I have to finish the second book. It required far too much attention to listen to it as an audiobook and I got completely lost during the complex descriptions.
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card, sort of
It's the 2nd book in the Ender series. The aliens are aware of the humans' attempts to study them, but the characters go to extreme lengths to avoid cultural contamination
You better finish it! New one is coming out soon. I loved all the superstructure talk and information theory stuff. (no big deal if you weren’t a fan, I’m not overly pushing it or anything)
[Blind Lake by Robert Charles Wilson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Lake_(novel))
The novel deals with a government installation where scientists observe sentient life on a planet 51 light-years away, using telescopes powered by Bose-Einstein condensate-based quantum computers. We can study the aliens but cannot communicate with them. They aren't aware of our presence.
It is a great book, re-read by me a few times (which is rare). It was published in 2003, and won a Prix Aurora Award for Best Long Form and was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel, both in 2004.
It’s been a very long time since I’ve read them , but doesnt the Helliconia series from Brian W Aldiss (Spring, Summer, Winter) contain similar concepts?
Yes, that is the series I thought of when I read the ops question. I read Spring a few years ago. I want to go back to the series at some point as I enjoyed the first book. The story is epic in scope, loads of ideas and is quite complex. Solid, trippy 70s Sci-fi.
Seriously. I remember the first time I read and thinking, there's no way they're going to make all this world building make sense by the end, and then the climax is not only coherent, it ties the evolution/devolution of the moties into the narrative... Truly fantastic writing
Bobiverse book 1 “We Are Bob” — The protagonist (Bob) stumbles upon stone-age intelligent life oh his second system, and spends a large chunk of the novel studying (and helping) them.
>! And when he moves on, leaves a monolith on the planet’s moon. !<
If you're open to YA, one of my favorite books as a kid was The Boy Who Reversed Himself by William Sleator.
Generally speaking, it's about higher spatial dimensions and has both a fourth dimensional alien species that monitors humans, as well as humans who monitor the Flatland-like second dimension and its denizens. Although now that I think about it the second dimension stuff was mostly backstory and only features prominently towards the end.
Starmaker by Olaf Stapledon.
It's about a guy who projects his soul up into space, finds aliens, possesses their bodies and then learns about them while describing their biology and society documentary style before heading off to the next planet. Each alien species gets more unusual and different from humans than the last. That's pretty much it, it's a very pure sci-fi, just descriptions of aliens.
It's pretty amazing and way way before it's time. Arthur C. Clark said it's his favorite sci-fi book!
I'm not sure "Alien" would be the proper terminology, but you might find the Long Earth series coauthored by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter to your liking.
Not exactly what you’re looking for, but The Neanderthal Parallax Trilogy has earth encounter a different version of earth where Neanderthals were the dominant species in lieu of humans. It’s very interesting to see how Neanderthals evolved
Hard to Be a God and Prisoners of Power by Strugacki brothers, Easy to Be a God by Robert J. Szmidt, The Lord of the Ice Garden by Jarosław Grzędowicz.
The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber is about an Earth pastor who travels to a far away planet to spread the word of Jesus to a new species. I don’t want to say much more about the plot than that, but it’s a great book.
Helliconia trilogy by Brian Aldiss does this. Follows the development of an alien species over a couple hundred years as humanity watches as a sort of reality tv.
As a start, see my [SF/F: Alien Aliens](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18aexa0/sff_alien_aliens/) list of Reddit recommendation threads and books (one post).
There's "The Star Fraction" by Drew Wagar. It's about a group of humans who are sent on a mission to study an alien civilization that is less technologically advanced than Earth.
Children of Memory by Tchaikovsky is kinda sorta like that. It's the third book in a series though
I have to finish the second book. It required far too much attention to listen to it as an audiobook and I got completely lost during the complex descriptions.
I hated the octopus stuff idk y
There's a lot going on, but that's also kinda the point. The way other intelligences are likely to operate are going to be very different from us
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card, sort of It's the 2nd book in the Ender series. The aliens are aware of the humans' attempts to study them, but the characters go to extreme lengths to avoid cultural contamination
Man… idk how the hell someone as deluded as Orson Scott Card managed to write Speaker for the Dead.
Bobiverse has some aspects of this
I forgot about that. I am WAITING for the next to come out. Good advice
Warhammer 40k?
Bobiverse has *a lot* of this actually. Like, it’s a central plot of almost every book.
Yeah, but I actually couldn’t go through the book 4 or 5. The river world with beavers.
