Alien Contact

by Marty Halpern (Editor), Paul McAuley (Contributor), Ernest Hogan (Contributor)

“An anthology which . . . serves as an excellent snapshot of modern SF.”— The Guardian

We are not alone!

From War of the Worlds to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, ET to Close Encounters, creators of science fiction have always eagerly speculated on just how the story of alien contact would play out.

Editor Marty Halpern has gathered together some of the best stories of the last 30 years, by today's most exciting genre writers, (FEATURING STORIES STEPHEN BAXTER, ORSON SCOTT CARD, CORY DOCTOROW, KAREN JOY FOWLER, NEIL GAIMAN, STEPHEN KING,URSULA K. LE GUIN, ELIZABETH MOON, PAT MURPHY, CHARLES STROSS, MICHAEL SWANWICK, HARRY TURTLEDOVE, AND MANY OTHERS) weaving a tapestry that covers a broad range of from the insidious, to the violent, to the transcendent.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Aliens, Speculative Fiction, Ebooks

491 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2011

Reviews

[Zain · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Seventies…and More!

I consider the seventies old-timey days. Days that I have a special affection for. The music, the movies, the TV shows. Even the books. So why not science fiction?

The writers in this book are mostly unknown to me, but since starting this book, I have begun searching for some of them.

For example: Neil Gaiman—How to Talk to Girls at Parties (not really, I know who he is), Harry Turtledove—The Road Not Taken, George Alec Effinger—The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything, *Mike Resnick—The 43 Antarean Dynasties, Bruce McAllister—Kin, Pat Cadigan—Angel, Elizabeth Moon—If Nudity Offends You, *Robert Silverberg—Amanda and the Alien and Bruce Sterling—Swarm.

Some of you may know most of the people that I have named, but I am new to classic Scifi, so I don’t (* means l do).

There are still a few more authors that I haven’t named. I named those whose stories made the most impression on me.

I liked every story, but some of them l really loved. I hope you will enjoy this book, too. Got it on Nook, on sale. Don’t remember when.

Give it a hefty four stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Fred Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice collection of stories. Some swerved into the Fantasy genre but most were straight forward Science Fiction.

Well done

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marty Halpern presents us with an anthology of science fiction short stories predicated on (what else?) alien first contact. I was looking for an anthology like this. In my desperation for such a thing, I decided to start a rumor that John Joseph Adams (currently my favorite anthologist) was going to create such an anthology. And to this, JJA replied that Halpern had already done this. So I immediately rushed out and bought it.

Overall? I liked it very much; many stories I loved, and a few I could do without. That said, composite rating of all short stories: an even 3.5.

Individual story reviews:

"The Thought War" by Paul McAuley : Doesn't align well with my idea of what a "first contact" story is, but it fits with a modified view of that trope within the genre. It has a few moments, and the style works pretty well. ★★★½☆

"How to Talk to Girls at Parties" by Neil Gaiman : Another one that doesn't align with my idea of a "first contact" story, but is a great story just the same. Though Gaiman gives us what is more like an extended metaphor for our relationships with the opposite sex [1] than with an alternate species. Quaint and sentimental and not overly cloying. ★★★★☆

"Face Value" by Karen Joy Fowler : This is more like what I was looking for in a first contact story, albeit another one that uses inter-sex and/or romantic friction as the anvil for the theme's hammer blows. That said: this is a wonderfully crafted tale. ★★★★★

"The Road Not Taken" by Harry Turtledove : A quirky take on the first contact theme; I enjoyed some of the inversions, not to mention the way he explored the non-linear nature of technological development (as alluded to in the title). [2] Turtledove's style isn't my favorite though, even if I otherwise enjoyed the story. ★★★☆☆

"The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything" by George Alec Effinger : Feels like another inversion of what I think of as a first contact story--like the preceding short story, only more from the human point of view, and without an alien race that's into conquering. [3] Good sense of humor in there, but always with the "one generation to interstellarism"... ★★★☆☆

"I Am the Doorway" by Stephen King : No surprise -- this one is more of a horror story in scifi clothing. There are some elements to work with here but mostly you've got the entertaining fright factor. Typical King. ★★★½☆

"Recycling Strategies for the Inner City" by Pat Murphy : Really enjoyed this, all the way through. Neat take on the subject, especially the bit about comparing cars to horses. ★★★★☆

"The 43 Antarean Dynasties" by Mike Resnick : Equal parts humorous and sad. Though not (strictly speaking) a first contact story, it does have some elements that fulfill (or at least stand in for) that role. Quaint little allegory about conquest and racial tension. ★★★★☆

"The Gold Bug" by Orson Scott Card : Effectively an "Ender" story. (Of course?) Not one that I particularly enjoyed; tedious and too wrapped up in its own mythology. By the time any introspection happens around being but one of multiple species in the universe... well: that gets lost in the noise. ★☆☆☆☆

"Kin" by Bruce McAllister : First read this in Dozois' 24th. I find this one so difficult to relate to; it feels forces. It also doesn't really seem internally consistent with respect to the ethics in its own little morality play. It has some interesting ideas, but doesn't hold up beyond some surface-level speculation. ★★☆☆☆

"Guerrilla Mural of a Siren's Song" by Ernest Hogan : Quirky and a bit enigmatic, but that's what you need when you're talking about art--and esp. when you're talking about art as the only viable lens through which to view an alien mind. Hogan strikes the right notes here for what is (and isn't) said, for how it's said, and for giving us such a frustratingly perfect narrator. ★★★★★

"Angel" by Pat Cadigan : I first encountered this story... oh, about ten years ago, and it was over ten years old at the time. It doesn't focus on the "first contact" aspect, but the themes are there: the focus on the alienness of the alien, and the alienness of ourselves. When McAllister wrote "Kin", I imagined that he had something like this in mind as inspiration. But this one is pitch-perfect. ★★★★★

"The First Contact with the Gorgonids" by Ursula K. Le Guin : Le Guin is amazing, and there is something special (and comic) about the first contact story embedded here. You'll feel like it's the send-up for some baffling sci-fi slapstick comedy, but there's something more going on in there with the gender politics. ★★★★☆

"Sunday Night Yams at Minnie and Earl's" by Adam-Troy Castro : In my mind, I went between a two- and a four-star rating several times. Where are the aliens? Where is the first contact bit? Why does it feel so rambling? But there's also this:

Occasionally I glanced at the big blue cradle of civilization hanging in the sky, remembered for the fiftieth or sixtieth or one hundredth time that none of this had any right to be happening, and reminded myself for the fiftieth or sixtieth or one hundredth time that the only sane response was to continue carrying the tune.

