Specifically for my mum who has complained to me on several occasions that she’s getting tired of reading the same sorts of books. I need it to be something she’ll get into quickly because I know she’ll only start reading it as a favour to myself and will quickly drop it if she’s not interested right away.
I was going to give her ‘The Sparrow’, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but I worry that it might be a bit brutal in places.
Songs of Distant Earth.
It’s light, fluffy, and is a good transition from normal romance to science fiction.
My favorite science fiction book is The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein. It grabbed me right away and felt like a very “fast” read, but my brother had the opposite reaction so YMMV. He hated the pidgin that the characters spoke in.
To Say Nothing of the Dog, Connie Willis
The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
Replay, Ken Grimwood
My first, when I was about 10, was The Other Side of the Sky, by Arthur C Clarke. Easy to read (for a non-english native) and really captivating.
*1984 *or Alas Babylon.
It would help to have an idea of her tastes and interests. I could point to humorous (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) or introspective (The Yiddish Policemen’s Union), for the scientifically minded (Spin) or the technological fetishist (Rainbows End), with history (Doomsday Book) or with religion (Lord of Light).
I have long maintained that the best introduction to science fiction for someone who has never read any is one of the short story anthologies put together in the 1950s especially those edited by Groff Conklin. They introduce all of the concepts and story lines that later, more sophisticated, writers built upon.
I read that one in high school. I read it again recently. It’s rather dated, but still a great read. I don’t know if I’d call it Science Fiction per se though.
I enjoyed Ringworld, and have been thinking of re-reading it again. The various Bradbury anthologies are also good. (e.g., The Martian Chronicles.) I bought Heinlein’s Friday and Foster’s Nor Crystal Tears because I liked the cover art. (Friday had this cover.) I liked them both, with Heinlein’s being the better story IMO. For comedy, I’ll second Just Some Guy’s THHGTTG suggestion. But as he said, it’s hard to make suggestions without knowing the mother’s tastes.
As mentioned above, Spin is a good read.
Lots of people go ga-ga for Ender’s Game (I kinda hated it, but I’m in the minority).
A Wrinkle in Time is a beautiful book, and since it’s YA it’s very brisk and accessible.
Caves of Steel might be a good bet if she likes mysteries.
Who are her current favorite authors? That would probably help.
Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles (major themes: exploration and the clash of cultures), George R.R. Martin’s Tuf Voyaging (ecology, power, overpopulation), Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War (war, duty and enduring love) or Tool of the Trade (the Cold War, technology as a shaper of destiny), and Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End (the nature of humanity) are all, I’d say, good intros to SF for someone who’s never read any.
I forgot In the Garden of Iden. Historical sf with cyborgs! Much less silly than it sounds.
The Doomsday Book, speaking of brutal and humor. This book was the first Willis I read, and hooked me.
I see no reason to suggest the books that hooked me on science fiction, as I strongly believe that Heinlein’s juvenile fiction will not appeal to the OP’s mother.
Second this. It’s one of my faves.
For me the Big Flaw in Ender’s Game is that you know the ending very early on.
For me the big flaw was Ender.
And the game.
I’m going to second The Time Traveler’s Wife. It’s an enchanting read and a great love story with wonderful characters. I like to think I have a pretty thick skin, but there’s some moments in there that left me feeling like I’ve swallowed a boat anchor.
A Canticle for Leibowitz
To someone who just wants to stick her toe in the boundless waters of SF, a better place to start might be a short story. Some of my favorites are Isaac Asimov’s “The Bicentennial Man” (about a robot who wants to become human), Clarke’s “The Nine Billion Names of God” (humanity’s place in the cosmos, with a clever twist at the end), Haldeman’s “Summer’s Lease” (colonization and the loss of knowledge), and both Martin’s “The Way of Cross and Dragon” (religion and myth) and “Sandkings” (alien “pets” and the illusion of control).
Another vote for Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451 is about censorship and loyalty more than anything else). I also echo that if you tell us what she does like, we can make better recommendations.