Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

I never read an alien book before. Yes, I know, shame on me. So I was wondering is you have read any of these books and could tell me which one you liked most and why!
- these broken stars
- alienated
- the 5th wave
- obsidian
Thanks already

Bo wrote: "I never read an alien book before. Yes, I know, shame on me. So I was wondering is you have read any of these books and could tell me which one you liked most and why!
- these broken stars
- alie..."

Don't worry about never reading a book with an alien, i've never read romance, we all like what we read, and you are like us. it a good story we're after, I've never read any of them but they sound cool, and are you only picking one and does it have to be those. Do you want diplomatic alien or straight up action, series or single short or long. either way i hope you enjoy aliens, if you like shows and movies you should be alright with book, hope you have fun.

Among the classics I would recommend Stanley Weinbaum’s ‘A Martian Odyssey’ from the early 1930s. This short work, now in the public domain and freely available online, introduces us to aliens that are not merely humans on a different planet or monsters waiting to destroy. It is this quality that makes the story a personal favorite.

I haven't read any of the books on your list, but Larry Niven does awesome aliens. His Known Space books -- a huge, connected universe including shorts and novels and everything in between -- has a whole slew of very cool aliens in it.

David Brin is just as good with aliens. I recommend his Uplift books, particularly The Uplift War and the Uplift Storm trilogy (Brightness Reef, Infinity's Shore and Heaven's Reach.

Angie

The "Fuzzy" series. by H. Beam Piper

The "Humanx Commonwealth" series by Alan Dean Foster

V.W. wrote: "The "Fuzzy" series. by H. Beam Piper

The "Humanx Commonwealth" series by Alan Dean Foster"

Also good choices. I like both the original Piper Fuzzy books, and Scalzi's redo: Fuzzy Nation. I was wondering about whether it'd be any good, but I read it and liked it; it's a good update.

And Foster's Thranx are great aliens. The AAnn are sort of vague -- you don't see them that often -- but there are books from a Thranx POV (Nor Crystal Tears is a favorite) and their culture works wonderfully well.

Angie

there's a lot of possibilities. At one extreme, the Hoka books are hilarious. At another, Satan's World by Poul Anderson has some truly nasty aliens. (Anderson did a number of good ones. I mention also After Doomsday and The Man Who Counts.)

some alien books I liked, though some do require some patience in the matter:

These Broken Stars and This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Limbo System by Rick Cook
The January Dancer by Michael Flynn
the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell, starting with Dauntless

I think, based on the titles she mention, Bo had in mind books featuring an alien romance.

For interesting aliens w/o romance, I like the Thranx already mentioned (I especially like Midworld), Hal Clement's critters from the heavy gravity world of Mesklin in Mission of Gravity, Robert Forward's tour de force hard SF about creatures that live on a Neutron Star in Dragon's Egg, and the flexible, distributed intelligence of the Tines in Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep.

Bo wrote: "I never read an alien book before. Yes, I know, shame on me. So I was wondering is you have read any of these books and could tell me which one you liked most and why!
- these broken stars
- alie..."

I read Obsidian and The 5th Wave but not the other two. If you want to read one of them, I would suggest The 5th Wave. If you're looking for other suggestions for similar books (YA alien), you could try The Host and I Am Number Four, or an adult alien book which IMO was better written The Lives of Tao

C. J. Cherryh does the best aliens. The Chanur series, and one of my all time favorites, Serpent's Reach. I have a degree in entomology, and that is the only book I've ever read that truly captures a hive mentality.

David Weber's "Stars At War/Starfire" series. All kinds of aliens.

Or his "Prince Roger" series with aliens that have slime covered skins and give birth through big blisters on their backs.

V.W. wrote: "David Weber's "Stars At War/Starfire" series. All kinds of aliens.

Or his "Prince Roger" series with aliens that have slime covered skins and give birth through big blisters on their backs."

I'll second the rec on the Prince Roger books, especially the first two. Aside from the cool aliens, the characters and worldbuilding are great. Roger has an awesome character arc, and the others around him grow and change in reaction. His response when the commander asks him, over a radio, if he's surrounded is awesome. :D

Angie

Some of the best alien encounter novel I read include:

1.The Color of Distance by Amy Thomson
2.Through Alien Eyes by Amy Thomson
3. Dark Matter by S.W. Ahmed

Also Out of The Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis was pretty good.

And Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and Old Man's War by John Scalzi.

Aliens are tough for authors to get right IMO. I agree with whoever said A Fire Upon the Deep. Vinge is a hell of a story teller.

+1 for Ender's Game.

Here's a couple of short story collection suggestions: IN ALIEN FLESH, by Gregory Benford, (the title story is truly strange), and THE BEST OF C.L.MOORE, edited by Lester Del Rey(Nelson Doubleday, 1975) (golden age SF from the 30's and 40's--try the first story, Shambleau).