Collider has published a list of ten science fiction novels about extraterrestrial life that the site considers essential reading, spanning classic and contemporary works. The selection highlights books that approach the alien encounter theme from varied angles, from politically charged first-contact stories to philosophical explorations of alien culture and language, rather than focusing purely on action or space warfare.

Among the titles featured are C.J. Cherryh's "The Pride of Chanur" (1982), which tells a first-contact story from the perspective of a lion-like alien crew sheltering a human refugee, and Liu Cixin's "The Three-Body Problem" (2008), which begins during China's Cultural Revolution and leads to contact with the alien Trisolaran civilisation, later adapted into a major film. The list draws on a genre with roots stretching back to the second century AD, referencing works such as Lucian of Samosata's "A True Story" and H.G. Wells's "The War of the Worlds" as early touchstones.