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From: jagardner@watmath.UUCP (Jim Gardner)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: What should be your FIRST sf book ???
Message-ID: <16320@watmath.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 3-Sep-85 10:21:16 EDT
Article-I.D.: watmath.16320
Posted: Tue Sep  3 10:21:16 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 4-Sep-85 06:09:31 EDT
References: <3502@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Reply-To: jagardner@watmath.UUCP (Jim Gardner)
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 16

In article <3502@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> X-MAN@SRI-NIC.ARPA writes:
>My question is this -- Was that a wise choice for a representative of all
>that is good in the field?  If not what would you suggest to your friends
>given the same opportunity?
>                -- Jeff T.

Having thought about this problem a long time, my answer is "Flowers for
Algernon" (by D.Keyes).  It is inventive, well-written, effective, and
approachable.  It is undeniably SF, but a far cry from space opera, almost
sure to dispel any mistaken beliefs about what SF has to be.  In addition,
it does not require any background in the field -- for example, you don't
have to know what FTL is and why it's important to many stories.  Besides,
the story is a great tear-jerker without being sucky about it.

				Jim Gardner, University of Waterloo