More like Once Upon a Planet

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PolityUniverse
universe72 books1992
Science fiction and space opera, set in far future and other star systems.
“The Quiet War is already over by the time you arrive.”
from the catalogue
Start with Shadow of the Scorpion →
includes Ian Cormac, Transformation, Rise of the Jain, Spatterjay, Time's Shadow
DuneUniverse
universe78 books1963
About political intrigue.
“The desert planet, where empire runs on a single substance: the spice melange, which folds space, prolongs life, and unlocks prescience, and which exists nowhere else in the known universe.”
from the catalogue
Start with Dune →
includes Dune, Dune Prequels, Heroes of Dune, Dune Sequels, Background of the Dune Universe
Berserker (Fred Saberhagen)Series
series59 books1963
About robots and war, set in space.
Start with Berserker →
Fifth ImperiumSeries
series3 books1991
Adventurous in tone, about aliens and war, set in space.
“The three novels were later collected as the omnibus Empire from the Ashes.”
from the catalogue
Start with Mutineers' Moon →
PandoraSeries
series4 books1966
About survival.
“The Pandora Sequence opens with Frank Herbert's solo novel Destination: Void, in which a starship crew must jury-rig a working artificial consciousness after their vessel's control systems fail.”
from the catalogue
Start with Destination: Void →
Singularity SkySeries
series2 books2003
Challenging in tone, about technological singularity, set in space.
“Charles Stross uses the setup for a mix of space opera, economics, and diplomatic intrigue.”
from the catalogue
Start with Singularity Sky →