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Book involving alien encounter/civilization?

D

daerus

New Member
Hi there,

I have been trying to find a book like this for a long time and have failed to come up with anything worthwhile.

What I need is some kind of novel that involves (preferably) someone who gets taken to some kind of advanced alien civilization/universe/world, whatever, and learns about the alien culture. I'm not looking for any kind of alien takes over earth, etc. etc. Hopefully in the book there will be undertones (or overtones ;)) of some kind of spirituality in the book.

Please let me know if anyone knows of anything like this. I have been searching for quite a while and was unable to find anything.

Thanks!
 
Second half of Childhoods End. Also, the Rendezvous with Rama series explores a similar theme.
 
Thanks guys. I picked up Childhood's End and the Martian Chronicles today. Barnes and Noble didn't have Solaris in stock. :sad:
 
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!

Granted he has to leave because Earth is to be destroyed to make way for intergalactic progress but thats not the main focus.....

LOL, can't believe nobody else came up with this one.
 
Well, not strictly about alien encounters, the humans in Last and First Men become pretty alien towards the end. Some alien cultures are described in Starmaker, both of which are by Olaf Stapledon.

In All Tomorrows (available for free download from the author) deals with what happens when humans meet aliens, but the aliens are mostly a plot device, and they do pretty much destroy conventional humans.
 
I picked up Flying to Valhalla by Charles Pellegrino and it is all about a first encounter scenario. I am about 15% through it but so far, so good.
 
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.

I haven't read this book yet, although it is on my shelf. I am pretty sure it has exactly what you are looking for.
 
Stranger in a Strange Land sort of fits the bill. Sort of. And The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is Catholics in space so probably does too.
 
dele said:
That sounds like an interesting premise for a book. Have you read it? Any good?
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Xenocide and Children of the Mind are basically Catholics in space. Didn't affect the plot much. What was left of it anyway.
 
I am not sure how serious the book has to be. But, I read Slaves of Spiegel by Daniel Pinkwater, a very short and funny story. It has someone being abducted by aliens who love food. And food can be religious in this case? ;)
 
dele said:
That sounds like an interesting premise for a book. Have you read it? Any good?
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I didn't like it but lots of people did. They did stupid things that people just wouldn't do and that annoyed me, but when I've discussed the book with other people they didn't much notice it.

The alien society is (obviously) very different to the way we live here, and certain aspects were especially upsetting to the priest and a lot of the book is him working his way through what happened to him both physically and mentally.
 
Litany said:
I didn't like it but lots of people did. They did stupid things that people just wouldn't do and that annoyed me, but when I've discussed the book with other people they didn't much notice it.
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I have to agree with you. I also found the characters to be one-dimensional and the main character's reactions to events baffling.

There is an older book about a Jesuit priest and an alien encounter written by James Blish, called A Case of Conscience, which I have heard was better. I haven't read it myself.
 
You're the first person to agree with me. I've not read the Bliss book, but since The Sparrow I might stick to Pigs in Space and give the priests a wide berth.
 
Try David Brin's Uplift series. I enjoyed Sundiver and Startide Rising quite a bit.

Sundiver is a ripping detective story, set in a spacecraft dangerously near the sun, and Startide Rising is a fantastic action/adventure story... If you liked Larry Niven, you'll like Brin.
 
Try Hunter's Run by George R. R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, and a third author whose name I can never remember. I'm leery of collaborations but this one was fine. It has everything -- sex, violence (but no rock 'n roll), adventure, alien contact, and a nice twist.

I liked The Sparrow, but I liked the first half -- preparing for the expedition -- better than the second. It took a surprising turn. And one thing that puzzles me is why the priest would think that the existence of alien life would prove or disprove the existence of God. (Maybe I just didn't get it.) But it's worth reading, IMHO.
 
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