Tunnel in the sky

What Hacker News says

1. RagnarDDec 2023
   - Most works by Heinlein esp. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, Tunnel In The Sky, Time Enough For Love

   - Many other works by Asimov

   - The Rama series by A.C. Clarke

   - Gateway and other novels in the same universe, by Fred Pohl

   - The earlier novels of James P. Hogan esp. The Two Faces Of Tomorrow and The Genesis Machine

   - The Complete Venus Equilateral, by George O. Smith

   Much more, of course, but a good start.

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2. netman21Jan 2020
   As an author I am encouraged by all the great responses here. In addition to writing a book a year I read about 50. My question for OP: How do you learn anything if you are not reading books? Sure, you can learn a lot about a subject online. When I write a book I spend about 6 months reading everything I can find (including books). Then I organize what I have learned and present it (I hope) in an easy to absorb manner. A reader can learn everything I know about a subject in 4-6 hours. Want to learn about the Cold War? Read Gaddis' seminal book on it. Want to learn about WWII? Read Winston Churchill's five book series that won the Nobel prize for literature? Civil War? Shelby Foote. If history is not your thing what about biography? There are biographies of practically every founder of great tech companies. (Jobs, Gates, Musk). How about ideas? Malcolm Gladwell (Tippingpoint), Michael Lewis (Mondeyball). Or maybe break into reading with fiction. Give yourself a present of the complete Lord of the Rings. If you liked the movies be prepared to love the books. If you hated the movies, no problem, the books are far better. OR science fiction. Read all of Heinlein's books for young adults. Start with Double Star then read Have Space Suit Will Travel. A Door Into Summer speaks to any engineer. Tunnel In the Sky is the classic survival story. When you are hooked on Heinlein read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress; it only takes a chapter to get used to his interesting take on what English of the future will sound like.

   I hope you are encouraged by all the great reasons listed in the rest of the comments. I for one live to read!

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3. gregpillingFeb 2015
   I call it 'comfort reading' like comfort food. It is one of the books I pick up when I am lying in bed sick for the day. Usually something by Heinlein/Clarke or maybe Asimov.

   Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Tunnel in the sky, Friday, Rama, have all been read 5 to 10 times.

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4. learc83Mar 2012
   >"Tunnel In the Sky"

   I loved that book. Heinlein's juveniles would be great for middle school kids.

   I hated all the crap I had to read back then. I read Jurassic Park in 3rd grade, and by the time I was in middle school I found the standard literary fare too mundane to be interesting.

   School could be much more interesting if they'd just update the reading list.

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5. aarongoughMar 2010
   I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:

     The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson
     Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
     Gridlinked - Neal Asher
     Neuromancer - William Gibson
     The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton
     The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton
     Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton
     Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan
     Market Forces - Richard Morgan
     Blindsight - Peter Watts
     The Electric Church - Jeff Somers
     Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein
     The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein
     1984 - George Orwell

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6. XichekolasJan 2010
   Programming in Haskell by Graham Hutton

   A.I. A Modern Approach (ch 13-16) by Russell and Norvig

   A Tunnel In The Sky by Robert Heinlein

   The Revelation Space series (3 of the 5 books) by Alistair Reynolds

   Eon/Eternity (both by Greg Bear)

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