Need book recommendations--science fiction and/or fantasy edition.
November 2, 2015 4:51 AM Subscribe
I want to send some science fiction and/or fantasy books to someone. These are practically the only genres I DON'T read, and for various reasons I can't ask the recipient for a wish list. Please recommend some science fiction and fantasy books that would be good choices and that are available in paperback. Stand-alone titles are strongly preferred, but series are OK too. I'd also consider some good anthologies if they're available in paperback. Thanks!
I'm a lukewarm reader of sci fi and fantasy, but two gems for me of the last decade are Ben Aaronovich's Peter Grant series, and Jeff VanderMeer's Ambergris novels. The latter can very much work as freestanding books (I'd start with Finch).
Seconding Gotanda, though, since sci-fi and fantasy are both big tents - knowing something about the recipient's interests would help.
posted by ryanshepard at 5:18 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Seconding Gotanda, though, since sci-fi and fantasy are both big tents - knowing something about the recipient's interests would help.
posted by ryanshepard at 5:18 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yeah, SF and fantasy are extremely, extremely varied. What other books and media do they like? Do they like military-style stuff? Weird aliens? Adventures? Thinky stuff? Character driven stuff? Do they watch SF TV or movies? Are they interested in older SF or only recent things? What else do they like? What gender are they? What age?
As general "lots of people like this", I would recommend Nicola Griffeth's Ammonite - it is a swashbuckling adventure on a mysterious world with an evil corporation in the background, but it also has character development and some ethical stuff. Virtually all the characters are women; for that reason, I would definitely get it for a dude, because it illustrates the women-buckling-swashes thing nicely. I read Ammonite while recovering from wisdom tooth surgery and it was just perfectly engaging, fun and interesting.
For fantasy, if they like character-driven contemporary stuff, I recommend Peter Beagle's Folk of the Air, one of the finest and most forgotten fantasy novels out there. It's so funny, guys.
Also, China Mieville's novel The Scar, which has great monsters and eerie deeps of the sea. People sometimes don't like his writing, but anyone who likes monsters and dramatic events should be able to get into it.
I have lots and lots and ridiculously lots (I run a community ed SF class) of recommendations if we know a bit more about the person.
posted by Frowner at 5:26 AM on November 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
As general "lots of people like this", I would recommend Nicola Griffeth's Ammonite - it is a swashbuckling adventure on a mysterious world with an evil corporation in the background, but it also has character development and some ethical stuff. Virtually all the characters are women; for that reason, I would definitely get it for a dude, because it illustrates the women-buckling-swashes thing nicely. I read Ammonite while recovering from wisdom tooth surgery and it was just perfectly engaging, fun and interesting.
For fantasy, if they like character-driven contemporary stuff, I recommend Peter Beagle's Folk of the Air, one of the finest and most forgotten fantasy novels out there. It's so funny, guys.
Also, China Mieville's novel The Scar, which has great monsters and eerie deeps of the sea. People sometimes don't like his writing, but anyone who likes monsters and dramatic events should be able to get into it.
I have lots and lots and ridiculously lots (I run a community ed SF class) of recommendations if we know a bit more about the person.
posted by Frowner at 5:26 AM on November 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
Like everyone else, more details would probably help.
But, regardless of the person's tastes, I'll recommend Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow
For both of you.
posted by DigDoug at 5:43 AM on November 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
But, regardless of the person's tastes, I'll recommend Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow
For both of you.
posted by DigDoug at 5:43 AM on November 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
These two authors have more well-known series (Revelation Space and The Culture novels, respectively), but the following are all stand-alone:
Alastair Reynolds - Pushing Ice, Century Rain, Terminal World
Iain M Banks - Against A Dark Background, The Algebraist, Feersum Endjinn
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:46 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Alastair Reynolds - Pushing Ice, Century Rain, Terminal World
Iain M Banks - Against A Dark Background, The Algebraist, Feersum Endjinn
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:46 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
This is such an overly broad question as to be unanswerable - surely the first step is to know what they've read so far so you don't send them something they've already read - and get some idea of what type of SF they're after - but if you're after a list of favourites / famous / landmark books, here goes... but I'm not sure how many are still available in paperback.
