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

[buymeaclue.livejournal.com]

What does the reading group like in a book?

What sort of non-SF fiction do they read?

[grahamsleight.livejournal.com]

Earth Abides or A Canticle for Leibowitz, maybe.

[secritcrush.livejournal.com]

Farenheit 451, maybe something like Zodiac if it's readily available over there or something like The Time Traveler's Wife.

[grahamsleight.livejournal.com]

Oh, duh, missed your "recent" proviso. We all agree that The Sparrow is awesome, right?

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

The Sparrow, of course.

More useful suggestions: one of the smaller Stephensons (Snow Crash or The Diamond Age). One of the good Culture novels - I don't think the ones I've read are suitable (Excession is too SF, Consider Phlebas isn't good enough, Use of Weapons I haven't finished yet but might be good) but I'm sure someone can suggest one. Maybe The Time Traveler's Wife.

[blzblack.livejournal.com]

I would suggest Air before I suggested The Prestige. I can send Tom my address.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

I suspect that tom will treat suggestions of The Sparrow with the disdain he treats suggestions of Air.

It's not clear to me whether it has to be a novel; if not, Egan or Chiang seem like obvious picks.

[secritcrush.livejournal.com]

Wacky sitcom episode #67 - Graham gets whacked repeatedly about the head for suggesting The Sparrow is awesome.

[grahamsleight.livejournal.com]

Aw! Can't we have a custard pie fight?

[yalovetz]

I've had success recommending Ursula LeGuin's The Dispossed to readers new to the SF genre before now. They were mostly philosophers though, and therefore interested in the ideas/politics in it, so it really does depend on the nature of the group involved.

[secritcrush.livejournal.com]

I'm sure we can involve custard pies in the whacking.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

I dunno. Would Snow Crash work for non-sf readers?

I was wondering about some Kim Stanley Robinson, although frustratingly I'm pretty sure the Three Californias books aren't in print over here.

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest this as well, I think it would make a very good book club choice.

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

Of course it has to be a novel. Also, you are a madman.

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

I nearly suggested this - the ideas interested me and I've got no philosophy background whatsoever. Did Tom say who the reading group was?

[secritcrush.livejournal.com]

Would Snow Crash work for non-sf readers?

I'd say no--it's got such a high geek quotient. (Obviously my pick for the most accessible Stephenson is Zodiac, as it has a bit of the Crichton OMG thrillerness that I think will be appeal to nonSF folk and has an interesting SF element. Biggest caution is the actively obnoxious narrator.)

What about Flowers for Algernon? (Or a collection of Bradbury stories like The Martian Chronicles.)

[secritcrush.livejournal.com]

Or maybe some Vonnegut? Or something like Gun, with Occasional Music by Lethem?

[communicator.livejournal.com]

The big challenge is to get round the scorn of the audience for the genre. I think a soft story with character and politics in it (like electricant's suggestion) is a good idea. But even more armour-plating is provided by Honoured Literary Status, so I might plonk them with '1984'. it's not new but it's very readily available.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

Vonnegut is a really good suggestion. Slaughterhouse 5 is surely iconic enough to get past the preconceptions.

[fba.livejournal.com]

'Player of Games' would probably fit the bill as a Culture novel. UoW may be a bit of a headfuck for the uninitiated...

The Time Traveler's Wife strikes me as an obvious choice (given that it was a R&J rec'd book and all)...

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

Well, you're assuming they have negative preconceptions, which is not necessarily the case. But even if they do, aren't there two strategies? One, try to convince them that this good thing not packaged as sf is actually sf; two, get them to read something packaged as sf and discover that it's good. Vonnegut would be a strategy-one approach, I tend to prefer strategy-two.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

The Time Traveler's Wife strikes me as an obvious choice (given that it was a R&J rec'd book and all)...

It depends whether we're trying to get them to read something they'll like or something good. :) (Of course, some would say The Time-Traveler's Wife is both ...)

[abigail-n.livejournal.com]

I suppose short story collection are out of the question? Otherwise I'd suggest Mothers and Other Monsters or Stories of Your Life.

I assume the objection to Air has to do with it being the most obvious choice?

My first suggestion would be Lethem's Girl in Landscape, followed closely by China Mountain Zhang (neither one is very recent, but the Lethem at least shouldn't be hard to come by). Brin's Kiln People is also an option, and in the department of slightly out-there suggestions, there's Michel Faber's Under the Skin.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

Hey - we've got to assume something, so why not the worst?

get them to read something packaged as sf and discover that it's good

that's precisely what Slaughterhouse 5 would do!

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

I have had some success with Girl In Landscape.