In this controversial book, an internationally known science-fiction writer examines the nature and consequences of our first contact with alien civilization. Discarding the preconceptions of the CETI (communication with extraterrestrial intelligence in-group, such as that the natural way to make contact over interstellar distances is by radio signals, he instead shows that, by the very fact that alien intelligences are alien, we cannot expect them to conform in any way to what we would describe as natural or logical modes of behavior. In doing so he provides us with one of the very few books on extraterrestrial encounter that actually has anything new to contribute. What will alien intelligences be like? The only answer to the question, Chris Boyce writes, is that they will be utterly different from us and from anything we can conceive - so different that, in many or even most cases, communication will actually be quite impossible, even if we were to meet them face to face. do alien intelligences want to contact us? again the answer is that we don't know but, should an extraterrestrial lifeform show signs of wishing to communicate, we should be cautious for, as Chris Boyce argues, its motives for wishing to do so will almost certainly be incomprehensible to us. What is the best way to make contact? Here Chris Boyce proposes a radically different future strategy from that adopted by the radioastronomers, a strategy which employs attainable technologies. All in all, Extraterrestrial Encounters is one of the most proactive book to ever appear in the, one of the most provocative fields of study.
