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First meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life
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- First contact is a common theme in science fiction about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, or of any sentient species' first encounter with another one, given they are from different planets or natural satellites. It is closely related to the anthropological idea of first contact.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_contact_(science_fiction)
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First contact is a common theme in science fiction about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, or of any sentient species' first encounter with another one, given they are from different planets or natural satellites.
These are generally called first-contact stories, and perhaps the best known of them is "First Contact" (May 1945 Astounding) by Murray Leinster. This poses the problem of contact as a puzzle grounded in mutual suspicion and Paranoia, eventually short-circuited by a gimmick solution.
- The Five Best First Contact Novels
- All The Best First Contact Novels I’ve Reviewed
- For Related Reading
Semiosis (Semiosis Duology #1) by Sue Burke (2018) 326 pages ★★★★★ — Can plants think? These colonists on an alien world learn the answer the hard way.
Why is it, do you think, that animals are capable of thought, and plants aren’t? Or are they? Certainly, many aspects of plant behavior suggest conscious action. And at least one scientist, Daniel Chamovitz, director of the Manna Center for Plant Biosciences at Tel Aviv University, “argues [that a plant] can see, smell and feel. It can mount a defense when under siege, and warn its neighbors of trouble on the way. A plant can even be said to have a memory.” And whether any of this means that...
Dawn (Xenogenesis Trilogy #1) by Octavia E. Butler (1987) 310 pages ★★★★★ — A science fiction novel that illuminates the human condition
A young woman named Lilith awakens from suspended animation into one of the most convincingly alien worlds in the genre. She is confined within a small, all-white room with neither windows nor a door. The light is bright and constant. At intervals, bowls of food extrude from one of the walls. At length, a disembodied voice speaks to her in English, growing silent when she asks a question it declines to answer. When the speaker finally is revealed, Lilith is repulsed. The creature that has mat...
Wherever Seeds May Fall by Peter Cawdron (2021) 517 pages ★★★★★— One surprise after another in this brilliant First Contact novel
It seems unlikely to me that anyone, anywhere, has thought longer or harder about First Contact than Peter Cawdron. In his fifteenth standalone novel on the theme, the gifted Australian science fiction author poses yet one more solution to the Fermi Paradox. “In the summer of 1950,” Cawdron explains, “while sitting around a table having lunch, physicist Enrico Fermi casually asked his colleagues, ‘Where is everyone?‘ . . . He understood that, given the sheer size of the universe, there should...
The Avatar by Poul Anderson—Alien life abounds in our starfaring future Interference (Semiosis Duology #2) by Sue Burke—Humans, intelligent plants, brilliant insects, and that’s not all! The Mars Anomaly by Joshua T. Calvert—A massive solar flare triggers . . . an anomaly Neptune Crossing (Chaos Chronicles #1) by Jeffrey A. Carver—Chaos theory trig...
It’s not really a First Contact novel, but it does explore a first meeting between two alien species in a novel way: The Left Hand of Darkness (Hainish Cycle #4) by Ursula K. Le Guin (Ursula Le Guin’s classic gender-bending novel). Some regard this novel as a classic of First Contact: Orbitsville by Bob Shaw (This long-forgotten “classic” SF should...
- The War of the Worlds. By H.G Wells. H.G Wells’ first contact novel is notorious due to its radio adaptation leading to mass real-world panic that aliens were invading.
- Rendezvous with Rama. By Arthur C Clarke. Rendezvous With Rama is one of the all-time classic science fiction stories, its reputation transcending the first contact genre.
- Contact. By Carl Sagan. Contact by Carl Sagan is given extra plausibility by the fact its author is one of the greatest modern scientists.
- Childhood's End. By Arthur C Clarke. Science fiction titan Arthur C Clarke’s first contact story explores the arrival of The Overlords, an enigmatic alien race who intervene to change the nature of human society.
- Dawn (Xenogenesis #1) by Octavia Butler. Waking up in an alien spacecraft hundreds of years after your last memory isn’t fun. Just ask Lilith Iyapo, a woman who’s grieving her lost husband and son.
- The Eternaut by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López. First published as a serialized comic between 1957 and 1959, this Argentine novel starts with a bang: Juan Salvo and a group of friends are playing cards in his house when an unexpected snowfall begins.
- Eifelheim by Michael Flynn. It’s the year 1348. Father Dietrich, priest of the small village of Oberhochwald, is worried about the Black Death. He isn’t worried about potential alien contact, which turns out to be shortsighted: an interstellar ship crashes nearby, marking the first contact between humanity and alien life.
- Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor. Three people’s lives are changed forever when they make contact with Ayodele, an alien ambassador. Set in Lagos, Nigeria, the book is centered on the interactions between Ayodele and marine biologist Adaora, soldier Agu, and hip hop musician Anthony.
Apr 11, 2024 · Today, we delve into the top 10 first contact stories in science fiction, exploring the diverse ways in which authors and filmmakers have envisioned our earliest interactions with beings from beyond the stars.
Jul 15, 2024 · In Peter Cawdron’s seventeenth standalone novel exploring the theme of First Contact, Nick Ferrin arrives on the southernmost continent, pressed into service as a “juror” on behalf of the United Nations.
