Don't be fooled by the trashy Romance Novel style cover, "The Gentle Seduction" is a short story of the nerdiest variety. Author Marc Stiegler published the sci-fi story in 1989 but the topics of nanotechology, the Singularity and mankind's future are every bit as relevant now (more-so actually). It may seem like a daunting read at first but I highly recommend making the time for it. The seduction itself is actually happening to all of us right now at this very moment - assuming you don't live out in the woods of Montana disconnected from the rest of the world (in which case, how are you reading this?!).

Thanks to "EvilNight" for the heads up on that one.