# Book recomendations for a newbie



## Colum Paget (Aug 6, 2012)

So, someone I know who is intelligent, but not very educated, and who's led a somewhat rough-tough life, is interested in SF. They've not got much scientific knowledge, but they welcome a literary challenge. What books should I recommend? (Frankenstein and Flowers for Algernon are already up)


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## Brian G Turner (Aug 6, 2012)

Clarke's "2001" and Herbert's "Dune" immediately come to mind as classics that are relatively easy to read. 

Not sure about Frankenstein, though - found it quite long-winded, really.


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## Nerds_feather (Aug 6, 2012)

*The Stars, My Destination* by Alfred Bester would be my recommendation! Or *Non-Stop* by Brian Aldiss. There are SF Masterworks editions of both.


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## J-Sun (Aug 6, 2012)

Dunno what to say in terms of a title or two based on that information but be sure to check out all the stickies about "_X_ Recommendations for the Unenlightened" in the GDB forum.


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## The Judge (Aug 7, 2012)

I'd definitely think again about *Frankenstein* if I were you -- I found it turgid in the extreme, so unless your friend is into maudlin long-winded Victorian prose I'd scratch it from the list.  I also second *Dune* as being an easy read.

*Lord of Light* by Roger Zelazny -- it's dense and not an easy read, but there's no science stuff to fall over, and if your friend has any interest in India and/or religion generally he will find it intriguing.  I think Liz Williams is also to be recommended, though I've only read one of hers, *Winterstrike*, which is flawed but still a good read.


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## iansales (Aug 7, 2012)

How about something that isn't between 50 and 200 years old? *Intrusion* by Ken MacLeod was published this year and is definitely worth reading (see the review on this site).


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## Stephen Palmer (Aug 8, 2012)

Aldiss' _Helliconia_
Dune
Day Of The Triffids


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## moroti (Nov 20, 2012)

Samuel Delaney's Babel-17 might suit the bill.


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## kromanjon (Jan 31, 2013)

Someone said Intrusion and I can recomend that as well. Otherwise New Model Army or By Light Alone, both by Adam Roberts, are great reads or perhaps The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi.


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## Stephen Palmer (Feb 1, 2013)

Adam Roberts' _Snow_ is a great (if occasionally frustrating) read.


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## Southern Geologist (Feb 1, 2013)

*Intrusion* is getting some interesting commentary.  I will be very happy when it comes out on this side of the pond next month.


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## merritt (Apr 3, 2013)

Dust - Charles Pelligrino


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## jastius (Apr 3, 2013)

*Robert A. Heinlein* has a selection of rough and tumble reads that are a detailed social commentary. *Starship Troopers*, for instance was written in support of his views upon the need for a type of nuclear godfather in the world...this might still be an interesting discussion point with the third world arms race that is undergoing. For a change of pace, *Stranger in a Strange Land *explores our ideas of the whole judeochristian mythos as examined from the perceptions of an outsider, and the nature of love and compassion.
My other recommendations for a new science fiction reader are *Isaac Asimov*'s Robot series, and the usual selections from *Ray Bradbury*;* Fahrenheit 451*, which explores censorship and personal liberties,  *Something Wicked This Way Comes*, with its exploration of the worth of the life of an individual, while *I Sing the Body Electric *and *The Illustrated Man *are two short story collections. As these are given as a sort of science fiction introduction to children by schools, they should be suitable.


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