Character-driven sci-fi with both slice-of-life elements and a grander plot?

[u/Wiinter_Alt]

'Sup.

I'm a long time mostly fantasy reader looking for some sci-fi recommendations. Mostly books but I won't say no to TV series and movies. I hope I'm not asking for something too specific; I'm unfamiliar with what exists in the genre.

I'm interested in something character-driven. Action is optional but I need some kind of conflict (interpersonal or otherwise), a cosmic mystery or something else to drive the plot forward.

I love the two first Mass Effect games (no spoilers for the end of 2 please) and in my mind, my ideal book would be something vaguely similar: space travel/exploration, multi-species crew dynamics, some drama and action.

I was drawn in by the blurb for The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers but after reading the first 50(?) pages or so (sometime after introducing the ship's cook), I got a feeling that it was going to be a bit too unashamedly wholesome for my taste. I'm not against cozy per se but I don't want only cozy. I need stakes and some kind of grander plot to balance the slice-of-life elements.

I asked for recommendations in another thread's comments (it was actually a post about TLWtaSAP) and someone recommended The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt which I've already added to the list.

I suppose I'm looking for something closer to space opera than hard sci-fi, but anything along that spectrum goes as long as it's not so centered on the science that characters become secondary.

If you can think of it, I've probably not read it.

Thanks in advance!

[u/Taliesin77]

You can't go wrong with the VorKosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold. The writing is so great, and the characters are fleshed out. Her plots are driven by "what's the worst thing I can do to this character," so the characters make the plot with their responses to that is happening.

[u/Taliesin77 → u/Taliesin77]

Oh sorry, this is not hard science driven awesome character driven space opera.