How could we get this far into the thread without ONE reccomendation for Douglas Adams’ immortal Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, the whole five book trilogy…
Geez, you’re ALL strags! turn in your towels at once and hang your heads in shame 
Because the OP was asking for good books to recommend? 
BG, I have to admit that I personally liked the background info RAH gave us in TSBTS. Lots of stuff for the historians and obsessive fans. But as a novel it sukked. Hardcore.
Yeah, Hitchhiker isn’t really newbie fare. It’s funny when you’re…considerably less than sober…and you’re already familiar with the genre…but mostly considerably less than sober.
This, if she appreciates humor. Also, pretty much any of Keith Laumer’s Retief series (there are novels and collections of short stories).
For something more serious, I would recommend Downbelow Station by JC Cherryh as a great start. IMO she is the best sci-fo writer ever.
But there are many other outstanding ideas in this thread, which reminds me that I haven’t read much sci-fi in recent years and I really should get back into it.
I’d disagree strongly with both Le Guin and Tiptree. For me, those authors (Atwood being a prime example) who commit literature would be horrified to be considered genre, and go to great lengths in their interviews to distance themselves from SF. Both LeGuin and Tiptree, on the other hand, embraced not just the genre, but also the fandom. That’s where the difference lies.
Just to add, *apropos *of nothing - “Love is the plan…” is, for me, the ne plus ultra of xeno-perspective SF.
I’m going to vote against Rendezvous with Rama and the Stainless Steel Rat. The former was awesome and a must-read for any science fiction fan, but might seem a little dry to a non-sci fi reader. The latter…well, I just think it may be more likely to appeal to men than women. I’m sure tons of women like them, but there are surer bets out there.
I’d suggest The Handmaids Tale (Atwood) or The Gate to Women’s Country (Tepper) to start with. I think they both will demonstrate that science fiction probably isn’t always what she thinks it is.
I think that’s the key. She probably thinks that Star Trek and Star Wars are what all or most science fiction is like. Show her otherwise.
And I’ll also second/third/whatever Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. I liked it so much it inspired a thread
FWIW–I made my non-science-fiction loving best bud read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and she loved it.
No, no, sometimes Dick is too big for the average female. You want to start with something she can at least grasp securely in one hand, perhaps something a little slimmer she can use in the bathroom or on breaks while at work.
I disagree. I don’t think Hitchhiker’s requires all that much familiarity with sf, though it definitely gains a little from it and I certainly don’t believe one has to alter one’s brain to enjoy it. It isn’t representative of any kind of science-fiction though, and that probably makes it a poor choice for an introduction to the genre.
I’d say that Tiptree, Bradbury and LeGuin all write literary sf. I personally don’t see how relations with fandom are relevant. (IMHO)
I have lent Rama to two non-sf readers (sf non-readers?) who enjoyed it a lot. It is dry, but the scope and sense-of-wonder make up for it. IMO if big ideas and sense-of-wonder don’t impress a reader even a bit sf will have much too high a miss to hit ratio for him/her.
My father loved Starship Troopers and he reads no sf other than the stuff I give him, so I know a newbie can enjoy Heinlein. However, I believe that Heinlein’s books are a bit unfriendly to women, which is why I wouldn’t recommend his stuff (that and his politics bug me and I think his stuff is very dated). I’m glad your friend enjoyed it, but I have a hard time believing that’d be a usual reaction (maybe I’m just a bit prejudiced). All that being said, if we have to chose one of his books, then I agree that The Moon is a Harsh Mistress would be the best one.
I have no idea if this is a joke and I’m being wooshed or what, but I think that Dick could be good. I’d go with A Scanner Darkly.
Some of the slimmer Dick then – a short story collection perhaps.
Then you’ve never read an Atwood interview?
Please do not giver her the Martian Chronicles by Bradbury, they are pretty abysmal science fiction and seriously dated. Fahrenheit 451 is brilliant and should appeal to all ages, but most of Bradbury’s other books are more fairy tale than anything else.
