sdobis Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 I am looking for a good sci-fi/fantasy book for my book club. I'm not super familiar with that genre. I need it to be adult in nature (not young adult), but without a lot of sex and language. I also don't want a book in a series. What would you recommend? I'd like to have 3 strong choices for the women to choose from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 I, robot. The mists of avalon (sort of fantasy-y) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 (edited) That's a pretty broad open question. Can you narrow down a bit more - what kind of scifi /fantassy are you interested in? Do you have preferences with regard to length? How do you feel about hard scifi (very science-y) vs. lighter speculative fiction? It's okay if you don't know .... Off the top of my head - How about Slow Apocalypse from John Varley or Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie? Edited February 24, 2016 by theelfqueen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 (edited) Hmmm. No smut, no series. Do Neil Gaimen. Stardust or Neverwhere. Not American Gods, it is the most cerebral by far (as opposed to 'intro to the genre' like the others). Watership Down. Edited February 24, 2016 by poppy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 (edited) I mostly read YA fantasy (and Juv) but as far as adult stuff goes...I assume you want a stand-alone? Most adult fantasy books (and kids, for that matter) seem to be part of longer series. I love Neil Gaiman's Stardust (one sex scene that I recall, does drop the f-bomb a few times). Or his American Gods? The Hobbit? I loved Watership Down (as mentioned in post above). Edited February 24, 2016 by alisoncooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdobis Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 That's a pretty broad open question.... How about Slow Apocalypse from John Varley or Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie? Yes, it is. I'm open to a lot of ideas. There's just so much out there that I was having a hard time wading through it to find the best books. That's when I turn to the Hive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdobis Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 That's a pretty broad open question. Can you narrow down a bit more - what kind of scifi /fantassy are you interested in? Do you have preferences with regard to length? How do you feel about hard scifi (very science-y) vs. lighter speculative fiction? It's okay if you don't know .... Off the top of my head - How about Slow Apocalypse from John Varley or Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie? Under 500 pages. It needs to be understood by the average reader. Nothing too sciency that would make us slog through it with little understanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdobis Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 Hmmm. No smut, no series. Do Neil Gaimen. Stardust or Neverwhere. Not American Gods, it is the most cerebral by far (as opposed to 'intro to the genre' like the others). Watership Down. Yes! Intro to the genre is a good way to explain what I'm looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 The Martian there is a lot of science but in smallish, understandable bits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Oh wait Avalon has a lot of sex lol nevermind that. The Host is an easy YA option. I still say I, Robot. Its short, no sex, no real violence. Solidly futuristic sci fi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 (edited) Young Miles http://www.amazon.com/Young-Miles-Vorkosigan-Adventures/dp/0743436164 Dragon Bones http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Bones-Patricia-Briggs-ebook/dp/B000OCXG2S/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1456336915&sr=1-1&keywords=dragon+bones I Bring the Fire. http://www.amazon.com/Bring-Fire-Part-Wolves-Series-ebook/dp/B008UUIGB2 Edited February 24, 2016 by joyofsix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermama Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Ender's Game, perhaps. I adore the Young Miles books, as well, and it's space opera, which means it's more character-focused than gee wiz science!!! Rather than I, Robot, which is a short story collection, I'd recommend The Caves of Steel which was written by Asimov to prove that you could write a sci-fi detective mystery. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Well, you could do a combo reading: The Time Machine (a pretty short book) by H.G. Wells, along with The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. (Even though there is a sequel to The Sparrow, it can stand-alone.) We read The Sparrow years ago in our book club & it was a great book for discussion. At that time, I had not read Wells' novel, but if I had, there would have been more to discuss as there are some distinct parallels between the two. Another possibility: Ubik by Philip K. Dick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 I am looking for a good sci-fi/fantasy book for my book club. I'm not super familiar with that genre. I need it to be adult in nature (not young adult), but without a lot of sex and language. I also don't want a book in a series. What would you recommend? I'd like to have 3 strong choices for the women to choose from. Stand alone good science fiction -The Martian- by Andy Weir (Some strong language. It can be forgiven. He was abandoned on Mars after all) -The Sparrow- by Mary Doria Russell (There is one sequel. But it stands alone as its own book just fine.