Dune (Frank Herbert) - This pretty much has to be on the top of an SF list the way LOTR will be at the top of fantasy book nerd's list. While LOTR doesn't really hold up nowadays to modern reading, Dune is a lot more recent and still deserves its status as a masterpiece of SF. It won both the Hugo and Nebula. This hard science story explores a myriad of complex interactions - politics, religion, ecology, technology, genetics, military tactics - in a glorious build up towards its climax. There are 7 books in total, but I'm a fan of just the first one, and would tell people to skip books 2-7.
Ender's Game / Speaker for the Dead (Orson Scott Card) - A pair of fantastic though controversial books on most SF lists. They still remain as the only time a book won a Hugo and a Nebula, and its sequel ALSO won the Hugo and Nebula - that's how much of a landmark these books were. It's also one of the only instances where the sequel is written in a different genre from the original book. I would not recommend books 3/4.
Stories of your Life and Others (Ted Chiang) - This guy is a master of short stories, and this - possibly out of print at this time - is a collection of some of his works. He writes very rarely, but when he does it nearly always wins that year's award. I think he's collected nearly 10 Hugos / Nebulas by this point. The title story here - called "Stories of your Life" - combines the idea of linguistics and precognition in a very emotionally compelling package.
Game of Thrones (George RR Martin) - You'd have to be living under a rock to not have heard about this fantasy series, it's genuinely well written and has won multiple Hugo awards. Definitely a must read, but perhaps only books 1-3, would not recommend the rest.
Fire Upon the Deep (Vernor Vinge) - Vernor Vinge is one of the more influential voices in shaping SF - he's credited with coming up with the idea of the singularity, which features in several of his novels. This hard science novel spans such a vast, epic scope, that it is hard to describe - superhuman intelligences, variable physics, group minds, intricate space battles. This book won the Hugo for best novel.
Mistborn: The Final Empire (Brandon Sanderson) - Probably the best SF story I've read that was never nominated for a Hugo / Nebula. He is famous for saying something along the lines that if you are writing fantasy about magic and can't explain it adequately to the audience, it becomes a deux ex machina element every time, where any situation can be resolved if someone pulls out the right spell the reader isn't aware about. Very strong opening and ending, strong characters and compelling world. This is part of a 3 book trilogy.
Ancillary Justice (Ann Leckie) - A very recent book, this won virtually every single SF award when it was released in 2013 - Hugo, Nebula, BSFA, Arthur C Clark, and Locus. It deals with the idea of group consciousness, where a ship AI controls a crew of human ancillaries, and the story is about what happens after the destruction of Justice of Torren which leaves just a single ancillary alive, who finds itself stranded on a desolate ice planet, and thus begins the story of how it begins its quest of seeking justice - and answers - for what was done to it. This is part of a 3 book trilogy.
His Majesty's Dragon (Naomi Novik) - This book was nominated for the 2007 Hugo. It's a great alternate historical story about the British Navy fighting Napoleon (around 1800) except there are dragons which serve as sort of flying airships and heavy air support. The relationship between the protagonist and his dragon is particularly endearing. I really would recommend books 1-3, maybe 4, but definitely nothing from 5 and beyond.
... might stop here, we could go on forever.
posted by xdvesper at 6:02 AM on November 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
Dune (Frank Herbert) - This pretty much has to be on the top of an SF list the way LOTR will be at the top of fantasy book nerd's list. While LOTR doesn't really hold up nowadays to modern reading, Dune is a lot more recent and still deserves its status as a masterpiece of SF. It won both the Hugo and Nebula. This hard science story explores a myriad of complex interactions - politics, religion, ecology, technology, genetics, military tactics - in a glorious build up towards its climax. There are 7 books in total, but I'm a fan of just the first one, and would tell people to skip books 2-7.
Ender's Game / Speaker for the Dead (Orson Scott Card) - A pair of fantastic though controversial books on most SF lists. They still remain as the only time a book won a Hugo and a Nebula, and its sequel ALSO won the Hugo and Nebula - that's how much of a landmark these books were. It's also one of the only instances where the sequel is written in a different genre from the original book. I would not recommend books 3/4.
