Hello everyone!
I’m looking for two book recommendations:
- an “entry” book into SciFi. Something that is easy readable. I prefer sth. “positive” or utopian.
- A similar book like “48 rules of power” but without the Machiavellian touch and the religious touch of “How to win Friends and Influence People”. Maybe there is something more “universal” available on how to connect to people on a respectful level.
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Not exactly utopian, but the Murderbot Diaries are a great and easy read. Not exactly SciFi, but ditto Terry Pratchett’s disc world books.
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I personally found this to be very impactful (in a good way): “How to Listen: Tools for Opening Up Conversations When It Matters Most” by Katie Colombus
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I saw first sci-fi and thought ooooh “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep”… but, as much as it’s a great book… it is not positive by any means!
I am interested too, it’s been tricky to find positive sci-fi for me, and I’d love to read some. :)
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The Long Way to A Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. Very easy to get into.
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Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High is my go to. However there are so many other books that teach you how to connect with others.
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I dont read Sci fi but I did read a couple of John Scalzi books: Old man’s war, and Starter Villain. I recommend both!
For SF, I recommend anything by Becky Chambers. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is the first of her Wayfarers series.
For entry, easy to read sci-fi that is positive or utopian, I think the author Ursula K. LeGuin is an obvious choice.
Maybe start with The Dispossessed.
I’m not sure I agree that she is the most accessible to a modern reader.
Oh, that’s surprising to me. I find her books simple in vocabulary and plot, but still enjoyable. What did you have in mind?
I’m not referring to simplicity of vocabulary so much as…I guess feeling like it’s written in natural language? This is a problem with a lot of earlier sci-fi in general. It tends to be really good on ideas and not be especially well written when it comes to characters and relatability.
I’m sure I could think of something to recommend over it, but I have not put the thought into it at this point. I just think she is a great example of a sci-fi writer with great ideas but not the most natural and welcoming writing style.
I think I sort of get what you mean, maybe it’s more like her writing isn’t as entertaining, gripping, or as well paced? I hadn’t really thought of that, I was mostly thinking about accessibility in terms of whether the writing was easy to read or more literary. I do sort of agree that LeGuin’s works are not always so compelling as much as they are just mildly interesting.
Andy Weir’s books like The Martian have more compelling characters and plot, but I worry that the overly-technical / problem-solving approach might be off-putting for general audiences.
The Martian is a little hard science for a lot of people, I agree. Great book, though.