And that made it worth it, for sure. ★★★☆☆

"A Midwinter's Tale" by Michael Swanwick : Like the story that precedes it in the collection, there is an element of stylistic fancy here. Foreign, second-hand narration embedded in and interrupted by other, unreliable (and possibly fabricated) narration. Aspects of it remind me of China Míeville's Embassytown , but stronger notes of cannibalism. ★★★★☆

"Texture of Other Ways" by Mark W. Tiedemann : That there is a first contact situation, and that we have no basis for establishing communication with the alien species: this I understand. That we hastily engineer not-quite telepaths to bridge that communication gap: this I understand. That our species does this because (the story suggests) our species is impatient: this I understand. That those alien species also seem impatient enough to permit that to happen that way? I do not understand. (Also: parts of the story, especially the end, seem unnecessarily oblique?) ★★½☆☆

"To Go Boldly" by Cory Doctorow : Back and forth on this story, back and forth. That a species or civilization might be so advanced that it doesn't even recognize what you're doing as anything but a game? Clever; cute, even. And there was something endearing about the hammy lampooning style here. But also something sort of... smug? [4] ★★½☆☆

"If Nudity Offends You" by Elizabeth Moon : The approach was good, the narrator was just about pitch-perfect; but I couldn't help but wonder about their motivation, and given the colloquial narrative style, I couldn't help but wonder: if she forgot about it all together, why tell the story like she's telling it from her front-porch? ★★★☆☆

"Laws of Survival" by Nancy Kress : If this isn't one of Kress' best, please point me to better so that I might exalt. It's a little long, but the first contact element is played well, and in such a way that it informs her deeper themes (and not fitting those themes to the first contact element). ★★★★★

"What You Are About To See" by Jack Skillingstead : The alcoholism bit felt a bit heavy-handed; and the bit with the alien was played more for the "weird" factor (an excuse to do some time-slipping) than it was for the first contact element. I guess it came together in the end, but I found myself more frustrated than not. ★★☆☆☆

"Amanda and the Alien" by Robert Silverberg : Pruriently amusing at times and but so that makes you feel a little creepy? [5] In the same vein as "If Nudity Offends You"--sort of. In the same vein as "How to Talk to Girls at Parties"--sort of. ★★☆☆☆

"Exo-Skeleton Town" by Jeffrey Ford : A slight whiff of Naked Lunch ? and/or a taste of Gun With Occasional Music ? Surreal and twisted up and though the aliens are not all that alien, there is a great story in here. ★★★★☆

"Lambing Season" by Molly Gloss : Some lovely writing, but somewhere the story gets lost in the poetics. (And I couldn't even ding it for falling back hard on one of the obviously-inevitable slain-lamb metaphors which, though we had a slain lamb, never quite tied in with the story in a meaningful way.) ★★☆☆☆

"Swarm" by Bruce Sterling : Not strictly "first contact", but "first contact with them". Reminds me in many ways of Blindsight by Peter Watts, [6] particularly with respect to its twisty little ending. And this is my favorite kind of first contact story--where some seemingly innocuous species turns out to be unimaginably older and more mature than some arrogant human species, and one that has written off "intelligence" as a cancer. (Only some small-ish points off here for aspects of the style.) ★★★★☆

"MAXO Signals" by Charles Stross : Pitch perfect in every way. The right length, just the right twist, and just the right little joke to stab at you contra to "Swarm" (which you just finished reading). ★★★★★

"Last Contact" by Stephen Baxter : As the title suggests, almost an anti-first contact story. But's understated, and has the perfect tone on which to end the anthology. ★★★★★

----

[1] I'm being a little too heteronormative there. The story would go after the same point if Vic and Enn were gay. So in that way, it's more about entering the foreign country of sexual maturity than it is entering the foreign country of "girls". The key points remain the same though: let's confront what it means to grow into our sexuality, and let's use aliens on Earth as the backing trope.

[2] That said, at one point when reading this my thought was: "Did he just finish playing Civilization? or Alpha Centauri? or something?" (And then I noticed it was first published in 1985 so... probably not.)

[3] So... an inverted version of the previous inversion?

[4] I swear I don't say this about every Doctorow piece. I really don't. I really did like this story so much better than (say...) "When SysAdmins Ruled the Earth"; but...

[5] Who writes teenaged girls like this? Maybe I just don't understand the Bay Area?

[6] Though in all fairness, "Swarm" predates by Blindsight by 24 years.

----

Further reading:

• Halpern's blog post round-up of his research etc. in creating this anthology

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An anthology is a bit like a buffet. You’ll find dishes you’re familiar with, those you usually avoid and lurking in between, the dodgy, odd looking stuff you’re not willing to try, but do anyway and either discover a new favourite or spend the rest of the night nursing a rebellious tummy.

With its impressive list of authors, ‘Alien Contact’ looked very appetising. Odd stuff would lurk in the corners, no doubt, but the appeal of such well-known names as Stephen Baxter, Orson Scott Card, Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Ursula K. Le Guin, Elizabeth Moon, Charles Stross, Michael Swanwick and Harry Turtledove was enough to nudge aside any doubt regarding complete literary satisfaction.

