Sci Fi Book Recommendations || First Contact with Aliens to Read

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  • Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025

Комментарии • 226

  • @BookswithEmilyFox
    @BookswithEmilyFox  4 года назад +22

    What book do you want to try and read? What other ones should I add to my TBR? :D

    • @chadd.9905
      @chadd.9905 4 года назад +1

      The Last Astronaut by David Wellington is a pretty good first contact book

    • @rebeccam4746
      @rebeccam4746 4 года назад

      Haven't gotten to the Contact with aliens part since that's in book 3 of the trilogy I think, but would love to hear your thoughts on the Thessaly Trilogy by Jo Walton.

    • @mika2720
      @mika2720 4 года назад

      I have bought an absolutely remarkable thing because you recommended it in another video and I really really want to read it!

    • @christinahasd
      @christinahasd 4 года назад +3

      Andromeda's strain sounds really interesting.
      Dying to read Children of ruin but am deathly afraid of spiders. Will I make it through if I imagine them as giant sloths?

    • @encyclopediaofelizabeth
      @encyclopediaofelizabeth 4 года назад +1

      Have you read The War of the Worlds? And also check out The Starfishers trilogy by Glenn Cook, I loved the descriptions in those books and they are pretty short so they are easy to finish.

  • @gracegarrettfilms
    @gracegarrettfilms 4 года назад +171

    "right now I'm really interested in first contact with alien books"
    - Emily literally always

  • @iuliag.6985
    @iuliag.6985 4 года назад +11

    You can tell that I watch your videos way too much because I've read most of these books! Almost everything I've picked up based on your recommendations has been 5 stars, so you're my #1 source for good reads. :D

  • @CompetitionChris
    @CompetitionChris 4 года назад +4

    I actually recommend the three-body problem as a first-time sci-fi book. Especially if you are a science nut. It was the first sci-fi book I had read as an adult and it is what got me into sci-fi books and Alien Invasion novels. I loved it. I was skeptical at first because I heard it was written by a Chinese author and had to be translated. But I'm so glad I read it. The whole series just blew my mind.

    • @st3p4hen
      @st3p4hen Год назад

      Literally came to this video because of this book

  • @Mariana-hy2se
    @Mariana-hy2se 4 года назад +14

    The Sparrow was amazing, one of your best recommendations

  • @ivingzuniga841
    @ivingzuniga841 4 года назад +36

    the fact that i don’t really like sci-fi and i have no interest in first contact with aliens whatsoever but I’m still watching this because I’d do anything but pick up the book I’m supposed to be reading ✨

    • @kathleenbrashier2579
      @kathleenbrashier2579 4 года назад

      Wow. That's some serious dislike for that book right there. Sounds like it was DNF material. Hope you didn't suffer through it for too long.

    • @PoeLemic
      @PoeLemic 3 года назад

      So, what class were you studying for? That's how I felt in some of the readings for a British Literature course.

  • @lenamontgomery2542
    @lenamontgomery2542 4 года назад +7

    I just finished Children of Time because of your recommendation. It was so good! The ending was awesome - did not see that coming.. I agree that it can stand alone, but I'm planning to pick up the sequel next month. (Also recommend the audiobook)

  • @corysandell8696
    @corysandell8696 3 года назад +6

    The Sparrow is an INCREDIBLE book! But you HAVE TO read the sequel, Children of God. It takes the story line down a path you would never ever see coming, and it really ties things together. It answers a lot of questions. Hands down, the 2 combined are my favorite sci-fi books

    • @MrWeezer55
      @MrWeezer55 2 года назад

      I agree. These two books are an anomaly. I've never read anything else like them.

  • @elizabennet7397
    @elizabennet7397 4 года назад +4

    Thank you for the recommendations for Children of Time and The Sparrow. Sci-fi is not my preferred genre so I was not that into Children of Time but I have understood and appreciated it. The Sparrow on the other hand I wouldn't have chosen to read until I saw your recommendation. I loved it. I'll also give Spin a try since it looks like I'll like it too. And Ted Chiang's stories were all very interesting. I'm even thinking of buying his second book. So once again thank you for the recommendations and for explaining the books in a way that I can understand if they are for me or not.

