The Sword and Laser discussion

For Sci-fi, just about anything recent by Robert J. Sawyer could do the trick. They're very near-future as a rule, and should be approachable by non-SF fans.

Michael Crichton
Kind of a gateway author for scifi.

You can also find some success by looking for overlap. Someone who likes Master and Commander might consider giving His Majesty's Dragon which starts them into reading some kind of fantasy.

If they like thrillers or adventures, Jurassic Park.
Science buffs: Dune

For KIds: The Hobbit, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Harry Potter

For fantasy, like in the mainstream, George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. Then for science fiction, Ender's Game, which is a book I think that works on so many different levels other, and goes beyond being a science fiction novel. It has something for everyone, no matter who they are or what their age is.

For the more geeky I think Arthur C. Clarke is a good starter as it is science based and rooted in a practical approach to the settings. I think good military scifi also can be a good intro for those that like Clancy etc.

I wouldn't recommend Tolkein for a newbie. That's some seriously dense fantasy for someone just starting out.

I would suggest Michael Crichton or Arthur C. Clarke. Neil Gaimanhas a few good books that could introduce the genre nicely like American Gods, Anansi Boys or Good Omens

I like the Michael Crichton suggestion. When I started reading sci-fi, I read Jurassic Park and Andromeda Strain.

For introducing someone into the fantasy genre, you need to avoid the 1000 page doorstops, and go with something accessible. The fantasy "gateway drug" for me was the original Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman.

The fantasy "gateway drug" for me was the original Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman.

Hmm... were you a gamer before you read them though? I liked them too as a kid but I know some non-fantasy lovers who couldn't take them seriously.

Brad T. wrote: "I wouldn't recommend Tolkein for a newbie. That's some seriously dense fantasy for someone just starting out."

The Hobbit would work, as someone suggested. Lord of the Rings is seriously dense even for me now. I've never finished the trilogy in less than 1 year's time, and I'm generally a fast reader.

Rob wrote: "The fantasy "gateway drug" for me was the original Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman.

Hmm... were you a gamer before you read them though? I liked them too as a kid bu..."

Absolutely, I was a gamer. I'd given up on reading Lord of the Rings twice by the time I got to them. It was just what I wanted - easy and fun. Yes, I would absolutely classify them as pulp fantasy.

Drizzt is in the same vein as the Dragonlance stuff but works well with the gaming types...especially WoW...

It really depends on what they read already, and what scares them. I would recommend short books or short stories. People feel much less put upon if you ask them to read a 50 page short or a 150 page novel then they would if you plopped down a copy of Tolkien like it was Tolstoy.

If they like detective mysteries, then I would suggest The Caves of Steel. If they like funny, then I would suggest The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. If they liked the Harry Potter movies, well read Harry Potter. If they like romance, um, Harry Potter slash fic?

What helped me was finding contemporary fantasy books, now called urban fantasy. I still am not very interested in high or epic fantasy (other than ASOIAF), but if it's in a contemporary earth setting, I'm more likely to read it.

Reading some of the short story magazines out there helps too. If the person can find a story they like, they might like work by the same author.

Successful recommendations I have made to readers who have explicitly told me that they don't like fantasy are, Neil Gaiman's American Gods and Anansi Boys, Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange Mr. Norrell, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon andChristopher Priest's The Prestige

I would never suggest Song of Ice and Fire to a person who isn't used to fantasy. There's no way they would get through it, unless they really loved it right away. I'd probably suggest something like Neil Gaiman, or perhaps (as some of you have mentioned) The Hobbit.

As for sci-fi, I have to agree with Ender's Game. It was one of the first science fiction books I read and I absolutely loved it. I'd recommend that book to anyone, whether they like science fiction or not.

What about classic Sci Fi? Say something like Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea or maybe Fantastic Voyage? It's been years since I read the first and I never read the second...

Sofie wrote: "I would never suggest Song of Ice and Fire to a person who isn't used to fantasy. There's no way they would get through it, unless they really loved it right away. I'd probably suggest something li..."

In defense of SoIaF as a genre teaser, the first book doesn't even have that many fantasy elements. Aside from the Others and the dragons it reads more like a historical political intrigue story or something like that. So it might work for people who enjoy "historical fiction" or whatever you might call it and you might simply nudge them into the fantasy direction with these books.

Anne wrote: "Sofie wrote: "I would never suggest Song of Ice and Fire to a person who isn't used to fantasy. There's no way they would get through it, unless they really loved it right away. I'd probably sugges..."

That's very true!

Three women Iwork with are devouring my copies of ASOIAF because they saw Game of Thrones on tv. None of these ladies have ever read fantasy before.

