First Contact

Children of Time

Adrian Tchaikovsky · Sci-Fi

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home.

space opera · survival · post apocalyptic · first contact

The Left Hand of Darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin · Sci-Fi

[Comment by Kim Stanley Robinson, on The Guardian's website][1]: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin (1969) > One of my favorite novels…

space opera · coming of age · political intrigue · first contact

Howling Dark

Christopher Ruocchio · Sci-Fi

"Hadrian Marlowe is lost. For half a century, he has searched the farther suns for the lost planet of Vorgossos, hoping to find a way to contact the…

grimdark · space opera · quest · political intrigue · first contact

The Forever War

Joe Haldeman · Sci-Fi

"The legendary novel of extraterrestrial war in an uncaring universe comes to comics, in a stunningly realized vision of Joe Haldeman's Vietnam War…

space opera · survival · trauma recovery · first contact · time travel

A Fire Upon The Deep

Vernor Vinge · Sci-Fi

Thousands of years in the future, humanity is no longer alone in a universe where a mind's potential is determined by its location in space, from…

space opera · first contact · quest · survival

Pandora's Star

Peter F. Hamilton · Sci-Fi

Critics have compared the engrossing space operas of Peter F.

space opera · first contact · quest

Ender's Game

Orson Scott Card · Sci-Fi

Young Ender Wiggin thinks he is playing war games at the Battle School, high in orbit, but he is engaged in something far more desperate.

space opera · coming of age · chosen one · survival · first contact

2001: A Space Odyssey

Arthur C. Clarke · Sci-Fi

A deluxe hardcover edition of the wondrous space adventure that is the basis for Stanley Kubrick’s Oscar-winning film—now celebrating its 50th…

space opera · first contact · high stakes survival

After The Fall

Edward Ashton · Sci-Fi

Part alien invasion story, part buddy comedy, and part workplace satire, After The Fall by Edward Ashton, author of Mickey7 (inspiration for the film…

space opera · first contact · survival · found family

The War of the Worlds

Hg Wells · Sci-Fi

The seminal masterpiece of alien invasion, The War of the Worlds (1898) conjures a terrifying, tentacled race of Martians who devastate the Earth and…

first contact · high stakes survival · survival · cosmic horror

The Mote in God's Eye

Larry Niven · Sci-Fi

Writing separately, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle are responsible for a number of science fiction classics, such as the Hugo and Nebula…

space opera · first contact

Childhood's End

Arthur C. Clarke · Sci-Fi

Childhood's End is a 1953 science fiction novel by British author Arthur C.

space opera · first contact · dystopian society · high stakes survival

Ice Planet Barbarians

Ruby Dixon · Romance

You'd think being abducted by aliens would be the worst thing that could happen to me.

paranormal romance · space opera · fish out of water · first contact

The Sparrow

Mary Doria Russell · Sci-Fi

The Sparrow is a novel about a remarkable man, a living saint, a life-long celibate and Jesuit priest, who undergoes an experience so harrowing and…

space opera · first contact · trauma recovery · redemption arc · quest

Rendezvous with Rama

Arthur Charles Clarke · Sci-Fi

Written in 1973, a massive 50 kilometre long alien cylinder begins to pass through the solar system provoking a hurried effort to intercept it.

space opera · first contact

Ringworld

Larry Niven · Sci-Fi

The ' (1970–2004), by science fiction author Larry Niven, is a part of his Known Space set of stories.

space opera · quest · first contact

Startide Rising

David Brin · Sci-Fi

David Brin: “Startide Rising” (1983) This is a sci fi story about a Terran (Earth) crew of neo-dolphins and humans on the starship “The Streaker”.

space opera · first contact · quest

Inherit the Stars

James P. Hogan · Sci-Fi

space opera · first contact

Blindsight

Peter Watts · Sci-Fi

*Two months since the stars fell...* Two months since sixty-five thousand alien objects clenched around the Earth like a luminous fist, screaming…

cosmic horror · space opera · first contact · high stakes survival

The Space Between Worlds

Micaiah Johnson · Sci-Fi

NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • An outsider who can travel between worlds discovers a secret that threatens the very fabric of the…

space opera · first contact · survival

Embassytown

China Mieville · Sci-Fi

Embassytown: a city of contradictions on the outskirts of the universe.

space opera · first contact · political intrigue

Discovery

J. A. J. Minton · Sci-Fi

In 1992, at the dawn of the age of technology, disgraced ex-game show host Manny di Martini schemes for a comeback with a deep-sea television special…

cosmic horror · psychological thriller · first contact

Contact

Carl Sagan · Sci-Fi

In December, 1999, a multinational team journeys out to the stars, to the most awesome encounter in human history.

space opera · first contact · quest

Rosewater

Tade Thompson · Sci-Fi

"Rosewater is a town on the edge.

space opera · political intrigue · first contact

The Mountain in the Sea

Ray Nayler · Sci-Fi

When pioneering marine biologist Dr.

first contact · quest · survival · space opera