  • @jamesaitchison9478
    @jamesaitchison9478 2 года назад

    I've just finished the Three Body Problem book and i absolutely loved the story and the hard science was just right for me.
    An excellent book, and the translation was really well done.
    Cheers for making this video 👍

  • @PoeLemic
    @PoeLemic 3 года назад

    Really great review of books. Wow, I don't know how you can read so many books. You sure must read faster than me. But, then, I get distracted pretty easy, I guess, when I'm reading.

  • @Nico-lk5hb
    @Nico-lk5hb Год назад

    Emily pleaseee come back to this sci-fi lover happy book reader era!! 🎉🎉🎉

  • @helene9299
    @helene9299 4 года назад +4

    The Humans is my favourite book. It just fit that it was the perfect subject for me (my master's thesis was kind of related to the Riemann hypothesis) and at the perfect time (when I was going through a hard time, Matt Haig supposedly outlined it during a breakdown when he was trying to understand what it meant to be human). Just a rare occurrence of something that fit so well.

    • @katieamarsh
      @katieamarsh 4 года назад +1

      It’s the kind of book that you are a better person for having read.

  • @Zaza-sn2eh
    @Zaza-sn2eh 4 года назад

    Oh my goodness, I'm so glad I found your channel completely by accident. Not just do I love your videos but I'm also a huge sci-fi fan and lots of the books you mentioned here are part of my favorites shelf! The other ones, I'm definitely going to try and read. "The Sparrow" really caught my attention. Thanks so much for this!

  • @anam.1467
    @anam.1467 4 года назад +17

    I picked up The Humans just this morning. I haven't read sci-fi before so it seemed like the best one based on your recommendation. Plus it has a dog :)

    • @katieamarsh
      @katieamarsh 4 года назад +3

      It’s such a wonderful book.

  • @encyclopediaofelizabeth
    @encyclopediaofelizabeth 4 года назад +1

    I don't know why, but I like the color similarity between An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and The Three Body Problem and the fact they are randomly close when you put them on the shelf.

  • @andreaslermen2008
    @andreaslermen2008 3 года назад +2

    I hope you finished "Fire upon the deep", it's a very interesting first contact scenario. Here are two other recommendations: Greg Bear "The forge of god" and Ian Banks "The player of games".

  • @viennabooks741
    @viennabooks741 4 года назад +4

    14 seconds in and I can already tell that I'm going to love this video!

  • @abigailroberts425
    @abigailroberts425 4 года назад

    I read Children of Time because of how much you rave about it and loved it! Had to read Children of Ruin right away. They are definately favorites now.

  • @r-dsr
    @r-dsr 4 года назад +1

    Salvation by PF Hamilton is also a good sci-fi pick! It's a far future society that already has alien contact, but in the first book there's a team of specialists from different backgrounds going to analyze a mystery ship found in a planet (including a hidden alien). Multiple timelines and stories that don't seem to be at all related... until they are! There's also an accompanying space atmospheric soundtrack that you can listen to while you read the book; it's a very fun and eerie addition

    • @RotGodKing
      @RotGodKing Год назад

      I'm looking for more that are like Hamiltons books. I think they are all great

  • @beatrice8667
    @beatrice8667 4 года назад +12

    I started to call Portia every single spider I find 👍🏻

  • @KimDabelsteinPetersen
    @KimDabelsteinPetersen 3 года назад +5

    The Mote in Gods Eye is by many considered the best first contact novel ever written. It _is_ older, but you had quite a few others that were old - definitely worth reading, especially because the aliens are really alien. 'tis a hard sci-fi book with some military and space opera thrown in, and apparently some feel that it is patriachial (true, but there is a reason). It gets better and better and better - even after several rereads :)

  • @stephmorgan286
    @stephmorgan286 4 года назад

    I’m reading Children of Time now because of your recommendation. I’m 90% finished and really enjoying it.

  • @SeemaSingh-qd7xb
    @SeemaSingh-qd7xb 4 года назад

    Love this! Please do more of these scifi videos. I've read most of these so we certainly have similar tastes.

