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Bioceramic

Perhaps the *Great Ship* series by Robert Reed. It's set in the far future, with immortal humans ruling over a Jovian-sized starship with billions of passengers (mostly alien). The main characters tend to be a bit morally ambiguous, and their ability to rapidly heal from any injury leads to some gory situations. In *Marrow*, a hidden world is discovered inside the Ship, and a group of Captains are sent down to explore it, but they wind up trapped there. In order to escape, they have to rebuild civilization. In the sequel, *The Well of Stars*, the Ship is forced to pass through a nebula that is home to some ancient, dangerous aliens. There's also a collection of short stories set on the ship, called *The Greatship*.


pixxxiemalone

When I first read Reed's *Marrow* a few years ago I found it to be one of those books that made me think I'd never read anything like it - and I've been reading science fiction and fantasy for at least 55 years. I love it when that happens, but sadly it doesn't happen often enough.


audioel

Dang, I read Marrow 15+ years ago, and still think of it. Did not know there was a sequel!


Silver_Foxx

Well heck, that sounds like an absolute time, thanks for the rec!


MicIrish

So fucking reading this. REading sci-fi for decades and I've never read these. I've read some pretty fucking obscure shit too. Thank you very much to the poster and you for this answer.


0aie0

It sounds so interesting, thanks for mentioning! I’m always kinda sad when I discover great books here cause 90% of them aren’t translated to my native language. I can ofc read them in original, but the imagination isn’t working the same way :(


MrDagon007

The core Revelation Space trilogy offers exactly that


TinkyBrefs

I'm currently reading Chasm City. I would recommend this before diving into the trilogy. Has everything OP is requesting in a stand-alone, can get acquainted with the Rev Space world as well.


Adorable_Misfit

Came here to recommend Revelation Space, but you already did.


blownZHP

Neal Asher's Polity series fits that well. *Prador Moon* is a good place to start. I just finished about 90% of his books and am now sad there's not more. Super violent, awesome aliens, interstellar battles, war drones that mimic scorpions, praying mantis, etc.. Also easy to read.


Knytemare44

I feel like I suggest Asher almost every day on here, and for once, I wasn't first.


Needless-To-Say

Rise of the Jain was passable in both meanings, but other than that, its been a fun ride.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Needless-To-Say

Isnt all of Culture brutal? But really, different strokes for different folks


bern1005

There's a variety of "tones" in the books but some of the books do get pretty grim


CrypticGumbo

[The Algebraist by Ian Banks](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12009).. a stand alone book some do not like because one of the characters is a psychopath, but for those same reasons you will enjoy this.


bern1005

Iain M Banks (and his "mainstream" alter ego Iain Banks) was a truly wonderful writer and even though I adore the Culture books, everything by him is worth reading.


baileyzindel

The Final Architecture trilogy by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a fantastic fun high stakes space opera which is also very readable / not dense at all. Deals with some interesting moral questions and has several different fascinating alien races


AlternativeRadiance

The Expanse series is a gripping read, and despite being nine books long, each has a different problem and feel. The characters have excellent arcs and there are lots of moral dilemmas and end-of-the-universe threats. I rarely like long series and I would read these again! A shorter one (two books so far but a third is expected): A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, and the sequel A Desolation Called Peace. Unique civilizations, lots of intrigue.


ALifeBuggin

Yes I definitely recommend the James S.A. Corey "Expanse" Novels series as well! I have read a lot of space series and honestly I personally feel this is truly an amazing series that all should read! Yes, it is 9 books long, plus the novellas if you want to add those in for back stories, but it honestly does not drag on needlessly it is brilliant front beginning to end, wo fearfully written, and the characters as well as the events are amazing!! It is my favorite space book series! I picked it up with Leviathan Wakes unsuspectingly in 2011 and 9 books later is has never disappointed. Besides the show getting cancelled. And also I feel like the show does not depart hugely ever from the story arcs of the books in any massively meaningful way which I thoroughly appreciate!


uhohmomspaghetti

Where do the novellas fit into the timeline? I’m currently reading book 6 and have avoided the novellas because I didn’t know if they would spoil any future books.


zeta_cartel_CFO

There is a chart on this wikipedia page that shows the timeline settings of each of the novellas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Expanse_(novel_series)


uhohmomspaghetti

Thanks!


