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

    • What outcome would you like? Disciplinary action? Not to have the driver back? Retraining? I know there is alot of pressure on drivers to deliver within a set day. if he slams the gate, is it evidence he is causing damage, or is the noise a irritant to yourself? You could put a sign up or buy a signing asking to close the gate gentle???? can you hear the door bell from the door? he might be ringing, not hearing and therefore knocking. In trhe notes section of the be livery page, there is a note section, although there is not 100 per cent these notes would be read as these drivers are constantly rushing.  I did a google search for you, i found this and you can try the envri website Contact Us | Evri   To complain to Evri, you can follow these steps: Contact Customer Service: Call Evri's customer service at 0330 808 5456 for assistance with your complaint.    1 Write a Letter: Address your complaint to Capitol House, 1 Capitol Close, Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS27 0WH.    1 Use the Official Website: Visit the Evri complaints page on their official website for detailed instructions on how to submit a complaint.    2 Email or Call for Specific Issues: For issues like missing or damaged parcels, you can email or call 0800 988 8888, which is free to call.    1 These methods will help you effectively communicate your concerns to Evri.   My driver is called anthony, he is brilliant to be honest. I cant fault him.
    • When I have more time and energy, I will look up the actual number of votes cast for each party in that election, rather than the number of seats won. I'm interested to see that you apparently  think that  Boris Johnson did a good job of "leading the country through Covid." Is your memory really that short? I won't stoop to calling Johnson and his cronies names in the way that you seem to think is appropriate for left wing politicians. At least the left wing politicians have some semblance of morals and a concern for people who aren't in some over privileged inner circle and/or raking in money for themselves on the back of an epidemic. I'm not going to open a can of worms on here  by commenting on the disgraceful so called "purge". 
    • Can’t imagine what it must be like you have your doorbell rung harshly.
    • Hi all, Wondering if anyone else in/around SE22 is also having the unfortunate luck of having Evri parcels delivered by a very rude individual? Whenever we have parcels delivered, our front gate is being slammed open and closed, ring doorbell is harshly banged (not pressed) followed by simultaneously banging on the door knocker and slamming the letter box multiple times. Someone is normally home by the time they come in the evening and never has to wait long for an answer. If we’re not home, we speak to them on the doorbell so we do find the actions of this individual unreasonable and rude.  We have tried a couple of times politely asking that they not do this but they are very dismissive and gives a passive-aggressive “have a nice day” reply.  Has anyone been able to contact Evri and successfully had any issues similar to this resolved? We have enough evidence through our doorbell footage but we are lost with what else we can do. We’ve tried asking politely but don’t want our gate or door damaged by someone who simply doesn’t care and lacks basic manners.    If anyone else is having this issue or has any advice on how we can report this, it would be much appreciated. After another dismissive reply to my concern this afternoon, I will be calling Evri tomorrow to raise a complaint. I have lost my patience with them 
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

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