First Contact Books - Page 2

pshrynk · 05-12-2008, 11:10 AM

I was going to answer, but Dr Drib's post says it all. Best in my opinion is Mote in God's Eye. Look for the first ever mention of e-book readers.

brecklundin · 05-19-2008, 12:48 AM

wasn't H. Beam Piper's Little Fuzzy a first contact novel? I know I loved reading it the first time.

nerys · 07-15-2011, 03:31 PM

I would also like suggestions for more first contact novels.

more interested in novels not shorts more interested in the "harder" stuff.

just read david weber's out of the dark. LOVED it the vampire twist was a little "strange" but does not ruin the story. I REALLY hope he makes sequels to this.

but more stuff like that. ie true "first" contact between human's and aliens not just "new" aliens.

rkomar · 07-15-2011, 09:03 PM

Probably not what is being asked for, but Stanislaw Lem's novel "Fiasco" is entirely about First Contact, instigated by us in the future when we are more scientifically powerful. As you might guess from the title, it's not a feel-good story. It does bring up some interesting ideas, like the "window of opportunity" when trying to make contact (in a nutshell, civilizations only broadcast their presence for a century or two before they wise up and go dark to avoid contact with more powerful aliens. In most cases, it takes a long time for the signals to reach Earth and then for us to reach them, and in that time the aliens can become sufficiently advanced to be a threat to the visiting humans. Ergo, there's only a small time in which you can detect them and then reach them while maintaining the upper hand).

His earlier book "Eden" also covers this topic, but in the more usual space-opera type fashion. "Solaris", "The Invincible" and "His Master's Voice" also revolve around this theme. Of course, the books are mostly about us and how we deal with these situations rather than about "them".

nerys · 07-15-2011, 09:29 PM

I have eden his masters and solaris so I shoved them on my kindle will read them don't have fiasco but it appears to be a short story (downloads I have found are 41kb ??)

the cover looks familiar though I may have read it already.

but that is exactly the kind of stuff I am looking for (human first contact with aliens either here or out their)

really like novel length stuff.

keep them coming. I have 14,000 ebooks the hard part is "what" to read and figuring out what I will and will not like. Very hard :-)

crich70 · 07-15-2011, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by electristan

Epic post Dr. Drib

that going to keep me going a good while.

Indeed. I think he cornered the market. lol. A very good list and one I'll have to make note of for future readings myself.

rkomar · 07-16-2011, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nerys

I have eden his masters and solaris so I shoved them on my kindle will read them don't have fiasco but it appears to be a short story (downloads I have found are 41kb ??)

My paper copy of "Fiasco" is 324 pages, so it's no short story. It's also one of my votes for "Best SciFi Book of All Time", so make sure you get a good copy.

crich70 · 07-16-2011, 02:23 AM

The sails of Tau Ceti by Michael McCollum is another good read in the subject.

nerys · 07-16-2011, 03:28 AM

Ohhh that looks nice and that also lead me to the Gibraltar trilogy !! even better sounding ! getting them for my reader now!

lestatar · 07-16-2011, 05:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by electristan

Epic post Dr. Drib

that going to keep me going a good while.

Hell yes. Thanks so much Dr. Drib indeed!

carpetmojo · 07-16-2011, 06:43 AM

The annoying thing is, particularly with Dr. Drib's excellent contribution, I see title after title that I can only vaguely remember the story, but remember I enjoying them a lot.........

B....r ! More books to go on the to do list .............

carpetmojo · 07-16-2011, 11:05 AM

..........that's "enjoyed".

stonetools · 07-16-2011, 11:22 AM

First contact is one of the most common tropes of Sf, so there are a zillion stories out there. Even Dr. Drib's great list only just makes a dent. My contributions:

The Warriors, a short story by Larry Niven.
The Andromeda Strain, Michael Crichton
The Abyss, Michael Crichton
The Kraken Wakes, John Wyndham

lestatar · 07-16-2011, 11:55 AM

^ Excellent point.

Never thought of Andromeda Strain as being a first contact type story, but you're indeed right.

anjirlly · 07-16-2011, 02:13 PM

A few more offerings from female authors:

Becoming Alien by Rebecca Ore (1st in trilogy)
Cuckoo's Egg by C.J. Cherryh
After Long Silence by Sheri Tepper

07-16-2011, 06:43 AM	#26
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	Grrrr............ The annoying thing is, particularly with Dr. Drib's excellent contribution, I see title after title that I can only vaguely remember the story, but remember I enjoying them a lot......... B....r ! More books to go on the to do list ............. Last edited by carpetmojo; 07-16-2011 at 06:44 AM. Reason: Appalling grammar..............

