AKICOLJ: A book for tom

[coalescent]

The esteemed Mr Anderson passes on this request for book recommendations:

... an SF book for a reading group - needs to be something that non-SF readers would appreciate, not too hard to read, something to get them started with SF. Any ideas? Also needs to be in cheap-ish paperback I suppose.

The need for it to be readily available in paperback probably implies something fairly recent; it needs to be science fiction, not fantasy; and obviously, it needs to be good. Tom is already suggesting The Separation, The Prestige, and ("through gritted teeth") Cloud Atlas. What else should be on this list? (Tom notes that he will find and kill, horribly, anyone who suggests Air.)

(On a separate note, for anyone who might be interested my books-read-in-2006 roundup is here.)

EDIT: Tom has listed the suggestions so far here.

Comments

[andrewducker]

I'd take Brave New World over 1984 any day of the week.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

So would I, personally. :)

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't. I've never managed to finish Brave New World.

[fba.livejournal.com]

The only reason I finished 1984 was because it was for GCSE English. Brave New World OTOH is bleakly hysterical.