Stories of your Life and Others (Ted Chiang) - This guy is a master of short stories, and this - possibly out of print at this time - is a collection of some of his works. He writes very rarely, but when he does it nearly always wins that year's award. I think he's collected nearly 10 Hugos / Nebulas by this point. The title story here - called "Stories of your Life" - combines the idea of linguistics and precognition in a very emotionally compelling package.
Game of Thrones (George RR Martin) - You'd have to be living under a rock to not have heard about this fantasy series, it's genuinely well written and has won multiple Hugo awards. Definitely a must read, but perhaps only books 1-3, would not recommend the rest.
Fire Upon the Deep (Vernor Vinge) - Vernor Vinge is one of the more influential voices in shaping SF - he's credited with coming up with the idea of the singularity, which features in several of his novels. This hard science novel spans such a vast, epic scope, that it is hard to describe - superhuman intelligences, variable physics, group minds, intricate space battles. This book won the Hugo for best novel.
Mistborn: The Final Empire (Brandon Sanderson) - Probably the best SF story I've read that was never nominated for a Hugo / Nebula. He is famous for saying something along the lines that if you are writing fantasy about magic and can't explain it adequately to the audience, it becomes a deux ex machina element every time, where any situation can be resolved if someone pulls out the right spell the reader isn't aware about. Very strong opening and ending, strong characters and compelling world. This is part of a 3 book trilogy.
Ancillary Justice (Ann Leckie) - A very recent book, this won virtually every single SF award when it was released in 2013 - Hugo, Nebula, BSFA, Arthur C Clark, and Locus. It deals with the idea of group consciousness, where a ship AI controls a crew of human ancillaries, and the story is about what happens after the destruction of Justice of Torren which leaves just a single ancillary alive, who finds itself stranded on a desolate ice planet, and thus begins the story of how it begins its quest of seeking justice - and answers - for what was done to it. This is part of a 3 book trilogy.
His Majesty's Dragon (Naomi Novik) - This book was nominated for the 2007 Hugo. It's a great alternate historical story about the British Navy fighting Napoleon (around 1800) except there are dragons which serve as sort of flying airships and heavy air support. The relationship between the protagonist and his dragon is particularly endearing. I really would recommend books 1-3, maybe 4, but definitely nothing from 5 and beyond.
... might stop here, we could go on forever.
posted by xdvesper at 6:02 AM on November 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
Get the Ted Chiang collection and then literally pick any James Tiptree short story anthology at random (Out of the Everywhere and Other Extraordinary Visions, perhaps?), and then you'll look erudite and tasteful and impressive. Like even if they somehow had both, you'd still come up aces.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 6:06 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by RJ Reynolds at 6:06 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
The Martian by Andy Weir is a good recent sci-fi book (just made into a movie). Also, Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch trilogy is excellent; the first book won a bunch of awards. If you think they'd like short story collections, Ted Chiang is a good choice.
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson is a nice option for not-too-hard sci-fi; it's the first of a series, but it can stand alone. The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter is similar in that way (and wonderful because Terry Pratchett).
Iain M. Banks is my favorite sci-fi author, and there's plenty of debate about where to start with him. The Algebraist might be a good one, as it's more stand-alone than his Culture novels.
I don't normally read much fantasy, but I really liked Robert Jackson Bennett's City of Stairs. A sequel is coming out next year. Also, I recently read Max Gladstone's Three Parts Dead and enjoyed it.
posted by neushoorn at 6:13 AM on November 2, 2015
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson is a nice option for not-too-hard sci-fi; it's the first of a series, but it can stand alone. The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter is similar in that way (and wonderful because Terry Pratchett).
Iain M. Banks is my favorite sci-fi author, and there's plenty of debate about where to start with him. The Algebraist might be a good one, as it's more stand-alone than his Culture novels.
