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myriadreads's review against another edition
4.0
This collection would probably put some readers off just with its title. Though I am a sci-fi fan, I'm sometimes put off by abduction stories and such, myself. However, the list of authors who contributed to Alien Contact includes Ursula Le Guin, Stephen King, Karen Joy Fowler, Orson Scott Card, Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman, and Nancy Kress, so I had to check it out. I'm glad that I did.
Though Stephen King's "I Am the Doorway" was a disappointing 'meh,' there were plenty of gems to make up for it. In "Face Value," Karen Joy Fowler managed to write a story about the exploration of an alien culture that also raises questions about isolation, communication, and the expression of art vs. utility in human culture. Neil Gaiman's "How to Talk to Girls at Parties" presented world-hopping creatures of great beauty who were, in their own cultures, poems as well as beings.
I think that most readers are bound to find a story in this anthology that will resonate--even those who don't normally search the universe when looking for a good read.
Though Stephen King's "I Am the Doorway" was a disappointing 'meh,' there were plenty of gems to make up for it. In "Face Value," Karen Joy Fowler managed to write a story about the exploration of an alien culture that also raises questions about isolation, communication, and the expression of art vs. utility in human culture. Neil Gaiman's "How to Talk to Girls at Parties" presented world-hopping creatures of great beauty who were, in their own cultures, poems as well as beings.
I think that most readers are bound to find a story in this anthology that will resonate--even those who don't normally search the universe when looking for a good read.
pamwinkler's review against another edition
3.0
Good book. I may have read it before? Or just a lot of the stories.
The Thought War by Paul McAuley was good.
How to Talk to Girls at Parties by Neil Gaiman was good; I've read it before.
Face Value by Karen Joy Fowler was ok; I don't think I got it.
The Road Not Taken by Harry Turtledove was good; I've read it before.
The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything by George Alec Effinger was good; I've read that before.
Recycling Strategies for the Inner City by Pat Murphy was interesting.
The 43 Antarean Dynasties by Mike Resnick was depressing, but it was supposed to be.
The Gold Bug by Orson Scott Card I mostly skipped, I'm not very interested in his stuff anymore.
Kin by Bruce McAllister was good.
Guerrila Mural of a Siren's Song by Ernest Hogan I didn't really get; same as Angel by Pat Cadigan.
The First Contact with the Gorgonids by Ursela K. LeGuin was ok.
Sunday Night Yams at Minnie and Earl's by Adam-Troy Castro was lovely. I'm pretty sure I've read it before, but it's still lovely.
A Midwinter's Tale by Michael Swanwick was good.
Texture of Other Ways by Mark W. Tiedemann was good; and I don't think I've read it before.
To Go Boldly by Cory Doctorow was ok.
If Nudity Offends You by Elizabeth Moon was ok.
Laws of Survival by Nancy Kress was good; read it before.
What You Are About to See by Jack Skillingstead was strange.
Amanda and the Alien by Robert Silverberg was good and slightly vicious.
Exo-Skeleton Town by Jeffrey Ford was ok; it's one of those were you can kind of see the end coming.
Lambing Season by Molly Gloss was good.
Swarm by Bruce Sterling was good.
Maxo Signals: A New and Unfortunate Solution to the Fermi Paradox by Charles Stross was funny and good. Short though.
Last Contact by Stephen Baxter was good and horribly depressing, as was probably planned.
The Thought War by Paul McAuley was good.
How to Talk to Girls at Parties by Neil Gaiman was good; I've read it before.
Face Value by Karen Joy Fowler was ok; I don't think I got it.
The Road Not Taken by Harry Turtledove was good; I've read it before.
The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything by George Alec Effinger was good; I've read that before.
Recycling Strategies for the Inner City by Pat Murphy was interesting.
The 43 Antarean Dynasties by Mike Resnick was depressing, but it was supposed to be.
