I’ve basically been ordered to pick up any fiction book and read, after a friend discovered I’ve not read anything but non-fiction for a decade.
The ones I’ve enjoyed in the past have been short, fantastical or sci-fi (think Aldous Huxley, Ian McEwan), but crucially with amazing first person descriptive prose - the kind where you’re immersed in the writing so much you’re almost there with the character.
I liked sci-fi as the world’s constraints weren’t always predictable. Hope that makes sense.
Any recommendations?
Edit: I’m going to up the ante and, as a way of motivating myself to get off my arse and actually read a proper story, promise to choose a book from the top comment, after, let’s say arbitrarily, Friday 2200 GMT.
Edit deux: Wow ok I don’t think I’ve ever had this many responses to anything I’ve posted before. You’ve given me what looks like a whole year of interesting suggestions, and importantly, good commentary around them. I’m honouring my promise to buy the top thing in just under 4 hours.
If you’re into the sci-fi, you’ll probably like Project Hail Mary, it’s hard sci-fi and you get very invested in the story.
Ray Porter also does a great audiobook narration of it on audible.+1 for a Project Hail Mary that was great
Thirding this. Excellent book. Jazz hands!
The time is up. I have a promise to keep.
Thanks for the recommendation!
I hope you enjoy it!
I actually picked it up again after recommending it myself lol
I’m going to be upset if they change the ending in the movie, it was amazing
They could definitely do a fake out after a time skip, even the book does that haha.
I can’t believe that **Hitchhiker’s guide to the gallaxy **isn’t mentioned yet!
Its more of a funny story set in the future but its a classic, and its well worth reading (all 4 books of the trillogy)
- Six books in the trilogy, if you include And Another Thing by Eoin Colfer (of Atemis Fowl fame)
The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells is a collection of short books in the first perspective of a cyborg. You might enjoy that.
This is exactly what I came to say.
It is fantasy but if you like hillarious and (in part) absurd stuff, read anything by Terry Pratchett. I personally would recommend starting with “Guards! Guards!”. Be aware that there are over 30 books by him out there. There are multiple guides on which to read first to get the best start.
Most agree that it is not the best idea to start with the book he wrote first.
Be aware that there are over 30 books by him out there.
All in all there are are like 40. At some point you will wish there were more.
Guards! Guards! is nice.
I also liked The Wee Free Men and a Hat Full of Sky.Came to make sure someone had posted Pratchett.
I think it particularly suits OP as the prose is astoundingly good. I’d never been impressed by sentence structure until reading Pratchett.
Also, for someone into non-fiction, there’s so much real world brilliance that it crosses over pretty well. (Sociology, science, politics, religion, damnit, everything. The whole human experience can be found in Pratchett’s writing.)
If you like Andy Weirs novels, Tchaikowskys books are worth a try. I.e.:
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
I second Children of Time!
Have you read The Martian by Andy Weir?
Diamond hard sci-fi told mostly through the main character’s personal log. First time I read it, I couldn’t put it down, I read the whole thing in one sitting.
I’d like to add The Hail Mary Project by Weir as I recommended The Martian to a friend looking for sci-fi but he couldn’t get into it because it’s a little harder on the science and less on character development, although I personally agree it’s a great recommendation for immersive writing.
The Hail Mary Project might have more immediate emotional character connection if the Martian feels a little dry.
This, and Artemis too. Basically anything by Andy Weir at this point.
Really? I actually don’t know his history. Was Martian his first one or just his breakout hit? Are all of his later novels more character driven like Hail Mary project?
I like realistic science fiction a lot, but I need some more characterization and plots to really get into it like I did with the Hail Mary project.
If anyone stumbles on this thread, check out the mote in god’s eye for some amazing characterization and hard science fiction.
He did some short format writing, but The Martian was his first published novel, I think. He was a software engineer before that.
Artemis follows the same pattern of a capable main protagonist solving problems, so it is not very different from the other books in terms of characters, but it is much better in character depth and development than The Martian.
Awesome, thanks, I’ll check it out
I know you’ve been recommended a lot of books.
Like you I only ever read non-fiction.
Then someone gave me a copy of Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut.
You might like a lot of his work. It’s not exactly fiction and not exactly non-fiction.
Anyway, good luck on your adventure! You are doing something brave and interesting. Let us know how you get on.
I’d recommend The Martian.
It’s hard sci fi and the writing style is quite similar to nonfiction so it should be a fairly fast read for you.
I’d also recommend grabbing a book of Philip K Dick short stories.
I’m going to suggest The Murderbot Diaries. It starts off with the few short novellas before they’re being a full length novel. You can finish the novellas in a few hours and you will be hungry to get into the full length novel. Get them off www.libgen.is
First one is called All Systems Red by Martha Wells Followed by: Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy, Compulsory(just a super short origin story), Network Effect(full novel), Home(four short stories), Fugitive Telemetry, System Collapse (another novel)
I think this would let you break into some really good offbeat sci-fi with some novellas first. Then some full-on novels all within the same universe.
Great recommendation. Extremely easy to get into, great compelling character voice, and most of the entries in the series are very quick reads.
Can’t believe no one has mentioned it already but the book that got me into reading was “Enders game” by Orson Scott Card. Fairly short and has a split set of follow up books that branch off in 2 directions in you want more.
Please choose this book OP, I’ve read it so many times. It’s that book you can’t not read again and again
Anything by Iain M. Banks.
The Player of Games is reportedly the best place to start but I personally started with Consider Phlebas and can’t complain!
The book 1984 is a brutal version of Brave New World. Also Dune was pretty good for me.
Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson.
And then everything else by Neal Stephenson.
Diamond Age is a somewhat sequel. Seveneves is epic sci Fi on a grand scale.
Fall, Reamde, Termination Shock, and cryptonomicon are good near-present sci fi written in similar style. Very action packed with interesting characters.
Anathemos ambitious, takes work to read, but is worth it in the end.
The Baroque cycle is historical fiction that is framed around real scientists. It is very long and took me three tries to get started, but it was also worth reading.
Out of all of that, I’d argue Snow Crash is the most accessible, followed by the Baroque Cycle.
Cryptonomicon and Anathemos are more or less unreadable.
Cryptonomicon I had no problems with, read it thrice now. Anathem was tough, took effort to get 1/3 thru but then went by easily.
It was only after reading anathem that I felt I could do anything and started Quicksilver for the third time and actually finished it. After that the next two in the Baroque cycle were easy.
The best first-person novel I’ve read is Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. The best first-person sci-fi novel I’ve read is Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.
I second Project Hail Mary
Tress of the Emerald Sea I think is the best gateway to Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere. It’s styled after Princess Bride if she wasn’t helpless. I enjoy a lot of his books, ask if you want more recommendations!
Someone else mentioned the Mistborn Trilogy which is great and has a quality sequel trilogy as well, also Sanderson Cosmere
