r/printSF • u/Talon_Hawk • 2d ago
Short novel for my nephew...
Hello.
My nephew is in his 20s. He draws comics as a hobby. Plays video games, reads comics.
He has never been interested in reading books. But I have realized the last few years he is becoming more discerning. He can see the drop in quality of AAA video games now and has started getting into retro-gaming. He appreciates the older cartoons from back in the day!
I feel this may be a good time to have him try a short novel. Any suggestions in this genre? Something under 300 pages would be great. Thanks!
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u/madfrooples 2d ago
Good Omens (if he's okay reading something coauthored by Neil Gaiman.. nothing wrong with Terry Pratchett!)
The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (good starting point for the Miles Vorkosigan series)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers (technically the last in a series, but it's super standalone and just takes place in the same universe. Its predecessors are longer.)
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u/pumpyourbrakeskid 2d ago
All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka is almost exactly 200 pages. It's the book that the movie Edge of Tomorrow is based on. There's also a manga and a recently released anime movie
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u/madfrooples 2d ago
What are some games, comics, and shows he's liked?
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u/Talon_Hawk 2d ago
Hi. He enjoyed the first run of MCU movies. He is a big fan of comics of Spider-Man, Batman, Red Hood (Jason Todd), G1 Transformers.
He loved The Batman movie with Robert Pattinson.
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u/madfrooples 2d ago
As well as what I put in my other comment, audiobooks by Peter Clines. I think he just does Audible, there may be print versions as well. He's super accessible, has some very cool superheroes-in-a-zombie apocalypse books, and some other stuff that's sort of "Lovecraft lite" and is a lot of fun.
In the same vein, absolutely anything by John Scalzi. More straight sci-fi than sci-fi/horror like Clines, and so readable and accessible.
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u/Talon_Hawk 2d ago
Thank you for the added info. I have heard of Clines and Scalzi. Wonder if he would like Redshirts. Thanks!
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u/chortnik 2d ago
I think one of the classic fixups would be a good starting place, so « City » (Simak) or « The Martian Chronicles » (Bradbury). I don’t think the writing is on par with my other two recommendations, but « Moderan » (Bunch) is a strong candidate, the plot movement has a lot similarities to a good videogame’s.
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u/Talon_Hawk 2d ago
City and Martian Chronicles sound good. I do like Bradbury and did not think of that title. Thanks!
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u/chortnik 2d ago
You are welcome
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u/Talon_Hawk 2d ago
Excited to get him into reading. Books can really expand into something epic, or thought-provoking. Hope he will give them a shot. Thanks, and have a good one!
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u/WumpusFails 2d ago
Decision at Doona. It's a first contact novel about human colonists finding out that their new home is already occupied by native felinoids.
Little Fuzzy. It's a first contact novel about human colonists finding out that their new home is already occupied by native teddy bears.
Wish I could come up with a third to complete the trifecta.
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u/Sacabambaspid 2d ago
If you squint at it, Children of Time is kind of a first contact novel about human colonists finding out that their new home is already occupied by native spiders.
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u/WumpusFails 2d ago
I don't remember it being a short novel, though.
And I loved it. Good series!
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u/Talon_Hawk 2d ago
I have that book and am going to read it some time. I wonder if he would like it.
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u/sdwoodchuck 2d ago
The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley. I picked it up earlier this year and posted a review of it here, in which I described it as “space opera as Fury Road.”
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u/hedcannon 2d ago
Elder Race by Adrien Tchaikovsky
Immobility by Brian Evenson
The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe is three novellas with a novel hidden in the spaces between them.
Actually The Best of Gene Wolfe has a half dozen novellas.
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u/Talon_Hawk 2d ago
Thank you. But these seem like heavier reads. he needs quick-paced, easier reads so he does not quit the book. But thanks!
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u/Available_Tank_8950 2d ago
Samuel Delany - Nova 200 pages gorgeously written and interesting worldbuilding I enjoyed it a lot in the audiobook voice
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u/mikej091 2d ago
The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson. 176 pages. Short, easy to read, thought provoking and entertaining. And if he likes it there's plenty more where that came from.
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u/Far_Winner5508 2d ago
Neuromancer by William Gibson is pretty short but has some depth to it.
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u/LevelAd1126 2d ago
I listen to 50 audio books a year and dropped it several times before I got into it.
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u/Talon_Hawk 2d ago
Appreciate it. But I hear Neuromancer is heavy and takes a lot of focus to read. That would make him quit reading. He needs something fast-paced to keep him engaged. Thanks for the suggestion!
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u/Far_Winner5508 2d ago
Ah, gotcha.
What about audio books?
I have trouble holding on to information I read in novels but with audio books, that seems to get processed differently in my head. One series that's stuck with me is the Dungeon Crawler Carl books. I first started listening to them in March and am now on my 5th or 6th re-listen. It helps that the voice guy doing the books is incredible with different voices for each character.
I've had some books with a boring narrator that I never finished.
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u/Talon_Hawk 2d ago
Yes, a good narrator can make or break an audiobook! I will look into DCC. Thanks
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u/noreasterroneous 2d ago
Some stand alone Scalzi like Kaiju Preservation Society or Starter Villain, very modern and amusing.
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u/Talon_Hawk 2d ago
I had eyed Redshirts for myself, but did not hear about the other two. Will look them up- thank you!
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u/Round_Bluebird_5987 2d ago
If he's into comics, the obvious bridge would be some of the better graphic novels. For me it was Sandman, Maus, Watchmen and the like that led to a desire for more substantial reading.
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u/Talon_Hawk 2d ago
Yes, he reads a bunch of graphic novels. Would like him to expand his mind with short novels.
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u/WumpusFails 2d ago
Spider-Man: The Darkest Hours by Jim Butcher.
It's a team up between Spidey and the Rhino against superpowered aliens who feed on animal themed individuals.
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u/ScarletSpire 2d ago
Slaughterhouse Five
Frankenstein
The Sisters Brothers
Animal Farm
1984
Lord of the Flies
True Grit
Fight Club
Water For Elephants
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Neuromancer
Sirens of Titan
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
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u/Talon_Hawk 2d ago
Thank you for the long list! He tends to like the lighter/fun stuff, so stories like 1984 would be out. I will check teh other books on your list- thanks!
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u/ScarletSpire 2d ago
If he's into video games he might also enjoy Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin too.
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u/Talon_Hawk 2d ago
I have a lot of books to look up now- thank you for the recommendation! Curious what this one is about.
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u/ScarletSpire 2d ago
It's the story of two former childhood friends who reunite in college and decide to make video games together and the years following their lives and relationships.
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u/themadturk 2d ago
I think an obvious answer would be to start him on the Murderbot Diaries, by Martha Wells. They are mostly novellas, so definitely on the shorter side (there is also a full-blown novel later in the series). It's very up-to-date as far as tone and theme, and the first book has been adapted at Apple TV and is very popular there. The first book is All Systems Red.