The Gold Bug by Orson Scott Card I mostly skipped, I'm not very interested in his stuff anymore.
Kin by Bruce McAllister was good.
Guerrila Mural of a Siren's Song by Ernest Hogan I didn't really get; same as Angel by Pat Cadigan.
The First Contact with the Gorgonids by Ursela K. LeGuin was ok.
Sunday Night Yams at Minnie and Earl's by Adam-Troy Castro was lovely. I'm pretty sure I've read it before, but it's still lovely.
A Midwinter's Tale by Michael Swanwick was good.
Texture of Other Ways by Mark W. Tiedemann was good; and I don't think I've read it before.
To Go Boldly by Cory Doctorow was ok.
If Nudity Offends You by Elizabeth Moon was ok.
Laws of Survival by Nancy Kress was good; read it before.
What You Are About to See by Jack Skillingstead was strange.
Amanda and the Alien by Robert Silverberg was good and slightly vicious.
Exo-Skeleton Town by Jeffrey Ford was ok; it's one of those were you can kind of see the end coming.
Lambing Season by Molly Gloss was good.
Swarm by Bruce Sterling was good.
Maxo Signals: A New and Unfortunate Solution to the Fermi Paradox by Charles Stross was funny and good. Short though.
Last Contact by Stephen Baxter was good and horribly depressing, as was probably planned.
hestia30's review against another edition
Short story anthology.
Favorite stories:
"The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything" by George Alec Effinger
"The First Contact with the Gorgonids" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Favorite stories:
"The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything" by George Alec Effinger
"The First Contact with the Gorgonids" by Ursula K. Le Guin
nealalex's review
4.0
Sociological studies of religious and scientific networks of believers in extra-terrestrial contact. Typically, the charismatic founder of such a group draws on their transformative experiences to teach how to gain enlightenment. The largest such group may be the Raëlians, who initially defined themselves in scientific terms but more recently “possibly for tax purposes or public tolerance” they have “accepted the religious classification”, while still claiming to have be at the forefront of science, in particular cloning.
Several chapters remind us that UFOlogy was originally mainstream science, and was supported by governments after World War II. The authors point out that the same kind of evidence coming to light now would not be considered on its merits due to the reputational risk to scientists of getting involved. One chapter looks at the tension between, on the one hand, those who examine eyewitness accounts and, on the other, alien abduction groups, with the former trying to distinguish themselves from the latter, whom they seen as lamentably unscientific.
An appendix describes “Some Types of Aliens”, such as Greys, most associated with abductions, and the more benevolent Betas.
Although the dramatic characters don’t really fit the rubric, there’s a chapter on Klingon role-players which left me much less dismissive of ‘trekkies’. Typically highly educated, they explain via the interviews how the Klingon values of honour and forthrightness let them take on a radically different alter ego.
Several chapters remind us that UFOlogy was originally mainstream science, and was supported by governments after World War II. The authors point out that the same kind of evidence coming to light now would not be considered on its merits due to the reputational risk to scientists of getting involved. One chapter looks at the tension between, on the one hand, those who examine eyewitness accounts and, on the other, alien abduction groups, with the former trying to distinguish themselves from the latter, whom they seen as lamentably unscientific.
An appendix describes “Some Types of Aliens”, such as Greys, most associated with abductions, and the more benevolent Betas.
Although the dramatic characters don’t really fit the rubric, there’s a chapter on Klingon role-players which left me much less dismissive of ‘trekkies’. Typically highly educated, they explain via the interviews how the Klingon values of honour and forthrightness let them take on a radically different alter ego.
michaeldrakich's review against another edition
4.0
It's always a lot to sort through a collection of shorts and give an appropriate rating. The twenty-six stories in this book yielded an average rating of 3.73 stars, which, when rounded, would give me an average of 4 stars. Here's the thing though. I rated eight stories at five stars. Such a high number of five star stories might move me up, but then there was one other detail. None of the stories struck me as a true gem among them all. A classic worthy of rereading time and again. As a result my four star final rating stuck. Without a lot of detail, here's a quick breakdown on the twenty-six stories.