As pointed out, Heinlein has serious issues with women (women who are invariably attracted to much older men and who wouldn’t say no to a roll in the hay with their daddies) and he is incapable of switching off the patriarchal tone. I like most of his adult books but wouldn’t recommend them to a new reader.
If your friend likes historical fiction then The Difference Engine by Bruce Sterling and William Gibson is a good choice - I found it somewhat uninteresting myself, but a lot of people enjoy this title. However there is not much if any science fiction in it at all.
You may want to stay away from Iain Banks, an (excellent) author who often likes to disorient and confuse the reader. It may take a couple books before you figure out what he’s doing.
Ursula K LeGuin’s Left Hand of Darkness is a fantastic read, and easily her best science fiction. This is probably a good choice and comes bundled with suspense, mystery, action, exploration, character development and acknowledged literary value.
William Gibson is a good choice if she is amenable to experimental writing. The stilted, consumer-focused prose in *Neuromancer *is fascinating, and it’s a very good story with one memorable character after the next. Some people can, however, find it tough to read.
I have had very mixed results with the Stainless Steel Rat series. I consider it one of the finest, funniest, and most inventive series in science fiction but apparently I have not been able to communicate my enthusiasm to many of my friends. I suspect the fault lies with them.
If she were my friend I’d probably give her Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Pretty timeless and engaging story, in spite of the fact that the year of its sequel is almost upon us. Much of Clarke will do, really, he is a master of the language and of storytelling.
My other suggestion is another hallowed classic: 1984. There is a chance she never had to read this in school and thus does not associate it with dull classes. The prose comes across surprisingly modern even by today’s standards and the tale has aged very well (in fact, after 8 years of Bush this should be a pretty good entry into science fiction!).
And if she thinks she knows everything and starts talking back to you, give her Dhalgren.
:smack: I get it now! Boy, do I feel stupid.
I’ve heard it said, and I agree, that The Martian Chronicles aren’t science fiction at all, but rather are “science fantasy” (a genre they share with, for example, C.S. Lewis’s “space trilogy”).
If it isn’t clear by now, not everyone agrees on the definition of “science fiction.”
I’ve always considered The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to be the perfect newbie SF book. It’s fun, it doesn’t take itself seriously, it’s recognisably science-fiction, there’s nothing offensive, controversial, or scary in it, and overall it’s a hoopy piece of work.
It seems Margaret Atwood has a large bias in what SF consists of as well.
I’d go so far as to say that Margaret Atwood is an ignoramus.
Plenty of good suggestions, here, but I maintain that the best introduction to science fiction is a short story collection. I’d recommend any volume of The Hugo Winners. Science fiction thrives in the short story format, anyway, and this way, it exposes her to many different authors and styles, all in bite-sized doses so if she doesn’t like one it won’t turn her off. Then, once she decides which stories she liked, you can recommend her more from that author or style.
Oh, and if you want a strong female lead who isn’t obsessed with sex in classic SF, then I, Robot is excellent. People always say that Asimov wasn’t too great at creating characters, and there’s some truth to that, but Dr. Susan Calvin is definitely the exception.
Well, actually, it’s a PARODY of SF, not “recognisably science-fiction”. Adams hated writing, and would put it off until the last minute. Then he’d scribble down whatever crazed ideas seemed good at the time. Now he was incredibly good at this, and his works are funny. But they really aren’t true SF, and they really depend on the reader knowing at least some SF themes. His works are what I consider to be all surface and no depth. Sure, they can be re-read, but nothing more can be gained by re-reading, except laughing at the same jokes again, in the same way.
Is it just me or whenever someone tries to have a serious discussion about Dick, somebody always brings up Sheep?
Dick novels can be disconcerting; while petite they can deliver a mental pounding.
If you fancy a quick roll with Dick, though, the short story collection “The Short Happy Life of the One Brown Oxford” has a number of excellent pieces. “The Indefatigable Frog” is in there, the title story, and the one where the scientists give corporeal body to musical selections.
I also want to give a shout-out to Ted Chiang, and his collection “Story of your Life and Others.” Virtually every story in it has won a high honor, for good reason.