SETI/First Contact stories for the curious mind.
Little green men have always tickled the curious minds of astronomy lovers. Every one of us has undoubtedly looked up to the night sky and wondered, "Are we alone?" The vast possibilities of the cosmos mock humans in our little corner of the universe, but these three books have risen to attempt to answer the age-old question.
Contact by Carl Sagan
This book was the second discovery that altered my life's direction, after watching Interstellar which started my love for space.
I remember sitting on the floor of my room, dimly lit in the otherwise dark and silent midnight neighborhood, flipping page after page. After I read the last page of the climax(which I encourage you to experience for yourself), I couldn't get up for several minutes as silent emotions poured out of me: awe, horror, fascination, incredulity. I couldn't even begin to comprehend the sheer scale of it all. At that point, I knew I was now undeniably, irreversibly dedicated to SETI and extraterrestrial life.
Contact is set during the ongoing tensions between the US and Soviet Union and realistically portrays the effect of first contact on society, theology, philosophy, and human actions. Although the world is wrought with opposing ideologies and values over the extraterrestrials, the novel shows us the importance of human cooperation and our place in the vastness of the cosmos. I cannot recommend it enough if you're interested in SETI.
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu is originally a Chinese novel but has been translated into dozens of languages and has found fanbases in Europe, Japan, the US, and more. In my opinion, this book is merely a setup for the other two books in the trilogy (The Dark Forest and Death's End ) that explore topics of ineffably large scales such as interstellar travel, advanced civilizations, and the end of the universe.
The first installment focuses on Ye Wenjie, an astrophysicist during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. During her time at a SETI facility, Ye makes contact with an extraterrestrial civilization known as Trisolaris, whose invasive behavior toward Earth causes generations of tumult within on-planet society.
Liu isn't the most graceful writer on this list, but his world-building and creativity still manage to blow me away with every new turn of the plot. This is especially true for books 2 and 3. Considering the aforementioned topics explored in them, it's no wonder President Obama called the scope of the series "immense... partly because my day-to-day problems with Congress seem fairly petty" in a New York Times interview. If I couldn't convince you to try this series, I hope President Obama can.
Stories of Your Life/Arrival by Ted Chiang
Ted Chiang is a unique case in the world of modern science fiction. Unlike recent big names such as John Scalzi, who published novels and series frequently, Chiang rose to popularity through occasional short stories that won major awards each time. He's only published 18 short stories in the last 30 years and yet is one of the most acclaimed names in speculative fiction; the definition of a writer that has meticulously honed his craft.
But enough about Chiang. Story of Your Life manages to explore linguistics, philosophy, and first contact, all the while packing a heavy emotional punch. Dr. Louise Banks is a linguist professor hired to decode the language of extraterrestrials that have contacted humans. She learns through research that the alien civilization has a radically different language system from humans that is grounded in their perception of the world. This leads to revelations in her professional and personal life as she's tangled deeper into the mystery of the aliens' ways.
The film version, Arrival, expands the plot while maintaining the flow and core values of the story. The hauntingly beautiful score by Johann Johannsson enriches the otherworldly visuals and wrenching plot points, making it an excellent watch.
*****
Bibliography
Kakutani, Michiko. “Obama's Secret to Surviving the White House Years: Books.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Jan. 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/16/books/obamas-secret-to-surviving-the-white-house-years-books.html.
Comments