Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Any particular type or subgenre? Is he new to scifi? Here are some suggestions, focusing on shorter, self-contained (i.e. non-series) stories.


Ursula K LeGuin - The Left Hand of Darkness. A story of political intrigue and friendship. Takes place on a wintry planet which makes for nice Xmas reading.


Ursula K LeGuin - The Lathe of Heaven. A man has the ability to change reality to match his dreams.


Robert Sheckley - Store of the Worlds. This is a short story collection by a somewhat forgotten writer. It has a good mix of earth-based and offworld stories, most of which I seem to recall have dated quite well.


Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale. From wikipedia: "Set in the near future, in a totalitarian Christian theocracy which has overthrown the United States government, The Handmaid's Tale explores themes of women in subjugation and the various means by which they gain agency." It is very good, but very grim.


Daniel Keyes - Flowers for Algernon. It's hard to say much without giving it all away, but the basic premise is that a man undergoes an experiment to artificially increase his intelligence.


Walter Tevis - Mockingbird. In the future, books don't exist, people can't read, and a suicidal android runs NYC.


Mikhail Bulgakov - Heart of a Dog. A Russian surgeon takes in a stray dog and gives it human organs. The dog becomes more and more human... sort of. Good option for someone who's used to the weight and tone of Russian literature but may be a bit overwhelming for the uninitiated.

True, both options are quite serious and sad for xmas gifts.


Maybe Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide, then?


Or, this may be a very out-there suggestion, but Abnett and Lanning's Guardians of the Galaxy comics are collected into two volumes and are an excellent sprawling space opera with a lot of humour mixed in.

KGastaldo Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I'm reading Dune by Frank Herbert now and like it.

> Decided to read it after many recommendations as a

> book that will change the way you think about

> life.


Stay with it ... all the original Frank ones are goodies..

The Man in the High Castle is currently a series on Amazon which I don't have but I'm told it's good. It's based on this book:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_in_the_High_Castle


The author also wrote the already mentioned Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep which Bladerunner was based on.

it depends on what his bag is - the ones recommended are all good and i read and enjoyed them when they were still new and fresh, but they do not really work when re-read by an older and presumably more demanding reader


of the newer writers, Iain M Banks is very good, and I highly recommend China Mieville

the new William Gibson (The Peripheral) is also a great return to form


what about George RR Martin i.e. the Game of Thrones guy!

and another good newer writer is Paolo Bacigalupi


if he likes cyberpunk/hardboiled, then Walter Jon Williams or Richard Morgan

and if he's into hard SF, then try someone like Alastair Reynolds or Kim Stanley Robinson or Stephen Baxter

Alan Medic Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The Man in the High Castle is currently a series

> on Amazon which I don't have but I'm told it's

> good. It's based on this book:

>

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_in_the_High_

> Castle

>

> The author also wrote the already mentioned Do

> Androids Dream of Electric Sheep which Bladerunner

> was based on.


I have the book... yes its a good read but it's not really my idea of sci-fi.

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Alan Medic Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > The Man in the High Castle is currently a


> I have the book... yes its a good read but it's

> not really my idea of sci-fi.


no? the author and his readership agreed it was SF, to the extent that it won the Hugo - it's a classic alternative universe novel

but you're right that it's not "sci-fi"!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • There is a large amount fresh veg available in the green book cage outside the copleston church,sprouts,spring onions,potatoes,parsnips and bread rolls,pop down shame to see it get wasted          
    • On the original topic - there was more of this on Whateley Road today. Same place but the other side of the road. Could be the same dogwalker as for the other nearby roads?   I don't have a dog - but would have thought it's hard for owners not to notice when a dog is doing it in the middle of a pavement? 
    • Thought I’d take a trip down to Rye Lane this morning to visit the charity shops etc. I usually park in the Morrisons car park and buy stuff there and then the nearby shops. I know there are a few shops near the Aylesham centre that are having to close (Boots the chemist was a shoplifters favourite over the years) but I was shocked to see the extent of shop closures, graffiti, overall decline in the area.  Sometimes I get the bus and wanted to visit the Crises charity shop but it didn’t open until 10.30am and it had a coffee place inside. They have a shop in Rye Lane but are missing out on early rising customers. Walking down towards Santendar and the Primark store was very empty.Just hope that isn’t due for closure. The security guards are very nonchalant. The Scope charity shop has a prime position but doesn’t promote the shop Greggs have done away with their self service due to the number of thefts of food items.  The Poundland was quite empty too but I visit this one as they have stock since the Camberwell one closed down.         
    • Maybe I'm behind the times, but in the old days if you went to a pub for charity fundraiser you'd have a quiz or karaoke and you'd be chipping in for a new scanner at your local hospital or maybe sending some poor kiddie for some cancer treatment abroad. Nowadays you can roll down to the Old Nun's head in Nunhead and tip your money into a bucket for some sad young woman to go a private surgeon and have her breasts sliced off -  as if that was going to be some kind of life-saving treatment!  Not only that, she's publicising her Valentine's crowdfunder with a funny ha ha (not) cartoon of a girl (see pic) with a hypodermic in her bum and calling it 'Valen-Tits-off'. Jesus wept. Whatever happened to hearts and flowers? It's so unbelievably sick. I'm a woman, I've pretty much still got all the woman-bits intact. Periods and puberty weren't much fun, I was bullied at school, wondered about my sexuality and boys and spots and the rest of it, got called a lezzer by the class cow, but I got through it. And I would no more think that cutting bits off a girl was the solution to her misery than I would put my teenage daughter on a diet if she was diagnosed with anorexia. I can't be the only person who finds the pub - and its publicity material - very VERY offensive?
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...