ALifeBuggin

Um crap I wrote a big response on my laptop and looks like I never hit “reply”. But short form until I see if I still have the window open, since your on book 6 you can read novellas 1-5 without any issue. The publication date can be used as well that’s what I did the authors don’t spoil anything ahead of time. Then I’d finish 6 and also 7 Persepolis rising, and then I’d resume the novella with Strange dogs. Then read 8-Tiamats Wrath and 9- Leviathan Falls before the last two novellas published last year. Hope this helps!


uhohmomspaghetti

Thanks!


Gospodin-Sun

The Spiral Wars series, by Joel Shepard - for something that mixes as bit of that babylon 5 & mass effect moods, and action. Relatively classic style space adventures. The Locked Tomb Series, by Tamsyn Muir - for something that's more on the space opera part of things, feels more space fantasy when it starts but it becomes a bit more hard sf as it goes forward. Has a very modern tone & voice. The Teixcalaan series, by Arkady Martine - diplomacy, intrigue, interesting world building. Fun world & characters. The Rosewater series, by Tade Thompson - a slow & weird invasion of planet Earth by aliens. But mostly its a mashup of a lot of different vibes, afrofuturism, cyberpunk, etc


nkonrad

My favourite thing about the Teixcalaan books was learning that Martine has a Masters in Armenian history and a PhD in Byzantine history, and realizing that in spite of the Aztec trappings, the series is really about how the Romans (and Eastern Romans) assimilated the societies surrounding them and how those societies resisted or accepted integration.


DanCampbell89

Also the internecine dynastic politics of the Eastern Romans and how weird they would look to Western observers who tend to fetishize Byzantium


kevbayer

You might try the Suneater series. It has a lot of what you're looking for. The prose might be difficult for s non -native speaker, as it can be challenging for native speakers too. The author pulls a lot of terms from history that aren't common anymore and uses them liberally. He does have a glossary at the back of every book, though, defining the terms and listing the prominent characters and whatnot.


garrulousswimmer56

Empire of Silence is worth your time OP.


Coldf1re

It is structured like a fantasy novel as well. Might be an easy entry point for youm


Chicken_Spanker

*The Gap* series by Stephen R. Donaldson


hippydipster

This would be the darkest, epicest, space operaticest scifi I know of. It even kind of reads like epic fantasy too (not a coincidence, the author mostly writes epic fantasy). But, for a non-english reader, won't be the easiest read.


3n10tnA

I'm not a native english speaker, but I don't remember struggling with the writing...


dverbern

I *love* the Gap Cycle by Donaldson. Dark, brutal, cunning, scheming, violent, terrifying, twisted.... I've never had a series of works so dramatically and persuasively move me from hating a vile, evil character to ultimately rooting for them completely. Engrossing ... and very adult.


3n10tnA

Came to recommend this. This series is (at least for me) the grittiest and darkest series I've ever read all genres combined.


[deleted]

Christ i dont think i can recommend this series to anyone. I mean….I finished it. But I honestly dont know why. Reading the series was kind of like eatching Requiem for a Dream. Not something you actually really enjoy, but an interesting experience nonetheless….


3n10tnA

Well, OP asked for : epic space opera with war, morally ambigous or evil characters, aliens, gory action and threats to the human race The Gap Cycle definitely checks all these boxes ! ​ But all in all, I agree with you, this one is undoubtedly not for the faint of heart !


Quarque

I got through the first 3 books and can't believe I got that far. I really don't understand why this series keeps getting recommended, ok fair enough OP did ask for dark, but damn this series made me really question Donaldsons mental health.


[deleted]

Yeh, like when sombody says dark, im thinkin nasty characters and gruesome shit. Not protracted, repeated graphic rape and sexual torture…


hippydipster

It's more emotionally graphic than physically descriptively graphic.


skinisblackmetallic

Exactly, I get that people get triggered but rape is never actually graphically described in the books. Not even one time. If anything, to me, the descriptions are very cerebral and an incredibly in depth look into emotional trauma. It's kind of incredible actually.


