I’ve basically been ordered to pick up any fiction book and read, after a friend discovered I’ve not read anything but non-fiction for a decade.
The ones I’ve enjoyed in the past have been short, fantastical or sci-fi (think Aldous Huxley, Ian McEwan), but crucially with amazing first person descriptive prose - the kind where you’re immersed in the writing so much you’re almost there with the character.
I liked sci-fi as the world’s constraints weren’t always predictable. Hope that makes sense.
Any recommendations?
Edit: I’m going to up the ante and, as a way of motivating myself to get off my arse and actually read a proper story, promise to choose a book from the top comment, after, let’s say arbitrarily, Friday 2200 GMT.
Edit deux: Wow ok I don’t think I’ve ever had this many responses to anything I’ve posted before. You’ve given me what looks like a whole year of interesting suggestions, and importantly, good commentary around them. I’m honouring my promise to buy the top thing in just under 4 hours.
And then everything else by Neal Stephenson.
Diamond Age is a somewhat sequel. Seveneves is epic sci Fi on a grand scale.
Fall, Reamde, Termination Shock, and cryptonomicon are good near-present sci fi written in similar style. Very action packed with interesting characters.
Anathemos ambitious, takes work to read, but is worth it in the end.
The Baroque cycle is historical fiction that is framed around real scientists. It is very long and took me three tries to get started, but it was also worth reading.
Out of all of that, I'd argue Snow Crash is the most accessible, followed by the Baroque Cycle.
Cryptonomicon and Anathemos are more or less unreadable.
Cryptonomicon I had no problems with, read it thrice now. Anathem was tough, took effort to get 1/3 thru but then went by easily.
It was only after reading anathem that I felt I could do anything and started Quicksilver for the third time and actually finished it. After that the next two in the Baroque cycle were easy.