Gateway SF

[wakela]

Apologies if this has already been discussed...

I self-described "science fiction virgin" friend of mine as asked me to recommend an SF book.  We're going to be taking a trip together next month and we thought it would be fun to read the same book before we go and then talk about it.  He asks that the book not be terribly long (which is probably a good idea, anyway). 

So what would you guys suggest?

[Bdoomed]

Sirens of Titan
or the first Hitchhiker's Guide book.

[Ocicat]

It kind of depends on what kind of stories he likes, in general...

But, off the top of my head:
The Lathe of Heaven by LeGuin
Flowers for Algernon by Keyes
Slaughterhouse Five by Vonnegut

All of those have interesting ideas that should be fun to talk about on a trip.  None of them is very stereotypical SF, as in spaceships and blasters... They're all pretty much set on earth in pretty much the present day, though Lathe and Slaughterhouse do feature aliens.  Though in neither case is the alien race actually central to the book.

If you want to go with something that might fit his preconceptions of SF a little better, maybe Ender's Game.

[lowky]

I second Ender's Game, just don't let him read any sequels or he will be pissed off at you for suggesting he read Ender's Game.

two other suggestions that are series but to a large extent can be picked up anywhere in the series would be any of the Callahan's books or any of the Stainless Steel Rat books.  They tend to be more adventure books while still dealing with Sci-fi.

[stePH]

I second Ender's Game, just don't let him read any sequels or he will be pissed off at you for suggesting he read Ender's Game.

...or, if wakela's friend is a clearer thinker than that, he might rather be pissed off at Card for writing the sequels to Ender's Game/

[Listener]

If your friend likes Star Trek, perhaps one of the GOOD Star Trek tie-in novels.

TOS: How Much For Just The Planet
TNG: Q-in-Law
DS9: The Big Game

I liked the Stainless Steel Rat books but I don't think they're a great introduction to SF because it's kind of hard (or, at least, it was hard for ME) to figure out exactly what's going on SF-wise. Like, I knew the Rat was a criminal but not an asshat, but the SF and the chronology threw me a bit.

Even though I love SF I find myself reading a lot more fantasy lately so it's a little hard to think of anything off the top of my head.

[jrderego]

"Tunnel in the Sky" or "Double Star" by Robert Heinlein.. or even "Have Spacesuit Will Travel" others that are a good gateway "Jurassic Park" by Michael Crichton, "The War of the Worlds" by H. G. Wells, "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess.

[Listener]

"Tunnel in the Sky" or "Double Star" by Robert Heinlein.. or even "Have Spacesuit Will Travel" others that are a good gateway "Jurassic Park" by Michael Crichton, "The War of the Worlds" by H. G. Wells, "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess.

Is Clockwork Orange written in dialect? I seem to remember someone saying that it was.

[jrderego]

"Tunnel in the Sky" or "Double Star" by Robert Heinlein.. or even "Have Spacesuit Will Travel" others that are a good gateway "Jurassic Park" by Michael Crichton, "The War of the Worlds" by H. G. Wells, "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess.

Is Clockwork Orange written in dialect? I seem to remember someone saying that it was.

Yeah, but it's pretty easy to get the hang of. Burgess uses a lot of slang terms and funny sentence structure, all told first person past tense. But Alex the narrator is so charismatic the language idiosyncrasies vanish very quickly. It's a great story too about moral choices, dystopia, youth, etc...

[stePH]

Is Clockwork Orange written in dialect? I seem to remember someone saying that it was.

Yeah, but it's pretty easy to get the hang of. Burgess uses a lot of slang terms and funny sentence structure, all told first person past tense. But Alex the narrator is so charismatic the language idiosyncrasies vanish very quickly. It's a great story too about moral choices, dystopia, youth, etc...

Be sure to get the complete version; my copy that I bought over twenty years ago omits the twenty-first chapter (Kubrick used this version when he adapted it to film.)

[jrderego]

Is Clockwork Orange written in dialect? I seem to remember someone saying that it was.

Yeah, but it's pretty easy to get the hang of. Burgess uses a lot of slang terms and funny sentence structure, all told first person past tense. But Alex the narrator is so charismatic the language idiosyncrasies vanish very quickly. It's a great story too about moral choices, dystopia, youth, etc...

Be sure to get the complete version; my copy that I bought over twenty years ago omits the twenty-first chapter (Kubrick used this version when he adapted it to film.)

You can't even buy the one with the missing 21st chapter anymore, so unless you're prowling used bookstores and see a really old one, you should be safe.

[Sandikal]

What kind of books does your friend like to read?  It might be best to match the novel to the kinds of things he likes.

I think "The Left Hand of Darkness" is excellent for people who like capital-L Literature, but it might be too long and dense.  I think "Eifelheim" by Michael Flynn or "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell would be excellent choices for people who like lit. 

If your friend likes mysteries/thrillers, try "Polaris" by Jack McDevitt or "Kiln People" by David Brin.

For humor, try just about anything by Connie Willis.

[stePH]

Be sure to get the complete version [of A Clockwork Orange; my copy that I bought over twenty years ago omits the twenty-first chapter (Kubrick used this version when he adapted it to film.)

You can't even buy the one with the missing 21st chapter anymore, so unless you're prowling used bookstores and see a really old one, you should be safe.

Good to know.  I should update; it's kind of lame to have a folded photocopy of the last chapter tucked into the back cover.