I don't normally read much fantasy, but I really liked Robert Jackson Bennett's City of Stairs. A sequel is coming out next year. Also, I recently read Max Gladstone's Three Parts Dead and enjoyed it.
posted by neushoorn at 6:13 AM on November 2, 2015
Yeah, like others are saying, more info would be good - for example, my husband and I both mostly read sci-fi/fantasy, but there is very little overlap in what we read and enjoy in those genres.
However, here's some books/authors we both enjoyed:
- Annihilation (trilogy, but they're super short and definitely in paperback) by Jeff Vandermeer
- Finnikin of the Rock, by Melina Marchetta
- China Mieville
- Paolo Bacigalupi
- Some classics: Vonnegut, Hitchhiker's Guide, Tolkien, Ender's Game...
- Some kids' books, like Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Golden Compass...
posted by goodbyewaffles at 6:13 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
However, here's some books/authors we both enjoyed:
- Annihilation (trilogy, but they're super short and definitely in paperback) by Jeff Vandermeer
- Finnikin of the Rock, by Melina Marchetta
- China Mieville
- Paolo Bacigalupi
- Some classics: Vonnegut, Hitchhiker's Guide, Tolkien, Ender's Game...
- Some kids' books, like Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Golden Compass...
posted by goodbyewaffles at 6:13 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Here are some newer SF/F releases I've enjoyed that are in paperback. Maybe your friend hasn't read them yet.
posted by Banknote of the year at 7:09 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
- Signal to Noise, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
- A Darker Shade of Magic, by Victoria Schwab.
- The Goblin Emperor, by Katherine Addison.
- We See a Different Frontier: A postcolonial speculative fiction anthology. Edited by Fabio Fernandes and Djibril al-Ayad.
- The Fifth Season, by N.K. Jemisin. (Previously on MeFi.)
posted by Banknote of the year at 7:09 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Most of Christopher Moore's books are stand alone and in paperback. Fun stuff.
posted by rdnnyc at 7:45 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by rdnnyc at 7:45 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
The following are award-winning scifi classics.
Vernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky. It's the second in a series, but is essentially a stand-alone novel.
David Brin's Startide Rising or The Uplift War. Part of a six-book series.
John Scalzi's Old Man's War. First in a series.
Ursula K. Le Guin: The Left Hand of Darkness
Kim Stanley Robinson: Red Mars. First in a trilogy.
posted by zarq at 9:02 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Vernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky. It's the second in a series, but is essentially a stand-alone novel.
David Brin's Startide Rising or The Uplift War. Part of a six-book series.
John Scalzi's Old Man's War. First in a series.
Ursula K. Le Guin: The Left Hand of Darkness
Kim Stanley Robinson: Red Mars. First in a trilogy.
posted by zarq at 9:02 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Seveneves! Neal Stephenson! The moon explodes in the first line! It is amazing!
posted by craven_morhead at 9:16 AM on November 2, 2015
posted by craven_morhead at 9:16 AM on November 2, 2015
There is no right answer, of course.
I have read "Year's Best SF Short Stories" (Edited by Gardner Dozois) every year for the past three decades. Many used book stores probably will have two or three of these editions on hand. At about 250K words per volume, they offer a broad sample of a year's works in the field, plus an index containing a boatload of runners up. Dozois also writes interesting overviews of things related to Science Fiction, including brief obits of writers and friends of the genre who've passed away during the year.
posted by mule98J at 9:37 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have read "Year's Best SF Short Stories" (Edited by Gardner Dozois) every year for the past three decades. Many used book stores probably will have two or three of these editions on hand. At about 250K words per volume, they offer a broad sample of a year's works in the field, plus an index containing a boatload of runners up. Dozois also writes interesting overviews of things related to Science Fiction, including brief obits of writers and friends of the genre who've passed away during the year.
posted by mule98J at 9:37 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I always recommend him because he is always recommendable: Guy Gavriel Kay. The Fionavar Tapestry is a trilogy, The Sarantine Mosaic is a diptych, the rest are standalone although occasional ties show up between them.
