First-encounter science fiction?

[HunterSeeker]

Can you people recommend good first-encounter scifi novels. All I have read is: Learning the World and Pushing Ice (Cannot remember the authors names off-hand). Preferibly not too old stories.

 

[ríomhaire]

War of the Worlds. It's not too old, only one hundred and ten years

 

[HunterSeeker]

War of the Worlds. It's not too old, only one hundred and ten years

While I have nothing against old stories, I prefer my science-fiction to be rather fresh otherwise you are looking at a society less advanced in certain areas then we are now in 2050. Computers, I am looking at you.

 

[ríomhaire]

The technological differences never really bothered me in it. It is very good book, if short. If you don't like the different technologies just change the words carraige to car, artilery to cruise missile and ironclad to battleship

 

[Narvi]

You mean First Contact, actually. First Encounter sounds weird.

And War of the Worlds is awesome. Read it. Granted, WW2 artillery could take down the Martians, but it's still excellent.

2001: A Space Odyssey is good too.

 

[baka-raven]

Maybe not First encounter books, but Peter F. Hamiltons books are great

The Night Dawn Trilogy:
- The Reality Dysfunction
- The Neutronium Alchemist
- The Naked God

then there is Pandora?s star and Judas Unchained, and his new Void trilogy.. well oki there is only one book out yet called The dreaming void.

Beside them there is Dan Simmons? Illium and Olympos


All great books

 

[Polaris]

Childhood's End by Sir Arthur C. Clarke.

 

[Emporius]

Xenogenesis by Octavia Butler

edit: It may also be called "Lilith’s Brood"

 

[repiV]

Again, not quite first encounter, but the Saga of Seven Suns is a great epic by Kevin J. Anderson.
The setting is basically that we sent a dozen colonisation ships out from earth, with no destination in mind - just the hope of finding somewhere to settle someday. They were all picked up by the Ildiran Empire (a fascinating species, and the books are as much about them as the human race) who gave them all planets to settle and FTL stardrive technology and have since acted as humanity's benevolent bigger brother.
The Ildirans and humans are the only known intelligent species in the galaxy, apart from the extinct Klikiss - but by accident the humans start a war with an ancient race that lives within the core of gas giants - so alien their motivations cannot be understood, so invulnerable that an entire fleet cannot damage even a single of their ships.
And it develops from there - through the eyes of about two dozen different characters, each chapter is fairly short and follows a different character. It's very compelling and very readable. Lots of great revelations, political struggles and devious schemes.

 

[Operational]

Rendezvous with Rama

 

[Sheepo]

Andromeda Strain

 

[Sloth]

The Mote in God's Eye

Really A-Grade stuff to have been written in the 1970's

 

[Hot Soup]

The Mote in God's Eye

Really A-Grade stuff to have been written in the 1970's

Seconded , it shows when it was written in some of the future history bits but it's one of the best Sci-Fi books. Also it's sequel The Moat around Murchesons Eye.

I'd also recommend Footfall by the same Author - Larry Niven again it's an old one but a fantastic First Contact / Earth gets the shit shot out of it book.

The others mentioned again all good choices. I haven't been overwhelmed by some of the newer stuff on first contact.

Kevin J andersons stuff is ok - it's pure pulp not that well written and it's been done to take up a full 7 books. But enjoyable space opera guff