I need the BEST non-depressing sci-fi

Cafe Society
1

Last year, my parents’ church (I myself am not religious) hired two married co-ministers, and my parents have become very close to them (helped them out with the move, etc.). I like them very much, but feel especially close to the husband, Robert. I’ve gone out to dinner a few times with them, that sort of thing. Robert really enjoys talking sci-fi with me, because I think I’m the only other flaming nerd he really knows. He’s read some of the most common stuff, and seen probably more movies than I have, but doesn’t have a deep knowledge of the literature.

So, my mom tells me that Robert has been admitted into an out-of-state inpatient facility for depression (in other words, it must be REALLY bad.) I’m going to write him a nice letter and I was thinking he might appreciate me telling him about my bout of depression at the end of college. However, he’s probably sick as fucking hell of hearing about people and their damned depression, so if he’s allowed packages I thought I’d send him a book or two.

The thing is, the books I mentioned to him a few months ago that I thought he’d really, really be interested in would all make a depressed person hang themselves with their shoelaces. I mean, any pastor with an interest in speculative fiction needs to read A Canticle for Leibowitz, and I actually went out to pick up a copy before I remembered the actual experience of reading that book and realized that that’s the absolute wrong thing to send to a person in that position.

So, what I need from you guys is some suggestions for books that I haven’t read or haven’t thought of that are:

1.) really smart and that I like a lot
2.) either classic or contemporary, but I think Big Idea fiction is best
3.) don’t make you want to throw yourself out a window
4.) pastor appropriate (I mean, we aren’t Baptists, he reads Stephen King and such, but just FYI)
5.) and this is important - not books that are just important classic sci-fi, books that are actually GOOD.

And I seriously don’t think a lot of those Great Classics of Science Fiction are any good at all. Let me give you a list of examples:

Classic Genre Fiction That Isn’t Actually Very Good:
Ringworld
Foundation
Childhood’s End

Classic Genre Fiction That Is Really Good:
The Stars My Destination
Cordwainer Smith
Gateway (but no sequels)
About Half of Ray Bradbury
Roger Zelazny When He Isn’t Feeling Self-Indulgent
(Sorry, I don’t like Lord of Light, which would otherwise be a good choice)

Genre Fiction New And Old That Is Really Good (and that I really want this guy to read) But Too Depressing:
The Sparrow
A Canticle for Leibowitz
I Am Legend
1984
Flowers for Algernon, for god’s sake
The Doomsday Book

I can’t remember enough about “The Left Hand of Darkness” to remember if it’s depressing, but I kind of remember crying over it, so it probably is. I’d send “Dune”, but he may already have read that - I’m looking more for the sort of thing a surface reader wouldn’t have gotten that’s some of the best literary sci-fi has to offer, and I’m drawing a blank. (I know he’s read Orson Scott Card.) So I guess I’m looking for stuff that isn’t really obvious, so I can assume he hasn’t read it, but stuff that’s really good and not fluffy and that I know he’d like in any frame of mind but stuff that’s appropriate for somebody in the kind of emotional trouble where you go out of state and in-patient.

I know that’s a scattered list-y kind of OP, but I was hoping you guys could suggest stuff I’ve read that I’m not thinking of or stuff that’s awesome that I haven’t read. (I’d be tempted to send him something fun like Honor Harrington, but all the books he and I have talked about have been the meaty kind you can really talk about, particularly preacherly speaking. On the other hand, maybe that isn’t what he needs right now. At any rate: advise.)

2

Not to bump - but I just thought, what about C. J. Cherryh’s Foreigner books?

3

The Door Into Summer - Robert Heinlein
Double Star - Robert Heinlein
Oath of Fealty - Niven/Pournelle
The Mote In God’s Eye - Niven/Pournelle

4

Spider Robinson’s Callahan’s series is great.

Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon
Time Travelers Strictly Cash
Callahan’s Secret.

It’s very funny in places.

5

But don’t go past those. Spider takes an idea and runs it so far into the ground it comes out in India.

6

I had thought about “The Mote in God’s Eye”, but it does get kind of slow there in the middle.

Spider Robinson is an idea, but he’s kind of… silly.

ETA - like, in high school, I liked him, but even then I thought he was kinda, you know, obvious.