I’ve listed ten authors as printed on the cover. ‘Alien Contact’ contains twenty-six stories. In short, editor Marty Halpern has gathered an awesome collection of stories and as soon as I’ve finished writing my review, I’ll actually place an order for a print copy of this one to put on my shelf. I have no doubt I’ll be re-reading it.

One of the annoyances of ebooks is not being able to flip back to the cover to reacquaint yourself with the cover art or the back cover to re-visit the blurb. The table of contents requires some button pushing I’ve not quite mastered yet. I’m sure there are buttons for the front cover too, it’s still not as easy as flipping pages. So I began at the beginning of ‘First Contact’ and worked my way to the end. I’d forgotten most of the author list by the end of the first story, ‘The Thought War’, a disturbing tale by Paul McAuley involving aliens that mimic, then replace us, and mumbled in pleased surprise when I ‘turned the page’ and saw a story by Neil Gaiman.

I really like Neil Gaiman’s novels and I enjoyed his story, ‘How To Talk To Girls At Parties’, immensely. Then I flipped another electronic page and stumbled across another author I knew. This trend continued, almost unabated, through the end of the anthology. Self-professed geek I am, I actually got quite excited as I found Orson Scott Card’s story, then one by Ursula Le Guin. I might have squeaked when I discovered Michael Swanwick had an entry, I bounced when I saw a Cory Doctorow story. At that point, I was only about half-way through the book. My favourite authors kept rolling past, eliciting pleased squeals and excited exclamations. By the time I finished the last one, I felt I held in my hands more than an anthology. ‘Alien Contact’, is more than a ‘year’s best’. Marty Halpern has delivered an accurate and outstanding representation of contemporary Science Fiction and the people who are writing it.

So many stories gave me reason to pause, but none more so than the final entry, ‘Last Contact’ by Stephen Baxter. At the end, I actually said, ‘Wow!’, which reflected my feelings about the story, but also its choice as the final one in the collection and the anthology as a whole.

‘Last Contact’ tells the story of Maureen and her daughter, Caitlyn, as they wait for the end of the world. Knowing the end is coming, Maureen does what she predicts most people will do, she just gets on. She putters about the garden, planning for seasons she will never see. Caitlyn is an astrophysicist and one of the team who predicted the end. Her remorse regarding events beyond her control is obvious and touching. Through their conversation, we learn what is happening as they count down to the end.

The ‘Big Rip’ is swallowing the universe, disassembling it at the atomic level and, while Earth waits its turn, the night sky darkens steadily, stars and entire galaxies disappearing from view. Messages keep arriving from the diminishing stars, though, inexplicably, after years and years of nebulous silence. There is a vague hope the messages will offer a solution and desperate attempts are made to decipher them. Maureen hints that decryption is not necessary, however, and as the story ends, she offers her answer, which is chilling and poignant. I’ll not give it away as that would spoil the story.

Stories featuring the end of the world or a rise from the ashes are amongst my favourite and having this element combined with alien contact made this story one I’ll remember long after I move onto the next anthology. ‘Last Contact’ was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 2008 and has appeared in several anthologies, so it’s likely I’ll stumble across it again at some point.

Back toward the beginning of the anthology is a story by George Alec Effinger called ‘The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything’. I had never heard of the author before, but am always eager to try something new which is why I love anthologies so much. The aliens who know everything are called the nuhp and they are a very opinionated bunch. Given that their mothership is tethered to the Washington Monument (they’re very apologetic about the damage), humanity strives to overlook the nuhps’ curious and unwavering attachment to very specific ideas because the aliens are so very helpful when not recommending what sort of car everyone should drive and how best to furnish a house. The nuhp green a desert, using hollyhocks, the best flower, and promise to help with poverty, unemployment, population expansion and the big one, travel amongst the stars.

They keep their promises and Earth becomes idyllic again, the population slashed in half, jobs for everyone who wants them and enough for everyone to eat. There is galactic harmony. How they accomplish this, however, is for you to read for yourselves. Unsurprisingly, ‘The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything’ is another multiple award nominee and is featured in other collections. It’s a good, fun read.

As I mentioned earlier in my review, there are twenty-six stories in this anthology. Unusually, I read every single one and I’d love to talk about all of them. Realistically, I cannot. The author list is impressive enough that I do not need to recommend each and every story, though, they will find attention and readership. I am going to mention one more story, because it was one of those that caught me by surprise. I wasn’t sure I enjoyed it until the very end, when everything clicked. Then I had to put aside the anthology and go think for a bit. To me, that marks a good story.

‘Sunday Night Yams At Minnie And Earl’s’ by Adam-Troy Castro is more a novella than a short story. Max Fisher was one of the men who helped tame the last frontier of his time, the Moon. Now, as he nears the end of his life, he has journeyed back there to look up old friends and reminisce. What he discovers, like so many pioneers before him, is that the Moon is no longer a ‘frontier’. The domed habitats of the Moon feature casinos and luxury hotels and the view, the surface of the moon, once barren but for the footsteps of those early explorers, is cluttered with flashing billboards and other such detritus of human society. But for the blue marble Earth suspended in the sky, one might forget they were on the Moon at all.

Something else that has been forgotten was a phenomenon known only to those early teams of men and women who helped colonise the Moon: Minnie and Earl. Some distance away from the construction, there was a house, early American with a wraparound porch, flower garden and resident golden retriever. Minnie and Earl, a couple in their seventies, lived there and they enjoyed entertaining their friends. No one could figure out who or what Minnie and Earl were or how they managed to keep the grass green inside the invisible dome that looked like a white picket fence. They were simply inexplicable. Turns out, that’s sort of the point, but not really. The explanation of why Minnie and Earl exist and who they are goes beyond this story and when they fade along with the excitement of a new frontier, there is a feeling something wonderful has been lost. Max Fisher remembers them, though, and his journey to recover them was quite moving. I’m not surprised this story is another award winner.

