Recommended a sci-fi book for a non sci-fi reader

[Zigster]

LordGrover said:

Why does 'fantasy' forever get lumped in with sci-fi?

I hate that too. They are very different genres - one is set in a potential future (even where it is actually set in the past, it is a future that could have happened). The other involves elements that are made up and will never happen and could not have ever happened.

Yes, some books do have elements of both. But that's no reason to lump them all together. I can imagine SciFi Romance novels (and I'm sure they do exist) but putting all SciFi and Romance novels on the same shelves would lead to some bemused old dears flicking past Iain M Banks when looking for a bit of Mills and Boon.

[captain_cynic]

Halb said:

Most of those differences are superficial and in the head of the viewer.

The similarities are in your head. The genre's are quite different. No point in explaining it again.

I enjoy most Sci-Fi books, but don't enjoy most fantasy ones.

Not because fantasy books are bad, they're just not my cup of tea.

[Halb]

captain_cynic said:

The similarities are in your head. The genre's are quite different. No point in explaining it again.

I enjoy most Sci-Fi books, but don't enjoy most fantasy ones.

Not because fantasy books are bad, they're just not my cup of tea.

YOu haven't explained it at all. You've commented on superficial differences. The similarities are there in critiques, I haven't made them up myself.
Any tech that isn't real is magic, Star Trek was magic. There are books that are advertised e as 'fantasy' when they more closely adhere to what perception perceives as sci-fi.
For myself, I enjoy the fantastical, spaceships and swords, whatever. I have a sneaking feeling that GRR one day will place ASOIAF inside the 1,000 worlds universe, they already adhere to the same internal principles.

[RizzoTheRat]

captain_cynic said:

Fantasy deals with fantasy themes (elves, magic, swords and archers, typically themes associated with the past). Science fiction deals with more futuristic themes (space travel, other planets, lasers).

Is there really much difference between an elf with a magic sword, and an Wookie with a light sabre?

Completely agree with your past vs future comment though, most fantasy seems to be set in a feudal world, while most science fiction is set in high tech worlds, but I think there's probably just as much combined scifi/fantasy as there is of either genre on their own.

For example there's quite a lot of SciFi that includes telepathy, which is surely fantasy, and fantasy that has people moving through portals between worlds sounds a lot like science fiction.

[Halb]

RizzoTheRat said:

Is there really much difference between an elf with a magic sword, and an Wookie with a light sabre?

Completely agree with your past vs future comment though, most fantasy seems to be set in a feudal world, while most science fiction is set in high tech worlds, but I think there's probably just as much combined scifi/fantasy as there is of either genre on their own.

For example there's quite a lot of SciFi that includes telepathy, which is surely fantasy, and fantasy that has people moving through portals between worlds sounds a lot like science fiction.

I was thinking the same thing with a blaster, a blaster is labelled sci-fi, but it's no different that a wizard and his staff.
An interesting trope, which GRR uses in the 1,000 worlds place a few times is the post-apocalypic scenario. A once high tech civilisation reduced to sandals and swords, where some things come across as magic.

The use of telepathy is also, as you say, another point which really blurrs lines, whether you wanna call it the force or psi abilities. Ultimately, it depends on which label we stick on something.

[vsonix]

How has the thread even got this far without anyone mentioning Dick (Phillip K)?

[Nimby]

LordGrover said:

Halb said:

The many many stories of GRR Martin, his stories in the 1,000 worlds universe are wonderful.

Isn't he the Game of Thrones johnny?
Why does 'fantasy' forever get lumped in with sci-fi?

He's written hard SF too.

edit: Here he is with some familiar names in an old anthology in my collection:

Edited by Nimby on Wednesday 24th January 14:14

[Halb]

He was actually most well know for his sci-fi, until GoT took off like crazy, and his huge body of earlier work got sort of ignored sadly.

[paulguitar]

This writer is amazing, anybody read this series?

[Nimby]

RizzoTheRat said:

... most fantasy seems to be set in a feudal world, while most science fiction is set in high tech worlds ....

Try Larry Niven's Warlock stories. Fantasy from a hard sci-fi author, where magic still has to obey the Laws of Thermodynamics.

[RizzoTheRat]

George RR Martin has also edited some short story anthologies, Rogues and Dangerous women are the two I'm aware of but there may be more. I find short stories like that can be a great way to discover new authors, those 2 got me started on Joe Abercrombie (First Law series), Scott Lynch (Gentlemen bd series) and Patrick Rothfuss (King Killer Chronicles).

Mind you I also find Neil Gaimen's short stories are now where near as good as his novels so it possibly has the potential to put you off otherwise good authors too.

[Halb]

Nimby said:

Try Larry Niven's Warlock stories. Fantasy from a hard sci-fi author, where magic still has to obey the Laws of Thermodynamics.

Terry Pratchett's was the same.

[Nom de ploom]

Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky.

70 odd pages in and I'll stick with it - totally outside my usual selection but ok so far...i'm liking the concept of the way that a virus originally intended for one species impacts on the growth and development of a completely different species....

[RizzoTheRat]

I read Children of Time thanks to a recommendation on another PH thread and really enjoyed it. Didn't end quite as I was expecting.

I'm currently rather enjoying Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library series, a bunch of librarians hopping between parallel worlds to collect rare books.

[Halb]

RizzoTheRat said:

I read Children of Time thanks to a recommendation on another PH thread and really enjoyed it. Didn't end quite as I was expecting.

I'm currently rather enjoying Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library series, a bunch of librarians hopping between parallel worlds to collect rare books.

how do they dimension travel?

[captain_cynic]

vsonix said:

How has the thread even got this far without anyone mentioning Dick (Phillip K)?

I love PKD, but I wouldn't consider him light reading or suitable for a non-sci-fi fan to start off with. Same with Al Reynolds.

Honestly, the two books I'd recommend are Old Mans War by John Scalzi as its interesting and insanely easy to read and Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey as no book has managed to hook me that fast (within half a page).

For the more space opera-y type of books, you cant go past Peter F Hamilton's Pandora Star.

If you liked Peter F Hamilton, start on Neil Asher's Polity series (Gridlinked).... But I'm getting ahead of myself, Pandora Star, Old Mans War and Leviathan Wakes are great sci-fi works to start with.

[RizzoTheRat]

Halb said:

RizzoTheRat said:

I read Children of Time thanks to a recommendation on another PH thread and really enjoyed it. Didn't end quite as I was expecting.

I'm currently rather enjoying Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library series, a bunch of librarians hopping between parallel worlds to collect rare books.

how do they dimension travel?

Doors. Although again definitely involving Fantasy as well as Sci-Fi

[Halb]

RizzoTheRat said:

Halb said:

RizzoTheRat said:

I read Children of Time thanks to a recommendation on another PH thread and really enjoyed it. Didn't end quite as I was expecting.

I'm currently rather enjoying Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library series, a bunch of librarians hopping between parallel worlds to collect rare books.

how do they dimension travel?

Doors. Although again definitely involving Fantasy as well as Sci-Fi

Nice, what started me off was if they had been influenced by TP, he has librarians as able to travel between dimensions, due to their job.

[RizzoTheRat]

No bananas involved in this one.

[LordGrover]

Ook