Good Space Adventure Novels

I have read The Lost Fleet as well. It's not bad pulp, eh?

If you don't want anything too involving, The Solar Clipper series by Nathan Lowell has a feel-good storyline. I will warn you that it is not literature, just an escape. It could be easily read by a ten year old, and the science is ridiculously simplistic. All that said, I still enjoyed them. Go figure.

Moving Mars by Greg Bear is a technical work of art. Political/Social intrigue set in the not-to-distant future. Some fighting, but no great space battles.

The Culture series by Ian Banks is fantastic. Lots of conflict, but no fleet engagement type of stuff. Be prepared to fall in love with some of the characters.

Surely you have read The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy? If not, drop everything and go there now.

You might also try Saturn's Children and Neptune's Brood by Charles Stross. Simplistic (not as juvenile as Solar Clipper) but entertaining.

If you do not have an inherent fear of commitment, The Commonwealth Saga by Peter Hamilton may be for you. It's two books of ~1000 pages each, but you did say ADVENTURE.

That's off the top of my head, maybe more later after I have thought about it.

Sneezy – Thanks for the recommendations. It’s awesome.

I’ve nothing against Lost Fleet, but I’ve seen the same character type over and over, it becomes boring after awhile. I’ve seen a lot of star trek, star gate and many other shows and movies with a soldier, who can beat people up, gather information and so forth, I eventually got bored character type.

Moving Mars, Saturn's Children and Neptune's Brood by Charles Stross seem really interesting. I’ve read the synopsis of Saturn's Children and Neptune's Brood and was at first afraid to put it on my reading list. Since it’s been recommended I’ll do it.

I’ll start with Moving Mars and work my way up.

Let's see... the bright and efficient Naval commander going up against the idiocy of the civilian leadership and managing to pull out a miraculous success against overwhelming odds in spite of them and invariably written by a retired military guy. Humanity is saved yet again by the dashing Hero! Even though I agree with them in principle (for the most part), I concur that it is getting stale.

Bear is one of my favorite scifi authors, so I am predisposed to gushing about him. If you like what you see with Moving Mars check out his other work as well. He is a researcher and strives for believably within the bounds of science as we know it even if the probability is very low.

Robert A. Heinlein's Have Spacesuit will Travel is a good adventure, for young readers yes but it was written back in the pulp days.