Brilliant, lyrical writing. Strong women and feminist themes. Fantasy yes, though closer to magical realism than dragons and wizards; the fantastical elements are more like spicing for the story than the whole story, which is always about human interactions and the clashes of the past with the future.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 10:07 AM on November 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
Brilliant, lyrical writing. Strong women and feminist themes. Fantasy yes, though closer to magical realism than dragons and wizards; the fantastical elements are more like spicing for the story than the whole story, which is always about human interactions and the clashes of the past with the future.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 10:07 AM on November 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
The Golem and the Jinni - it moves slowly at the beginning but it pays off well.
posted by soelo at 10:41 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by soelo at 10:41 AM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for all of these great responses!
To clarify--I'm involved with an organization that sends reading material to military personnel-- they can request specific books but very often they will request "anything" in a certain genre-- and we have no way of getting additional info on specifics.
All of these answers give me some help in handling these general requests for these genres--please continue to add to the list!
posted by bookmammal at 11:01 AM on November 2, 2015
To clarify--I'm involved with an organization that sends reading material to military personnel-- they can request specific books but very often they will request "anything" in a certain genre-- and we have no way of getting additional info on specifics.
All of these answers give me some help in handling these general requests for these genres--please continue to add to the list!
posted by bookmammal at 11:01 AM on November 2, 2015
I haven't read them myself, but if they're military, they might enjoy Myke Cole's Shadow Ops series. More info and links to buy here.
posted by tiger tiger at 11:15 AM on November 2, 2015
posted by tiger tiger at 11:15 AM on November 2, 2015
Then I guess the question is, does one want escapist stuff or military-SF stuff?
If people like fantasy, they might enjoy Dark Lord of Derkholm - it's technically YA, but it's robust YA - I routinely recommend it to adults. It's hiLARious, and if you're in a stressful setting, it will take you out of yourself.
Also, why not Octavia Butler's Lilith's Brood or some of her other work? The first one especially is very propulsive and creepy.
I have not read The Traitor Baru Cormorant, but it got a quite good review at Tor and looks like the kind of thing people might enjoy.
Also, also - how about The Book of the New Sun? They're a little more literary than some of the other stuff, but Gene Wolfe says that he was inspired to write them by his experience getting ready to serve in Korea. The last book (you can get them all in one) is actually about war, but the first three are adventure. I could easily see an army type getting very into them. Wolfe is also one of the few conservative SF writers I really like, and I may be taking a flyer here but I bet you're going to be sending books to folks who run greater odds of being more conservative than the average mefite.) Come to that, oooh, I bet people would like his short stories. Strange Travelers, Innocents Abroad and Stories from the Old Hotel in particular. "This Tree Is My Hat", ohmygod, that's soooo spooky. Also kind of misogynist, but remarkably effective.
I also know someone who has been enjoying The Laundry Files - they're a bit more supernatural, I think, but he sure seems to be getting a kick out of them.
Now, I think most SM Stirling books are godawful...well, that's not true, exactly, I think they're extremely skilled versions of a kind of pulp I don't like, and I don't like their politics, but I bet that if you were a guy stationed somewhere stressful, you might like Dies The Fire and its sequels.
Also, I bet people would enjoy Harlan Ellison collections - The Essential Ellison has some great short stories and some really gripping autobiographical stuff. I do not vouch for the guy's politics, although I have to tell you - he mentored Octavia Butler, so he can't be all bad. Actually, I don't think he's all bad. And he's extremely readable.
Steven Barnes might be of interest - I haven't read any of his stuff, but I've heard good things, and he has written some very interesting sounding alternate histories set in Africa.
For more "takes you out of yourself" reading, I would suggest Connie Willis - Doomsday Book is grim, what with the plague and all, but it's engrossing, and I hear good things about her other historical stuff.
posted by Frowner at 11:34 AM on November 2, 2015
If people like fantasy, they might enjoy Dark Lord of Derkholm - it's technically YA, but it's robust YA - I routinely recommend it to adults. It's hiLARious, and if you're in a stressful setting, it will take you out of yourself.
Also, why not Octavia Butler's Lilith's Brood or some of her other work? The first one especially is very propulsive and creepy.
I have not read The Traitor Baru Cormorant, but it got a quite good review at Tor and looks like the kind of thing people might enjoy.
