway.

So basically, I think of a space opera as all the stuff I normally like, only set in space. And in fact, my story will not necessarily have futuristic weapons, advanced abilities or sophisticated technology... though that may change. So now I'm wondering, can it  still be called space opera? I think so!

In fact, if I make them be in space, but sort of Victorian, I wonder if I can call it steampunk space opera? 

Anyway, some popular great space opera books:

The Foundation series by Issac Asimov

The Ender series by Orson Scott Card

The Skylark series by E.E "Doc" Smith

The Saga graphic novel series by Brain K. Vaughan

Some recent YA books I say are space opera:

These Broken Stars and series by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

For Darkness Shows the Stars and series by Diana Peterfreund

Cinder and series by Marissa Meyer

And besides Star Wars, we also have Star Trek, and Firefly and Dr. Who and Battlestar Galactica and Guardians of the Galaxy. All considered space opera. Awesome stuff, no?

So, now you know. What do you think? Fan of the genre or not so much? 

One thing I know,  I need to be reading more of it.

Top Ten Tuesday: New to Me Authors in 2015

I read tons of new-to-me authors this year! Here are some of my favorites:

Some New Favorite Authors

R.C. Lewis, author of Stitching Snow
Andy Weir, author of The Martian
Gene Luen Yang, author of American Born Chinese
Amy Finnegan, author of Not in the Script
Julie Daines, author of Unraveled
Laura Ruby, author of Bone Gap
Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, author of Illuminae
Sally Green, author of Half Bad
Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, authors of These Broken Stars


What new to you authors stood out this year? Link up over at The Broke and the Bookish!

Book Review Discussion: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Book: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Genre: YA Contemporary
Rating:★ ★ ★ ★ ★
For: Beehive Award long list
From: The library

Short Synopsis: From the view points of both Finch, a boy who struggles with bipolar disorder, and Violent, a popular girl who struggles with the death of her sister a year before. One day, they are both at the top of the bell tower at school as if they might jump. It appears as if Finch saves Violet, but really it's Violet who saves Finch. From there, they develop an intense relationship and as Violet learns more and more about Finch and his issues, she hopes more and more that she can help him. One thing she knows, is that he has already helped her a ton.

My Response: Wow, I was wrapped up in this one quickly! And again, sort of like another recent book I read, I had a feeling that direction it was headed and hoped that somehow, it wouldn't go there. It's a powerful story about suicide and the struggles with what both the person suffering with depression deals with and the what the people around him deal with. Though I don't think it meant to leave a helpless hopeless feeling, I still felt that way. And yet, at the same time, I loved it and the message it's sending. Yeah, it's really one of those books that's hard to review, because it's so so good, and yet, so so hard.

Bottom Line: I enjoyed it. I'm better for reading it. I wish we didn't have to deal with this stuff in life.

Let's Talk About: If suicide has been a part of your life, in any way, would you want to read a book about it? Would it help you deal with your issues? Or would it just make things worse? I struggle with this question a lot when I'm reading books with such painful subjects and I always wonder if they help or hurt.

Other Reviews:

Those readers who are quick to shed tears should have a box of tissues ready to hand, and even those readers who are usually tougher to crack might also want to have one or two tissues in the vicinity of their seat. From That's What She Read

This book, which I found on a list of “Best YA Books of All Time” is thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, and definitely lives up to the standard suggested by Franz Kafka, that “A literary work must be an ice axe to break the sea frozen inside us.” From Rhapsody in Books

Lastly, All the Bright Places almost glamorizes suicide. Yes, we need to be sympathetic and offer help and not stigmatize those are mentally ill or those who are victims of their own suicidal thoughts. However, the other extreme is to make suicide look good, so cute and quirky. From Semicolon

Above all, I just plain loved the story. It has some hope, some sorrow, but I think it leaves the reader with a lot to think about. I, for one, was reminded that behind every smiling face, there is a deeper story. From A Literary Odyssey

Currently: Feeling Lovely

Listening: Right this very minute I've got my Spotify Christmas playlist on shuffle, and right now Josh Groban is singing Silent Night. Love. But I have a new music obsession... no, not Kendji. :) But another group called Les Friction. They have one album they did back in 2012 I think. And it's awesome and epic and so cool. The album tells a story, sort of like a rock opera. Here's the opening song that I really really love:





Watching: Trying to get through The 100 season two. Intense stuff, this!  Am very very bummed that Joe (SPOILER) got voted off of Survivor, because DANG, he is fun to watch. Oh, also,  watched three episodes of Poldark for girl's night and we plan to watch more this week. Love.

Everyone always has bloody, dirty faces on The 100. These actors must love it!

Reading: Finished Illuminae last weekend. Love. Started Everything Everything today. Read half so far. Love. I have read many awesome books in a row this past while. And this, I really love.

Writing: Have not done one lick of writing since I finished Nano the day before Thanksgiving. This, I do not love.

Blogging: Getting excited for all the year end traditional posts. Why are these so fun? LOVE!