  • @HollyByGollyBooks
    @HollyByGollyBooks 4 года назад

    Ahhhhhhh I am literally going to make a huge book order with a lot of these books on here! 😍 I have been obsessed with sci-fi recently and it's so hard to find recommendations because I feel like so many people don't like sci-fi 😂 So I was VERY EXCITED to find this video! 😁

  • @MohamedMElbadwihi
    @MohamedMElbadwihi 3 года назад +1

    Dragon's Egg is one of the loveliest books I've ever read

  • @bookishpothos7649
    @bookishpothos7649 4 года назад +6

    I upvote sci-fi content faster than Steve nabs those peanuts!
    Another science-heavy first-contact story with aliens and a heavy dose of unwholesome nihilism is Blindsight (the limegreen outlined book to Em's left). Definitely focuses more on its ideas than on characterization though so it might not come off as the most engaging story but I think the payoff is more than worth it. Plus a bonus, not much of a spoiler since it's mentioned straight away on the first page of chapter 1...
    there are vampires in the story if they're your jam!

  • @leeSouthend
    @leeSouthend 3 года назад +1

    Peter F Hamilton, Writer of big scary books. Yes he is, I recomend reading him via kindle that way you cant see how many trees gave their lives for your entertainment. Also Pandoras Star definatly about 1st contact and not fiddling with things you dont understand an extremely good book. The 2nd in the series is called Judas Unchained.

  • @Maude_bastilternative
    @Maude_bastilternative 4 года назад +4

    You should read Adrian Tchaikowsky’s fantasy series. The first one is the Tiger and the Wolf. I started it (didnt finish cause reasons) but I liked it and would be interested in your opinions of it 😄

  • @frankiesscifiobsession3660
    @frankiesscifiobsession3660 4 года назад

    The 6 I've read, Humans, Children of Time, Andromeda Strain, Sleeping Giants, Rendezvous with Rama, and the Sphere I've loved and I have several others on my tbr

  • @nonfictionfeminist
    @nonfictionfeminist 4 года назад +2

    Sphere is SO GOOD, I really love Michael Crichton

  • @BasicallyBrittx
    @BasicallyBrittx 4 года назад

    Ahhh I have Children of Time on my shelf and now I’m SOOO excited to read it!

  • @nisrinarnouk4373
    @nisrinarnouk4373 4 года назад

    Arrival is one of my fave movies as well. I didn't know it was a story first. I'll definitely have to check it out!
    I watched Contact as a child and adored it ❤

  • @SolitudeDayys
    @SolitudeDayys 4 года назад +12

    This video made me realize that 70% of my tbr shelves consist of books mentioned in this video ie Emily what have you done to me?

  • @noeditbookreviews
    @noeditbookreviews 2 года назад

    I loved the ending in Children of Time

  • @mike-ls1bl
    @mike-ls1bl 4 года назад

    All great books! My first contact faves are Bindsight by Peter Watts, and Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds. Blindsight has the most "alien" aliens in all of the sci-fi I've read, but the book is very science heavy and the narrator is someone who has had half of their brain removed. It can be a bit hard to read because of this and because of how science heavy it is, but the utter strangeness of it all is wonderful.

  • @BitBard302
    @BitBard302 Год назад

    You're looking at an insightful article. A matching book is suggested for more in-depth understanding. "Galaxies United" by Olivia Whitestone

  • @veronique5199
    @veronique5199 4 года назад

    Definitely picking up Children of Time and Andromeda strain. Having read more books of both authors and loving their writing

  • @jataylor3962
    @jataylor3962 4 года назад

    Have you read Arthur C Clarke's "Childhoods End"? A first and last contact book, with a horrific 50 year generational tale.
    What was it Clarke said? "Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying"
    A book which haunts me still.
    Another good duopoly is Greg Bear's "Forge of God" & "Anvil of Stars", first contact....bad stuff happens!!
    I have Children of Ruin TBR, currently reading Stephen King's The Institute. My TBR approaches 90 or so...no chance at my speed of 12-15 books a year, I don't know how you manage to hit the 100 mark, dear Emily!!
    Lovely content, as usual!!
    Tony

  • @Lorena-ey7px
    @Lorena-ey7px 4 года назад

    i've started reading scifi bec of u and thank u sooo much! it's now one of my fav genres and im so excited to read some of the books u mentioned in this video

  • @BartLocanthi
    @BartLocanthi Месяц назад

    Hoping you got around to reading Mote in God's Eye. It does take a while to get going, but the ideas, characters, and story are well-developed and it's still my favorite book .. period.

