Dune.
I mostly read non-fiction myself, so, just like you, I looked for something else amd randomly chose Dune. Loved it.
Brilliant world building and a story arch that keeps on giving. And there are 7(?) books in total.
Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction
31–40 of 61 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction
#32Depends what non-fiction you read. Hemingway would be a good bet.
Re: Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction
#33If you don't want to venture too far out of your comfort zone, A. S. Byatt writes fiction books that read like non-fiction (much in the way that Erik Larson writes non-fiction that reads like fiction). At the same time, Byatt is a fantastic writer with a great literary imagination.
Re: Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction
#34Science fiction:
- House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds
- A Deepness in the Sky and A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
All of which were recommended here on HN and I really love them, especially House of Suns.
Re: Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction
#35Wouldn't call it must read, but I found Joyce's Dubliners quite entertaining and at least close to stuff that's recommended for serious reading.
The last book I thoroughly enjoyed was Scalzi's Redshirts, but it's probably less funny if you're not familiar with Star Trek at all.
Re: Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction
#36If you're into social issues, Ursula Le Guin wrote several novels that combine sci-fi with social and political philosophy in a package that feels somewhat non-fiction-y. My favorite are The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. Meanwhile, a more recent novel of hers, Lavinia, is a fascinating reinterpretation of ancient Roman epic fantasy.
Margaret Atwood is another author who doesn't get mentioned a lot around here but whose works of SF(she prefers "speculative fiction" to "sci-fi") I've enjoyed a lot. Her MaddAddam trilogy is weird but entertaining. You'll probably either love it or hate it. Many of her other works focus on issues of sex and gender in various past and future settings, some fictional, some historical.
Of course, I as well as a lot of other commenters in this thread are assuming that you'll be into sci-fi and fantasy, because that's what most computer geeks like. But even if you aren't a sci-fi fan, Le Guin and Atwood aren't typical sci-fi, so you might find them interesting anyhow.
Re: Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction
#37Dune. I mostly read non-fiction myself, so, just like you, I looked for something else amd randomly chose Dune. Loved it. Brilliant world building and a story arch that keeps on giving. And there are 7(?) books in total.
Yes, indeed. Dune. Lets talk about the why. Its much more than an average fantasy because it contains a lot of angles. It is full with psychology, politics, and sociology. Specifically, it touches on subjects like discrimination & racism, oppression/tyranny, managing, infiltrating, warfare, and various eastern philosophies (since the Atreides are forced to suffer). Did I forget anything? Please, do improve my answer! :)
Re: Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction
#38Two short stories:
- Rashōmon https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashōmon_(short_story)
- Three Questions http://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/short-stories/the-th...
Re: Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction
#39Well, "fiction" is an incredibly broad category (if it can even be called that). And "must read" is highly subjective ;-)
If you're just looking for some light entertainment, go for sci-fi or fantasy (Lord of the Rings, anyone?). But if you don't mind some slightly "heavier" reading, have a look at the classics. In some cases they can be a little tricky to understand, but they are called "classics" for a reason...
Specific suggestions (incomplete and in no particular order): Shakespeare's plays, Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe", Harper Lee's "To kill a mockingbird", JM Barrie's "Peter Pan", Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories...
Re: Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction
#40The correct answer really depends on what you're into, and what kind of person you are. There are a lot of subcategories in fiction (just like there are in non-fiction).
Lord of the Rings is much more than mere fiction. It is possibly interesting from a linguistic PoV as it contains an entirely new language called Quenya developed by Tolkien. It also contains a lot of subjects which are relevant IRL.
Without getting further into LOTR I agreed with another poster on Dune and attempted to explain the subjects it touches in another reply to your post.
Problem with both of these (as well as say GoT) is there are movies made of them.
You might also be interested in stories which are based on non-fiction, but are written in a story telling kind of way, greatly adding to suspense. In that category I read the books Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick and Kingpin by Kevin Poulsen [1]. If you're interested in following a suspenseful hacker story I can recommend them both.