The Young Oxford Book of Aliens - Hardcover

4.03

32 ratings by Goodreads

9780192781550: The Young Oxford Book of Aliens

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0192781553 ISBN 13: 9780192781550

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1999

This collection brings together a range of stories about aliens and our encounters with them. The stories don't necessarily portray aliens as hostile invaders. On the contrary, there are many stories that explore the interaction between aliens and humans, and other stories in which humans are themselves the aliens. Some of the stories have been specially written for this collection by writers such as Sue Welford. Others are by the best of sci-fi writers including Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, and Harry Harrison.

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Review:

Ready to meet the aliens? This collection of bug-eyed monster stories will introduce you to extraterrestrials both nasty and nice, ugly and elegant. Some of the world's best science fiction writers are represented--you'll find contributions from Arthur C. Clarke, Avram Davidson, Philip K. Dick, Harry Harrison, and A.E. van Vogt, among others. If you think all aliens are frail little green men with big eyes and bald heads, think again. Some of the fantastic creatures in these stories are hideous beasts, some are hypnotically fascinating, and some you can't see at all. But every alien in the book can teach you something about what it means to be human. As editor Dennis Pepper writes in his introduction, "Aliens, however they may be presented, are aspects of ourselves."

This collection is designed for young adults, with beautifully detailed line-drawing illustrations throughout, but any fan of little green men (and big gray ones, and creepy ugly ones) will enjoy this topnotch collection. (Ages 9 to 12) --Therese Littleton

From the Inside Flap:

'There was a greenish, hellish tinge to the light within the metal cube. It was a light that made the dead-white skin of the creature seated at the controls seem faintly green.'

This collection brings together a wide range of stories about aliens and encounters with aliens. Some are hostile invaders of Earth, others friendly and more generous visitors--though not all of them are as friendly as they would like us to believe.

The stories range back into time and deep into the future. You can invade the moon, hunt and be hunted, encounter Judgement Day and the end of the world, and have an alien as a pen pal (not advisable).

On Earth you'll meet Keva, the genius from Planet Echo; the father-thing (from who knows where); the warrior Broghoke, the savages who threaten the underdwellers; and the snake-like, hypnotic Fascinators. Out in Space you will be abducted with Tina to the planet Shana; meet the beautiful metamorph Rea; and suffer within Itin the crisis of faith that faces the innocent amphibians of planet Wesker. And more.

Some of the stories are by well-known science fiction writers such as Arthur C. Clarke, Avram Davidson, Philip K. Dick, Harry Harrison, and A.E. van Vogt; others, by Marian Abbey, Francis Beckett, Stephen Bowkett, and Sue Welford have been specially written for this exciting and enthralling book.

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