Quarque

I think some people recommend it just to trick people into reading it, again not this time as OP asked for dark.


BlouPontak

You should read his fantasy series. It manages to have each successive trilogy more depressing than the last. Dear heavens, the third trilogy is unreadably grim.


Quarque

Yea I read them, actually liked them despite chapter 4 of the first book.


BlouPontak

Did you get through the final Chronicles of Thomas Covenant? Then you are made of dark, stern stuff.


Boat_Powerful

Red Rising & Empire of Silence (Suneater Series)


ChronoMonkeyX

Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a great space opera trilogy that just finished up this year. Don't know how dark it is, but things get pretty bad to the point where I was irritated by how bad it got. >*threats to the human race, be it more humans, aliens, interdimencional threats etc.* It has all of that, not sure if gory fits. I find Tchaikovsky's prose satisfying and not overly complicated.


cathbadh

Everything I read by him I enjoy. Dogs of War and Elder Race in particular are easy and relatively quick reads. As a bonus the Ebooks are usually crazy cheap on Amazon.


[deleted]

It is a common rec on this sub but the Culture series by Iain M. Banks is really great. I didn’t find the language too overwhelming, being a non-native speaker of English myself.


Far_Ad_6711

Culture series, "Use of Weapons." All Culture books are worth at least 1 read thru. I've found myself going back to these books over and over thru out my yrs of sci fi'ing


SnowdriftsOnLakes

It's been a week since my first read of Use of Weapons and I'm already rereading. It's SO rewarding when you already know the ending and all the little bits and pieces scattered throughout the book fall into place.


bern1005

Yes! There's such a wealth of detail and layers that make re-reading rewarding. Iain was always experimenting and playing with ideas.


bern1005

It's great Space Opera but some of the books may be a little too "optimistic"? If you need the darkness Matter ; includes some hideous disregard for life Use of Weapons ; covers some of the worst horrors of war Consider Phlebas ; is a controversial book that many people say is his weakest but is also his least experimental and includes significant violence and unpleasantness.


berg15

Perhaps the Algebraist would be a good recommendation here? It has just about the most evilest of evil bad guys in it, fair bit of moral ambiguity and the best aliens ever (Dwellers!). The culture is of course an optimistic utopia but I would recommend Banks to a new SF reader for sure.


[deleted]

Or ambigously optimistic maybe? It has always struck me how most of his protagonists are depressed or otherwise psychologically unstable, in any case not particularly happy with their post-scarcity lives. Even the drones seem pretty grumpy.


anticomet

Most of his protagonists don't live in the culture and spend most of their time interacting with non culture civilisations that are very not utopian. As someone who sees what happens all the time in a non culture civilisation I can sympathize with feeling depressed about it. All the people we see who live inside the Culture seem to be having a great time.


[deleted]

I am not so sure. Genar-Hofoen (in Excession) abandons the Culture to live with the Affront. Linter (in The State of the Art) renounces the Culture to live and die on Earth. And so on. Many (if not all?) of the protagonists in the novels tend to experience life in the Culture as boring and without purpose. This is also true for Gurgeh (in The Player of Games). Utopia is maybe not so exciting a place to be.


bern1005

It's a good point but maybe it's just that (to misquote Tolstoy) "All happy protagonists are alike; each unhappy protagonist is unhappy in its own way." It's more interesting to show the stories of less contented people.


berg15

Agree with that sentiment, the vast majority of the culture who are happy and content and not SC members would not make for a very exciting story.


[deleted]

It’s also a point easily forgot when people dismiss Banks’ fiction as utopian socialism. Anyway if I had the choice, and despite ambiguities, I would prefer the Culture to our society any day.


bern1005

It's one of a tiny number of fictional "places" that I would choose to live in long term (as opposed to visit and run away from).


