rec's needed for first scifi book in RL book club

[AbsentLibrarian]

Hi,
I am looking for book recommendations for an intro to the sci-fi genre for my book club. I am hoping to find something that is not too heavy on the science explanations, please, as this is a first foray into the genre for the group and there is some resistance. Specifically one of these settings:

-Crew aboard a spaceship.
-Earth based with alien contact.

Something with well developed characters and fast paced, mystery or action. A bit of romance is not out of the question. Basically something that grabs you right away and keeps the pages turning for this group.

Anything come to mind? What are your favorites?
Many thanks!!

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Leviathan Wakes and The Collapsing Empire were both a ton of fun, without being overwhelming.

Leviathan Wakes has the benefit of being first in a series already chugging along and is has the familiar trope of "mystery novel."

Collapsing Empire has the benefit of being by an author with a ton of other works and being very funny, though a bit crass-- dunno if that's good or bad for your audience.

I've also seen The Martian put forth as a good intro book.

We have a thread I just happened to recollect buried on a forum here about "must read" sci fi that I thought would be helpful, too :-)

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Jack]

I like Starship Troupes by Robert A Heinlein. It is a fast read but with a lot of elements to discuss in a club.

and it is nothing like the movie!

[Brenda]

Either The Vor Game or Shards of Honor, by Lois Bujold. Space opera at its very best.

[Paul]

Hi AL


The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet would certainly fit the first criterion. It's very character based, so quite accessible to new SF readers, although rather episodic and does contain aliens which I know some people new to the genre can struggle with.


Many of Sheri S. Tepper's books would be excellent. She is a writer far more interested in the people and their relationships and psychologies than the science. Perhaps Grass or Raising the Stones would fit the latter category (the latter is technically a sequel to the former, but they are really independent books with very little connection).


The Sparrow is a remarkable alien contact book (with the contact far more metaphor than science) but goes to some VERY dark places.


Nnedi Okorafor's Binti is a novella, and utterly superb. It involves space travel and alien contact, and approaches the genre from an unusual POV; the main character comes from a Namibian desert culture that seems to live in the fairly distant future. I have fallen in love with Okorafor this year.


An excellent space travel / alien contact novel is Learning the World: A Scientific Romance by Ken MacLeod.


I think I've given you quite enough to think about :) Hope it helps!

[Hayley]

I would recommend anything by Peter Crawdon

[Sarah]

I agree with Allison about Leviathan Wakes. I avoided it for years because the book is huge and looks dense and chewy. It was an absolute blast and I was kicking myself for avoiding it. It's a mystery that takes place primarily on a ship. And who can really resist the term "vomit zombie"...

[Travis]

Sarah Anne wrote: "I agree with Allison about Leviathan Wakes. I avoided it for years because the book is huge and looks dense and chewy. It was an absolute blast and I was kicking myself for avoiding it."

I'm waiting for this book from the library now and can't wait for it to arrive.

[Sarah]

Oh, you're going to have so much fun :)

[Aidan]

Ender's Game is a classic intro into the genre and covers Earth-based and alien contact as well. No alien contact, but Rachel Aukes' Fringe Runner is pretty good too. Not too sciencey and based out in the "fringe" of Earth's colonies.

[Aidan]

Or you can give your book club nightmares and just start off on some Warhammer 40k novels. . .

[David]

I also have to second Leviathan Wakes. I'm not as obsessed with the series as some people are, but it sounds like exactly what you asked for (crew on a space ship, action, mystery).

I also love Bujold and all of her books, but for various reasons I've had mixed reactions introducing people to her work with Shards of Honor. She is extremely readable and has fantastic characters in general, though she's just getting started in Shards.

[Monica]

I'm going to go with Paul in recommending The Sparrow. Not too technical, lots of intriguing dilemma's. It wouldn't be such a dramatic shift in their normal perspectives. Sort of like visiting an island never seen before. Top notch fiction (with aliens) and some very heady struggles with meaning and purpose and value of life.

[Trike]

Yeah, if you're going for "literature meets mystery" then I agree that The Sparrow is a good one to try. As others have said, it's pretty dark. It is, however, very light on the science.

For a more fun read, I will echo the recommendation of The Martian. It's basically Robinson Crusoe on Mars (no relation to the 1960s movie of the same name), but it has more science and math in it.

I also think The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is a good intro. Character-based with lots of aliens who have different ways of looking at life than we do.

Then of course there is The Handmaid's Tale, which is neither on a spaceship nor has any aliens but it's definitely Science Fiction, and it has the advantage of being both topical given the current political climate and has the much-praised TV series adaptation currently running on Hulu.

[Leonie]

If you don't mind YA, maybe consider Illuminae but it is written in a different style.

[Ilona]

I will suggest Fuzzy Nation and All Systems Red.

All Systems Red is a fun novella from the POV of an android with an exploration crew.