So, I’ve hardly mentioned the stories by those huge names on the front cover, but as I’ve said before, I don’t have to. They will be read, as will every other story in this collection. ‘Alien Contact’ is a fantastic achievement on the part of the editor, publisher and the authors whose work is included. In my opinion, this is one of those essential anthologies; every half way serious Science Fiction fan should own a copy. It would be well worth the money at twice the price.

Written for and originally published by SFCrowsnest.com

[G.G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard book to review. While some stories are good, it takes me forever to push myself to start a new story after I finished each one. I haven't finished this book. If I ever continue I will update my review but as of now, I just can't get into it anymore.

Summary:

The Thought War by Paul McAuley: Interesting concept about zombies and invasion yet, maybe if the story had been longer I would have appreciated it more. As is, even though it was short, it felt long with parts that I felt like skimming. A 3.5* for originality alone.

How to Talk to Girls at Party by Neil Gaiman: Sorry, I couldn't get in this one at all. I always thought I was open to different styles and stories but even the premises kind of made no sense to me. I can't give it more than a 2*.

Face Value by Karen Joy Fuller: Finally one that was worth the read. A couple is studying a species on a strange planet. I loved the way it was described: How the aliens acted. How the couple dealt with the isolation and all. It was easy to relate to them. This one was a solid 5*.

The Road Not Taken by Harry Turtledove: A fun story about an invading race who met something they didn't expect: earthlings. Just to say that technology has different branches. 5*

The aliens who knew, I mean, everything by George Alec Effinger: Oh my…where to start…What would you do if you'd encounter people who thought they knew everything? Would you accept their answers as the absolute truth? Lots of twists in that one and an ending I absolutely didn't expect. I just loved it. If I could give more than 5* I would.

I am the doorway by Stephen King: If you like King you should like this one too. This story left me wondering if what we were told was true or if it was all in the mind of the astronaut. 4*

Recycling strategies for the inner city by Pat Murphy: I couldn't get into that one although I read it all. It just wasn't my cup of tea. 2*

The 43 Antarean dynasties by Mike Resnick: Earthlings guided by an indigene, visit another planet. I love the 'alien', who of course isn't one since it's on his planet. I can easily imagine people acting like the humans. 4*

The gold bug by Orson Scott Card: Interesting view on another world. Might have been better as a full length story. 4*

Kin by Bruce McAllister: I really liked that one. A boy seek the help of an alien to do something for him. I think it was well thought with a few twists. Too short but a fun read. 5*

Guerilla mural of a siren's song by Ernest Hogan: I am sorry. I DNF that one. I tried but it was really not the type of story I was expecting to get when I bought this book. 1*

Angel by Pat Cadigan: Loved this one. Who or what was the Angel (or should I just call him Angel) remains a mystery but the whole idea was great and well written. 5*

The first contact with the Gorgonids by Ursula K. Le Guin: First Encounter with aliens in the desert in Australia. Meh…interesting but too short and…I don't know…It could have been good for it missed the spot for me. 3*

Sunday night Yams at Minnie and Earl's by Adam-Troy Castro: Try as I might, I just couldn't get into that one. I probably missed the good part by leaving it unfinished but it just not something I felt like reading. Let just say that when I bought the book, I signed up for short stories. This one was 52 pages. Fifty two pages of something I would not have read by itself so…DNF 1*

A midwinter's tale by Michael Stanwick: Cute little story, a little bit on the dark side. 3*

Texture of other ways by Mark W. Tiedemann: A story about telepaths…or whatever they call it. I can't recall it. Anyway, I liked that one. I could imagine trying going that road to find a way to communicate with alien species. And all it turned out was also a plausible outcome. It kept my interest through out. 4*

To go boldly by Cory Doctorov: When a short story doesn't catch you right from the beginning, it is hard to continue reading. I can't say there was anything wrong with this one but the way the author started his story kind of lost me. I couldn't get into it at all. 1*

If nudity offends you Elizabeth Moon: Not a bad story but it got me wonder if the whole extra terrestrial thing had been an afterthought. 3*

Laws of survival by Nancy Kress: This dog behave correctly! Love this story. 5*

What you are about to see by Jack Skillingstead: Did not read yet

Amanda and the alien by Robert Silverberg: Did not read yet

Exo-skeleton town by Jeffrey Ford: Did not read yet

Lambing season by Molly Gloss: Did not read yet

Swarm by Bruce Sterling: Did not read yet

Maxo Signals by Charles Stross: Did not read yet

Last contact by Stephen Baxter: Did not read yet

Would I recommend this book? Only if you love anthologies and are not expecting too much out of it. While I understand that everyone's taste is different, I was hoping for a little bit more out of this one. Maybe I set my expectations too high, or maybe it wasn't for me. Yet, it could still be for you.

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in Portland, OR. Otherwise occupied but enjoyed this one.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice mix of stories.
3.5 stars

[Michael Drakich · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always a lot to sort through a collection of shorts and give an appropriate rating. The twenty-six stories in this book yielded an average rating of 3.73 stars, which, when rounded, would give me an average of 4 stars. Here's the thing though. I rated eight stories at five stars. Such a high number of five star stories might move me up, but then there was one other detail. None of the stories struck me as a true gem among them all. A classic worthy of rereading time and again. As a result my four star final rating stuck. Without a lot of detail, here's a quick breakdown on the twenty-six stories.

