If your father is a sci-fi bookworm like me, these science fiction book recommendations will help you knock it out of the park.
It can be tough to find something for someone who has everything.
Nothing compares to escaping into another world. Here are my five top science fiction classics and new releases.
Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard
In the far future, Earth has been taken over by an alien race known as the Psychlos who are stripping the Earth of its mineral wealth. The Psychlos dominate both by their advanced technology and by their physical form, standing nine feet tall and weighing over a thousand pounds. The few human survivors live in scattered, primitive tribes.
In a chance encounter, the chief of security of a mine (Terl) encounters human Jonny Goodboy Tyler and takes him captive. It so happens that Terl plots to mine gold from the Rockies to fund an escape from this backwater world, but his plot requires human miners. Thus Tyler and his small crew begin to learn how to use the Psychlos technology, and more importantly, how to turn it against the aliens in an effort to retake the planet.
Battlefield Earth is a massive book, with as many adventures and close scrapes as intellectual ponderings. For example, late in the story a consortium of intergalactic bankers seeks to repossess the Earth for unpaid debts. They cannot be destroyed by battle the way the Psychlos can, and thus must be outsmarted.
AMAZONBARNES & NOBLE
Watch Book Trailer
Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
Believe it or not, I first heard about this fantasy novel an announcer on NPR—the only fantasy recommendation I’ve ever heard there.
In a fictionalized China called Kitai, General Shen Tai has just won an impressive victory against invaders. Filled with remorse at the needless death, the general asks for and receives permission to retire. He takes his freedom to move to the site of the now-haunted battlefield and begins burying the dead. He buries Kitai soldiers and their enemies without prejudice. Every time he buries someone, a voice haunting the battlefield falls silent.
Hearing of this honorable deed, a princess gifts General Tai two hundred fifty of her finest horses. He regards this as a death sentence. The horses are so valuable that people will come from hundreds of miles to steal them. But if he refuses the gift or turns the horses loose, he will insult the princess—also a death sentence.
General Tai decides the only way to survive is to drive the horses several hundred miles and present them as a gift to the Kitai emperor. But with only a female warrior as bodyguard, that is a long way to survive.
AMAZON BARNES & NOBLE
The Mercenary by Jerry Pournelle
Version 1.0.0
If you are a science fiction fan, you have probably heard of Pournelle’s The Mote in God’s Eye. This prequel gives us the background of the formidable ex-Marine turned mercenary John Christian Falkenberg.
Imagine a United Federation of Planets-type government happily and peacefully managing a backwater world—until the planet’s resources run low and bureaucracy abandons the planet to its own devices. War ensues, faction against faction, brother against brother, as rival groups vie for dominance. One faction appears to have won power—except that the losers scrape together enough coin to hire the ex-marine turned mercenary John Christian Falkenberg and his men. Making a quick assessment, Falkenberg determines he can win if he strikes hard and fast—and if he manages to convince his opponents he’s landed with overwhelming force when in fact he’s short of about everything.
What I loved about The Mercenary is that Falkenberg is facing overwhelming odds—but he keeps on winning. Modern writing theory dictates that the hero must be beaten down, down, down, nearly to the point of giving up, until in the final scenes he orchestrates a reversal. But some classic works show the hero winning over and over; the joy is in trying to anticipate how he will pull it off. TV shows like Columbo use this technique, as do the Sherlock Homes stories, and the excellent tales of Ole Doc Methuselah from L. Ron Hubbard.
AMAZON
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglass Adams
This is probably the funniest book ever written. Aliens plan to demolish the Earth in order to make way for an intergalactic superhighway. The only thing standing in their way is Authur Dent, an Englishman who is far, far from being heroic. Dent carries a Babel Fish to translate languages, and a Electronic Thumb with which he can hitch a ride on just about any spacecraft that flies near—spacecraft that might be powered by an improbability drive.
Adams’ humor is dry, ironic, and full of surprises. If dad hasn’t already read this, he should.
(For those of you under thirty, hitchhikers were people who used to stand by the side of the road holding a thumb out. Automobile drivers, not driven paranoid by the internet, would stop and give them a lift.)
AMAZON BARNES & NOBLE
Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken
I wanted to include a modern novel in my recommendations. I’ve always loved the Arthurian legends, and this purports to take the Author Pendragon—Merlin stories and move them into modern times. Really, these are new adventures with new characters, while the Arthurian references create resonance and depth.
Teenager Tamsin Lark lives in present-day Boston, a town full of sorcerers and Hollowers—those who can see and hunt ancient magic. Unfortunately for Tamsin, she has no such ability. Without power herself, Lark is viewed as something of a joke by most Hollowers, including (she thinks) her own crew. When rumors begin swirling that Lark’s missing guardian discovered a powerful magic ring, rivals and enemies begin circling. Lark discovers she must find a way to Avalon to unravel both modern and ancient mysteries to have any chance of finding the magic ring—not to mention having to defeat the Wild Hunt and Lord Death himself.
This two-book series has adventure, romance, heartbreak, and most importantly, mystery galore.
AMAZON BARNES & NOBLE
Bonus entry: Writers of the Future Volume 41
By Award Winning Debut Authors, and L. Ron Hubbard, Tim Powers, and Sean Williams
This collection of fantasy and science fiction short stories—most in the vein of adventure—can’t be beat. Several of the stories feature time travel, although that is not its official theme. As the collection is by debut authors, you are guaranteed to read something fresh and new. I’ve read most of the entries, and Volume 41 is one of the strongest.
AMAZON BARNES & NOBLE
Conclusion
If you are looking for a book recommendation that your father will love, these stories will not disappoint.
I’d love to hear if you have read any of them, and how it goes.
Guest Blogger
Scott T. Barnes
Scott T. Barnes has taught EAFL in France and wrangled cattle in Oregon. He is also a certified kenjutsu instructor. His novel Memories of Lucinda Eco has garnered rave reviews, including a coveted Editor’s Pick from BookLife. His short story “Insect Sculptor” won the L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Award. Author Site: https://www.scotttbarnes.com/
