At the library we’ve recently installed a set of automatic sliding doors. It’s like I’m working aboard the Starship Enterprise and (along with the new “Ender’s Game” movie,) it’s put me in a science fiction mood. Of course, my scifi tastes may be too fluffy for some – I tend to ignore petty details like the laws of physics – but I think I’ve picked a little something for everyone… unless you’re an alien. I don’t know what sort of books appeal to aliens. Keep that in mind.
A great introduction to science fiction is Douglas Adams’ “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, arguably one of the funniest books ever written in any genre. Many fans are unaware that there is a sixth book in the five-book trilogy, “And Another Thing…” written by Eoin Colfer with the blessing of Adams’ estate.
If you’re anxiously awaiting BBC’s Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special later this month, consider Stephen Baxter’s “The Wheel of Ice”, a Doctor Who novel featuring the Second Doctor as he investigates a hole in time near a mining base orbiting Saturn. Long-term Whovians will enjoy the many references to classic Who episodes peppered throughout the book.
In another Stephen Baxter title, “The Long Earth”, co-written with Sir Terry Pratchett, a simple invention grants mankind the ability to “step” between realities. As adventurous individuals set out to colonize these new frontiers, one man scouts the new worlds with the help of a sentient super-computer, but what they find in the Earths far from our own is not what they expected.
Teens and adults both will enjoy the new young adult title “The 5th Wave” by Rick Yancey. Starring a strong female main character in a gritty post-apocalyptic struggle for survival when the world has been devastated by wave after wave of alien attack, this book will appeal to fans of “The Hunger Games” and “Maze Runner”, as well as adults who like to pretend they’re too old for teen books.
We also have science fiction titles for older elementary- and middle-school-aged children. I recommend “Other Worlds” by Jon Scieszka, part of his wonderful “Guys Read” anthology series which is targeted to young boys who don’t like to read, featuring short stories by Rick Riordan, Tom Angleberger, and Ray Bradbury.
Need more suggestions? Come by the library and ask a librarian. Better yet, ask for Tom, our new director. Word on the street is he’s a science fiction fan. Drop in and say hello.
Until next month, may the force be with you.
Now beam me up, Scotty.
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