Books to Give Dad on Father's Day

Father's Day is one of the two holidays in which children are invited to follow the commandment to honor ones father and mother. And there is no greater way to do it that the gift of a good read. Some suggestions follow:

Tom Clancy is rightly regarded as one of the best writers of techno thrillers of our generation. His long running series about Jack Ryan, who rises from a lowly CIA analyst to become President of the United States, still sells handsomely. But the best of his work is a thriller called Without Remorse, the story of an early adventure of John Clark, a special operative who shows up in several Jack Ryan stories. Also recommended is Rainbow Six, also featuring John Clark, in which he engages a unique enemy who wants to destroy almost all human life with an international team of crack commandos.

If one's beloved praetor familius likes history, try the biography by Adrian Goldworthy entitled Caesar: Life of a Colossus. Simon Scarrow has produced a series of books set in a Roman legion, starting with Under the Eagle. The best novel about ancient Rome to come out in a generation, though, is Imperial Governor by George Shipway.

Ken Folliet, ordinarily a writer of thrillers, has two books out about a medieval town. They are Pillars of the Earth and its recent sequel World Without End.

If ones dad is into both the risqué and the funny, as well as history, no better gift could be given than one of the Flashman Books by the late George McDonald Fraser, about the adventures of a Victorian era rogue. Of particular interest are Flashman at the Charge and Flashman in the Great Game.

Patrick O'Brian's epic series about naval warfare under sail in the Napoleonic Wars is first rate. Start first with Master and Commander. C. S, Forrester (of Hornblower fame) and Alexander Kent have also written excellent novels about that era.

It being a political season, ones dad might want to know more about the candidates. Faith of My Fathers by John McCain and Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama are actually pretty good reads for books by politicians, revealing much of their character and upbringing.

When a cook book is given to a woman (or any cook), it is often really a gift to the giver. So it is with a book about barbeque to ones dad. Of particular interest are Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook and Italian Grill by Mario Batali and Judith Sutton.

For the science fiction aficionado, try Songs of Distant Earth or The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke. Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein, Tau Zero by Poul Anderson, and Ringworld by Larry Niven are also good bets.

A growing subset of science fiction is the alternate history story. Some possibilities for ones father include Voyage by Stephen Baxter, Einstein's Bridge by John Cramer, Ruled Britannia by Harry Turtledove, The Rivers of War by Eric Flint, the Gettysburg Trilogy by Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen, and the Axis of Time Trilogy by John Birmingham.