Reviving a 15 yr old John Scalzi thread in modified form

[james_davis_nicoll]

(Modified because the thread is 15 yrs old):

Good, recent science fiction for people who don't read science fiction.

A: Audience is adult, intelligent, and literate.
B: No YA
C: No books before 2010.
D: Book has to be primarily SF, not fantasy.
E: Recommend a book that you would actually recommend to someone.

Comments

[voidampersand]

That is a tough question because much of what we consider to be good in SF is an acquired taste, or requires specific reading protocols, or both. Here are three novels that I highly recommend, that are absolutely SF but not typical, and might be accessible to the right reader:

The City & The City, by China Miéville
Among Others, by Jo Walton
Arctic Rising, by Tobias S. Buckell

One more that is classic space opera SF, but it is so excellent in every way, I would recommend it anyway:

Finders, by Melissa Scott

[davidgoldfarb]

As much as I love Among Others, I have trouble seeing how a book in which fairies do magic is SF rather than fantasy.

[voidampersand]

Guilty as charged! Not only that, The City & The City is a police procedural and Arctic Rising is a techno-thriller. Only Finders is straight SF, except it's queer.

But I would recommend Among Others anyway, because it is a novel about SF, even though it isn't SF technically.

[drplokta]

The City & The City is also out of scope. It was published in 2009.

[voidampersand]

That's what I get for starting with 2010 Hugo finalists.