What is science fiction without aliens? Usually these poor abused creatures get to be the bad guys, but some authors delight (and delight us) in making them the central figures of the work. One of the most delicious and attractive things about SF&F is the ability to look at ourselves from the outside in this manner. Sometimes it's not a pretty picture. It is almost always enlightening.

• The Pride of Chanur, Chanur's Venture, The Kif Strike Back and Chanur's Homecoming by C.J. Cherryh
• Cuckoo's Egg by C.J. Cherryh
• Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
• The Borrowers, The Borrowers Afield, The Borrowers Afloat, The Borrowers Aloft, and The Borrowers Avenged by Mary Norton