# Need recommendation for science fiction books -- Christmas Gift **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [December 4, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563 "2017-12-04T19:08:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563/41 "2021-11-16T18:30:26Z")
My wife reads everything by [David Weber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Weber_bibliography). If you can get him into those books, you’ll have Christmas presents for the rest of his life. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563/42 "2021-11-16T20:57:28Z")
I recommend giving him all six of Neil Clarke’s anthologies of best science fiction short stories of the past year: [http://neil-clarke.com/the-best-science-fiction-of-the-year/](http://neil-clarke.com/the-best-science-fiction-of-the-year/) ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563/43 "2021-11-16T21:24:29Z")
If you only buy one of these, I recommend Volume 3, which includes Suzanne Palmer’s excellent “The Secret Life of Bots”. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563/44 "2021-11-16T21:31:48Z")
Elizabeth Bear has a “White Space” series. I thought that _Ancestral Night_ was pretty meh, but I’m currently reading _Machine_ and am liking it better. It is hard SF taking place in a “woke” future, but doesn’t pound you on the head with it with all the subtilty of a 10-pound sledgehammer like a Becky Chambers book. ---
**Author:** ![McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McDeath_the_Mad)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563/45 "2021-11-16T22:29:09Z")
And as mentioned in the original run of this thread Andy Weir has a new book out called “Project Hail Mary”. I enjoyed Artemis, but PHM was EXCELLENT! I highly recommend it! MtM ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2021, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563/46 "2021-11-18T04:41:15Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Elizabeth Bear has a “White Space” series. I thought that _Ancestral Night_ was pretty meh, but I’m currently reading _Machine_ and am liking it better. It is hard SF taking place in a “woke” future, but doesn’t pound you on the head with it with all the subtilty of a 10-pound sledgehammer like a Becky Chambers book. I made this original post only a little into the book, before too many settings elements came up. It is about doctors who work in a giant, spindle-shaped space hospital that caters to (and employs) species of a very wide range of biological types and environmental needs. Doctors have the ability to upload recordings of minds, which give them additional knowledge and skills, but these recordings can be disorienting. One of the main characters is a large but fragile colorful and very friendly flying insect. The book covers solving a medical (and technological) mystery. Yes, _Machine_ is a new _Sector General_ book. She does acknowledge it in the end notes, though. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2021, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563/47 "2021-11-18T05:12:13Z")
it’s a quick read but is still relevant metrophage by kadrey … ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2021, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563/48 "2021-11-18T06:16:25Z")
As the OP mentions “Clark” – which I presume refers to Arthur C. Clarke – one thing I should mention is that there’s a complete collection of all his short stories available. As I’m a big fan of Clarke myself and particularly enjoy his short stories, and he was a prolific writer of them, I’ve found this collection to be quite the treasure. It’s available both in ebook editions and as a trade paperback (i.e.- a large-format paperback). > **[The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke: Arthur C. Clarke: 9780312878214:...](https://www.amazon.com/Collected-Stories-Arthur-C-Clarke/dp/0312878214)** > > The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke \[Arthur C. Clarke\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2021, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563/49 "2021-11-18T08:11:43Z")
_The Dreaming Void_ trilogy by Peter F Hamilton. Epic. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2021, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563/50 "2021-11-18T09:53:44Z")
For an Arthur C Clarke fan let me recommend the the Chinese writer Liu Cixin, and most specifically the trilogy [Remembrance of Earth’s Past](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_of_Earth%27s_Past). Huge scope and ideas, and won practically every SF award there is. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2021, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563/51 "2021-11-19T22:19:00Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > _The Dreaming Void_ trilogy by Peter F Hamilton. Epic. Pretty much every series by him. (except the Night Alchemist, won’t spoil but I did not enjoy it.) I love how he has a small set of initial concepts, wormholes, post scarcity, body rejuvenation/replacement and builds wildly different universes in his different book series. I won’t gush about the Dark Forest either. The Remembrance of Earth’s Past was also very enjoyable! ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2021, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563/52 "2021-11-19T22:24:30Z")
I haven’t read all of his work but I agree with your general sentiment. All the fake sci-fi is utterly believable and I do so love the sweeping nature of his worlds. And that series by Liu Cixin is indeed awesome too. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2021, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563/53 "2021-11-19T22:30:06Z")
I don’t need hard science fiction, I need hard-looking science fiction 🙂 It doesn’t meet the criteria for the OP but another series that I adore is the Murderbot Diaries. The sci-fi is more wallpaper than integral. The wife and I love the series so much so that we named one of the new kittens, Rin. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2021, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563/54 "2021-11-20T03:01:07Z")
There is also Hamilton’s most recent trilogy, the Salvation Sequence, if it hasn’t been mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2021, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563/55 "2021-11-20T16:33:08Z")
Just recently read a children’s science fiction novel which was very hard SF–something that’s not so common for readers of that age. _Fuzzy Mud_, by Louis Sachar. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-recommendation-for-science-fiction-books-christmas-gift/803563.md?page=2)