Why read Sargasso of Space?

Book cover of Sargasso of Space

Book description

Stellar exploration—and depredation—in the exciting first novel in the Solar Queen series from a “superb storyteller” (The New York Times).

In the future, venturing out into the stars is more than a way for humanity to chart the cosmos—it’s big business. Every time a new planet is discovered, the highest…

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Literary fiction

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Sargasso of Space as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Scott Pearson

Author

I'm a fan of classic sci-fi of the '50s, and you don't get much more classic than Andre Norton. There's a lot of interesting nuts and bolts stuff going on for a book written before we landed on the moon. Of course, the science is dated, the characters are all men, and there are a couple of unfortunate colonizer-type comments expressed toward extraterrestrials, but if you're able to look past those outdated viewpoints, it's an interesting yarn, and the beginning of a four-book series featuring the crew of the starship Solar Queen.

From Scott's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Jaleta Clegg

Author

Young Dane Thorson signs on to the Solar Queen as an apprentice cargo handler. The crew of the independent ship pools all their resources to buy trading rights to a planet in an auction, hoping to strike it rich. But Limbo turns out to be more than they bargained for.

Rich with vivid imagery, weird aliens, ancient artifacts, remnants of a lost civilization, space pirates, and a whole lot more, Sargasso of Space has been one of my favorite books since I was a teen. No list of Female SF authors would be complete without Andre Norton. Her vision of…

From Jaleta's list on classic space operas written by women.