[Jan]

The Engines of God is pretty accessible and not too long to test non-sf readers' patience. A great read. Action, mystery, alien artefacts, a sense of wonder about space and the universe.

[Mae]

For an easy, adventurous, intro to "-Crew aboard a spaceship" I'd recommend something like

It has solid characters, mystery, adventure and is very light on the actual sciency parts.

[Sarah]

Ilona wrote: "I will suggest Fuzzy Nation and All Systems Red.

All Systems Red is a fun novella from the POV of an android with an exploration crew."

Fuzzy Nation was very well loved in my in person book group.

[Sarah]

Ilona wrote: "I will suggest Fuzzy Nation and All Systems Red.

All Systems Red is a fun novella from the POV of an android with an exploration crew."

Fuzzy Nation was very well loved in my in person book group.

[Sarah]

Ilona wrote: "I will suggest Fuzzy Nation and All Systems Red.

All Systems Red is a fun novella from the POV of an android with an exploration crew."

Fuzzy Nation was very well loved in my in person book group.

[Sarah]

Jan130 wrote: "The Engines of God is pretty accessible and not too long to test non-sf readers' patience. A great read. Action, mystery, alien artefacts, a sens..."

Fuzzy Nation was very well loved in my in person book group.

[Marc-André]

I'd go with Old Man's War by John Scalzi. A lot of the book is set on starships, it is fast paced, short, funny and has few sciencific info dumps.

[Anil]

Forever war, forever peace, and fir ever free trilogy
2001 A space odyssey Arthur c. Clark
Nonstop by Brian Aldiss
Foundation trilogy by Asimov. It does have lot of time on spaceships, mystery, action and everything in between thrown into the mix. Add prelude to foundation to the mix. It is a great book
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur c. Clark is a bit slow but excellent. Not an adventure though.
Dorsal books

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Anil wrote: "Forever war, forever peace, and fir ever free trilogy
2001 A space odyssey Arthur c. Clark
Nonstop by Brian Aldiss
Foundation trilogy by Asimov. It does have lot of time on spaceships, mystery, act..."

Hmm...I think this might be more advanced scifi picks, personally. I'm not sure I'd give them to people who were reluctant to read scifi in the first place.

[Julia]

The Sparrow is a favorite series of mine, so I'm thirding it. Surprisingly, I haven't successfully convinced my RL book club to read it yet. Hmmm, I'll have to work on that.

I'm seconding Nnedi Okorafor's Binti, which has another novella in the series now Home. Novellas are popular in my book group.

A book we read last year and loved, and talked a lot about, which may be even more important, though it doesn't take place in space is Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. It's a hopeful dystopian novel.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*]

I LOVED All Systems Red. Loved. Murderbot was snarky and very relate-able.

I just got into Space Opera and loved Old Man's War and Collasping Empire.

I adore Starship Troopers but it is a slow and introspective novel - I really liked the concepts discussed, especially citizenship. The action parts are there but they aren't the focus.

I also second Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.

[David]

MrsJoseph wrote: "Murderbot was snarky and very relate-able.

I've never heard of this book, but that sentence, with no context, is enough to make me look into it. ;)

Edit: Yeah, I looked it up, and this is one I've got to read. :)

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*]

David wrote: "MrsJoseph wrote: "Murderbot was snarky and very relate-able.

I've never heard of this book, but that sentence, with no context, is enough to make me look into it. ;)"

I think you'll enjoy it. :-D

[Kateb]

having a few non sci fi friends I was asked to recommend some books to "get them started"
Lets just say that Enders game went down well, The Martian ( I loved) was felt to be tooo boring, they all loved the first book of the Pern series. The handmaidens tale was too distressing.
Finally we set down what each of them liked in books and worked from there
Raymond Feist daughter of the empire went well and so did Fuzzy nation
good luck. Let me know what books your friends like

[AbsentLibrarian]

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS!!

I have just finished All Systems Red by Wells and loved it! My only disappointment was discovering that I have to wait for the next book to be published. (yes, I loved the snark!)
I also read Binti and really enjoyed it.
I am off to the library to pick up Fuzzy Nation, A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, and finally, Old Man's War. Once finished I will pick one of these.
Again, thank you for the suggestions...off to read!

[Trike]

I'd love to hear how it goes after the group reads whichever one you pick.

[Kateb]

Trike wrote: "I'd love to hear how it goes after the group reads whichever one you pick."

me too

[Paul]

I third that. Look's like you have some great reading ahead :)

[AbsentLibrarian]

I have selected Old Man's War for our October book. Besides being the one I think most will like, it is also the title that had more then one copy in the libraries of the closest 3 cities. I am still holding on to All Systems Red for one of my future turns at picking the title.
Thanks again for all of your suggestions. I can't wait to see what they think.

[Paul]

AbsentLibrarian wrote: "I have selected Old Man's War for our October book. Besides being the one I think most will like, it is also the title that had more then one copy in the libraries of the closest 3 cities. I am sti..."

I think that should go down well :) enjoy!