"The Thought War by Paul McAuley - Interesting twist on zombies, a subject that has been done to death. 5 stars
How To Talk To Girls At Parties by Neil Gaiman - A real interesting premise of all kinds of different aliens visiting Earth to experience it and gathered at a house party. 4 stars
"Face Value by Karen Joy Fowler. An intriguing foray into first contact on an alien world where initial contact is kept to a minimum to limit cultural contamination. 5 stars
The Road Not Taken by Harry Turtledove. A frolicking fun invasion by aliens who have mastered space travel before anything else. 4 stars
The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything by George Alec Effinger. A healthy dose of comedy mixed into a peaceful invasion of Earth. 5 stars.
I Am The Doorway by Stephen King. A horror themed tale of an alien infestation in a man`s hands. Some incredulity for me. 3 stars
Recycling Strategies For The Inner City by Pat Murphy. It's amazing what you can find lying in the street. A cute story of just such an encounter. 5 stars
The 43 Antarean Dynasties by Mike Resnick. A tale poking fun at tourists. At times, boring. Not a lot to the tale. 3 stars
The Gold Bug by Orson Scott Card. This short is an offshoot from Ender's Game after the war is won. So far, the stories have been good, until now. Boring, poor grammar and various first and third tenses made this a weak read. 2 stars
Kin by Bruce McAllister. A young boy hires a mercenary alien killer without thought to possible consequences. 5 stars
Guerrilla Mural Of A Siren's Song by Ernest Hogan. This mix of surrealism and science fiction is an abysmal failure. I couldn't wait to finish it and did a lot of skimming. 1 star
Angel by Pat Cadigan. Literary fiction with a science fiction base. It didn't reach me. 2 stars
The First Contact With The Gorgonids by Ursula K. LeGuin. I remember reading this story a long time ago. I found it just as fun now as I did then. 5 stars
Sunday Night Yams At Minnie and Earl's by Adam-Troy Castro. More of a novelette than a short story this tale of a kindly old couple in a farm house on the moon was cute at times, but dragged at others. 3 stars
A Midwinter's Tale by Michael Swanwick. First contact with alien wolves who eat the brains of humans and learn is not a new concept, just applied to science fiction, that's all. 4 stars
Texture Of Other Ways by Mark W. Tiedmann. Bio-engineered humans who can read thoughts for the purpose of first contact with aliens who do the same. The disjointed way it is written took a good concept down a peg 3 stars
To Go Boldly by Cory Doctorow. A comical examination on the proper use of a transporter. 5 stars
If Nudity Offends You by Elizabeth Moon. Aliens in the trailer park. Could have been so much more. 3 stars
Laws Of Survival by Nancy Kress. Unique. I liked it. Aliens desiring man's best friend. Call it puppy love. 5 stars
What You Are About To See by Jack Skillingstead. The idea of realities being constantly shifted by an alien is a good premise, but the disjointed way it was intentionally presented made the reading flow too tough. 3 stars
Amanda And The Alien by Robert Silverberg. An entertaining piece showing a teenage girl when meeting a dangerous alien. 5 stars
Exo-Skeleton Town by Jeffrey Ford. Where alien poop is a very powerful aphrodisiac. Interesting premise. 4 stars
Lambing Season by Molly Gloss. Sadly, this one bored me. The dog-looking alien who lands often then crashes without reason has no real story. 2 stars
Swarm by Bruce Sterling. Alien bugs a lot like ants provide mankind a unique opportunity... or is it the other way around? 4 stars
Maxo Signals: A New And Unfortunate Solution To The Fermi Paradox by Charles Stross. A lot of boring techno-babble with a funny ending. 3 stars
Last Contact by Stephen Baxter. The end of the universe is a good story to finish this collection. 5 stars

[Ria Bridges · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not normally much for short story collections, but something about this book just spoke to me, so I couldn’t resist taking the chance to read it, especially after seeing such a stellar (if you’ll encuse the pun) list of contributing authors. Neil Gaiman, Ursula K LeGuin, Stephen King, and yet more. There’s all kinds of talent evident in this collection, and I’ll say right off the bat that this is a book that no sci-fi fan should really be without.

The stories contained within the book’s pages don’t keep to one tone or theme beyond “there are aliens, and we know about it.” There are stories about people accidentally running across extraterrestrials while on vacation, scientists meeting them for the first time, or cases far into the future where we’ve been collaborating with aliens for decades. The aliens themselves range from anything that we can recognise in a humanoid shape, which is sometimes disturbing enough, to completely unlike anything we’ve seen, where the aliens are more blobby insectoids with a hive mind. Sometimes, such as in Stephen King’s tale, the aliens are not so much seperate entities as things that possess and twist humans into something new again. The variety here is rich and highly demonstrative of the varying degrees of creativity that can come when a dozen brilliant literary minds look at the same basic concept in a dozen different ways. Sometimes amusing, sometimes thought-provoking, sometimes deeply disturbing, always entertaining.

The fun thing that I find about alien encounter stories is that they end up saying more about humanity than about any alien culture we can dream of. Whether it’s displaying our own human arrogance about the universe and all within it, or displaying our sheer curiosity about what lies beyond us, all stories I’ve found that involve humans and some unknown sentient life form end up showcasing humanity in ways that a human-only cast of characters just couldn’t. There’s suddenly contrast, something to compare ourselves to, which brings out our innate traits in ways that are more difficult in other settings or stories. I find that more than a little fascinating.

As I said previously, this is a book that no science fiction fan can afford to be without. I enjoyed every minute of reading this book, and considering my usual dislike for short story anthologies, I like to think that says a great deal about not just the writers or the editor, but the book as a whole, being more than the sum of its parts. When this one hits the shelves, don’t wait to grab a copy for yourself. You won’t be disappointed!

(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)

[Ebenmaessiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Thought War," by Paul Macauley (2008): 7
- a bit mixed, as this, on one hand, seems emblematic of what I'd consider a typically lazy SF short story format: the mile-high big-picture overview of world historical events (which can be done well, see HG Wells 'The Star') that seems devoid of humanity and momentum (this is what they have in mind with the show don't tell truism). On the other hand, this isn't to say there wasn't something appealing about the underlying point of the story, as telegraphed as it was: i.e. the terror and banality of transition and its ultimate lack of impact on larger structures. And, maybe the actual answer, I'm actually just very well inclined at this particular moment to be sympathetically inclined towards any sort of speculative narrative in the need for respite. And thats not a bad thing, is it?

