Sci-fi Book Group

A regular book group night to discuss sci-fi and expand our reading horizons! It's very informal, you don't even have to have read a book - just as long as you enjoy talking sci-fi and having a glass of wine (or coffee!)

This month we are planning to talk about any books that deal with first contact or decoding an alien signal. Feel free to pick anything you think might be suitable.

Some examples might be:

## 📡 Decoding or Interpreting an Alien Signal / Language

These novels focus on the challenge of understanding something completely alien.

### 1. Arrival (based on Story of Your Life) — Ted Chiang

• A linguist is recruited to decipher the language of mysterious heptapod visitors.
• Discussion themes: language & cognition, fate vs free will, how communication shapes thought.

### 2. Embassytown — China Miéville

• On a distant colony world, human ambassadors must navigate contact with a species whose language defies human norms.
• Discussion themes: the limits of communication, colonialism, identity.

### 3. Anathem — Neal Stephenson

• Not strictly first contact at the start, but involves deep mathematical/philosophical attempts to understand alien communication.
• Discussion themes: philosophy of mind, science vs religion, intellectual isolation.

***

## 👽 Classic First Contact Stories

These are cornerstones of the genre — rich in ideas and ripe for discussion.

### 4. Contact — Carl Sagan

• A SETI scientist receives a complex signal from space that leads to profound consequences.
• Discussion themes: science vs faith, politics of discovery, human response to the unknown.

### 5. The Sparrow — Mary Doria Russell

• Jesuit linguists and scientists make first contact with a distant alien society, with tragic results.
• Discussion themes: faith, cultural misunderstanding, ethics of exploration.

### 6. Childhood’s End — Arthur C. Clarke

• Peaceful overlords arrive and shepherd humanity toward a mysterious cosmic destiny.
• Discussion themes: utopia vs dystopia, evolution, human purpose.

***

## 🧬 Modern/Reinvented First Contact

These bring fresh twists and character depth.

### 7. The Three-Body Problem — Liu Cixin

• Humanity detects an alien world; consequences spiral from science to societal collapse.
• Discussion themes: science under pressure, cultural context, technophobia.

### 8. Blindsight — Peter Watts

• A human crew investigates an alien signal — but the aliens may be fundamentally unknowable.
• Discussion themes: consciousness, intelligence vs sentience, epistemology.

### 9. The Quiet War — Paul McAuley

• Earth vs. off-world colonies clash after mysterious alien artifacts are found.
• Discussion themes: politics of contact, identity, environmentalism.

***

## 🌀 Anthology / Short Story Options

Good if your group likes variety or shorter reads.

### 10. Stories of Your Life and Others — Ted Chiang

• Includes the title story (basis for Arrival) and other thought-provoking tales.
• Discussion themes: each story explores cognition, time, or contact in a unique way.

### 11. Far Horizons: All New Tales from the Greatest Worlds of Science Fiction

• Though not all are alien-signal stories, several involve first contact and make great prompts.

***

## 📚 Bonus Picks (Mix and Match)

• The Left Hand of Darkness — Ursula K. Le Guin (Social first contact)
• Solaris — Stanislaw Lem (Encounter with an unknowable intelligence)
• The Mote in God’s Eye — Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle (Classic alien first contact)
• Babel 17 — Samuel R. Delany (language that can be used as a weapon) suggested by Ed.

The topic for our next book group might be a specific book, author or general topic like first encounters, robots, etc - we'll decide on the night depending on people's interests. Feel free to submit a suggestion in the comments below.

As always, you can join our chat room on matrix at #bookgroup:glasgow.social (if you don't already have access to matrix, you can sign up at https://glasgow.social/matrix).

This meeting will be held in The Gamer Club - there'll be free tea, coffee and wine :) There are some directions to the venue here: https://www.thegamerclub.co.uk/gettinghere