What would you reccomend to a starter in SciFi literature?

[Saiph]

another fun book, that breaks the "humans are the baseline" cliche is Call to Arms by Alan Dean Foster.<br /><br />Basically: Two consortiums of alien species are fighting a nasty war across the galaxy, however <i>most</i> species aren't very violent, and actually react badly to violence (Foster gives a plausible reason why in the book...basically their history required cooperation, and wasn't so fractious as ours). <br /><br />Each side has some species that tolerate violence, and many others that outperform all others in their fields (doctors, engineers, etc).<br /><br />One side, finds earth, and is stunned by the relative primitive technology, but the highly developed weapons in comparison, along with humans combat abilities.<br /><br />It's an entertaining read where Humans are the galactic tough guys! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p align="center"><font color="#c0c0c0"><br /></font></p><p align="center"><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">----</font></em></font><font color="#666699">SaiphMOD@gmail.com </font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">-------------------</font></em></font></p><p><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">"This is my Timey Wimey Detector.  Goes "bing" when there's stuff.  It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually.  I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- </font></em></font><font size="1" color="#999999">The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[tom_hobbes]

You guys sent me whirling back in time! I read quite of a few Alan Dean Foster's books as a nipper and thoroughly enjoyed them. I'd completely forgotten! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#339966"> I wish I could remember<br /> But my selective memory<br /> Won't let me</font><font size="2" color="#99cc00"> </font><font size="3" color="#339966"><font size="2">- </font></font><font size="1" color="#339966">Mark Oliver Everett</font></p><p> </p> </div>