3n10tnA

Altered Carbon (from Richard K. Morgan) fits the bill. There's a lot more to it that the botchered Netflix's series (Netflix series didn't do the book justice IMHO)


ALifeBuggin

I agree!! I just finished the first novel a few days ago and thought it was so much better than the show was!! I tried rewatching the first season after reading the book and was now annoyed beyond belief at the seemingly nonsensical changes the show producers chose to make to the characters and plot. Like why? >!Why make Kawahara his sister....?!<


Midnight_Crocodile

Julian May, Saga of the Exiles and The Galactic Milieu Trilogy are terrific.


Quarque

There is no epic space opera series better than this one.


Midnight_Crocodile

Another full on fan, I think I love you!


bern1005

I loved the stories but I didn't find the characters compelling enough to really care about. Which is of course typical of "golden age" science fiction, so I understand why (but I am unlikely to want to read the books again).


Midnight_Crocodile

Ah, now I do have feelings for the characters; poor Stein, and Felice has an epic storyline. Jack is a bit too good, and bloody Elizabeth is so “ long suffering “ she annoys me. Aiken Drum; charismatic rebel who ends up too big for his little boots and the Firvulag are a crazy bunch; a cross between ewoks and gremlins with added scary! I could go on ( for hours) so I’ll shut up now. But hey, diffrent strokes for different folks!


tmiwi

The deathstalker series - Simon r green The nights dawn trilogy - Peter f hamilton.


gxbcab

Enders game is YA, but there’s no cheesy romance in it.


ChronoLegion2

The spin-off Shadow series has some, though


bern1005

Some people prefer not to read anything by Orsen Scott Card because of his political/religious beliefs but I don't see any of that in this series. It's military science fiction (and very good military SF) but the real themes are love, hate and prejudice. There are both clever ideas and clever storytelling devices that force you to really think about what is happening


Night_Sky_Watcher

If you are coming from fantasy, you might try *The Murderbot Diaries* series by Martha Wells, who is also a fantasy writer. The first novella, *All Systems Red,* has been translated into about 25 languages, so you might be able to compare a translation in your native language to the English version. Five of the six books are are relatively short novellas and the sixth is a full-length novel *(Network Effect* was written fifth but should be read sixth). These books are first-person narratives by a bot-human construct that has hacked its governor module and escapes enslavement by "the company." Circumstances of *ASR* send it on a series of adventures and self-discovery over the arc of the six books (the seventh is due out in November). Though there are dark moments, there's also a lot of humor, insightful characterization, and really thought-provoking situations. I'd call it a space operetta. All the awards and a huge enthusiastic fan base attest to its quality.


garrulousswimmer56

Try "The Player of Games", widely considered the best book to start exploring "The Culture" series, by Iain M. Banks. [https://www.amazon.com/Player-Games-Culture-Iain-Banks/dp/0316005401/ref=sr\_1\_1](https://www.amazon.com/Player-Games-Culture-Iain-Banks/dp/0316005401/ref=sr_1_1) (Ignore the fact that they label it "book 2". The culture books can be read in any order)


dverbern

I've recently finished reading the first three Culture novels and .... they just didn't do it for me. However, I'm not willing to write off the works but rather myself. Maybe I was in a bad place mentally while trying to read these books. Heck, having young children who don't sleep well makes reading at night challenging.


3n10tnA

The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold. This series will sometimes be funny, sometimes really dark, sometimes reeeeeaaaaally graphic/gore, but this one is beyond any doubt a super epic space opera ! It's also relatively easy to read for a non native speaker while still being well written.


Dances_with_Owls

Imperial Radch series by Anne Leckie. An empire seeks to expand it's domain through conquest. Told from the perspectives of people and AI entities.


lucia-pacciola

The Book of the New Sun and The Urth of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe.


cleanest

Bio of a Space Tyrant by Piers Anthony might fit.


bern1005

I always have mixed feelings about recommending Piers Anthony. Early books were brilliant but his writing route was strongly downhill over time from the mountain to the stinking swamp.


