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jreynolds ]: SF Signal wants to know ...
Q: Which science fiction, fantasy, and/or horror books would you recommend to a friend who has never read those genres before?
An interesting question, but one that, upon reflection, is a tough one to answer. It depends on who yr recommending things to, you see.
For example, what do they normally like to read and why does that not include sci-fi, fantasy or horror?
If it’s for reasons of lit snobbery, I’d just point out that if they like Kurt Vonnegut, George Orwell and William Burroughs, they already read science fiction.
Or let’s say the person “hates” SF but likes, say, mysteries, spy thrillers and war novels. Well, 80% of SF tends to be mysteries, spy thrillers and war novels dressed up with futuristic technology or alternate histories, so that’s a foot in the door.
As for specific recommendations, though, I can’t really think of anything beyond the obvious (Douglas Adams, PK Dick, Stanislaw Lem, Neil Gaiman, HP Lovecraft, etc). I’m especially weak on the horror angle, since I don’t really read much horror. That said, you could always try Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (though I haven’t read it, so it doesn’t really count as a recommendation). Or you could ...
Oh, the hell with it – I’ll just give them a copy of Warren Ellis’ Crooked Little Vein, which doesn’t neatly fit any of these categories, but blends all three (sort of). If the chapter on Godzilla bukkake porn doesn’t challenge them to expand their literary horizons, they’re beyond help.
Read what you want,
This is dF
jreynolds ]: SF Signal wants to know ...Q: Which science fiction, fantasy, and/or horror books would you recommend to a friend who has never read those genres before?
An interesting question, but one that, upon reflection, is a tough one to answer. It depends on who yr recommending things to, you see.
For example, what do they normally like to read and why does that not include sci-fi, fantasy or horror?
If it’s for reasons of lit snobbery, I’d just point out that if they like Kurt Vonnegut, George Orwell and William Burroughs, they already read science fiction.
Or let’s say the person “hates” SF but likes, say, mysteries, spy thrillers and war novels. Well, 80% of SF tends to be mysteries, spy thrillers and war novels dressed up with futuristic technology or alternate histories, so that’s a foot in the door.
As for specific recommendations, though, I can’t really think of anything beyond the obvious (Douglas Adams, PK Dick, Stanislaw Lem, Neil Gaiman, HP Lovecraft, etc). I’m especially weak on the horror angle, since I don’t really read much horror. That said, you could always try Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (though I haven’t read it, so it doesn’t really count as a recommendation). Or you could ...
Oh, the hell with it – I’ll just give them a copy of Warren Ellis’ Crooked Little Vein, which doesn’t neatly fit any of these categories, but blends all three (sort of). If the chapter on Godzilla bukkake porn doesn’t challenge them to expand their literary horizons, they’re beyond help.
Read what you want,
This is dF
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no subject
on 2009-05-31 11:05 pm (UTC)