  • @Mr-atom55
    @Mr-atom55 2 года назад

    the three body problem was the first book I actually read in my own time. such a good book.

  • @PeterDaley72
    @PeterDaley72 3 года назад

    I just finished Dragon's Egg earlier today... I really enjoyed it!

  • @patrickleitzen9752
    @patrickleitzen9752 2 года назад

    Tchaikovsky's CoT and its sequel are FANTASTIC. His book, Shards of Earth, is also excellent.

  • @bookswithkatie7364
    @bookswithkatie7364 4 года назад +1

    Just bought The Humans! Got my kindle ready to buy even more books from this video ☺

  • @DairyFreeAutism
    @DairyFreeAutism 4 года назад +1

    Sleeping giants audiobook is seriously amazing. It’s a full cast and a great production. Would definitely recommend the first one as an audiobook.

  • @imienazwisko3204
    @imienazwisko3204 4 года назад

    I have only just started watching your channel, so I don't know if you ever came across books of Philip Dick. They are the old, intense sci-fi and mind-blow kind of stories. I red them in my childchood and really loved most of them. They are a very specific type, so if you don't want to begin with very weird ones I would reccomend 'A maze of death', 'Ubik' (they both take place in weird worlds where nothing is certain and have crazy twists at the end) or the classic - 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep'. 😃

  • @BillySummers584
    @BillySummers584 3 года назад

    I see the famous green and black spine that belongs to the book Blindsight by Peter W.

  • @steveseyboldt7206
    @steveseyboldt7206 3 года назад +1

    If you have not read Arther C. Clarke's Childhood's End, you should add it to your list.

  • @douglaslarson7081
    @douglaslarson7081 3 года назад

    One that I liked quite a bit is "Urn Burial" by Robert Westall and published in 1987. He originally wrote it as a short story under the same title but a few years later expanded it to a full novel. Not a long book, it's under 250 pages. If you decide to read it you might need to get it from your library and even then you might need to request an Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Of course I would love to hear your thoughts about it if you do read it. This is a good choice for a SciFi beginner.

  • @Magicme79
    @Magicme79 4 года назад

    The humans was fantastic! One of my absolute favourite books. It’s also interesting when you take into account that the alien character was inspired by the authors experience with mental illness

  • @Monej82
    @Monej82 4 года назад +1

    Have you done a list with classic Sci Fi?
    Like Asimov, Bradbury, Orwell, Vonnegut and others.

  • @dallanschowe8525
    @dallanschowe8525 24 дня назад

    Read "Eifelheim" by Flynn. Excellent historical (14th century) first contact story.

  • @Rickybobby1130
    @Rickybobby1130 4 года назад

    Sphere is so good !!! I remembering loving it. Can't wait to here your thoughts.

  • @justinhart8652
    @justinhart8652 9 месяцев назад

    A call to arms by Alan Dean Foster. First contact but heavy military sci fi

  • @justinhart8652
    @justinhart8652 3 года назад

    In the balance And a world of difference by harry turtledove are both about first contact.

  • @ScarletClarity
    @ScarletClarity 4 года назад +1

    Amazing, amazing video, thank you for making this! I've been in the mood for sci fi lately and I haven't had that much experience with it yet, so any recommendation is more than helpful! Will be adding pretty much all of these onto my tbr (except maybe Hank Green to be honest).
    Stay safe

  • @sviatoslavpetrovych2066
    @sviatoslavpetrovych2066 3 года назад +1

    Pandora's Star, Judas Unchained, and the Void trilogy are my favorite in the genre. Definitely worth reading - you just have to get through the slow start. It's not "first contact" though (humans had already met some harmless aliens), but it's the first contact with hostile aliens.

    • @epiphoney
      @epiphoney 3 года назад

      +1 Pandora's Star, great but wordy.