"The Thought War by Paul McAuley - Interesting twist on zombies, a subject that has been done to death. 5 stars
How To Talk To Girls At Parties by Neil Gaiman - A real interesting premise of all kinds of different aliens visiting Earth to experience it and gathered at a house party. 4 stars
"Face Value by Karen Joy Fowler. An intriguing foray into first contact on an alien world where initial contact is kept to a minimum to limit cultural contamination. 5 stars
The Road Not Taken by Harry Turtledove. A frolicking fun invasion by aliens who have mastered space travel before anything else. 4 stars
The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything by George Alec Effinger. A healthy dose of comedy mixed into a peaceful invasion of Earth. 5 stars.
I Am The Doorway by Stephen King. A horror themed tale of an alien infestation in a man`s hands. Some incredulity for me. 3 stars
Recycling Strategies For The Inner City by Pat Murphy. It's amazing what you can find lying in the street. A cute story of just such an encounter. 5 stars
The 43 Antarean Dynasties by Mike Resnick. A tale poking fun at tourists. At times, boring. Not a lot to the tale. 3 stars
The Gold Bug by Orson Scott Card. This short is an offshoot from Ender's Game after the war is won. So far, the stories have been good, until now. Boring, poor grammar and various first and third tenses made this a weak read. 2 stars
Kin by Bruce McAllister. A young boy hires a mercenary alien killer without thought to possible consequences. 5 stars
Guerrilla Mural Of A Siren's Song by Ernest Hogan. This mix of surrealism and science fiction is an abysmal failure. I couldn't wait to finish it and did a lot of skimming. 1 star
Angel by Pat Cadigan. Literary fiction with a science fiction base. It didn't reach me. 2 stars
The First Contact With The Gorgonids by Ursula K. LeGuin. I remember reading this story a long time ago. I found it just as fun now as I did then. 5 stars
Sunday Night Yams At Minnie and Earl's by Adam-Troy Castro. More of a novelette than a short story this tale of a kindly old couple in a farm house on the moon was cute at times, but dragged at others. 3 stars
A Midwinter's Tale by Michael Swanwick. First contact with alien wolves who eat the brains of humans and learn is not a new concept, just applied to science fiction, that's all. 4 stars
Texture Of Other Ways by Mark W. Tiedmann. Bio-engineered humans who can read thoughts for the purpose of first contact with aliens who do the same. The disjointed way it is written took a good concept down a peg 3 stars
To Go Boldly by Cory Doctorow. A comical examination on the proper use of a transporter. 5 stars
If Nudity Offends You by Elizabeth Moon. Aliens in the trailer park. Could have been so much more. 3 stars
Laws Of Survival by Nancy Kress. Unique. I liked it. Aliens desiring man's best friend. Call it puppy love. 5 stars
What You Are About To See by Jack Skillingstead. The idea of realities being constantly shifted by an alien is a good premise, but the disjointed way it was intentionally presented made the reading flow too tough. 3 stars
Amanda And The Alien by Robert Silverberg. An entertaining piece showing a teenage girl when meeting a dangerous alien. 5 stars
Exo-Skeleton Town by Jeffrey Ford. Where alien poop is a very powerful aphrodisiac. Interesting premise. 4 stars
Lambing Season by Molly Gloss. Sadly, this one bored me. The dog-looking alien who lands often then crashes without reason has no real story. 2 stars
Swarm by Bruce Sterling. Alien bugs a lot like ants provide mankind a unique opportunity... or is it the other way around? 4 stars
Maxo Signals: A New And Unfortunate Solution To The Fermi Paradox by Charles Stross. A lot of boring techno-babble with a funny ending. 3 stars
Last Contact by Stephen Baxter. The end of the universe is a good story to finish this collection. 5 stars
"The Thought War by Paul McAuley - Interesting twist on zombies, a subject that has been done to death. 5 stars
How To Talk To Girls At Parties by Neil Gaiman - A real interesting premise of all kinds of different aliens visiting Earth to experience it and gathered at a house party. 4 stars
"Face Value by Karen Joy Fowler. An intriguing foray into first contact on an alien world where initial contact is kept to a minimum to limit cultural contamination. 5 stars
The Road Not Taken by Harry Turtledove. A frolicking fun invasion by aliens who have mastered space travel before anything else. 4 stars
The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything by George Alec Effinger. A healthy dose of comedy mixed into a peaceful invasion of Earth. 5 stars.
