Top Ten Gift Ideas for the Science-Fiction Novel Lover Under $30

Does your loved one prefer to settle in for the night with a good science fiction or fantasy book rather than watch television? If they enjoy a well-written book with a solid plot line, give them a treat this holiday season with one of the following gifts, all under $30:

1. Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders, by Neil Gaiman, $27.00
Neil explains the title of his latest collection of short fiction by saying, "Stories, like people and butterflies and songbirds' eggs and human hearts and dreams, are…fragile things, made up of nothing stronger or more lasting than twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks."

Among the assortment of stories includes "A Study In Emerald", the Hugo Award-winning piece that brings horror to Victorian England HP Lovecraft-style; "October in the Chair", which won the Locus Award; and "How to Talk to Girls at Parties," a homespun story of two average teen boys who discover a party of hot women who just happen to be alien vacationers.

2. Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, by Drew Karpyshyn, $24.00
The Rule of Two dictates "There are always two; no more, no less." Karpyshyn takes us on a journey through the life of Dessel, cortosis miner on Apatros, as he fulfills his destiny to become the Sith'ari Darth Bane. When he discovers a key to unlock the ancient powers of the Rakata (first servants of the dark side), all the knowledge of the dark side is his to possess and wield. Well-written and consistent with the Star Wars universe, new and seasoned readers of the genre will enjoy the story.

3. The Prestige, by Christopher Priest, $14.95
Recently made into a movie featuring Hugh Jackman, The Prestige tracks the lives of two rival magicians in turn-of-the-century England. Each of them has a magic trick the other wants to know dearly - one involving a seeming double identity, the other relying on the power of electricity. The rivalry between them grows to epic proportions, driving them both to actions that will have consequences on them and their families for generations. More complex than what the movie could accurately portray, the book shocks you right up to the last page.

4. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, $24.99
In an odd (or perhaps not so odd) collaboration between the author of Discworld fame and the author behind the Sandman series, Gaiman and Pratchett come together to create a book filled with dark humor based on, of all things, the Apocalypse. A botched baby-switching plot results in the Antichrist being given to the wrong couple, leaving an angel and a demon with deeper history between them than the factions they represent to stop the end of the world from occurring. On the way they encounter the last living descendant of Agnes Nutter whose prophecies always come true. In perfect British fashion, the tongue-in-cheek dry humor appeals to nearly everyone.

5. Road of the Patriarch, by R.A. Salvatore, $25.00
Book Three in the Forgotten Realms: The Sellswords series, Salvatore brings the reader on another expedition through the life of Artemis Entreri. After defeating the Witch-King in "Promise of the Witch-King" (2005), Artemis and Jarlaxle confront the evil Knellict, his Citadel of Assassins and the Dragon sisters. The story builds as Artemis struggles to overcome long-forgotten that have now resurfaced, compounded by his exile by King Gareth to Artemis's place of birth, and brings the story to a shocking conclusion.

6. Farewell Summer, by Ray Bradbury, $23.95
One of the most acclaimed American storytellers, Ray Bradbury revisits one of his most loved works, Dandelion Wine. The long-awaited sequel, Farewell Summer, is a true gem among books: poignant, profound, funny and sad all at the same time, it's proof that the unrivaled Bradbury hasn't lost his knack for writing both thought-provoking and touching literature.

7. Knife of Dreams, by Robert Jordan, $7.99
The 11th book in this epic fantasy is the one that fans have been waiting for years to get their hands on. The poetic beauty and well-woven tales found in the Wheel of Time volumes quickly established Jordan as one of the best Tolkein-style fantasy writers of our time. Knife of Dreams bursts at the seams with fast-paced action as several plot lines either advance the story or come to an end, bringing the long-awaited final battle between the Dragon Reborn and the Dark One ever closer.

8. Empire, by Orson Scott Card, $23.95
When a rocket hits the west wing of the White House, killing the president, vice-president, and secretary of defense, a "Progressive Restoration" administration is established, with ramifications even the program's creators couldn't have foreseen. Bringing to the reader's mind echoes of previous warnings about the catastrophic results of going too far in the name of politics, intriguing plot lines and well-formed characters keep the action going throughout the book.

9. Son Of A Witch, by Gregory Maguire, $14.99
The death of the Wicked Witch of the West (also known as Elphaba Thropp) brings changes to the land of Oz in this sequel to Maguire's 1995 Wicked. A young man named Liir, who may or may not be Elphaba's son, goes on a quest to find himself, leading him on a trek through the deteriorating environment that used to be Oz (particularly the ruins in the Emerald City, where citizens are turning up disfigured and dead.) A number of encounters, including a stretch in the Munchkinland Army, lead him to a shocking denouement. Maguire's story reminds of our childhood lessons in forgiveness, loss and endurance.

10. The Book of Lost Things, by John Connolly, $24.50
Connolly changes from his usual criminal thriller to write a novel based on a much more primitive fear. 12-year-old David suddenly finds himself in a place where fairy tales are true, to an often frightening and grisly degree. Echoing several well-known fairy tales, Connelly expertly manipulates them to create an entirely new story.