  • @ArchaicSEAL.ST3
    @ArchaicSEAL.ST3 3 года назад +2

    Rendezvous with Rama was more of a “prequel.” Rama II, Garden of Rama and Rama Revealed are the REAL story and remain my absolute favorite series of Sci-Fi books to date. I believe they FAR surpass the Space Odyssey series that Arthur C. Clarke is more known for. I also believe the Rama series (and you can skip Rendezvous with Rama if you want) is a must read for anyone who loves first contact sci-fi. I know you kind of thought Rendezvous with Rama was weird, but seriously, do yourself a favor: read Rama II. I think you will find that the entire story across all three books will stick in your mind for a long time after. It was that good.

  • @tedbrasso6831
    @tedbrasso6831 3 года назад

    Im currently on Book 3 of Nathan Hystad's The Bridge Sequence!! Planning to start his 18+ First Contact book series 'The Survivors' 👏👏

  • @temmy9
    @temmy9 3 года назад +1

    Mote in Gods Eye is an outstanding first contact book.

    • @JCAH1
      @JCAH1 3 года назад

      This is generally considered to be the best first contact novel ever written.

  • @booksandteawithanna-marie6395
    @booksandteawithanna-marie6395 4 года назад

    Yayyyyyyy!!!!! I’m so excited for this video!! I’ve been really wanting to get more into sci-fi (mostly because of your channel😂) and this is perfect!! I know I want to read Sleeping Giants, I’ve heard it’s great!

  • @amusicalbookworm
    @amusicalbookworm 4 года назад

    So happy to have this video from you! Whenever I think of first contact with alien books, I think of you 😆

  • @johnnunley423
    @johnnunley423 3 года назад

    READ PANDORA'S STAR or better yet listen to audio book it's amazing , but will also have to read or listen to Judas Unchained the 2nd half the audio books are fantastic!

  • @tiffanymbreia
    @tiffanymbreia 4 года назад

    I read the humans because of your recomendation and it is one of my favorites of all time!

  • @Artfully_J
    @Artfully_J 4 года назад

    Loved the audiobooks of the Sleeping Giants trilogy, especially book 1. I did enjoy the other two books...but I do know (and agree) to the character you refer to. 🙁

  • @JCAH1
    @JCAH1 3 года назад

    "Sphere" was about a large, super-advanced alien probe that came to Earth to determine if mankind would eventually advance enough to be a threat to the probe's creators. The probe was sentient, telepathic, and could somehow make things happen. It is implied that there are countless such probes throughout the galaxy. "The Mote in God's Eye" is widely considered to be the best first contact novel ever written. I was completely transfixed - I couldn't put it down.

  • @zivnix
    @zivnix 3 года назад

    thumbs up for the "Spin"

  • @DeeDeeCatMom
    @DeeDeeCatMom 4 года назад

    I want to try a bunch of these! Spin was pretty mind blowing 😄😄😄

  • @lunaferox7886
    @lunaferox7886 4 года назад

    I think Steve is officially your RUclips channel mascot 🤣

  • @TheBookishMom
    @TheBookishMom 4 года назад

    The Humans sounds really good. I have been wanting to pick it up and it seems just like a really great book. Children of Time is another one I have been wanting to pick up because a lot of people I know really love it.

  • @awizardintraining
    @awizardintraining 4 года назад

    Recommend The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. A quick short story collection

  • @YnseSchaap
    @YnseSchaap 3 года назад

    I'm almost done with The Three Body Problem and I like it, The Dark Forest has been delivered yesterday so I can read on immediately 😁 (you forgot The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham great first contact novel and you never even get to see the aliens)

  • @2307Johanna
    @2307Johanna 4 года назад

    Yes, thanks I was waiting for more sci-fi recommendations 💙

  • @skullfullofbooks7398
    @skullfullofbooks7398 4 года назад

    Omg, it isn't creepy uncle noises, you're making the squirrel noises, or at least the noises you make when you feed Steve the peanuts. 🤣 You must really like that book lol.

  • @InfiniteQuest86
    @InfiniteQuest86 2 года назад

    I would try the sequels to Rama. Some people love them, some hate them. I thought they were really good.

