Aliens
Naturally, many Sci-Fi books deal with aliens; here are some we particularly suggest.
The Forge of God by Greg Bear
The disappearance of one of Jupiter's moons, the appearance of "little green men'' in Australia and the American Southwest, and the sudden presence of unidentifiable objects on a collision course inside the Earth's core add up to the inescapable conclusion that the Earth has been invaded by an enemy it cannot fight. Earth is threatened by the invasion of an interstellar research probe gone mad.
Brightness Reef by David Brin
Planet Jijo, once inhabited by the advanced alien Buyur, is now occupied by five alien species along with humans. Each race, hoping to find some elbow room in an increasingly crowded Five Galaxies, took up residence illegally and lives in fear of the day Galactic investigators show up – as they eventually will. So the arrival of a spaceship throws the entire planet into turmoil, especially when the ship proves to contain not Galactics but humans. The New Uplift series continues with Infinity’s Shore.
Lilith’s Brood by Octavia E. Butler
In a world devastated by nuclear war with humanity on the edge of extinction, aliens finally make contact. They rescue those humans they can, keeping most survivors in suspended animation while the aliens begin to rehabilitate the planet. When Lilith Iyapo is "awakened," she finds that she has been chosen to revive her fellow humans in small groups by first preparing them to meet the terrifying aliens, then training them to survive on the wilderness that the planet has become. Bonded to the aliens in ways no human has ever known, Lilith tries to fight them, even as her own species comes to fear and loathe her. The Xenogenesis Trilogy consists of: Dawn, Adulthood Rites and Imago.
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
Three thousand years have passed since Ender Wiggin won the war with the Buggers by totally destroying them. He is the Xenocide, the one who killed an entire race of thinking, feeling beings, killed the only other sapient race humankind had found in the galaxy. The only ones, that is, until the planet called Lusitania was discovered and colonized. The discovery of the new race, called “piggies,” was seen as a gift to humanity, a chance to redeem the destruction of the Buggers. The Ender Saga continues with Xenocide.
Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh
In the 300 years since humans lost the war to the alien atevi, humanity has traded advanced technology for peace and a remote island refuge. When the sole human allowed to enter into atevi society, Bren Cameron, the current paidhi, becomes the target for assassination in a culture where licensed murder is a recognized political solution, the conflict between species becomes a life-and-death struggle for survival and understanding. Also try the rest of the Foreigner Universe series, which continues with Invader.
Survival by Julie Czerneda
When their research involving the annual Rocky Mountains salmon run is interrupted by a visit from Brymn, the first member of the alien race of Dhryn to journey to Earth, Dr. Mackenzie Conner and her colleague, Dr. Emily Mamani, find themselves involved in the alien's search for the cause of a space anomaly known as the Chasm. The Species Imperative Trilogy continues with Migration and Regeneration.
Lost and Found by Alan Dean Foster
Kidnapped by a starship bound for deep space, Marcus Walker learns that he is to be sold to a wealthy collector as a native from a primitive planet and befriends a talking dog named George, who becomes an ally in their plan to escape. The Taken Trilogy continues with Light Years Beneath My Feet and The Candle of Distant Earth.
Stranger In a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
While not physiologically an alien, Valentine Michael Smith is an alien by culture and language. A young human, reared by Martians on Mars, he is brought to Earth, where he must adapt not only to the planet's social injustices and its population's foibles, but to its strong gravitational field and rich atmosphere. This was the first science-fiction title to appear on The New York Times Book Review's bestseller list; and also the book that taught us how to “grok.” Also try Starship Troopers.
Dune by Frank Herbert
Set on the desert planet Arakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib. He is taken in by the alien Fremen tribes and taught their ways of survival. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family – and would bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream. A blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first-ever Nebula Award and shared the Hugo Award.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
The Left Hand of Darkness explores the themes of sexual identity, incest, xenophobia, fidelity and betrayal in a tale of an Earth ambassador, Genly Ai, who is sent to the planet of Gethen, whose inhabitants are androgynous. Through his relationship with a native, Estraven, Ai gains understanding both of the consequences of his fixed sexual orientation and of Gethenian life.
Freedom's Landing by Anne McCaffrey
Kristin Bjornsen lived a normal life, right up until the day the Catteni ships floated into view above Denver. Now, as human slaves are herded into the maw of a massive vessel, Kristin realizes that her normal life is over and her fight for freedom is just beginning. Also try the rest of the Freedom series, which continues with Freedom’s Choice.
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
This is the story of a charismatic Jesuit priest and linguist, Emilio Sandoz, who leads a 21st-century scientific mission to a newly discovered extraterrestrial culture. Sandoz and his companions are prepared to endure isolation, hardship and death, but nothing can prepare them for the civilization they encounter, or for the tragic misunderstanding that brings the mission to a catastrophic end. Once considered a living saint, Sandoz returns alone to Earth physically and spiritually maimed, the mission's sole survivor – only to be accused of heinous crimes and blamed for the mission's failure. The sequel is Children of God.
The Alien Years by Robert Silverberg
In the first decade of the new millennium, a sudden invasion by an alien species known only as the Entities brings about the swift and total conquest of Earth, except for a small pocket of resisters led by Col. Anson Carmichael and his remarkable family. The latest novel by Sci-Fi grand master Silverberg chronicles a half-century of struggle and frustration as generations of Carmichael sons and daughters strive to keep alive the concept of freedom in the face of overwhelmingly superior conquerors.
The Joiner King from the Star Wars series
In this first novel in the Dark Nest Trilogy by Troy Denning, Luke Skywalker, followed by Han and Leia, heads for the Unknown Regions when a handful of Jedi Knights, including Jaina and Jacen Solo, vanish there after responding to a strange cry for help that only they can hear, hoping to stop all out war between the alien Chiss and an unknown aggressor. Also try The Unseen Queen and The Swarm War.
The Grays by Whitley Strieber
We are not alone. Millions of people are confronting aliens that authorities say do not exist. Meet the Three Thieves, a group of Grays assigned to duty in a small Kentucky town. They have been preparing a child for generations. Conner Callaghan will face the ultimate terror as he struggles to understand who he has been bred to be and what he must do to save humanity. Colonel Michael Morax strives to keep the secret of the Grays from the public for reasons so sinister, yet believable, that they read like truth.
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
H.G. Wells invented the myth of invasion from outer space. Martians land near London, conquering all before them, and ruin the metropolis; the fate of civilization and even of the human race remains in doubt until the very last. The novel exemplifies most dramatically the scientific skepticism and vivid narrative imagination that make Wells the pre-eminent founder of modern science fiction.