First Contact

by Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), Larry Segriff (editor), Jody Lynn Nye

In the tradition of the hit television show "The X-Files" comes a fascinating collection of original stories by the premier writers of the genre. Standout authors like Jody Lynn Nye, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Jack Haldeman explore this fascinating subject from every possible angle, including the arrival of aliens on Earth, the possibility that they have long been living among us, and more.

Genres: Science Fiction, Anthologies

316 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1997

About the author

Martin Harry Greenberg was an American academic and speculative fiction anthologist. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. In addition, he was a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel.

For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Printed in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of the Roswell mystery, this is an anthology of original stories about first alien encounters. There's nothing really as memorable as, for example, Murray Leinster's classic First Contact, but it's a mostly enjoyable collection of lighter-than-might-be-expected stories. I remember enjoying the ones by Julie E. Czernda, Josepha Sherman, and Gary A. Braunbeck's short and quirky Kite People.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a few good stories. Rest were all meh, from authors whom I have never heard, obsessed with aliens coming to the United States.
Those few good stories included~
1. Josepha Sherman's "A Game of Mehen";
2. Rosemary Edghill's "We Have Met the Enemy";
3. Barbara Paul's "Earth Surrenders";
4. Peter Crowther's "Palindromic".
Just an OK type anthology, overall.

[Carly Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to evaluate each short story in this collection:
Fit to Print by Kristine Kathryn Rusch - 2 Stars
Mrs. Rusch is one of my favorite writers, but I wasn't really a fan of this story. Not sure really what didn't do it for me, just a nebulous feeling of dissatisfaction when I finished it, so there's the very good possibility that others will like it.

A Game of Mehen by Josepha Sherman - 4 Stars
Even though this was really really short story it was still really well written and I loved how the supposed "primitive" out-thought and out-maneuvered the visitor from the stars.

Small Heroes by Jane M. Lindskold - 4 Stars
Ahhhh, the satisfaction of a human being one of the heroes of the tale - but not just taking over, helping and needing the help of the alien. I just really enjoyed the interaction between the two.

Heavenly Host by Nina Kiriki Hoffman - 3 Stars
This was an interesting story that I enjoyed well enough, but the way the story is told felt disjointed and I had a bit of a hard time feeling a connection to the narrator. I liked the idea of aliens that don't have a hugely ulterior motive...

We Have Met the Enemy by Rosemary Edghill (with India Edghill) - 2 Stars
Rather a bit of a set up just for a kind of silly joke ending...

The Xaxrkling of J. Arnold Boysenberry by David Bischoff - 3 Stars
This story felt odd, but I think that was the intent. I wasn't that big of a fan of the main character, but again, I think that was the intent. And I kinda figured out the ending, but not totally. And again I think that was the intent.

Earth Surrenders by Barbara Paul - 3 1/2 Stars
The whole premise of this story is pretty inspired and kinda sad all at the same time.

Object Unidentified (Flying) by Gordon Eklund - 1 Star
I just flat out didn't like this story. There was so much unresolved and unanswered and it really made no sense as a story at all.

Random Acts by Marc Bilgrey - 3 Stars
Another short short story that packs a good tale into a small space. Nicely done

If Pigs Could Fly by Jack C. Haldeman II - 1 Star
I'm just not a fan of the "stupid-idiot" narrator.

Kite People by Gary A. Braunbeck - 2 Stars
Weird, very short story. I wasn't really that impressed.

Ambassador to the Promised Land by Dean Wesley Smith - 2 Stars
Eh, another one I wasn't super impressed with - mostly because I just didn't like the narrator, maybe the author meant him to be a bit of an ass though. And the aliens were kinda impressive, but also not...

Black Ops by Barbara Delaplace - 2 Stars
What's with the plethora of asshole narrators? Another "eh" story line and a narrator you love to hate.

Absolution by Paul Dellinger - 4 Stars
I liked the whole idea of this story and I really liked the ending!

Take Me to Your Leader by Jody Lynn Nye - 3 Stars
This was nicely funny in a very subtle way - very well done and written.

The Seepage Factor by John DeChancie - 3 Stars
Interesting premise and another well written story.

The Allure of Bone and Ice by Linda P. Baker - 2 Stars
This was okay, well written, but just not a huge fan of the story itself

First Contact, Inc. by Julie E. Czerneda - 4 Stars
I really enjoyed this story. Well told and extremely interesting.

Palindromic by Peter Crowther - 3 Stars
This was a good story, but sad when thinking out the consequences... and I'm not really a fan of sad stories.

Of the 19 stories:
1 Star - 2 stories
2 Stars - 6 stories
3 Stars - 6 stories
3 1/2 Stars - 1 story
4 Stars - 4 stories

So there weren't any that absolutely blew me away, 4 were worthy of looking into the author's other works, 7 were decent, and 8 were nothing to write home about.

[Saul · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting mix of well written stories. I'm not certain if they portray any true depiction of "First Contact" scenarios. This anthology leans towards the soft side, with well written stories that make you ponder, what if...

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice anthology of stories dealing with extraterrestrial encounters. Recommended!