  • @markmcwiggins6199
    @markmcwiggins6199 3 года назад

    Emily! *Pandora's Star*! Please finish it! The sequel (*Judas Unchained*) is even better. But a recent one you will love if you like Hank Greens: *Axiom's End* by Lindsay Ellis, also a First contact. Thanks for the video!

  • @victorialittle4606
    @victorialittle4606 4 года назад

    I read The Humans by your recommendation last year and it was so good!

  • @veroagustine4310
    @veroagustine4310 4 года назад

    The teaser for Dune is out now!

  • @DanielKlimek
    @DanielKlimek Год назад

    Alien contact novel: Blindsight by Peter Watts, amazing book

  • @francoisjohannson139
    @francoisjohannson139 3 года назад

    I read "Andromeda Strain" in 1974, Subscribed.

  • @BookRoast
    @BookRoast 4 года назад +1

    It warms my heart that someone else loves The Arrival movie as much as me

  • @trinc9015
    @trinc9015 4 года назад

    I absolutely love the andromeda strain 😍

  • @Globovoyeur
    @Globovoyeur 3 года назад

    I hope you got "The Mote in God's Eye" read. It is, in my opinion, one of the best first contact books out there. There's a sequel, "The Gripping Hand," but it is not so good.

  • @dinag5739
    @dinag5739 4 года назад

    Yesssss👏 so excited for this video

  • @sandbagger1912
    @sandbagger1912 2 года назад

    Just finished a new novel by Derrick McCartney (McMinnville). It is a SCI-FI mystery focusing on a retired NYC detective who is trying to solve a mystery of two photographs taken of a UFO in 1950. It is a historical mystery than turns strange as the protagonist gets closer to solving the mystery which centers on a girl who disappeared on the same day the photos were taken. Not really about aliens per se, but the high strangeness of the UFO phenomenon. It has an epic feel since the novel spans nearly 60 years.

  • @masoodvoon8999
    @masoodvoon8999 4 года назад

    I can see how you might not like the military ones because from my experience they can be fun but they aren't very complex. A lot of deus ex machina occurs in the plots. I'm hoping that old man's war series is different because that comes recommended and I will start that sometime.

  • @InfiniteQuest86
    @InfiniteQuest86 2 года назад

    If you like spider civilizations, then definitely A Fire Upon the Deep. Really awesome, but pretty long.

  • @natasja8201
    @natasja8201 4 года назад

    Maybe you can do a video of the books you started but still have to finish?

  • @WorldAquariumSingapore
    @WorldAquariumSingapore 4 года назад +1

    any good aquarium books in 2020 /2021 whhich is the best?

  • @northof-62
    @northof-62 4 года назад

    Thx for your rec.s
    Mote
    Note
    Wrote
    there you go

  • @chasington5102
    @chasington5102 4 года назад

    Thank you for showing me Children of Time, It was an amazing read and im almost scared to real Children of Ruin just because of how good the ending was. But eh my curiosity requires me to read it

  • @bookswithtiffy_bibliophile
    @bookswithtiffy_bibliophile 4 года назад

    Curious is snowglobe Emily going to have something for Fourth of July to wear too? And I love the humans! I need to find a copy to own.

  • @mika2720
    @mika2720 4 года назад

    I love your recommendations!!

  • @AnieNiusika
    @AnieNiusika 4 года назад +5

    I have never read a sci fi but I have a feeling I would love the first contact with aliens type of sci fi. I have been watching x files since I was 5. Huge fan.

  • @epiphoney
    @epiphoney Год назад

    Love Pandora's Star. It does have a slow start, but the MorningLightMountain alien is great. And I want to marry Paula Myo. I was less of a fan of the more fantasy like parts with Ozzie on the trail.

  • @sherinjames3459
    @sherinjames3459 4 года назад

    Please please please do a classic recommendations..?

  • @JillPlusBooks
    @JillPlusBooks 4 года назад

    I've been looking forward to this video for such a long time! I love your videos and love hearing about your book thoughts! =D

  • @Toxic_Muk
    @Toxic_Muk 4 года назад

    The grays is a great book

  • @noeditbookreviews
    @noeditbookreviews 2 года назад

    How did you like the droplet scene in The Dark Forrest?