7

I can’t remember the name, but maybe someone else does. It’s pretty light on the sci-fi aspect. It’s about this middle-aged ex-adventurer type guy who’s gotten older and pudgy and out of shape. He encounters a little kid in trouble, and decides to help him. Turns out, the guy ages normally when he doesn’t have trouble, but when trouble starts and he has to get physically active, his aging reverses and he gets young again.

Basically, it’s an old fart who needs to get his shit together and help the kid. Not entirely unlike that Bruce Willis film, Mercury Rising.

I remember enjoying the story. Anyone remember?

8

I agree that Robinson’s work isn’t Great Literature, but it is good genre fiction and it is pretty light in tone most of the time. It’s silly, but cheerfully silly. But I agree with Silenus’ recommendation about the later books. Only serious fans need apply

9

Doomsday Book is depressing, but Connie Willis does write a lot of funny stuff that might be suitable - “To Say Nothing of the Dog” and “Bellwether” for example.

10

Hmm. I just read Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. I found it maybe a little depressing in parts, but nothing that caused me to cry (and I cry a lot at books) or feel like throwing myself in front of a bus. And it was interesting. Note: I tend to have very strong emotional reactions, so this book would probably be safe.

My husband suggests maybe Harry Turtledove.

Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan books? Though the psychotic henchman is depressing as hell so maybe not.
For really light, silly stuff, there’s Robert Asprin.

Oh, and Harry Harrison, though there might be a lot of sex in there. I can’t remember.

11

Contact by Carl Sagan - often overlooked but a great book, IMO, that deals with very relevant themes of science vs religion. Sagan actually presents a more even-handed exploration of these ideas than you might expect. (The coda at the end even suggests some sort of “design” in the fundamental laws of the universe.)

Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C Clarke - another excellent novel about first contact. The sequels don’t live up to the promise of this first installment, but I did enjoy them as well.

12

I thought of that book, but for some reason I was thinking it was depressing. It’s been a long time since I read it, though. Shortly before the movie came out.

13

The main character does have to deal with the loss of her father, so you are right that there are some depressing elements. I found the overall tone to be fairly positive, though.

14

The first Gateway novel. Iain Banks’ Player of Games. (Other Culture novels are great reads, but have themes that have dark elements to them.) All of Poul Anderson’s Polesotechnic League novels and stories are fun and pretty good reads as well.

15

Gateway is all about the main character’s crippling guilt and depression, remember? And I figure he may have read Contact, although I don’t think it’s depressing.

16

I agree with jsgoddess re Harry Harrison’s Stainless Steel Rat books. If I remember correctly, the sex was more “wink-wink-nod-nod” than explicit (it had to do with the hero’s overpreening ego than anything).

I recently finished Connie Willis’ To Say Nothing of the Dog, suggested last month by another doper. It’s an excellent time-travel tale.

Finally, might I suggest Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy? It’s thought-provoking, and I’ve always thought that Asimov drew several of his heroes & villians (especially the Mule) from the old testament. (I always thought of the Mule as Esther’s villian Haman. I can’t say why, it just ‘clicks’).

Love, Phil

17

Thirding Stainless Steel Rat. IIRC there were more than a few passages I had to read several times because I was laughing to hard to see the print.

Phules Company series by Robert Asprin.

The Philosophical Stranger by Eric Flint. Yes, the hero of the book is a professional strangler, but the whole is almost pure comedy. The sample in the link is typical, if a bit tepid. I’d recommend it to anyone.

18

Do not - I say again NOT - give Gateway to someone who is already depressed.

How’s Hal Clement’s Mission of Gravity grab you?

Check out threads [thread=491421]here[/thread] and [thread=487723]here[/thread] for recent general recommendations. Watch for depressing ones!

ETA: Parodies? National Lampoon’s Bored of the Rings (highest joke density ever!) or Doon

19

Pastor you say? Gotta give him “Good Omens” by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Should be required reading in any seminary!

20

A couple more possibilities:

Neuromancer
The Sector General novels by James White (the earlier ones are better)
A best-of collection from Eric Frank Russell
Ted Sturgeon, but you might have to pick and choose carefully
Murray Leinster
The short fiction from Stanley G. Weinbaum
Christopher Anvil (possibly)
A collection of Retief stories by Keith Laumer (possibly)

ETA: Maybe the Skylark and Lensman series?