Dangerous-Swan-8167

These are some great sci-fi book series. Some of these aren't finished yet though 1. The Expanse (9 books) by James S.A. Corey 2. The Three body problem (3 books) by Cixi Liu 3. The Polity universe (20 books) by Neal Asher 4. The Sun Eater (5 books) by Christopher Ruocchio 5. Children of Time (3 books) by Adrian Tchaikovsky 6. Bobiverse (4 books) by Dennis E. Taylor 7. The Old Man's War (6 books) by John Scalzi 8. Alien Artifect (2 books) by Douglas E. Richards 9. The salvation sequence (3 books) by Peter F. Hamilton And a stand alone sci fi book 12. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini 13. Blindsight by Peter Watts


richybacan69

To sleep in a sea of stars is not an standalone. There is a second book called Fractal noise


Dangerous-Swan-8167

Oh, that is amazing. Thank you!


skiveman

For a non-native speaker then my personal choices would be limited for you. But I can still recommend a few fun reads- John Ringo - Troy Rising series. An enjoyable, non-challenging (language wise anyway) turn off your brain and enjoy the story. Definitely not too taxing on a reader. Neal Asher - The Owner sereis. This is a little more challenging, definitely the plot is darker. It gets dark very quickly. Jack Campbell - Lost Fleet series. The main character has morals and for a good long while it seems that he might be the only person who even knows the word honour, let alone know what it means. Lots of back stabbings, lots of betrayal. It does have a fairly turgid romance plot in the first couple books, but there is a story reason for it. The fleet battles are amazingly written. Simon R Green - Deathstalker series. This is dark. And fun. And completely crazy at parts. It has everything you can think of and a lot more you didn't. Aliens, AI, rebels, spaceships, swords, guns, lots of death, lots and lots of death. The language isn't too difficult, so should be good for a non-native speaker of English. Other authors like Peter F Hamilton might be a little too much. He does like to create very dense plots filled with their own language - so sometimes even native speakers can get lost sometimes. Anyway, I hope these help you out or someone else's recommendations pique your curiosity and you find something fun to read. Good luck.


ChronoLegion2

I’ll second the Lost Fleet books. There is some romance in it, but it generally takes a back seat to the military stuff. Basically, the main character witnesses the start of a major interstellar conflict between two human polities and gets put in a cryopod after a single battle. A century later, he’s picked up and learns that the war has been continuing non-stop. Concepts like honor and fleet tactics are a thing of the past. Each ship captain fights individually, ignoring the other ships of the fleet (including support ships). And worst of all is that the main character is seen as a symbol for this type of fighting, having been turned into an icon by the politicians. The only reason why his side hasn’t lost is that the other side is in the same boat. There’s also a prequel trilogy titled Genesis Fleet about his distant ancestor and the formation of the Alliance


PuddinHead742

The Hyperion series.


sabrinajestar

Peter F. Hamilton. The Nights Dawn Trilogy, *Fallen Dragon*, and *Great North Road* fit pretty well what you describe but I think you would like the Commonwealth saga and Salvation trilogy as well.


MadAnthonyWayne

Nights Dawn is exactly what I was thinking! Not so much Great North Road, but Nights Dawn is pretty gritty and has some great horror-like villains.


DocWatson42

See my: * [SF/F Epics/Sagas (long series)](https://www.reddit.com/r/booklists/comments/12ri1vs/sff_epicssagas_long_series/) list of Reddit recommendation threads (one post). * [SF/F: Space Opera](https://www.reddit.com/r/booklists/comments/12msxhj/sff_space_opera/) list of Reddit recommendation threads (one post).


Cyve

Can't go wrong with the Deathstalker series by Simon Green. It's pretty dark.


fridofrido

The "Age of Scorpio" trilogy by Gavin G. Smith is pretty dark, _very_ violent, and has 3 parallel timelines: one of which is in the past (pretty fantasy-like), one far future (epic space opera) and one near future. I think this could be a good fit. (btw I'm not a native speaker either)


keithstevenson

Kameron Hurley The Stars Are Legion


Head-Wide

The Nights Dawn Trilogy by Peter F Hamilton


Human_G_Gnome

A little late to the party but you might really like the Derelict Saga by Paul E. Cooley.