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (also lots of humor in it). It is sort of part of a series, but an stand alone. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep geesh drawing a blank at the moment 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magic Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 The Time Traveler's Wife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Stand alone good science fiction -The Martian- by Andy Weir (Some strong language. It can be forgiven. He was abandoned on Mars after all) -The Sparrow- by Mary Doria Russell (There is one sequel. But it stands alone as its own book just fine.) The Sparrow is pretty intense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdobis Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 Thanks for all of the suggestions. I have so many samples on my kindle now to check out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 I second The Martian. My book club did it one month as a sort of intro to the genre, and it was a hit. It's not The Greatest SF Book Ever by any means, but it's perfect for what you're looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Le Guin's The Left Hand of DarknessThis is what I was going to suggest. Perfect entry into the genre. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking Squirrels Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier. It's celtic fiction, so fantasy elements but not a fantasy world. I agree with the suggeestion of The Martian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 I second The Martian. My book club did it one month as a sort of intro to the genre, and it was a hit. It's not The Greatest SF Book Ever by any means, but it's perfect for what you're looking for. It is science fiction, though? It's has a bit of science (and engineering), and obviously it is fiction, but it doesn't seem SF to me. It's not speculative or imaginative or futuristic or "like reality but slightly different". Just fiction. I could certainly be wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckabell Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 It is science fiction, though? It's has a bit of science (and engineering), and obviously it is fiction, but it doesn't seem SF to me. It's not speculative or imaginative or futuristic or "like reality but slightly different". Just fiction. I could certainly be wrong. I would think "The Martian" would count as science fiction. As of now, we don't have the technology or means to go to Mars. It's something that would happen in the future. The book is full of science, but at the heart is a survival story and a story of how much resources do you allocate to save one person on Mars. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raifta Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 How about Ready Player One by Ernest Cline - we are using that one for our book club for the sci-fi pick. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 I would think "The Martian" would count as science fiction. As of now, we don't have the technology or means to go to Mars. It's something that would happen in the future. The book is full of science, but at the heart is a survival story and a story of how much resources do you allocate to save one person on Mars. :iagree: As of now, survival stories set on other planets still count as SF. We might be close to the technology needed to establish a colony on Mars, but for the average person the idea of living on another planet is still pretty futuristic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 How about Ready Player One by Ernest Cline - we are using that one for our book club for the sci-fi pick. I like that book. It's heavy into geek culture. But I think anyone who watches Big Bang Theory would at least get what they're going for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 (edited) It is science fiction, though? It's has a bit of science (and engineering), and obviously it is fiction, but it doesn't seem SF to me. It's not speculative or imaginative or futuristic or "like reality but slightly different". Just fiction. I could certainly be wrong. The Martian is what I would consider hard science fiction. Lots of science and trying to make it fit within the rules. Its Quite speculative. "what would it be like to be the first man on Mars" "How do I need to set this up so he has a chance of surviving. What dates does it need to be so the orbits line up" Etc. ETA Amazon classifies Martian as Science Fiction. It is #5 in Science Fiction/Hard Science Fiction (#1 and #2 are the Audible and Kindle editions of the same book) and #5 in Science Fiction/Exploration (#1 is the Kindle edition) #10 in Action & Adventure Fiction The top review calls it hard science fiction. Interestingly, Ready Player One is #7 in Hard Science Fiction. I will have to give that a look. Edited March 1, 2016 by vonfirmath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Station Eleven is an interesting read. Lots of topics to discuss. I love The Martian. Too many pages, but I really enjoyed 11/22/63 by Stephen King. Can be harsh and crude in places, but fascinating. if you could go back in time and change a few things, what would you choose? And what would happen to your time and place. More fantasy, less scifi is The Name of the Wind. Lots of pages, so it may be too many for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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