Hi,

I'm looking for a variety of books for American Prisoners abroad. The thing is they can't have bloody violence in them, like rape, murder, horror...things that exacerbate those with prior tendencies toward such.

I know I'm safe with Niven and Asimov, but it seems like every American writer these days drops in a rape in order to demonstate that the bad guy is truly evil.

Can you recommend book titles that would be "suitable" for those behind bars, yet entertaining?

Thanks.

Robin

Arthur C. Clarke might work too. . . but of course, he's another Golden Age author.

Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga might work. . . starting with The Warrior's Apprentice though, because there is an attempted rape in the first Cordelia book. . . but those (especially the early ones) are definitely military SF so take that under advisement. . .

C.J. Cherryh's series starting with Foreigner should work too. . . at least, the first three (which are all I've read so far) are lacking in "bloody" violence. There are a couple of attempted assassinations, but nothing where the violence is personal and up-close, which I think is what you're concerned about?

Mark W. Tiedemann's Remains should be fine, though there is a fair amount of sex in it. . . you don't mention avoiding sex in your question, but I can't in conscience call the books "clean," lol.

You could also go much older and send them some H.G. Wells.

Hmmm. Looking over that list, I'm not sure anything I've suggested is quite what you wanted. It's surprising how hard that is! Good luck!

I'm not sure they'd bother with Wells, and Sex isn't a no no, just violence. (And most of our prisoners are non-violent anyway.)

So, I'll start working on the Cherryh and the Bujold. I'm not familiar with Tiedemann...is he any good? (besides the sex...)

I think Tiedemann is quite good. Very adult. . . not talking about the sex here, but more the way he treats his characters. They're people with lives and circles of friends and hobbies and history. . . as opposed to the typical SF/F callow youth of no family in over his/her head on the world/galactic stage. The book I mentioned is a mystery/thriller with some elements of cyberpunk and a romance thrown in.

Seems that I remember the Ringworld series by Larry Niven is 'clean' in the way that you describe.   And boring but true, most of Heinlein.   Also, I can't remember a rape or that type of violence in Sherri Tepper's books.  Correct me if I am wrong someone.

I suspect the more political of Tepper's novels feature rape. . . at least, that's what I hear. She is a feminist after all. . . ;)

But there definitely isn't anything like that in The Family Tree or The True Game. It's implied but not on-screen in Six Moon Dance and it's threatened but not carried out in Beauty. And that's the furthest I've gotten in her catalog, so I can't vouche for any of the others!

I suspect the more political of Tepper's novels feature rape. . . at least, that's what I hear. She is a feminist after all. . . ;)

I have not read every single book by Tepper, but I don't remember any rape scenes.  The closest is violence to women in Raising the Stones and  The Gate to Women's Country and that is not a rape but examples of women being silenced for disobedience by religious fanatics.  The violence is after the fact, not scenes of description of violence.

You can also look at books by Orson Scott Card.  His are "clean".

Clean, and relatively non-violent? I had always heard that Card was a bit dark.

Hmmm. . . I'd classify Card as a sort of bubble case. There isn't a whole lot of on-screen violence (though there is definitely some, particularly in Ender's Game) but a lot of his characters have been victimized in one way or another, so a lot of the books deal with the ramifications of violence. . . at least, that's what I'd say about most of his stuff written pre-2000, when I pretty much stopped reading him.

The first one I'd suggest is The Rosinante Trilogy by Alexis A. Gilliland. Fairly hard SF, and the violence tends to take place off the screen. There is some sex courtesy of a lecherous AI.

I'll second Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series.

Saturn Alia and A Lion on Tharthee by Grant Calin.

Uller Uprising by H. Beam Piper. Its a space opera take on the Indian Mutiny, but again the violence is mostly offscreen.

Brian Daley's Requiem for a Ruler of Worlds, A Jinx on a Terran Inheiratance and Fall of the White Ship Avatar would be pretty good, along with most of his stuff.

Robert Asprin's stuff would probably be pretty good.

yeah, Aspirin is on my list (except for the Thieves World stuff which got *really* dark, *really* fast!)

I'll add Bujold, Daley, and Piper...although I think he's hard to find.

I'm working on Niven, Asimov, some Clark, and Piers Anthony.

Now I just need to find people interested in doing deals so I can get these cheap enough for *all* our "clients." :-)

Thanks for the suggestions!

Robin

Maybe mention the cause by making a post in the book bazar, if it's a good enough cause people might willingly do deals with you. :)

I'd also say post a link to the cause. Googling on it led to a lot of British stuff, but nothing on Americans.

Almost any of the novels of  Edgar Rice Burroughs would fit the bill.  While many of his books have an attempted rape, a hero always arrives in the nick of time before any of the fair maiden's clothes get taken off.

Then there is Eric Frank Russell's novels, especially Three to Conquer, Next of Kin, Wasp, Sentinals from Space.

Then try Robert Heinlein's The Door into Summer, The Citizen of the Galaxy or many other of his early novels before he hit his 'dirty old man"  stage.

Then there are so much Andre Norton that could be used, I can't list them all here.

Then there is Murray Leinster... and the list goes on. The early sci-fi writers didn't need excessive violence or rape to hold the reader's attention.

I don't remember any violence sapient to sapient in it.  There were threats and some "scientific tests" butthe only thing that got killed were some animals and not many of them.   Your best bet is to go old, 50-70s.  I don't know if some of the old Star Trek (Kirk series up to about book 70) would work for you are not.  Phules Company and Myth series by Robert Aspirn is OK too.

Turnes out the early Myth series are hard to find...online at least. I loved Piper, and keep an eye out for him as well. But Norton...I get her confused with Bradley sometimes. Witch World? Where when a woman loses her virginity, she "loses" her powers? So, there are all these rapes? Or am I confused?

Robin