I definitely agree with the recommendations here for Ender's Game for a n00b to sci fi. I also recommend that one quite a bit as a "first audiobook" to someone who wants to try them out.

For fantasy, it's harder for me to come up with"one" recommendation,
. I think it will depend on the person's interests. It they saw Game of Thrones on TV and liked it, I'd probably recommend the series. If they were not into the sprawling world, but into romance books, I might suggest something like Outlander as it is a romance ok with strong fantasy elements. For someone who's new and wants something light I might suggest the YA book The Hero and the Crown, but if YA isn't their thing, maybe Stardust. Or, for just a good fantasy title that stands well on its own but is also the first in a long series, a good "general fantasy" book, I'd recommend Feist's Magician: Apprentice.

Somehow, I think it is harder to recommend fantasy...or maybe it's hard to think of titles with good general appeal. Thinking more on it, I would definitely recommend Magician: Apprentice to almost anyone, so maybe that would be a good single recommendation without all the caveats.

It's older and harder to find but The Mote in God's Eye is very easy to read and I thinks appeals to people who like Star Trek.

I guess some would call them try Techno thrillers but they are sci-fi in my mind. Daniel Suarez Daemon and Freedom.

I'd suggest anything by Bujold, Loïs McMaster. Her work is character driven and doesn't rely on the tropes or memes other works do. Her Vorkorsigan saga is great sci-fi adventure without being weighed down by trying to explain future science. For fantasy, I'd start them off with her Sharing Knife quartet. There's no epic journey, or evil overlord to vanquish, just every day people falling in love and trying to build a life together in a world with minor magic, bandits, and the occasional dark creature.

I keep recommending The Left Hand of Darkness for people who want some feminist thought with their scifi. Also books by Octavia Butler--Kindred for time travel to the antebellum south, or Parable of the Sower for a dystopian future. I agree that you have to tailor it to the person you're thinking of.

Neil Gaiman is my go-to author for introducing people to fantasy. Stardust or Coraline (especially the graphic novel version for really reluctant readers) are the usual starting points, since both have been made into movies and so can be used as a starting point into actually reading the books.

I've also used his short story "Snow, Glass, Apples" out of his collection Smoke and Mirrors as an intro into both his works and the fantasy genre. It works especially well with readers who like somewhat "darker" movies or video games.

For older readers who are okay with getting their hearts broken, The Last Unicorn works pretty well, in my opinion.

Neil Gaiman definitely, pretty much anything of his, just adapt the person's likes to his work, if they're into darker things then American Gods or if they like humour then Good Omens, with Terry Pratchett.

As well as the good sir TP himself of course, there's a huge amount of books to choose from of his; perhaps the Moist Von Lipwig books.

The Lies of Locke Lamora would be another choice, very readable, very entertaining and doesn't swamp you with fantastical elements either. :D

For the fantasy genre I'd recommend Lian Hearn's Tales Of The Otori Trilogy. It's a very easy book to read and I had success recommending it to someone who doesn't read anything that has to do with fantasy or SciFi.
As for SciFi I'd go with Carl Sagan's Contact or Frederik Pohl's Heechee Saga.

For fantasy I'd recommend Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy, or the Neil Gaiman book I like the most: Neverwhere.

On the sci-fi front, the previously mentioned Ender's Game is a most excellent choice :)

This is a great thread and happens all the time...

Sci-fi- i would recommend anything from Robert J Sawyer, then maybe if they like action something from David Weber.

Fantasy- The Belgariad Boxed Set nice easy read but very good, Maybe David Weber again with Oath of Swords.

Hmm, I have to agree with Enders Game.

i would recommend (even though it's just a short story) asimov's "the sentinel"

Robert wrote: "Even though I haven't yet finished it I actually think Stranger in a Strange Land could make a good sci-fi recommendation here."

That's what came to mind for me as well. That and Fahrenheit 451.

Robert wrote: "Even though I haven't yet finished it I actually think Stranger in a Strange Land could make a good sci-fi recommendation here."

Not sure I'd recommend that book to a first-timer, maybe as a 3rd or 4th book.

Also I think anything in the literary "canon" that has widespread appeal so people don't always think of them as sci-fi or fantasy. 1984 is a good example, but there's a lot out there (J.G. Ballard, Vonnegut, Murakami, Bulgakov).

It reminds me of a friend who argued that he didn't like westerns, and he liked Unforgiven, so therefore Unforgiven wasn't a western. Some variant on the "no true Scotsman" fallacy.

The trick is to not mention that the books in question are, in fact, genre!

Fantasy: Screw fantasy; read Blood Meridian. [trollface.jpg]

Sci-fi: Never Let Me Go.

