Seeking Science Fiction Recommendations

[beamjockey]

Someone I know has turned to me for help. Her male cousin

"is turning 13 I think… I always buy him books. He is really smart, more geeky than dreamy and likes science fiction. Any suggestions??"

I don't know more about his reading habits than this.

I have a few clues, but haven't read extensively in recent SF. I could recommend a bunch of books that were great 20 to 60 years ago.

I'm looking for suggestions for books published recently-- let's say in the 21st century-- that are a nearly-sure bet to interest someone who fits the description above. Books that would make a suitable gift.

(At 13, he's probably ready to read some SF published for adults, but really good young-adult stories are also worth considering. And I gather there are a lot of good ones around these days.)

Comments

[vnend.livejournal.com]

I think that there is enough content from the time of the story and the game a lot of the story takes place in for it to work. I hadn't seen some of the movies referenced, and I didn't have a problem; the author has the POV character explain what he's doing pretty well, and POV doesn't assume that all of 'his readers' know all the 80's references. Most teen-aged geeks see Wargames even today; though finding out median age they see it at might be interesting.

We could just ask one, but there are over 600 reviews/comments on the book at Amazon, and I'd say the odds that someone born since 1988 has reviewed the book are near certainty. I didn't find one in a quick skim of them, but I did see a couple that raised the question and then dismissed it, and a few by folks who sounded like they were too young to directly remember the 80's that were also positive.

I don't think it is a show stopper.