Also, also - how about The Book of the New Sun? They're a little more literary than some of the other stuff, but Gene Wolfe says that he was inspired to write them by his experience getting ready to serve in Korea. The last book (you can get them all in one) is actually about war, but the first three are adventure. I could easily see an army type getting very into them. Wolfe is also one of the few conservative SF writers I really like, and I may be taking a flyer here but I bet you're going to be sending books to folks who run greater odds of being more conservative than the average mefite.) Come to that, oooh, I bet people would like his short stories. Strange Travelers, Innocents Abroad and Stories from the Old Hotel in particular. "This Tree Is My Hat", ohmygod, that's soooo spooky. Also kind of misogynist, but remarkably effective.
I also know someone who has been enjoying The Laundry Files - they're a bit more supernatural, I think, but he sure seems to be getting a kick out of them.
Now, I think most SM Stirling books are godawful...well, that's not true, exactly, I think they're extremely skilled versions of a kind of pulp I don't like, and I don't like their politics, but I bet that if you were a guy stationed somewhere stressful, you might like Dies The Fire and its sequels.
Also, I bet people would enjoy Harlan Ellison collections - The Essential Ellison has some great short stories and some really gripping autobiographical stuff. I do not vouch for the guy's politics, although I have to tell you - he mentored Octavia Butler, so he can't be all bad. Actually, I don't think he's all bad. And he's extremely readable.
Steven Barnes might be of interest - I haven't read any of his stuff, but I've heard good things, and he has written some very interesting sounding alternate histories set in Africa.
For more "takes you out of yourself" reading, I would suggest Connie Willis - Doomsday Book is grim, what with the plague and all, but it's engrossing, and I hear good things about her other historical stuff.
posted by Frowner at 11:34 AM on November 2, 2015
Metafilter's own John Scalzi's Old Man's War series. The first can stand alone and there isn't a hugely impactful arc along the first three books at least. The fourth pretty much needs to be read after the third.
Jim Butcher's urban fantasy series "The Dresden Files" has a strong arc however each book encapsulates a/the worst weekend of the year for Dresden and the core story is introduced and wrapped up in the book (exception: Changes which ends on a horrible cliffhanger). Butcher is pretty good about reintroducing reoccurring characters in each book. The first twelve books are available in a series of omnibus editions.
Old school: Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers (the book whose back cover the movies were based on) and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.
posted by Mitheral at 11:40 AM on November 2, 2015
Jim Butcher's urban fantasy series "The Dresden Files" has a strong arc however each book encapsulates a/the worst weekend of the year for Dresden and the core story is introduced and wrapped up in the book (exception: Changes which ends on a horrible cliffhanger). Butcher is pretty good about reintroducing reoccurring characters in each book. The first twelve books are available in a series of omnibus editions.
Old school: Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers (the book whose back cover the movies were based on) and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.
posted by Mitheral at 11:40 AM on November 2, 2015
CJ Cherryh is wonderful and underrated - the Chronicles of Morgaine or the Pride of Chanur are good starting points.
posted by Sebmojo at 1:09 PM on November 2, 2015
posted by Sebmojo at 1:09 PM on November 2, 2015
For some classic British SF, I'd wholeheartedly recommend John Wyndham, particularly 'Day of the Triffid', 'Trouble with Lichen', 'The Kraken Awakes', 'The Midwich Cuckoos', 'Chocky' and my personal favourite, 'The Chrysalids'.
posted by h00py at 5:45 AM on November 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by h00py at 5:45 AM on November 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Oh, in terms of anthologies:
The Other Half of the Sky is space opera (that is, really SF-ish SF) by and about women. It's a very well-regarded recent anthology and I found most of the stories gripping and exciting.
I also expect that people would enjoy James Tiptree's short stories - Warm Worlds and Otherwise and Ten Thousand Light Years From Home in particular. Her voice is really engaging (and her stories are creepy! and often full of violence!). I feel like she's someone who is interested in/sympathetic to large organizations, military mindset, etc, for all that she is usually bracketed as a Big Feminist Name.