Eating: I baked so much crap last weekend during the Thanksgiving holiday. Some of it worked, some of it didn't. I love it when it works. Not so much when it doesn't. :)

Crafting: I resurrected some long lost skills and started a super secret project this past week. Excited about it, mostly. Still, I have a dumb voice in the back of my head saying I'm no good at it and why try. I hate that voice. Love the project, hate the voice!

Miscellaneous:

• Christmas celebrations and preparations seem to be well under way. I wish I had more ideas for people!
• We had a party last night and I got a new book. Are you surprised?
• Feedback is slowly rolling in for my first story. It's scary and awesome at the same time. 
• I went to a book signing at the library yesterday with awesome authors, but hardly anyone was there. What is wrong with people? We are jaded and spoiled in this community I think.
• I just feel like there's so much to do, to read, to write, to blog, all the time! Here's hoping I can do it all, because that's what one must do, right?

The Walking Dead S6E8: Start to Finish (Spoilers!)

I can't believe it's time for us to have to wait for more episodes again! Didn't it just start?

The episode starts with the walkers all coming through the wall. Tons and tons of 'em. Deanna tries to be a hero helping Rick do, I can't remember what, and ends up getting bitten. They run and meet up with Jessie and Carl and the other kids and Mischone. They make Deanna comfortable and wait for her to die/change.

And so it begins

In the garage, Carl and Ron get into it and have a nice fight which ends up breaching their barrior from the walkers.  The run into the house as the walkers fill the garage. But Rick has busted the door trying to get them when he hears the fight. So now the walkers are coming into the house. They run and make a baracade.

So much is happening all at the same time! The walkers come, Deanna is dying, Sam is losing his mind as he listens to Tiptoe through the Tulips, Carl and Ron! It's crazy!

Meanwhile, in another house, Carol and Morgan are having it out about the wolf guy that Morgan has been hiding away. And Denise finds herself in the middle of that little bit of fun. That all ends when Carol and Morgan knock each other out, the wolf guy steals Denise and oh my word, he's awful! And poor Denise. And Carol is freaking scary and pretty much about kills Morgan.

The Show Down

Glenn looks over the wall and sees Maggie trapped on the top of something... walkers surrounding her.

The group in the house decide they have to spread walker guts on themselves and sneak out. So they do, and they leave Deanna there. She gets up and attacks the walkers.

And so it ends...

As the rest of them head out... Sam starts saying "mom, mom, mom" and we don't know why and we don't know why they don't tell him to shut up.

And we don't know why Daryl is not showing up to rescue everyone!

But then we get a sneak preview of what's going to happen the rest of the season and BAM.. NEGAN! Who I would have no idea who that is except his name was thrown around a lot during all the "is Glenn dead" stuff! And everyone says he is WAY WAY worse than the Governor. So there's that to look forward to.

These are the guys that Daryl is facing in our sneak peek

And I can't remember what else happened.  I think that's mostly it. We wondered where some people were... Spencer, Heath, Aaron, etc. But I guess they just didn't get to be part of this episode.

Oh, Eugene and Rosita and Tara are all holed up together, but nothing too exciting happened with them.

What did you think of this mid season finale episode?

Book Banter Six: The End of Mockingjay

With the release of the final movie of The Hunger Games books, Mockingjay Part Two, it seems all the discussion about our feelings regarding the ending of this story has come up again.  Thus, we thought it would be a an interesting and timely Banter discussion. Jenny thinks the ending is good and fine while I find it to be sad and upsetting. Here are our reasons:

(BEWARE THE SPOILERS!)

Jenny Says:

The Death of Prim

I know a ton of people were livid that Prim died because the whole point of Katniss volunteering was to save Prim and in the end it didn't work. I personally think the whole point of Katniss volunteering was (in the authors mind) was to start a revolution If Prim had gone to the Games instead of Katniss she would have died and that would have been the end of that. Prim was fated to die either way. Katniss prolonging it set things in motion for an uprising. Prim dying was tragic and a punch in the gut but again, I draw you back to my original point. This is a tragedy. There are NO happy endings in tragedies. Just a quiet acceptance and respect for what lessons can be gleaned.   

PS. I was livid that poor Finnick died. Why? Susan Collins, Why?! 

Suey Says:

KILL THEM ALL!

So, they say make your characters suffer. But really? THIS MUCH? Does it HAVE to be that bad? I think a lot of people are wondering if Prim really has to die (not just me)… because I’ve seen much about this lately floating around in the cyberspace. And yes, maybe she did. Maybe. I don’t know. But did Finnick? Did he really? And the others on the team? The mute guy?  (I forget all their names now.) Really? This book, this series really, is all DIE DIE DIE. That can get to a nice innocent reader after a while!

Jenny Says:

Tragedies

There are stories that are adventures. Stories that are romances and stories that are comedies. There are also stories that are tragedies. Hamlet by Shakespeare is a tragedy and my favorite play of his. Tragedies do NOT end happy. They are usually used as a way of teaching a lesson or making a point. The Hunger Games series is definitely a tragedy. The whole series is a messed up society that has no problem (they even cheer it on) putting kids in a arena and letting them kill each other. When a society becomes that Tyrannical the only way out is complete anarchy. People will die and the outcome might not even work out the way you'd hoped but it rarely can. When you're talking about uprising and war it's not going to end happy. EVER! So, yeah, I was OK with the ending of Hunger Games. There's was just no way it was going to end all happy and celebratory. 

