

Why should I start reading science fiction? - marcamillion

I saw this post - http://blamcast.net/articles/best-science-fiction-books - about a collection of best sci-fi books as determined by Reddit, and it looks intriguing.<p>I must admit, I am not a sci-fi reading type of guy.<p>I don't read fiction at all, actually. I much prefer non-fiction books - because I feel like I am learning.<p>However, I love the screen adaptations of science-fiction. Game of Thrones is an all-time-favorite of mine, as well as many movies that started as a novel.<p>Seeing this list has kinda tempted to me to partly revise my position, but I would love to hear from fellow HNers that were either like me and have since dove in and loved it, or just loved it from the beginning.<p>I love words, and language.<p>I just fear that if I sit down with a sci-fi book, then I am wasting time. It's not as if I will ever recall any of that information to reference in the future.<p>But I kinda feel like I may be missing out on something huge (e.g. interesting wordplay that authors use, or anything else that I might be overlooking).<p>Help convince me.
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SoftwarePatent
You should read sci-fi because the authors question fundamental assumptions
about the world, the same way good entrepreneurs do. For example, Arthur C.
Clarke invented the idea of satellites in geosynchronous orbit.

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marcamillion
Interesting.

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queensnake
Well, the written word is a less limited medium, it plays straight on your
brain. Plus, there's a mountain of it compared to film. If you like that kind
of thing, you have to read. Note that George R.R. Martin is /fantasy/. If you
like more realistic speculation about our future, tech, or ideas, you'd want
SF proper. That is best imo in short-story form, at least to get started with;
try a Year's Best collection or, go haunt best-of threads, for SF, or fantasy.

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rorrr
If you liked "Game of Thrones", try "Chronicles of Amber" by Roger Zelazny. I
hope one day they will make a movie or TV series based on it.

As for sci-fi, you can learn from it too (the science part). Also, many older
sci-fi ideas became reality (robots, flying cars, digital billboards, 3D
printing, space tourism, video chat).

Sci-fi describes what one day our world can become, it sometimes tries to warn
us about certain things.

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marcamillion
Is Chronicles of Amber a book or is there a TV/Movie adaptation?

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rorrr
A book.