I Am The Doorway by Stephen King. A horror themed tale of an alien infestation in a man`s hands. Some incredulity for me. 3 stars
Recycling Strategies For The Inner City by Pat Murphy. It's amazing what you can find lying in the street. A cute story of just such an encounter. 5 stars
The 43 Antarean Dynasties by Mike Resnick. A tale poking fun at tourists. At times, boring. Not a lot to the tale. 3 stars
The Gold Bug by Orson Scott Card. This short is an offshoot from Ender's Game after the war is won. So far, the stories have been good, until now. Boring, poor grammar and various first and third tenses made this a weak read. 2 stars
Kin by Bruce McAllister. A young boy hires a mercenary alien killer without thought to possible consequences. 5 stars
Guerrilla Mural Of A Siren's Song by Ernest Hogan. This mix of surrealism and science fiction is an abysmal failure. I couldn't wait to finish it and did a lot of skimming. 1 star
Angel by Pat Cadigan. Literary fiction with a science fiction base. It didn't reach me. 2 stars
The First Contact With The Gorgonids by Ursula K. LeGuin. I remember reading this story a long time ago. I found it just as fun now as I did then. 5 stars
Sunday Night Yams At Minnie and Earl's by Adam-Troy Castro. More of a novelette than a short story this tale of a kindly old couple in a farm house on the moon was cute at times, but dragged at others. 3 stars
A Midwinter's Tale by Michael Swanwick. First contact with alien wolves who eat the brains of humans and learn is not a new concept, just applied to science fiction, that's all. 4 stars
Texture Of Other Ways by Mark W. Tiedmann. Bio-engineered humans who can read thoughts for the purpose of first contact with aliens who do the same. The disjointed way it is written took a good concept down a peg 3 stars
To Go Boldly by Cory Doctorow. A comical examination on the proper use of a transporter. 5 stars
If Nudity Offends You by Elizabeth Moon. Aliens in the trailer park. Could have been so much more. 3 stars
Laws Of Survival by Nancy Kress. Unique. I liked it. Aliens desiring man's best friend. Call it puppy love. 5 stars
What You Are About To See by Jack Skillingstead. The idea of realities being constantly shifted by an alien is a good premise, but the disjointed way it was intentionally presented made the reading flow too tough. 3 stars
Amanda And The Alien by Robert Silverberg. An entertaining piece showing a teenage girl when meeting a dangerous alien. 5 stars
Exo-Skeleton Town by Jeffrey Ford. Where alien poop is a very powerful aphrodisiac. Interesting premise. 4 stars
Lambing Season by Molly Gloss. Sadly, this one bored me. The dog-looking alien who lands often then crashes without reason has no real story. 2 stars
Swarm by Bruce Sterling. Alien bugs a lot like ants provide mankind a unique opportunity... or is it the other way around? 4 stars
Maxo Signals: A New And Unfortunate Solution To The Fermi Paradox by Charles Stross. A lot of boring techno-babble with a funny ending. 3 stars
Last Contact by Stephen Baxter. The end of the universe is a good story to finish this collection. 5 stars
bucketheadmary's review against another edition
4.0
"Nictitating" seems to be a word that I only come across when there are aliens around.
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