NationStates Jolt Archive

So, summer is finally coming and hopefully I'll have to time to read. So advise me some great first contact sci-fi books, guys, I think they are so fun.

Nothing too out there preferably, like time travelling bunnies or something...

I liked Rendezvous with Rama another one I enjoyed is the Gateway.

Well, there's always Contact by Carl Sagan. I'd also recommend the Giants trilogy by James P. Hogan (the aliens show up in the second book).

My favorite is Fiasco by Stanislaw Lem. Also dry as toast. It's we go there rather than they come here.

Childhood's End was cool, I think. It's been a while.

I liked Rendezvous with Rama another one I enjoyed is the Gateway.

I thought Rendezvous with Rama was ok but I didnt like the soap opera parts and the ending.

Well, there's always Contact by Carl Sagan. I'd also recommend the Giants trilogy by James P. Hogan (the aliens show up in the second book).

I watched the movie of Contact, pretty good!

My favorite is Fiasco by Stanislaw Lem. Also dry as toast. It's we go there rather than they come here.

Childhood's End was cool, I think. It's been a while.

Ughhh, I hated Fiasco. It didnt make sense, especially the aliens and how everything went. I think Lem and Clarke (Rama's writer) are very pessimistic.




I'm thinking about buying this:

http://www.amazon.ca/Sparrow-Novel-Mary-Doria-Russell/dp/0449912558/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/702-2460248-3059267?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176705592&sr=8-1

Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C Clarke

An outsider is The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. The political system - an atavistic monarchy - in which the plot is embedded is stupid, but once you meet the moties it's one of the most exciting books I've ever read. Everyone thinks the moties are soooo cute but a handful of people know the terrifying truth....

The best sci-fi i have ever read must have been The Celectial Steam Locamotive it'a pretty farfeached but i like it... it's set around 500,000 AD and there are about 7,000 real humans left the rest have evolved and moved on.

It's a realy deep and phylisophical read, i like it anyway

Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C Clarke

An outsider is The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. The political system - an atavistic monarchy - in which the plot is embedded is stupid, but once you meet the moties it's one of the most exciting books I've ever read. Everyone thinks the moties are soooo cute but a handful of people know the terrifying truth....

Exactly what I think too. Moties were pretty interesting but the human system sucked. Victorian British Empire isnt very futuristic.

I thought Rendezvous with Rama was ok but I didnt like the soap opera parts and the ending.

What are the "soap opera parts"?

I liked the ending - the mystery remains.

I'm thinking about buying this:

http://www.amazon.ca/Sparrow-Novel-Mary-Doria-Russell/dp/0449912558/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/702-2460248-3059267?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176705592&sr=8-1

If you don't mind religious propaganda. Even then, it's not persuasive.

What the priest suffers definitely has ick factor.

************Spoiler Warning************





What are the "soap opera parts"?

I liked the ending - the mystery remains.



Yeah, but the ending official answer was really silly, IMO.

Soap opera parts are the unnecessary suffering. Casino's and gangs in space? And then the dictator? Please...

If you don't mind religious propaganda. Even then, it's not persuasive.

What the priest suffers definitely has ick factor.

I cant stant religious propaganda. How about this?

http://www.amazon.com/Celestis-Paul-Park/dp/0312862857

************Spoiler Warning************








Yeah, but the ending official answer was really silly, IMO.

Soap opera parts are the unnecessary suffering. Casino's and gangs in space? And then the dictator? Please...


Are we talking about the same book? Or, perhaps you're referring to the entire series (which I haven't read).

I didn't want to read the sequels - they usually disappoint.

Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C Clarke

An outsider is The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. The political system - an atavistic monarchy - in which the plot is embedded is stupid, but once you meet the moties it's one of the most exciting books I've ever read. Everyone thinks the moties are soooo cute but a handful of people know the terrifying truth....

The Man Kzin Wars - when a peaceful human race encountered the Kzin for the first time.

Also by Niven & Pournelle...

Or Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle

Who also wrote Bridge Over the River Kwia...! (never knew that until I googled his name to make sure I spelled it correctly)

Are we talking about the same book? Or, perhaps you're referring to the entire series (which I haven't read).

I didn't want to read the sequels - they usually disappoint.

The sequels are good, but i wont spoil the ending.
If you haven't read the first book; read it.
If you have and you liked it; read the rest (there are 4 altogether).

Exactly what I think too. Moties were pretty interesting but the human system sucked. Victorian British Empire isnt very futuristic.

That was a great read.

Roadside picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

or

Time travelling bunnies of doom do Dallas

You could always go for the classics like Dune by Frank Herbert.

I recommend Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card, as well. Whether or not you read the sequels is up to you, though. A lot of people don't like the sequels.

The sequels are good, but i wont spoil the ending.
If you haven't read the first book; read it.
If you have and you liked it; read the rest (there are 4 altogether).

I've read the first one only and though it was fantastic.

The Man Kzin Wars - when a peaceful human race encountered the Kzin for the first time.

Also by Niven & Pournelle...

No doubt a spin-off (pardon the pun) from Ringworld - another of my favourite SF books.

I thought Rendezvous with Rama was ok but I didnt like the soap opera parts and the ending.

If you're referring to the whole saga I sorta agree that the later books weren't that great.

I did like Rama II though.


As for my second suggestion, I've been wanting to read the whole Gateway saga (Frederik Pohl) but haven't gotten around to it.

Though, I've played the game Gateway (http://www.the-underdogs.info/game.php?gameid=430) (a graphical text adventure). ;)

As for my second suggestion, I've been wanting to read the whole Gateway saga (Frederik Pohl) but haven't gotten around to it.

Again, I've only read the first book. I remember two things.

1. Due to gravity slowing down light, to an outside observer any object approaching an event horizon can never be seen crossing the event horizon - it will forever appear to be getting close but not quite there. This means that if a loved one is on a spaceship that falls into a black hole you will be able to see them at the point of death for the rest of your life. Spooky.

2. There's a crass analogy between going down into a black hole and, well, going down.

Not sure if I'd call this the best first contact book, but it is the one that came to mind when I saw the thread title...

Nor Crystal Tears by Alan Dean Foster

Excession, by Iain M. Banks

I just remembered one damn fine book:

Revelation Space (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation_Space) by Alastair Reynolds.

It's definitely first contact novel and has an intense story with mindblowing hard scifi elements to boot.

The sequels - (Chasm City,) Redemption Ark & Absolution Gap - while good are pale shadows compared to the absolute masterpiece the first book was.

[sig]: ...where angels fear to tread.

Your sig reminded me of another great first contact novel: Isaac Asimov's The Gods Themselves.

Compare the sayings:
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.

Oh, OK. It made sense at first.

ken macleod's "learning the world"

2001 as a book. It's radically different from the movie, and, I daresay for an antiquated look-back to the fifties, Childhood's End.