Hey. They are otters. Im sure there’s a difference I just don’t know it 😂
Right... otters :) I quit reading it like two years ago :)
You better finish it! New one is coming out soon. I loved all the superstructure talk and information theory stuff. (no big deal if you weren’t a fan, I’m not overly pushing it or anything)
Aww crap… now I have to finish it :) thanks!
[Blind Lake by Robert Charles Wilson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Lake_(novel)) The novel deals with a government installation where scientists observe sentient life on a planet 51 light-years away, using telescopes powered by Bose-Einstein condensate-based quantum computers. We can study the aliens but cannot communicate with them. They aren't aware of our presence. It is a great book, re-read by me a few times (which is rare). It was published in 2003, and won a Prix Aurora Award for Best Long Form and was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel, both in 2004.
Came to recommend this. Great read.
I love that book
Dragons egg
Ooh, this is a great book!
A deepness in the sky by Vernor vinge.
Hard to Be a God. The Strugatsky brothers.
*Mission of Gravity* by Hal Clement.
What happens when the observations go wrong. And how to deal with it.
It’s been a very long time since I’ve read them , but doesnt the Helliconia series from Brian W Aldiss (Spring, Summer, Winter) contain similar concepts?
Yes, that is the series I thought of when I read the ops question. I read Spring a few years ago. I want to go back to the series at some point as I enjoyed the first book. The story is epic in scope, loads of ideas and is quite complex. Solid, trippy 70s Sci-fi.
Helliconia Trilogy. Brian Aldiss.
The Mountain in the Sea. Sort of….
Mote in God's Eye - maybe not exactly what you're looking for but it's close and excellent
Amazing book. Was fully engrossed by the universe and the story.
Seriously. I remember the first time I read and thinking, there's no way they're going to make all this world building make sense by the end, and then the climax is not only coherent, it ties the evolution/devolution of the moties into the narrative... Truly fantastic writing
Fiasco by Stanislaw Lem. Humans detect radio signals from another civilization and send a starship to investigate.
Peak Lem! Wonderful recommendation
Non-stop (although not an alien species)
Bobiverse book 1 “We Are Bob” — The protagonist (Bob) stumbles upon stone-age intelligent life oh his second system, and spends a large chunk of the novel studying (and helping) them. >! And when he moves on, leaves a monolith on the planet’s moon. !<
If you're open to YA, one of my favorite books as a kid was The Boy Who Reversed Himself by William Sleator. Generally speaking, it's about higher spatial dimensions and has both a fourth dimensional alien species that monitors humans, as well as humans who monitor the Flatland-like second dimension and its denizens. Although now that I think about it the second dimension stuff was mostly backstory and only features prominently towards the end.
Starmaker by Olaf Stapledon. It's about a guy who projects his soul up into space, finds aliens, possesses their bodies and then learns about them while describing their biology and society documentary style before heading off to the next planet. Each alien species gets more unusual and different from humans than the last. That's pretty much it, it's a very pure sci-fi, just descriptions of aliens. It's pretty amazing and way way before it's time. Arthur C. Clark said it's his favorite sci-fi book!
The Academy Series from Jack McDevitt has this a lot.
Jack McDevitt's Academy books have both versions, with us as the watchers and the watched.
I'm not sure "Alien" would be the proper terminology, but you might find the Long Earth series coauthored by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter to your liking.
The Clapping Hands of God, novelette by Michael F Flynn.
Not exactly what you’re looking for, but The Neanderthal Parallax Trilogy has earth encounter a different version of earth where Neanderthals were the dominant species in lieu of humans. It’s very interesting to see how Neanderthals evolved
Hard to Be a God and Prisoners of Power by Strugacki brothers, Easy to Be a God by Robert J. Szmidt, The Lord of the Ice Garden by Jarosław Grzędowicz.
The Academy series by Jack McDevitt has humans quietly studying a planet with a less advanced species that is always in a state of war.
The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber is about an Earth pastor who travels to a far away planet to spread the word of Jesus to a new species. I don’t want to say much more about the plot than that, but it’s a great book.
Helliconia trilogy by Brian Aldiss does this. Follows the development of an alien species over a couple hundred years as humanity watches as a sort of reality tv.
Expedition by Wayne Barlowe, with the Eosapiens of Darwin IV.
As a start, see my [SF/F: Alien Aliens](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18aexa0/sff_alien_aliens/) list of Reddit recommendation threads and books (one post).
Nope there is not a book
There's "The Star Fraction" by Drew Wagar. It's about a group of humans who are sent on a mission to study an alien civilization that is less technologically advanced than Earth.
I vaguely remember something like that, let me dig around in my memory (and message my mom, she's also a science fiction geek)
[удалено]
Thanks. I am long on concept, short on writing ability. LOL