What Are the Most Terrifying Alien Invaders in Science Fiction?

"One day, we might receive a signal from a planet... But we should be wary of answering back. Meeting an advanced civilization could be like Native Americans encountering Columbus. That didn't turn out so well."—Stephen Hawking

This is what the brilliant Stephen Hawking had to say when discussing Gliese 832c, a possibly habitable extrasolar planet 16 light years away. It seems our favorite authors largely agree with him as oftentimes, the aliens of science fiction are painted as malevolent beings or, at the very least, those whose interests pose a serious threat to humans. But like anything, there are levels, and in the interest of turning our attention to a terror not presently making headlines, this week we are taking a deep dive into the scariest alien invaders of science fiction.

We've jump-started the conversation with a few suggestions of our own, but we want to hear from you!  Add your nomination(s) for most terrifying alien invaders below and then vote on your favorite(s). If you need a little inspo, take a peek at this post from Discover Sci-Fi's own Daniel Arenson from back in January. You guys had some strong opinions on what did and didn't make Daniel's list back then and now is your chance to be heard! 

As always, we base our lists on the votes and nominations from this blog and our Facebook Reader group, and we want to hear your opinion!



What Are the Most Terrifying Alien Invaders in Science Fiction (Books)
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10 replies
  1. Helen Pressley
    Helen Pressley says:

    I guess I am older (69) but I immediately thought of Puppet Masters as well. I read it when I was very young and it terrified me. I actually had a nightmare about it not awfully long ago, so it really did make an impression!

    The Burgers were also pretty scary.

    Reply
  2. Jlmowery
    Jlmowery says:

    Yes, I am older and the Puppet Masters upset me when I was younger. So many of the newer boogy-men are copies of the Puppet Masters. The PM represented a subversion of our individuality and personality into a mass mind antithetical to our own aims, personality, and existence.
    Most of the rest just want to kill us (although the Posleen also want to eat us) and they can be killed. I don’t fear anything that can be killed. Avoid yes, bit is being subsumed to the point of actively cooperating in my own demise and that of those I love that terrifies me!

    Reply

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. […] As always, these top ten lists are not meant to be all-inclusive or definitive, but give a finger on the pulse of our communities interests and favorites. Want to see who missed out? Here's the original nomination list from the blog. […]

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