"How to Talk to Girls at Parties," by Neil Gaiman (2006): 5.25
- The worst kind of tripe-y scifi story: the one wrapped up in its author’s nostalgia / childhood. This story happening simultaneously on two levels: one, awkward boy/author stand-in--cause of course he wouldn’t be the confident, cool other dude actually hooking up with the girls upstairs--klutzes around a high school party, failing to talk to girls, even though he’s really horny and basically molesting people in the attempt [something that goes basically uncommented upon in the story], and all the while completely oblivious to the completely obvious fact that; two, these girls are all aliens of some sort, i.e. their insane answers to questions he’s asking them [hate that trope: BOY: ‘uh, are you from here?’ GIRL: ‘no i’m a tourist … from Glorpuglap 34, and we come here on a mission of regeneration.’ BOY: ‘oh, that’s, uh, cool. i’m from denver.’ ~ It’s childish. Literally. In that it’s meant for children’s literature]. It’s bad, folks. Gaiman continues to unimpress, and I’m finding it harder to understand his elevated position within the genre. Oh well. Only moderately saved by two things at the end: one, after he hears snippets of the alien poem he starts to ‘understand’ the music; two, the shift towards focusing on the girls face on the top of the stairwell, esp. as it wasn’t alien at that point, but just making an otherwise pointedly human expression. Otherwise, ugh; these are the stories that make me second guess my recent genre reconsideration.

"Face Value," by Karen Joy Fowler (1986): 9.5
- Quietly unnerving, at first. And, at the end, quite devastating — this story of first encounter and study leading to isolation and invasion. An intimate, personal invasion.

"The Road Not Taken," by Harry Turtledove (1985): 8.25
- Okay, against my own better judgment, I seem to be susceptible to Turtledove’s half-wacky, half-grounded, fully sincere brand of speculative fiction. The deficits are clear and present throughout: bland characterization and anti-climaxes chief amongst them. But, the ideas, amazingly, are there, even if simple. Generally, these ideas are most easily summarizable as a grander version of ’what if’--pretty appropriate for someone most closely associated with alternate history. Same with this story: what if we were invaded by aliens, BUT we were actually the more technologically advanced species—i.e. they have hyperdrive and little else. That is basically it. And so what.

"I Am the Doorway," by Stephen King (1971): 8.75
- I continue to be unexpectedly impressed by King's short fiction. Impressed because of the distaste that my very small sampling of his longer stuff has given me. The shorter form -- strangely, given his propensity for immensity -- seems to fit his predilections better (less space for the annoying folksiness of his scenes and characters [although, it is again admirable that the milieu is even attempted in popular fiction], less opportunity for the cringe-y lowbrow pop cultural saturation, and more basking in just the central horror meat of it all [his engagement with horror tropes does seem to have a nice consistency, as well--as seen in this very very early piece; after reading some incorrect conjecture on the Apollo space program, I had to check it's date--in its very corporeal malevolence; in short, there are some gross images (esp. for the trypophobic)]), although there are still some clear narrative immaturities here (unneccesary second astronaut, the false flag of the boy maybe not being from the village, etc.). Got a nice sick little kicker too.

"The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything," by George Alec Effinger (1984): 6
- Although consciously, and unapologetically, in the camp of light, comic science fiction, that’s really no excuse, you know? The piece: aliens come to earth and they’re actually very nice and very helpful, although completely annoying, so much so that they effectively drive more than half earths population away, thereby effectively ending poverty, discrimination, and inequality (just like they’d cryptically promised beforehand). The problem being: this tone can only do so much, so very little much.

"Recycling Strategies for the Inner City," by Pat Murphy (1990): 7.75
- Does the slipstream sfnal uncertainty better than most genre writers, in that we're actually pretty certain it's a fiction, and we come to feel for our protagonist, knowing the sad end inevitably coming, that they haven't yet been forced to confront. STORY: elderly mental patient convinced their are spaceships and that she's captured a piece of one, which, coincidentally, just so happens to be building her a ship away from this life she abhors [we nicely are given pretty certain evidence that she's delusional, since the social worker sees the "spaceship" being built and finds no reason to remark on any remarkable details about it at all, save that its trash. Now, whether we might be supposed to see the "escape" at the end as euphemizing some more (self)destructive act on our protagonists part, that I can't say i'm sure on. Still, some tender descriptions, but no observational insights worthy of the literary effect to which it was aspiring.

[Blogul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best scifi anthology I have read so far (and I have read plenty, I love anthologies since I think the best form of scifi is the short prose).
From 26 stories there were 4 I did not like (one as expected, since I never ever could like a Doctorow story no matter how often I try), and all the rest were 4+/5 or full 5/5s. That is amazing for me - I do not give 5 stars easily, but obviously Halpern is my doppelganger from beyond the seas in regard to scifi taste - they were EXACTLY the scifi I want (realistic, logical, tangible, facts first, surprizing points of view, varied, original but still credible, extra-dark sometimes - no dreamy hippie metaphors here).
I will look for more of Halpern's selections (if there are more) and buy them all! Thank you, scifi doppelganger!

[Johan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 4 stars is not the average of the ratings of the stories in this volume. There are 1 star stories en 4 even 4.5 star stories and everything in between in this book. I savoured the good ones and quickly leafed through the lesser stories. The 4 star rating means I really enjoyed reading this book and that there are enough really good stories to make you quickly forget the lesser ones.

PS: I might expand this review later this week.

[Bassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As most anthologies, this one is a mixed bag. Some stories are quite good (mostly the alien horror stories for me), but I did not find the stories about space colonies very interesting (life in a space colony or ship seems pretty boring to me). And some stories I did not get at all (like the Minnie and Earl’s story, but maybe that’s the point). Good as a one-off read, but I will not revisit these stories.

[Jeff Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not all of these cheap books are great, but this one certainly is. Not a dud story in the lot.

This is a great collection of one type of stories. If you like interesting, well reasoned, funny, scary, thought provoking stories, then this anthology is for you.

[Peg Weissbrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

The End of the Worlds

As with any anthology, the quality of the stories fluctuates somewhat. But overall, a fine collection of futuristic possibility stories.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of first-contact short stories.

