Books for Christmas

[pcstru]

Something a little unusual : Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth.

 

And I'd presume he's read Banks Culture novels, but The Hydrogen Sonata is recent (Oct)

Edited November 29, 2012 by pcstru

[siuko]

Do you know what sort of SciFi he likes?

 

I enjoy reading Hard SciFi and I'd recommend these which I have read lately (not all hard scifi though)

 

Tomorrow and Tomorrow

Macroscope

Cold as Ice

Between the strokes of night

Gateway

Tau Zero

[Meldrew]

Has he read Alastair Reynolds' books?

 

I'd agree with this, especially Pushing Ice.

 

Another neal Stephenson book, I'm just finishing, with a bit of a computer theme is REAMDE that I've enjoyed.

[witch]

He has the user guide to the raspberry pi, thanks

He doesnt like knight rider particularly

He has read the Alastair Reynolds

 

Just looked up hard sci-fi - never heard it described as this but yes, that is definitely the sort of stuff he likes. Will look at the books you suggest.

 

He has read all Poul Anderson and Frederick Pohl so yes, you may be on the right lines

Edited November 29, 2012 by witch

[pcstru]

Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy is probably too old, but it's not amazingly well known considering how good it is. It is one of the few series that I've read more than once and will read again (and probably again). His 2312 published in May might be worth a punt, if he likes that and hasn't read Mars Trilogy, he might then hunt it down.

 

[Edit]

I should add David Brin's "Existence" (again 2012). Hard SF. It's on my bedside book pile so I can't personally vouch for it yet.

Edited November 30, 2012 by pcstru

[siuko]

Just looked up hard sci-fi - never heard it described as this but yes, that is definitely the sort of stuff he likes. Will look at the books you suggest.

 

Sounds like he may like similar stuff to me then... I will try digging out others I've read when I get home later - a lot are fairly obscure (but sadly quite old too).

[witch]

Thanks guys - anything old he is likely to have either read or discarded. He has definitely read the Kim Stanley Robinson trilogy but I will have a look at the new one thanks

The David Brin sounds interesting

 

 

*edit - the KSR book looks good but it is only in hardback - we need paperbacks as we have run out of room for anything else.

So any book is likely to be new-ish rather than brand new

I will keep an eye out for the paperback version of 2312 - I think I want to read that one too!

Edited November 30, 2012 by witch

[tmcd35]

Is it only SF he likes, or does he like fantasy as well? Possibly the best books I've ever read are George R. R. Martins - 'A Song of Fire and Ice' (known as 'Game of Thrones' on the telly box). Truely Epic!

 

For Hard SF I've yet to read anything better than Ben Bova's Mars and Mars Returns.

 

Then there's the classics he's almost certainly already read... Dune series, Greg Bears 'Eon' series, Arthur C Clarks 'Odyssey' series.

 

If you can track a copy down Pier Anthony did a kids book called 'A Race of Time' which I thought was particularly good.

 

In the Sci-Fi/Fantasy vain, another good read (or at least first trilogy was) is Stephen Donaldsons 'The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever' series.

 

The Thrawn trilogy extends the Star Wars universe better than I'm expecting Disney to. I'm also partial to the odd William Shatner Star Trek tie in .

 

I tried Steven King's gunslinger series but after about three books I found that they were getting longer and more drawn out with each edition. I think I made to 5/7 and gave up!

Edited November 30, 2012 by tmcd35

[Gerry]

Currently reading Peter F Hamilton's "Great North Road" - a big read! Before that I enjoyed Iain M. Banks "Hydrogen Sonata".

 

The Gap series by, Stephen R. Donaldson.

[tmcd35]

*edit - the KSR book looks good but it is only in hardback - we need paperbacks as we have run out of room for anything else.

 

Paperback? Running out of room? Why no Kindle? I swore I'd never use one (love the feel of paper and seeing how far through a physical book you are) but I have to admit, I've read a number of books inc. all 6 Game of Throne tombs on the iPad Kindle, I really do like the whole portability thing!

[sonofsanta]

Paperback? Running out of room? Why no Kindle? I swore I'd never use one (love the feel of paper and seeing how far through a physical book you are) but I have to admit, I've read a number of books inc. all 6 Game of Throne tombs on the iPad Kindle, I really do like the whole portability thing!

 

Kindles are fantastic, reading Perdido Street Station in paperback is doing my head in compared to the ease of reading on the Kindle. I thought I missed books, but I didn't

 

You also got me all excited that the Winds of Winter had come out and I was behind a book on ASOIAF. I'm not, but in my brief investigations I did find a free chapter GRRM has posted from TWOW on his site. Hurrah! Know what I'm reading this lunchtime.

[witch]

Is it only SF he likes, or does he like fantasy as well? Possibly the best books I've ever read are George R. R. Martins - 'A Song of Fire and Ice' (known as 'Game of Thrones' on the telly box). Truely Epic!

 

For Hard SF I've yet to read anything better than Ben Bova's Mars and Mars Returns.

 

Then there's the classics he's almost certainly already read... Dune series, Greg Bears 'Eon' series, Arthur C Clarks 'Odyssey' series.

 

If you can track a copy down Pier Anthony did a kids book called 'A Race of Time' which I thought was particularly good.

 

In the Sci-Fi/Fantasy vain, another good read (or at least first trilogy was) is Stephen Donaldsons 'The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever' series.

 

The Thrawn trilogy extends the Star Wars universe better than I'm expecting Disney to. I'm also partial to the odd William Shatner Star Trek tie in .

 

I tried Steven King's gunslinger series but after about three books I found that they were getting longer and more drawn out with each edition. I think I made to 5/7 and gave up!

 

Read or discarded them all I'm afraid

 

As for why no kindle. I have one but I only use it if in the car or on holiday. mrwITch shows no interest at all. But I could download a couple of books onto mine for him to read over Christmas

I love books. They furnish a room like nothing else. You can run your eyes along the spines until something you fancy re-reading catches your eye. The weight, the smell, the whole "bookiness" of a book is very special to me.

The kindle is fine and I love it but I read so fast that I end up turning the page very often which drives me up the wall. If I put the print as smaller for some reason I cant read it.