More like Labrador Lieutenant

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Starman JonesNovel
Robert A. Heinleinstandalone novel1953
Space opera, adventurous in tone, about coming of age.
“Starman Jones, a 1953 science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, features a farm boy who wants to go to the stars.”
from the catalogue
Known SpaceUniverse
universe142 books1964
About aliens, set in other star systems.
“Give a clever species a few centuries and a working fusion drive, and it will fill the sky with problems.”
from the catalogue
Start with Ringworld →
includes Ringworld, Fleet of Worlds, Man-Kzin Wars
Pushing IceNovel
Alastair Reynoldsstandalone novel2005
Hard science fiction and first contact, about aliens and survival.
Imperial EarthNovel
Arthur C. Clarkestandalone novel1975
Reflective in tone, about cloning and space colonization, set in outer planets & moons.
“The plot follows the protagonist, Duncan Makenzie, on a trip to Earth from his home on Titan, in large part as a diplomatic visit to the U.S. for its quincentennial in 2276, but also to have a clone of himself produced.”
from the catalogue
HeecheeSeries
series19 books1972
completed
Space opera, about aliens, set in other star systems.
“The Heechee are an advanced alien race that visited the Solar System hundreds of millennia ago and then mysteriously disappeared.”
from the catalogue
Start with Gateway →
The Fountains of ParadiseNovel
Arthur C. Clarkestandalone novel1979
Hard science fiction, hopeful in tone, set in space station.
“Set in the 22nd century, it describes the construction of a space elevator.”
from the catalogue