I have started a few people with Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear, but I think that Neal Stephenson's Reamde would be a good entry. Robert J. Sawyer is always a good start.

For fantasy I have started many women with Enchanted Inc. by Shanna Swendson, and the Dresden Files would be a great gateway.

Here's a fun tool to recommend to anyone looking for a place to start (its also just plain fun to go through):

http://www.sfsignal.com/interactive/n...

It takes you through the NPR top 100 sci-fi and fantasy picks based on your own personal taste.

For Fantasy I would recommend something by Guy Gavriel Kay (Tigana, Song for Arbonne etc). His style is more 'alternate historical fiction' with very minimal fantasy tropes (no elves, dragons etc) so its very newb friendly, as well as these being fantastic standalone books in my opinion. Also I think the Temeraire novels by Naomi Novak would be a good call.

In fact, one of my friends who is not into fantasy at all read Tigana some years ago and proclaimed it one of his favourite books ever - then he went back to John Grisham and never read another fantasy again, but still makes the point......

Dresden files for fantasy and Hitch-hikers for Sci-Fi. Not a very original pick but I do think they are very accessible.

For fantasy, I recently recommended Mistborn: The Final Empire to a friend. This trilogy has such a unique magic system that I think it brakes the stereotype that magic in literature is always going to be like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. Also, it's a quick read. Dresden Files would be good too, I think.

I have to agree that Dune and Ender's Game are excellent for Sci-Fi beginners.

For Mystery fans I'd definitely say The City and the City. It's got the police procedural and one of the most interesting settings I've ever encountered.

For someone who is scared of Scifi, I think I'd recommend The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy It's really easy to read, and tends to draw people in right from the first page.

For someone who's scared of fantasy, I think I'd recommend a really character driven series like Assassin's Apprentice

Hmm, for Sci Fi I think I would recommend Octavia E. Butler's Xenogenesis saga (Lilith's Brood) series or her Patternmaster series.

The classic Stranger in a Strange Land is cool too.

For fantasy Brian Lumley's Khai of Khem or his Tarra Khash collections Tarra Khash: Hrossak!: Tales of the Primal Land and Sorcery in Shad: Tales of the Primal Land.

Maybe Brian McNaughton's The Throne of Bones. That one kept me interested in the fantasy genre singlehandedly.

For me I'll cater it to their taste.

It really depends on what they like to read. Chances are, they've also read a SF&F title, just didn't consider it so. For example, I'd classify a lot of Haruki Murakami's work as fantastical, and he's quite mainstream.

Game of Thrones is also a good hook if they liked the HBO series, but it's also quite an intimidating novel.

I would recommend The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Piers Anthony is also a good one because he has both science fiction and fantasy in a lot of his books. (I'd recommend any Xanth book, On A Pale Horse, or Split Infinity). Also a series which is all around fun and very easy to get into is Dealing With Dragons, a great girl-power book that even girls who never read fantasy can enjoy. In science fiction I read I, Robot when I was 9 so I think it is a great starter book.

Having a weird sense of humor I would probably recommend The Silmarillion, then give them my 'your dumb as toast' look when they came back to me.

But seriously, 'The Belgariad', 'Sword of Shanarra' or 'Wizards First Rule' would be good for Fantasy. For Science Fiction I might recommend a book of short stories by Arthur C. Clark, Old Man's War or Dune. Enders Game I would avoid because the 'science' in it is questionable.

CJ Cherryh is good for either genre. For sf, Downbelow Station is IMNSHO the most realistic portrayal of interstellar war ever written. The story moves on several levels, with events seen from multiple viewpoints, and with problems including resource scarcity, native populations, refugees, espionage, tactical situations, and interpersonal relationships being either hard to manage or in the way. For fantasy, Rusalka is brilliant. The ghost story is a genre that everybody finds familiar. The fantastic elements are introduced slowly and carefully, with the one big exception, and the characters are so believable, so much like people you might know, that they bring the fantastic elements home that much more clearly.

I have definitely had luck getting my friends into sci-fi with Ender's Game.

On the fantasy front, The Name of the Wind has worked for every single non-fantasy person that I've convinced to read it. My friends are always so surprised by how much they like it. Then I get to smile and say, "See??? I've been reading awesome stuff all along."

In general, though, I would just say recommend something with superior writing. Patrick Rothfuss spent upwards of 10 years writing "The Name of the Wind," so the writing in that book is damn near flawless; and everyone I know who's read it always comments on how well-written it is.

And no matter what you might think of his politics, Orson Scott Card is a phenomenal writer. While the Ender series does lose steam after the first few books, the themes and ideas he explores are still incredibly interesting.