Podcast #6 Alien Encounters

https://anchor.fm/alchemyofgenres/episodes/Alien-Encounters-ef7cb8


So, be sure & click the link for the podcast, but here is the main portion of the content

It may seem strange to start off talking about a movie, but it highlights kind of what I mean about alien encounters; and this movie (there probably is a novelisation out there somewhere); focuses on the mindless hatred of racism (speciesism?).  Yeah it's an old movie, but it works for my purposes here.

Saga is an amazing graphic novel series focused on a variety of aliens.  It is sort of a Romeo & Juliet meets Star Wars meet Lord of the Rings meets Game of Thrones (so lots of drama, politics, evil vs good and a love story to boot).   The main focus is Alana & Hazel who are on the run since their two races have been at war for hundreds of years and they aren't allowed to be together.  They just want to live and love in peace and raise their daughter Hazel.  There are some really cool (and weird) aliens in here but as befits Vaughan, a very solid story as well.

I grabbed a random Pern title, because really; this series is based on the idea that humans landed on this planet not really paying attention to everything; and that is the cause of the problems.  There is an erratically orbiting planet and when it gets close, the agents from that planet can escape to Pern, where they devour anything organic (sort of like a living acid).  They call it Thread, because of how it looks and the only way to destroy it is fire; thus the reason to genetically engineer Dragons (based on small fire breathing lizards that are native to the planet).  I adore this series, so don't need much of an excuse to recommend it; but McCaffrey provides a solid science basis to the origin story of her fantastical universe.

Dune is a classic SF story of what happens when alien races interact and one is subjugated by another.  Ok, Dune is about more than that, but when you get down to it; spice is the basis of everything and it's only found in one place but the natives who know it don't actually own any part of it or it's profits.....so yeah....humanity is awful and not always good.   I really loved the first few of this though it does wear a bit after awhile (though I made it a point of pride to finish the series, I never did go back and read the continuations Frank Herbert's son had written).   With so many move/tv options and a new one in the works, it's a great time to read this.

Again, a series I adore & will recommend at the drop of a hat; but Elantra literally has a multitude of species living together (albeit not always easily).  Barrani (think elvish, sorta), Aerians (bird people), Leonids (not sure of spelling on that one, but lion people), humans, dragons, a race of telepaths (can't remember what they are called but they have tentacles on their heads that they use as part of communicating with each other and their collective consciousness); and as the series goes on, others come through portals.  There is so much depth for each of the races; different courtship rituals, birthing options, magic (or not) and Sagara keeps track and explains them to the reader as the protagonist figures it out. 

Another classic SF of exploration and aliens and adventures.  It's been a minute since I read these but definitely feel free to explore.

I actually (unsurprisingly) loved the book, and graphic novel adaptation more than the movie (Blade Runner).  Basically aliens are around, but it's mostly robots & clones......but hey, it's a classic so....go for it!

So, here we are at Pip & Flinx again (yes, I AM a loyal fan when I fall in love with something).   This one focuses on the Tar Aiym Krang and helps explain a bit of the Humanx Commonwealth (which is a joint ruling body of humans and Thranx, think insect people).  Pip is also an alien flying dragon snake things, so there a TONS of aliens to meet and fight and be allied with.

Honestly, this is my favorite story in the realm of "human meets alien".  The first in the series; Call to Arms has Will Dulac meeting members of the Weave.  The Weave is a loosely affiliated body of alien races dedicated to fighting the Amplitur; who are essentially an alien collective who believe everyone should do as they are told ....think alien totalitarians with a bit of cultish dedication mixed in.  The main problem the Weave has had is that very few races can handle the emotional and physiological effects of fighting and killing another sentient race.  They stumble upon Earth by accident (we are out in the edges of nowhere after all); and are wondering if perhaps we could help....since we seem to have no problem killing & fighting with each other (which they find crazy).  Will is a pacifist and devoutly believes we should be left out of all this alien craziness; but agrees to find 10 (12?) random people willing to be test subjects for a fee (aliens can literally make gold out of random elements); and Will unashamedly stacks the deck with the least likely candidates (no military, no police; just random people of varying ages & abilities).  They go away....and in 6 months are the talk of the universe because humans not only have no problem with killing but enjoy it and are GOOD at it.  Of course at some point the evil aliens end up here and then you get a whole sequence of classic humans fighting alien invaders montage which just solidifies our violence and xenophobia.  This is an older series, but well worth looking for.

Another classic, but Stranger in a Strange Land is more about cultural differences than alien interactions; but they have Martians, and Valentine who was raised on Mars by Martians.  Still a good book and a classic all around (definitely can tell it is part of the 60's generation with lots of free love & peaceful communal everything; but still good.)

Okorafor is an amazing author, and I loved both the books and the audiobooks of this trilogy.  Binti sneaks away from here Himba tribe to go to University (which is far away on another planet).  Their ship is attacked by Meduse and she is caught up in a conflict she knew nothing about.  This first book is all about that first encounter, who Binti is and how it ends leads into the next book; which then leads quite beautifully into the third.  I loved seeing mythology and symbolism from a non-European point of view and highly encourage you to check out this series.

Zahn;s book deals with not only aliens but symbiosis in it's most elegant form.  K'da are symbiotes who are warriors but cannot live without a host.  Jack is 13 and a thief who stumbles on a freighter that was attacked and accidentally is linked to Draycos who bonds with him in order to live.  Draycos appears to be a dragon tattoo, but manifests when he needs to; and telepathically communicates with his host (thus supplying an inborn parental figure for Jack whether he wants that or not...and he really doesn't).   This trilogy is really good, full of adventure and growing pains as Jack matures and Draycos works to find who ambushed his ship killing everyone on board.  You'll find this in the YA section of your library, but don't let that scare you...it's ok....no one will know and you'll enjoy it, trust me.

Now we get to some totally cheesy alien romance (but so fun!).  Katherine "Kitty" gets caught in a domestic dispute which turns ugly when it is revealed that the couple are aliens and the damage done to the area is significant.  Aliens aren't supposed to exist, but Kitty won't stop digging and refuses to back down (think Men In Black conspiracy).....of course she is taken away & recruited and of COURSE he is a sexy alien.....this is not a book for a serious SF reader but if you feel like a little light reading, this is perfect













You may not know it but the BBC has a whole line of books and graphic novels and audio novelisations taking place in the Doctor Who universe.  These are not rewrites of the show but actual new adventures for you to read about.  If you are unfamiliar with Doctor Who (I am so. so. sorry)
it is one of my obsessions, though I haven't been able to read as many books as I would like because not all of them are published in the US; however, definitely check them out.
To briefly sum up The Doctor is an alien (Gallifreyan) who travels through time, likes to bring humans along (because we listen to his stories & also get into trouble that he can rescue us from).  There is a wealth of history to the series, so feel free to dip a toe in and enjoy.

Of course I have to mention this classic silly SF about exploring the galaxy and hitchhiking around, getting into trouble.  This is a fun movie, play, or audio book as well so explore it as you like; Douglas Adams is the king of silly aliens.

 Here, I am going to do something I don't normally do, which is recommend books that I haven't yet read.  These two authors have been racking up the accolades, so they are on my TBR list, but I haven't tried yet; but since everyone is talking about them, I wanted to share the love.  Read them & see what you think....grab me for a chat & let me know.




Thanks for reading/listening.....ttyl
Saleena