Suey Says:

DEPRESSION

I don’t know exactly why, but I felt so sad and depressed after reading this book. (DIE DIE DIE perhaps?) I had to look up my review of the book (sheesh, five years ago!) and this is what I said then “This book seriously left me feeling blah, sad, a little underwhelmed, confused. Which I guess is what bugs me about the ending.” I really hate it when an ending leaves you with this feeling. Even though I’m not at all scared of tragic sad endings, still. And so, yeah, I was a little worried about the movie and sure enough, it sent me into a bad mood for a good 24 hour period. I literally couldn’t concentrate on a thing the next day. Probably it was more than just the movie, but I blamed the movie! :) Maybe it’s just that we were (are) all so invested in these characters and it was over. Maybe it didn't end very satisfying, even though the bad guy was eliminated. Maybe it’s just the nature of the story, the “dystopia” of it all that finally got to me. Maybe it was Peeta being so broken and not really fixed by the time everything ends. BUT probably it was mostly (see my third reason)....

Jenny Says:

Team Peeta vs Team Gale

I was strictly team Gale. I liked him from the start. I wanted to get to know more about him as the series progressed. Alas, we didn't really get to know him until Mockingjay and by then he was a victim of circumstance. In the end I was relieved that Katniss ended up with Peeta. Gale put too much unwarranted blame on Katniss for circumstances that were forced on her. They grew apart and with that sad of an ending the only way there was ever going to be any happiness was for Katniss and Peeta to end up together.  

Sueys says:
(Wait.. Jenny.. you are Team Gale? I didn't know!!)

GALE

The biggest problem I have with the ending is how Gale is treated. So, okay fine, she picks Peeta. I’m good with that. I like Peeta. I like him a lot. He’s good for Katniss. They need each other. Yes, fine, blah blah blah. But, BUT… Gale. He does NOT deserve to be brushed off and thrown out like Katniss does to him. It KILLS me! It breaks my heart! It makes me want to curl up and cry. he has been there for her no matter what, even if she freaking loves another guy, he’s still there for her. Not once does he moan or stomp off or throw a fit. He only says, “you only kiss me when I’m hurting” or “it’s like kissing someone who’s drunk” so you know he feels bad and his heart is breaking too. But he is STILL there! And he’s been there from the beginning… way way before the events of the book even start. He’s is steady and strong and loyal. And so what if he decides to fight… fight the rebellion that KATNISS started! And she hates him for it? And all he gets is a “goodbye Gale” after ALL THAT? It kills me.

Bottom Line: I feel like the books ended how they had to end, and I'm good with Katniss and Peeta, but still, the feeling I had afterwards, both book and movie, just made me feel overly sad and depressed.

What do you think? Do you agree with one or the other of us? Be sure to check out Jenny's blog today too and see what she has to say!

Book Review Discussion: Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Book: Fairest by Marissa Meyer
Genre: YA SciFi
Rating:★ ★ ★ ★ ★
For: Fun
From: Bought it a the launch party earlier this year. 

Short Synopsis: Before Queen Levena was queen of Luna, she was a 15 year old girl with a massive self image problem. This is that 15 year old girl's story. How she hides her true face behind a glamour all the time, how she loves a guard that does not love her back, how she has to deal with the meanest sister ever, how she struggles and struggles to find her place in the world and how she succeeds by using a method so ruthless I can't even...ah!

My Response: Well, at least we know now what's behind this crazy lady! This book was heart wrenching for me. I don't know, just to see the pain both physical and emotional, that this girl suffers through and how she has no one AT ALL to talk her through things, which means, she makes some really awful decisions. I don't know. I felt bad for her, yes, and at the same time, she makes me crazy, just like she does in all the subsequent books! And the ending. Sheesh.

Bottom Line: But I loved it! The full five stars worth because... wow. It's so cool to have such a powerful back story that it demands to be written and turned into its own book. I mean. Seriously. This book is all emotion and yeah, I just loved it despite the grim sadness.

Let's Talk About: I always have a tendency to pooh pooh the little books, the "oh yeah" books, the "not for real" books, but you know, this one has proved me wrong. The little "accident" books are just as good as the real ones. At least in this case it is! What do you think?

Other Reviews:

I felt very sorry for Levana throughout the book, and I found myself very sad at the choices she made. From One Librarian's Book Reviews

Meyer is an expert at weaving all the little details together into a beautiful piece of art and this book was no exception. From Alternate Readality

I loved that most about Fairest: Meyer doesn't lay the fault of Levana's character on any one person, leaving it open to interpretation. From The Canon

But for those who have read the first three Lunar Chronicles books, Fairest is just as compelling as the others, and is a fascinating look at a particularly nasty bad guy. From Fyrefly's' Book Blog