Some good, some bad, some in the middle.

[John G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just did not excite me. Perhaps I prefer hard sci-fi too much over broader speculative fiction themes.

[Anthony Brigano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly good. “Kin” by Bruce McAllister being the best, and “MAXO Signals” by Charles Stross being my favorite four pages I’ve read this year

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of mostly reprinted short stories from many amazing authors.

[Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading “Alien Contact, ” the 2011 anthology of short stories, edited by Marty Halpern, I was hoping to find among its 26 stories a few with plausible plots that confront head-on the immense problems first contact by humans with alien species would engender. The writers in these 469 pages range from the well-known such as Stephen King, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Robert Silverberg to the lesser-known.
I passed over the BEM (bug-eyed monster) stories and the stories in which everyone (amazingly and conveniently) speaks English and communication problems are swept under the literary rug.
Fortunately, I did find a few entries that I found plausible and cognizant of communication/language problems I think intrinsic to any meeting of different beings, even on Earth. Three caught my eye.
“Lambing Season” (2002) by Molly Loss takes place in the desert Southwest. Sheepherder Delia sees a brilliant green streak descend to the ground miles away and, walking in that direction, discovers a small spacecraft that looked like an airplane wing and its presumed pilot, a dog-like creature. The alien doesn’t say anything, or says something that the woman can’t hear. She speaks to him, but there is no indication he understands her. One could say that this story evades the communication problem, or maybe the story does confront the problem and says that, between beings from different worlds, there is nothing that can be said.
“To Go Boldly” by Cory Doctorow from 2009 is, in part, an affectionate parody of “Star Trek,” from its title to the use of transporters and (photon) torpedoes, and phrases such as “away teams”; “Do it,” a variation I would think of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard’s “Make it so”; and the Alliance of Peaceful Planets, which isn’t all that peaceful, similar to the United Federation of Planets; and mention of an academy for training of officers and crew.
The star ship has the bombastic name of the Colossus II; I wonder what happened to the Colossus I? Blown up in a battle? The ship has three shifts and different levels of officers for each shift – how many science fiction TV shows or movies even think of these kinds of logistical problems? Another improvement over the star ship Enterprise is a “fresher” that automatically wraps uniforms on the ship’s crew.
Communication is rendered by the ship’s “symbology AI subsystem,” which in this story examines an alien transmission and analyzes common mathematics and physics (which we assume to be universal) to come up with translations of overall cultural spheres. So we have an acknowledgment here of the problem of communication. It’s a funny and imaginative story, especially if the reader is a fan of “Star Trek.” The ending is thought-provoking.
“Texture of Other Ways” (1999) by Mark W. Tiedemann, is ALL about communication and understanding, and its difficulties between alien cultures. In the story, humans encounter an alien species called the seti (a play, I presume, on the acronym SETI – search for extraterrestrial intelligence) but find it impossible to communicate with them, much to the frustration of the humans, who are contemplating war if communication is not established. Who knows about what the seti think. Thirty-three telepaths, who can communicate by thought, are brought to the star system of Denebola, 43 light years away from Earth, to try to establish communication with the different kinds of seti.
“Humans can’t communicate with the seti, and vice versa. There is no mutual foundation of language between us. Even a couple of humanoid ones have languages grown from linguistic trees sprouted in different soils. Nothing matches up except for a few snatches of mathematics, which was how we all managed to pick one system in which to have a meeting.”
The humans are faced with the problem of spending perhaps decades trying to compile “an object by object lexicon,” which would provide basic words only for species that use sound for communication. Could such a dictionary provide accurate translation of abstract words? The other solution would be to have the telepaths try to read the minds of the seti. Without giving away the ending, let’s just say that effort does not go as well as the humans had hoped.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of stories centering on, surprisingly enough, Alien Contact.

The usual mixed bag, although I will say I was somewhat disappointed on the whole. I was hoping to read interesting first contact tales, and there were a few of those, but also a few where aliens had been known about for some time and maybe it was one individual person's contact with aliens, but they were commonplace to the society as a whole. And, frankly, most of the aliens weren't especially inventive or, well... alien. Too many were Star Trek aliens: human looking with a few variations and a slightly different culture. I was hoping for inventive aliens with completely different life cycles and a society that springs from that. Sure, there were a couple in the book, but not enough. And, although this seems like the opposite complaint, too many stories relied on "oh, they're weird and incomprehensible, that's the point" as a gimmick. This is fine in small doses, but only when it doesn't feel like the author's just using it as an excuse to present a weird or quirky situation and say "aliens did it, who knows why?"

A few of the stories I'd read before, like Harry Turtledove's "The Road Not Taken", or Orson Scott Card's "The Gold Bug" (the former works well in the collection, the latter does not, reading as more of an ad for the Enderverse in general than a story of alien contact).

My favorites of the collection were probably "The 43 Antarean Dynasties" by Mike Resnick (despite not really falling into a First Contact situation), "Swarm" by Bruce Sterling (which is a story in his Schismatrix universe, and made me really interested in finally getting around to reading that). The rest? Not bad on the whole, but not many made me super excited, either. I think my main problem is that I know there are many better alien contact stories out there, and so, as an anthology focused on that theme, it's a bit of a disappointment.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting so I was a little disappointed. What I thought was going to be stories about contact with aliens, it was instead a mishmash of SciFi short stories. As a sidenote the strange binding on my copy wears away easily and the thin plastic begins to crinkle and tear. Some of these stories seem more like cases for X-Files or the MIB, or just a basic episode plot to some kind of space voyage episode.