Heinlein's early short stories might also be of interest - the guy was awful and his later stuff is suuuuuuuuuuper creepy, but I was recently reading his early SF (for strictly historical reasons!) and it really hit that "engrossing, eventful with bombs and stuff but not disturbing" button. Maybe The Green Hills of Earth.
Can you send magazines? You could throw in some issues of Asimov's, Analog, etc. They're pretty text-heavy and might be helpful if someone knows they "like science fiction" but doesn't know a lot of authors.
Oooohh, and can you send graphic novels? If you can, you could send Saga, V for Vendetta, Watchmen...there's a big goodreads listhere but I'm not familiar with most of them. I find Alan Moore's politics really dubious and misogynist, and Watchmen has an incredibly sexist plot point, but it's gripping and there's a lot to read - even if you're a pretty fast reader, it will take you a little bit to get through the whole thing.
Also, you could send some Sandman, for the fantasy component. I don't like the very first one, Preludes and Nocturnes, that much - I found it really upsetting in a bad way, and I don't like the art. My recommendation would be to send Dream Country or Season of Mists.
Also, for fantasy, The Privilege of the Sword is light and fun. The others in the series are Very Slashy Indeed, and the middle one is interesting but not, IMO, well constructed.
To second h00py, I really like John Wyndham. "The Kraken Awakes" was published as "Out of the Deeps" in the US, and it's wonderfully eerie.
posted by Frowner at 9:24 AM on November 3, 2015
The Other Half of the Sky is space opera (that is, really SF-ish SF) by and about women. It's a very well-regarded recent anthology and I found most of the stories gripping and exciting.
I also expect that people would enjoy James Tiptree's short stories - Warm Worlds and Otherwise and Ten Thousand Light Years From Home in particular. Her voice is really engaging (and her stories are creepy! and often full of violence!). I feel like she's someone who is interested in/sympathetic to large organizations, military mindset, etc, for all that she is usually bracketed as a Big Feminist Name.
Heinlein's early short stories might also be of interest - the guy was awful and his later stuff is suuuuuuuuuuper creepy, but I was recently reading his early SF (for strictly historical reasons!) and it really hit that "engrossing, eventful with bombs and stuff but not disturbing" button. Maybe The Green Hills of Earth.
Can you send magazines? You could throw in some issues of Asimov's, Analog, etc. They're pretty text-heavy and might be helpful if someone knows they "like science fiction" but doesn't know a lot of authors.
Oooohh, and can you send graphic novels? If you can, you could send Saga, V for Vendetta, Watchmen...there's a big goodreads list
Also, you could send some Sandman, for the fantasy component. I don't like the very first one, Preludes and Nocturnes, that much - I found it really upsetting in a bad way, and I don't like the art. My recommendation would be to send Dream Country or Season of Mists.
Also, for fantasy, The Privilege of the Sword is light and fun. The others in the series are Very Slashy Indeed, and the middle one is interesting but not, IMO, well constructed.
To second h00py, I really like John Wyndham. "The Kraken Awakes" was published as "Out of the Deeps" in the US, and it's wonderfully eerie.
posted by Frowner at 9:24 AM on November 3, 2015
Patrick Rothfus's Kingkiller series is great, but not yet finished. The first book is "Name of the Wind".
Brandon Sanderson has a number of great books. Elantris is a good standalone choice, as is Warbreaker. Warbreaker is also available as a free ebook: http://brandonsanderson.com/books/warbreaker/warbreaker/
John Scalzi's "Lock In" and Ernest Cline's "Ready Player One" are great stand alone books.
posted by nalyd at 7:52 PM on November 3, 2015
Brandon Sanderson has a number of great books. Elantris is a good standalone choice, as is Warbreaker. Warbreaker is also available as a free ebook: http://brandonsanderson.com/books/warbreaker/warbreaker/
John Scalzi's "Lock In" and Ernest Cline's "Ready Player One" are great stand alone books.
posted by nalyd at 7:52 PM on November 3, 2015
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canshould be read later at any time.posted by Mitheral at 5:02 AM on November 2, 2015 [2 favorites]