More like The Talking Stone

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QuadrailSeries
series5 books2005
Space opera, about political intrigue.
“Paired with the telepathically gifted Bayta, Compton investigates and fights the Modhri, a parasitic group-mind quietly seizing control of galactic leaders from within.”
from the catalogue
Start with Night Train to Rigel →
The Midsolar MurdersSeries
series3 books2022
Tense in tone, set in space station.
Start with Station Eternity →
The Colors of SpaceNovel
Marion Zimmer Bradleystandalone novel1963
Space opera, adventurous in tone, about space exploration, set in other star systems.
“The Lhari seem peaceful and friendly, but they go to some lengths to protect their monopoly on faster-than-light travel.”
from the catalogue
Alex BenedictSeries
series13 books1987
Set in other star systems.
“Alex Benedict is an antiques dealer and part-time interstellar investigator, generations removed from Earth's first starfaring age, who keeps stumbling into forgotten history through the objects and ruins he trades in.”
from the catalogue
Start with A Talent for War →
The Legacy of LehrNovel
Katherine Kurtzstandalone novel1986
Tense in tone, set in spaceship.
“When four large blue cat aliens with psychic powers come aboard an insterstellar luxury liner, a rash of murders breaks out!”
from the catalogue
Doorways in the SandNovel
Roger Zelaznystandalone novel1976
Funny in tone, set in other star systems.
“Zelazny wrote the whole story in one draft, with no rewrites, and it subsequently became one of his five favorites among his own work.”
from the catalogue