The thought war: 5/5 zombies but not
How to talk to girls: 4/5 party with different aliens
Face value: 1/5 confusing and not captivating
The road not taken: 2/5 lame, decent depictions
The aliens who knew: 4/5 annoyingly kind aliens
I am the doorway: 2/5 bleh King, barely about aliens
Recycling: 5/5 cute and simple
The 43 Antarean: 5/5 planet tourist attraction
The gold bug: - not interested
Kin: 3/5 confusing about keeping a kid alive
Gorilla Mural: - not interested
Angel: 2/5 odd grammar, uninterested
The first contact: 1/5 what even was this mess
Sunday night yams: - boring and very long
A midwinter‘s tale: 3/5 Just not captivating
Texture of other ways: - i’m just tired of these people in space stories
To go boldly: - Captain!
If nudity offends you: 4/5 not really about aliens, but it is captivating
Laws of survival: 5/5 very odd but we all must love dogs
What you are about to see: 3/5 Squidward!
Amanda and the alien: 3/5 anti-climactic but investing
Exoskeleton town: - Just not my thing
Lambing season: 3/5 could’ve been scarier but good vibes
Swarm: 2/5 our conversations, just not my thing
MAXO signals: 4/5 coming in and only three pages long, short but sweet
Last contact: - meh, unsatisfactory ending

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Thought War - Paul McAuley 4/5
How to Talk to Girls at Parties 4/5
Face Value - Karen Joy Fowler 2/5
The Road Not Taken - Harry Turtledove 5/5
The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything 4/5
I Am the Doorway - Stephen King 3/5
Recycling Strategies for the Inner City - Pat Murphy 3/5
The 43 Antarean Dynasties - Mike Resnick 5/5
The Gold Bug - Orson Scott Card 5/5
Kin - Bruce McAllister 5/5
Guerrilla Mural of a Sirens Song 1/5
Angel - Pat Cadigan 4/5
The First Contact with the Gorgonids - Ursula K LE Guin 3/5
Sunday Night Yams at Minne at Earls - Adam-Troy Castro 5/5
A Midwinters Tale - Michael Swanwick 3/5
Texture of Other Ways - Mark W Tiedemann 4/5
To Go Boldly - Cory Doctorow 3/5
If Nudity Offends You - Elizabeth Moon 3/5
Laws of Survival - Nancy Kress 5/5
What You Are About To See - Jack Skillingstead 4/5
Amanda and the Alien - Robert Silverberg4/5
Exo-Skeleton Town - Jeffrey Ford 4/5
Lambing Season - Molly Gloss 4/5
Swarm - Bruce Sterling 5/5
Maxo Signals - Charles Stross 3/5
Last Conact - Stephen Baxter 5/5

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection would probably put some readers off just with its title. Though I am a sci-fi fan, I'm sometimes put off by abduction stories and such, myself. However, the list of authors who contributed to Alien Contact includes Ursula Le Guin, Stephen King, Karen Joy Fowler, Orson Scott Card, Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman, and Nancy Kress, so I had to check it out. I'm glad that I did.
Though Stephen King's "I Am the Doorway" was a disappointing 'meh,' there were plenty of gems to make up for it. In "Face Value," Karen Joy Fowler managed to write a story about the exploration of an alien culture that also raises questions about isolation, communication, and the expression of art vs. utility in human culture. Neil Gaiman's "How to Talk to Girls at Parties" presented world-hopping creatures of great beauty who were, in their own cultures, poems as well as beings.
I think that most readers are bound to find a story in this anthology that will resonate--even those who don't normally search the universe when looking for a good read.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple of stories in this anthology were home runs - I couldn't believe they were over so soon. I really wanted more. Others were eye rollers, but I finished them anyway. One was so bad I didn't finish it, which is really saying something about a story that couldn't have been 20 pages long. Most fell in between along a spectrum of awesome and not awesome. I'm glad I found this book though, because it introduced me to a couple of new authors I'll be looking for again (I don't have the book with me and I can't remember their names or I'd list them here). And, in the case of Stephen King, reminded me of authors I should pick up again.

[Danni · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eclectic, varied mix of short fiction featuring humans meeting aliens (and aliens meeting humans). Some are first contact, but not all, and this collection introduces aliens of all different types, from kind to greedy to bloodthirsty. I found all of the stories enthralling, from both well-known writers and authors I have never heard of. Some stories are more hard sci-fi with advanced technology and space travel, while others are gentler fantasy with unknown creatures.

I highly enjoyed this collection. My absolute favorite was the longest one, “Sunday Night Yams at Minnie and Earl’s” by Adam-Troy Castro, in which an astronaut is reminiscing on his strange encounters on the moon.

[Yuki]

Authors: Paul McAuley, Ernest Hogan, Pat Cadigan, URSULA K. Le GUIN, Adam-Troy Castro, Michael Swanwick, Mark W. Tiedemann, Cory Doctorow, Elizabeth Moon, Nancy Kress, Jack Skillingstead, NEIL GAIMAN, Robert Silverberg, Jeffrey Ford, Molly Gloss, Bruce Sterling, Charles Stross, Stephen Baxter, Karen Joy Fowler, Harry Turtledove, George Alec Effinger, Stephen King, Pat Murphy, Orson Scott Card, Bruce McAllister

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a few good stories here. What put me off was I bought the e-book and since it had no contents links I was unable to peruse story titles or jump between them as I like do with short story collections. So, when I hit a story half way in that I wasn't fussed on, it became a right pain flicking forward through virtual pages hunting for the next story. The result was that I became annoyed, closed the book and haven't been inclined to open it since.

[David V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Editor is my cousin whom I haven't seen in many years since he and his family moved to California when we were kids.
Really enjoyed this book, and not just because of the familial relationship. I'd never read any of these stories before. Even if you're not a science fiction fan, you'll like this because it tells more about us than "them." Some are funny and make you laugh out loud, some are sad, others just make you go "hmmmm."

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good compilation of sci fi short stories all with a theme of alien contact. One of the things I love about reading a compilation is being exposed to authors I've never read before. For this one I of course jumped right in to read my favorites-Gaiman, LeGuin, Fowler, Turtledove, King, Scott Card and Sterling, but the big surprise for me was discovering Bruce McAllister and his story "Kin". Will absolutely read more by him.