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05-12-2008, 11:10 AM	#16
pshrynk Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah! Posts: 11,726 Karma: 8255450 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!	I was going to answer, but Dr Drib's post says it all. Best in my opinion is Mote in God's Eye. Look for the first ever mention of e-book readers.

05-19-2008, 12:48 AM	#17
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	wasn't H. Beam Piper's Little Fuzzy a first contact novel? I know I loved reading it the first time.

07-15-2011, 03:31 PM	#18
nerys Addict Posts: 243 Karma: 48 Join Date: Dec 2006 Device: PRS 500 - REB 1200	I would also like suggestions for more first contact novels. more interested in novels not shorts more interested in the "harder" stuff. just read david weber's out of the dark. LOVED it the vampire twist was a little "strange" but does not ruin the story. I REALLY hope he makes sequels to this. but more stuff like that. ie true "first" contact between human's and aliens not just "new" aliens.

07-15-2011, 09:03 PM	#19
rkomar Wizard Posts: 2,986 Karma: 18343081 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Sudbury, ON, Canada Device: PRS-505, PB 902, PRS-T1, PB 623, PB 840, PB 633	Probably not what is being asked for, but Stanislaw Lem's novel "Fiasco" is entirely about First Contact, instigated by us in the future when we are more scientifically powerful. As you might guess from the title, it's not a feel-good story. It does bring up some interesting ideas, like the "window of opportunity" when trying to make contact (in a nutshell, civilizations only broadcast their presence for a century or two before they wise up and go dark to avoid contact with more powerful aliens. In most cases, it takes a long time for the signals to reach Earth and then for us to reach them, and in that time the aliens can become sufficiently advanced to be a threat to the visiting humans. Ergo, there's only a small time in which you can detect them and then reach them while maintaining the upper hand). His earlier book "Eden" also covers this topic, but in the more usual space-opera type fashion. "Solaris", "The Invincible" and "His Master's Voice" also revolve around this theme. Of course, the books are mostly about us and how we deal with these situations rather than about "them".

07-15-2011, 09:29 PM	#20
nerys Addict Posts: 243 Karma: 48 Join Date: Dec 2006 Device: PRS 500 - REB 1200	I have eden his masters and solaris so I shoved them on my kindle will read them don't have fiasco but it appears to be a short story (downloads I have found are 41kb ??) the cover looks familiar though I may have read it already. but that is exactly the kind of stuff I am looking for (human first contact with aliens either here or out their) really like novel length stuff. keep them coming. I have 14,000 ebooks the hard part is "what" to read and figuring out what I will and will not like. Very hard :-)

07-16-2011, 02:23 AM	#23
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,305 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	The sails of Tau Ceti by Michael McCollum is another good read in the subject.

07-16-2011, 03:28 AM	#24
nerys Addict Posts: 243 Karma: 48 Join Date: Dec 2006 Device: PRS 500 - REB 1200	Ohhh that looks nice and that also lead me to the Gibraltar trilogy !! even better sounding ! getting them for my reader now!

07-16-2011, 11:05 AM	#27
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	..........that's "enjoyed".

07-16-2011, 11:22 AM	#28
stonetools Wizard Posts: 2,016 Karma: 2838487 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Washington, DC Device: Ipad, IPhone	First contact is one of the most common tropes of Sf, so there are a zillion stories out there. Even Dr. Drib's great list only just makes a dent. My contributions: The Warriors, a short story by Larry Niven. The Andromeda Strain, Michael Crichton The Abyss, Michael Crichton The Kraken Wakes, John Wyndham

07-16-2011, 11:55 AM	#29
lestatar LB's lolz Mutt Minion Posts: 2,902 Karma: 5700001 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Hong Kong now but NYC forever Device: Kindle3, GalaxyTab, BB Bold9700, BB 8300, Sony Clie, Palm Vx, Palm III	^ Excellent point. Never thought of Andromeda Strain as being a first contact type story, but you're indeed right.

07-16-2011, 02:13 PM	#30
anjirlly Groupie Posts: 155 Karma: 58410 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: SE Michigan Device: Kindle on Android phone; PB360; Sony 950	A few more offerings from female authors: Becoming Alien by Rebecca Ore (1st in trilogy) Cuckoo's Egg by C.J. Cherryh After Long Silence by Sheri Tepper