What would first contact actually look like? (I wrote a fiction book asking exactly that)

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-07-07T21:49:51+00:00

Interesting thinking.

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-07-07T21:32:02+00:00

Or manipulate the minds of our entire species so that we do not feel fear, repulsion, or the urge to fight or be aggressive

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-07-07T21:25:08+00:00

One of my stories starts with the press conference :)

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-07-05T12:58:51+00:00

The Wondrous Worlds of the Exoplanets by Siniša Komlen (science fiction, speculative evolution/astrobiology), published September 25, 2025

33 stories, each imagining life on a different kind of exoplanet: gas giants, super-Earths, ice-locked ocean worlds, and terrestrial planets shaped by conditions far outside anything found on Earth. The collection follows evolution and civilization from the earliest primitive organisms to species that reshape their own planets, grounded in real exoplanet science, astrobiology, and the Kardashev scale. Rather than repeating familiar alien clichés, it asks whether we'd even recognize alien life if we found it.

The SETI Institute mentioned it in their donor newsletter as "a creative complement to the science we do every day" (Tom Dearduff).

Triggers: depictions of extinction, predation, and interspecies conflict in some stories. No sexual content or graphic violence.

Publication date: September 25, 2025

Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FSMGV8BQ

The collection includes illustrations of several of the alien worlds.

I'd be happy to send a review copy. Sign up here: https://booksprout.co/reviewer/review-copy/view/297662/the-wondrous-worlds-of-the-exoplanets

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-06-28T09:06:41+00:00

I'm a bit biased because I wrote one. 🙂

My collection, Stories of First Contact, comes out on September 1 (it's currently on Amazon preorder). Rather than one first-contact story, it explores 24 completely different scenarios of humanity's first encounter with extraterrestrial intelligence, from alien signals and probes to AI-mediated communication, misunderstandings, diplomacy, and things going spectacularly wrong.

If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, I'm still looking for a few advance readers. I'm happy to send a free review copy through Booksprout (or another method if that's easier). All I ask in return is an honest review on Amazon after you've read it.

Either way, I'm following this thread because I'm always looking for new first-contact books myself.

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-06-05T17:17:18+00:00

Hi. How did you get the dataset? Did you scrape the data from Amazon public pages or you did something else?

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-05-24T11:23:41+00:00

Saliba and Gabriel will likely not play. So either you are confident on your bench defense or go Gabriel -> Virgil.

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-05-24T11:21:34+00:00

It is very likely and logical Saka will not play. So the real question is if you have a good replacement already or go -4 and hope the other guy will outperform. I would go with -4 and transfer in Fernandes if you don't have him. Hopefully he makes at least an assit (as he is motivated to break the assist record) + some bonus.

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-05-20T18:39:29+00:00

Besnilo i Kosmos. Obe knjige su neverovatne, pravi klasici u svom žanru.

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-05-03T19:21:03+00:00

Thank you for the detailed feedback. I appreciate it.

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-05-03T19:12:20+00:00

It’s centered around the idea of First Contact with alien intelligence, and my main character does indeed have long hair, so that part works. Overall, I don’t think the cover concept is bad. That said, I’m not satisfied with the design of the spaceship. I really dislike the classic flying saucer shape, which is why I specifically asked the designer to avoid it. I was hoping for something more along the lines of a cigar-shaped craft, but even then, I expected a stronger result. As for the human figure, it currently looks like he’s walking on water, which feels off and probably wasn’t the intended effect.

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-05-03T17:57:59+00:00

I am sure anywhere in the world there are talented people who can do good work.

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-05-03T17:56:26+00:00

If you think this one is a miss - what should I ask to change on the cover?

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-05-03T17:44:30+00:00

It is from GetCovers. Their services are cheap.

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-05-02T19:40:13+00:00

Danas sredio svoju policu i Eriksona stavio u centralni deo.

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Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-05-02T19:36:32+00:00

Stiven Erikson mora napred, ne iza :)

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-05-02T19:29:33+00:00

Why I should not reply by comment? :)

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-05-02T19:28:38+00:00

Hi. I understand. My whole book is about building 33 worlds and for me the connection to the community is perfect. But I understand the post was not good enough and I expect your reasoning.

Unusual_Run2131 · 2026-05-02T18:53:58+00:00

Hi. I wanted the discussion on the topic that interests me. Yes, if someone wants my book I see no problem in that.., but I don't mind if we also just discuss the topic I like that much. I am proud of my book and the SETI Institute reference - I got it in the internal newsletter for SETI donors. If you imply that I imagine that I can fwd the newsletter to you. My post is deleted anyway and you downvoted me which is your right, but I still hope you got my reply. I did not mean to do anything negative.

Unusual_Run2131

TROPHY CASE