Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
I read a lot of Science Fiction for fun. These are a few of my favorites that I've given to other people:<p>1. <i>Vacuum Diagrams</i> by Stephen Baxter. When I think of epic hard science fiction, the Xeelee Sequence books spring to mind. With a story line that spans millions of years (and a few dozen books), this collection of short stories is a good introduction to one of the best and most underrated sci-fi series out there. Baxter's <i>Manifold</i> trilogy (<i>Manifold: Space</i>, <i>Manifold: Time</i> and <i>Manifold: Origin</i>) are also fantastic.<p>2. <i>Foundation</i> by Isaac Asimov. The whole Foundation series is wonderful, but this book is a landmark of sci-fi that should be on any fan's bookcase.<p>3. <i>The Martian</i> by Andy Weir. This book is what I've been giving the last couple years to people who don't think they like sci-fi. Everyone I've given it to has loved it.<p>4. <i>Rama</i> by Arthur C. Clarke. Another hard sci-fi staple. The rest of the Rama books he "co-wrote" with Gentry Lee are decent but become more space opera than hard sci-fi. I enjoyed them but many sci-fi fans find them polarizing.<p>5. <i>Silver Tower</i> by Dale Brown. More of a military thriller than sci-fi (<i>Flight of the Old Dog</i> is another favorite of mine by him) and terribly dated by modern standards (it was written when the Soviet Union was still a thing). But it's the first "adult" sci-fi book I ever read as a kid, so it'll always have a special place for me.<p>EDIT: Another one:<p>6. <i>Coyote</i> by Allen Steele. I <i>love</i> stories like this one: primitive, longshot interstellar exploration and primitive, first generation colonization. Especially for  desperate reasons. The first two <i>Coyote</i> books were good, but I just can't get into any of the subsequent ones.