/lit/ - Literature

>>8865256
In that case I would suggest either Rimrunners or Finity's End.
Rimrunners is about a female protag that falls in with a rough mercenary crew, shortly after Downbelow Station timeline wise.
Finity's End takes place further along the timeline, but is more closely related to Downbelow Station (shared characters etc.). I would call it a coming of age story, mostly taking place on a merchanter ship.

If those aren't big enough in scope, try the Faded Sun trilogy or the Chanur saga. Faded Sun is an earlier work that doesn't have the easy flow of her post-70s stuff, but has the best sense of wonder and exploration. Chanur is my favorite series, just a super comfy read.

If none of that catches your interest and you prefer fantasy anyway, check out the Fortress series. Protag is a natural straight man (literally being born yesterday) who must weather the imperial court when a power of great evil returns to the land.

...or Hestia for catgirl waifus. Not particularly impressive, but it's short.