The Top 10 First Contact Books Of All Time!

“It is pointless to worry about the possible malevolent intentions of an advanced civilization with whom we might make contact. It is more likely that the mere fact they have survived so long means they have learned to live with themselves and others.” ―Carl Sagan, Cosmos

It may be pointless to worry, but it sure is fun to imagine! Or rather, it's fun to get caught up in the imaginings of our favorite sci-fi authors. Curious to see which imagined first contact scenario the Discover Sci-Fi community loved best? Read on to find out!

Here, without further ado, based on the combined nominations and votes here on the Discover Sci-Fi blog and in the Facebook group, are the top 10 first contact books of all-time! 

10. Live Free or Die by John Ringo

First Contact Was Friendly.

When aliens trundled a gate to other worlds into the solar system, the world reacted with awe, hope and fear. But the first aliens to come through, the Glatun, were peaceful traders and the world breathed a sigh of relief.

Who Controls the Orbitals, Controls the World.

When the Horvath came through, they announced their ownership by dropping rocks on three cities and gutting them. Since then, they've held Terra as their own personal fiefdom. With their control of the orbitals, there's no way to win and earth's governments have accepted the status quo.

Pick up John Ringo's Live Free or Die here on Amazon

9. Footfall by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

An alien craft is approaching Earth. Attempts to communicate go unanswered. The welcoming committee of Americans and Russians at a space station is blasted, its occupants killed or captured. Soon the entire Earth, with special emphasis on the United States, is bombarded by asteroids, destroying dams, highways, and infrastructure. The message to humans: total surrender or death to all. A giant rock, the “footfall”, is launched towards Earth, causing even more damage. The aliens land, determined to conquer or utterly eliminate the human race. Understanding a truly “alien” culture and learning how to confront such an overwhelming power make FOOTFALL stand out as an exciting and truly original novel.

Pick up Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's Footfall here on Amazon.

8. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles is a classic work of twentieth-century literature whose extraordinary power and imagination remain undimmed by time's passage. In connected, chronological stories, a true grandmaster once again enthralls, delights and challenges us with his vision and his heart-starkly and stunningly exposing in brilliant spacelight our strength, our weakness, our folly, and our poignant humanity on a strange and breathtaking world where humanity does not belong.

Get your copy of Ray Bradbury'sThe Martian Chronicles here on Amazon.

7. Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper

One day Jack Holloway, prospector on the planet Zarathustra, finds what seems to be a small monkey with golden fur; these new introductions (for the first brings a family) are tiny hunters, and prove to be curious and capable tool users. Why is this so important to the new human settlers? - Because a planet inhabited by a sapient race cannot be monopolized by the Zarathustra Company.

Start reading H. Beam Piper's Little Fuzzy here on Amazon.

6. Expeditionary Force by Craig Alanson

We were fighting on the wrong side, of a war we couldn't win. And that was the good news.

The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon come ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There go the good old days, when humans only got killed by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits.

Grab Craig Alanson's Columbus Day here on Amazon.

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5. Contact by Carl Sagan

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and astronomer Carl Sagan imagines the greatest adventure of all—the discovery of an advanced civilization in the depths of space.

In December of 1999, a multinational team journeys out to the stars, to the most awesome encounter in human history. Who—or what—is out there? In Cosmos, Carl Sagan explained the universe. In Contact, he predicts its future—and our own.

Get your copy of Carl Sagan's Contact here on Amazon.

4. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

In the near future, enormous silver spaceships appear without warning over mankind’s largest cities. They belong to the Overlords, an alien race far superior to humanity in technological development. Their purpose is to dominate Earth. Their demands, however, are surprisingly benevolent: end war, poverty, and cruelty. Their presence, rather than signaling the end of humanity, ushers in a golden age . . . or so it seems.

Without conflict, human culture and progress stagnate. As the years pass, it becomes clear that the Overlords have a hidden agenda for the evolution of the human race that may not be as benevolent as it seems.

Dive into Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End here on Amazon.

3. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

The War of the Worlds (1898), by H. G. Wells, is an early science fiction novel which describes an invasion of England by aliens from Mars. It is one of the earliest and best-known depictions of an alien invasion of Earth, and has influenced many others, as well as spawning several films, radio dramas, comic book adaptations, and a television series based on the story. The 1938 radio broadcast caused public outcry against the episode, as many listeners believed that an actual Martian invasion was in progress, a notable example of mass hysteria.

Get your copy of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds here on Amazon.

2. Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

An enormous cylindrical object has entered Earth’s solar system on a collision course with the sun. A team of astronauts are sent to explore the mysterious craft, which the denizens of the solar system name Rama. What they find is astonishing evidence of a civilization far more advanced than ours. They find an interior stretching over fifty kilometers; a forbidding cylindrical sea; mysterious and inaccessible buildings; and strange machine-animal hybrids, or “biots,” that inhabit the ship. But what they don’t find is an alien presence. So who—and where—are the Ramans?

Often listed as one of Clarke’s finest novels, Rendezvous with Rama won numerous awards, including the Hugo, the Nebula, the Jupiter, and the British Science Fiction Awards. A fast-paced and compelling story of an enigmatic encounter with alien technology, Rendezvous with Rama offers both answers and unsolved mysteries that will continue to fascinate readers for generations.

Pick up Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama here on Amazon.

1. The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

The united 'Second Empire of Man' spans vast distances, due to the Alderson Drive which has enabled humans to travel easily between the stars. After an alien probe is discovered, the Navy dispatches two ships to determine whether the aliens pose a threat… Called by Robert A. Heinlein: "Possibly the greatest science fiction novel ever written," this magnificent exploration of first contact and a truly alien society is a "must read" for science fiction fans.

Pick up Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's The Mote in God's Eye here on Amazon

What did you think of the top 10 selections as decided by your fellow Discover Sci-Fi readers? Any you strongly agree or disagree with? Any you're eager to pick up now that weren't on your radar before? Share you thoughts in the comments here on the blog, or visit us here in our Facebook group and make sure to check out our most recent poll while you're there!

*All book-related copy in this post was pulled from Amazon, Goodreads & Wikipedia, unless otherwise credited.