# Gah, jury duty -- recommend some sci fi **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2008, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540 "2008-09-28T03:53:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/1 "2008-09-28T03:53:25Z")
Sigh. So I got tagged for jury duty on Monday. I have a non-fiction book to bring with me, but I don’t think I can read any single thing for 8 hours straight and not get restless. I plan to go to the bookstore tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon to pick something up. I get restless easily so something reasonably absorbing would be good. Anthologies of short stories is another possibility, since I’d get to “switch gears” after each story and there’s less of the “same thing for 8 hours straight” problem. I’m a little Asimoved out, but other suggestions are welcome. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/2 "2008-09-28T04:06:30Z")
How about Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan books? You don’t really say what you like, so this is just me suggesting someone _I_ like. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/3 "2008-09-28T04:16:09Z")
Possibly Keith Laumer or Christopher Anvil–light SF that’s still reasonably engaging. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/4 "2008-09-28T04:19:48Z")
I liked the Vorkosigan books as well. If you’ve read those maybe the “Old Man’s War” books by John Scalzi. Kind of Heinlienesqe. For a bit grittier books I really like the Richard K Morgan [Tekeshi Kovacs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kovacs) books. ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/5 "2008-09-28T04:37:37Z")
Heinlein’s _Glory Road_ Niven/Pournelle’s _Inferno_ John Varley’s _Steel Beach_ Haldeman’s _Buying Time_ Bester’s _The Demolished Man_ Fredric Browne’s _Martians’ Go Home_ Zelazny’s _Lord of Light_ Frederick Pohl’s _Gateway_ I could go on and on … ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/6 "2008-09-28T05:03:22Z")
Hey, I was going to suggest the Vorkosigan series! Well, that’s three votes for you. I also really enjoyed all the stories in [The Science Fiction Hall of Fame](http://www.amazon.com/Science-Fiction-Hall-Fame-One/dp/0765305372/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222577900&sr=1-1). ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/7 "2008-09-28T09:49:52Z")
Well it’s _edited_ by Asimov, but the stories are by various authors: “100 science fiction short short stories”. I think there’s a 100 fantasy short short stories too. Technically it’s young adult, but there’s some William Sleator collections that are pretty interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Aquila\_Be](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a698b9/32.png) [@Aquila\_Be](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquila_Be)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/8 "2008-09-28T10:11:38Z")
Absolutely no anthologies selected by Gardner Dozois who, I believe, is doing his utmost to destroy the SF genre. Any SF anthology selected by the late Isaac Asimov or one of his team of loyal assistants such as, for example, Martin Greenberg. ---
**Author:** ![Spectralist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Spectralist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectralist)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/9 "2008-09-28T10:21:16Z")
George Martin’s _Tuf Voyaging_ It’s a collection of short stories, novellas really, about the same character, Haviland Tuf, written throughout the authors career. The first story’s a bit rocky but the last one’s pure gold and the rest are quite good too. In the unlikely event you haven’t read Douglas Adams. His Dirk Gently stories, _Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency_ and _The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul_ Are both fantastic. Gene Wolfe’s collection of short stories _endangered species_ is great. I especially like that many of the stories mesh together in subtle ways that you have to really be paying attention to find. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/10 "2008-09-28T10:30:21Z")
Anything in Larry Niven’s known space series: Protector, the Ringworlds, Crashlander, Fleet of Worlds, the Man-Kzin wars, (though that last series is mostly written by others, so the quality is less even.) Anne McCaffrey has some good sci-fi stuff - the pegasus series and other Talent books, Crystal singer, and Sassinak/Generation Warriors. The Mike Resnick Starship series Second stuff by Heinlein. And Douglas Adams, of course, if you like a bit of humor with your sci-fi. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/11 "2008-09-28T11:26:44Z")
The _Immodest Proposals_ collection by William Tenn. Also his _Here Comes Civilization_. Tenn is very under-rated. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/12 "2008-09-28T11:27:55Z")
Perhaps a book of Suduko puzzles for a change? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/13 "2008-09-28T12:16:46Z")
_The Family Tree_, by Sheri Tepper. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/14 "2008-09-28T13:59:21Z")
Anything by [Neal Stephenson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Stephenson). I like his stuff, and his books are really, really long - they’ll keep you occupied all week. Good advice upthread, but I disagree about Dozois. His Year’s Best SF collections are great. IMO his introductory essays about the State of SF each year are worth the price of the book by themselves. Grab a stack of his Year’s Best SF collections, and you’ll have a wide variety of great reading. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/15 "2008-09-28T14:09:28Z")
I second Neal Stephenson. Very absorbing. I really liked _Anathem_, but my favorite was _Snow Crash_ followed closely by _Cryptonomicon_. Failing that, Octavia Butler. She is great, but a warning, her stuff is different and disturbing, but it is gripping and well written. Or you could go with classics like Ursula LeGuin, _The Dispossessed_ and _Left Hand of Darkness_ especially. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/16 "2008-09-28T15:21:35Z")
I also like the Dozois “Years Best” anthologies. I can’t recall finding a bad story in any of them. I also liked _The Space Opera Renaissance_, which has some good well written adventure stories, including a Vorkosigan story, though I have to say most military SF leaves me cold. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/17 "2008-09-28T15:27:36Z")
Buy a used copy of _In Cold Blood_ or _Helter Skelter_. Highlight random bits, dog-ear corners, mark pages with Post-its and cackle wildly as you read it. You won’t spend 8 hours there, I assure you! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/18 "2008-09-28T15:54:14Z")
**Cloud Atlas** by David Mitchell – imaginative and involving, and the "nested’ structure will hold your interest. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/19 "2008-09-28T18:07:43Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Buy a used copy of _In Cold Blood_ or _Helter Skelter_. Highlight random bits, dog-ear corners, mark pages with Post-its and cackle wildly as you read it. You won’t spend 8 hours there, I assure you! 😃 HA! I **heart** you. 😃 Thanks everyone. I was hoping to cast a broad net and come up with stuff that was entirely new to me, and I think I succeeded. Also wanted to ask – perhaps this is a taste thing – but has Neal Stephenson gotten any better since _Snow Crash_? I agonized through the first half way back when but ultimately gave up (which I virtually never do, I’m a stickler for finishing books, movies, plays, on principle or something… or mostly hoping that it’s gotta get better.) I sensed there was a good story in there somewhere, but the writing was so disjointed and poorly structured that I couldn’t find it. (FWIW the only other book I gave up on was _American Psycho_. I got about a third of the way through before I figured out it wasn’t going to get less boring. I was mentally cheering when he finally attacked the homeless guy, thinking that we were finally getting to plot, and then he immediately returned to the endless yuppy shopping list. Gah.) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gah-jury-duty-recommend-some-sci-fi/465540/20 "2008-09-28T20:40:37Z")
> [@Kaio](#): > > Also wanted to ask – perhaps this is a taste thing – but has Neal Stephenson gotten any better since _Snow Crash_? I think he’s gotten better, but he’s still Neal Stephenson. If you didn’t like **Snow Crash** , you probably aren’t going to like **Cryptonomicon** or **The Diamond Age**. I like them, but they are long and can be very convoluted. The dead tree editions are also good as impromptu lifting weights. Don’t drop them on your foot - there are easier ways out of jury duty! 😉 (Aside: I read **Cryptonomicon** on my PDA. When I bought a paperback copy as a Christmas present for my boss, I was shocked at how damn BIG the book was. It was bigger than my PDA, its charger, and the box they came in. Big book!)