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Aliens come in all shapes, sizes, and degrees of visibility. Even when they look like us, the gaps in understanding can be fatal. Well-drawn aliens in science fiction arise from a solid grasp of what is and is not possible, physiologically and scientifically. When the cultures and attitudes arise naturally and the aliens are not simply "humans in skin suits," you get great science fiction. The books below are a small but delicious sample of an enormous range of "aliens."
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| AUTHOR | TITLE | ORDER | ||
| John W. Campbell |
Who Goes There?
One of the absolute, chilling, classics of science fiction, with an alien you never see but whose presence is the underpinning of the entire story. This is the work that was made into the movie "The Thing," a far inferior product to the written original. |
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| C.J. Cherryh |
Cuckoo's Egg / Serpent's Reach (2 in 1 volume)
Cherryh is a master at looking at the world through alien eyes, and sometimes the aliens are human. Anyone wanting to write convincing SF should read her work. Cuckoo's Egg is especially well done.
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| C. J. Cherryh |
The Chanur Saga (3 in 1 volume)
The first three in her wildly entertaining and
fast-moving Chanur series: The sole human is the outsider here and you will never doubt the fact. Cherryh, as usual, does a terrific job of drawing not just one, but several distinct alien races and making them all credible, plausible, and completely true to their own species imperatives.
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| C. J. Cherryh |
Chanur's Endgame (2 in 1 volume)
Chanur's Homecoming The final two in the Chanur saga. You will need to read Chanur's Homecoming to get the resolution to the problem set up in the first three. Chanur's Legacy is a follow-on story that is worth reading just to see what happened afterward.
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| Robert Heinlein |
Stranger in a Strange Land
One of the all-time classics of science fiction, it caused an uproar when it was first published. A fantastic look at humans as aliens, as seen by an alienated human.
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| Andre Norton |
Moon of Three Rings
One of the best of the grandmaster's many books written either from an alien perspective or thrusting unsuspecting humans into situations where they must cope with the new and totally strange--in this case, a young spacer ends up in an animal body, with only a limited time to get out before he is trapped there forever.
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| Mary Norton |
The Borrowers
This beloved classic takes a new look at "aliens" and how to live in harmony with them. This is the first book in a series that includes: The Borrowers Afield
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