I love books and am always on the look out for new (or old) authors and new series to read. I have far too many books at home, but I keep adding to my collection and I highly doubt I'll ever stop!
First Contact by Murray Leinster
I recently finished reading First Contact by Murray Leinster, a short science fiction story. Murray Leinster is the pen name for author William Jenkins.
This was a very interesting short story (SPOILER ALERT!!!) in which a human ship and an alien ship meet while exploring the Crab Nebula. Both desire to be friendly to the other, but both realize they can't leave the other alive for fear of what will happen if they do. If the humans leave the aliens in the ship alive, they may discover where Earth is located, bring reinforcements, and destroy Earth. The aliens come to the same conclusion regarding Earth humans.
The story then focuses on the thought process of how the humans and aliens reach an agreement that doesn't result in the destruction of one or the other. It's a really interesting look into how humans think, and presumably how aliens think (as if we really know). Written in 1945, the story still holds true today as we look for advanced civilization elsewhere in the Universe and ponder how we might react to this discovery.
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