We're Not from Here

We're Not from Here by Geoff Rodkey

Earth has been made uninhabitable. A few people have made it to Mars. However, the conditions are not great. They are down to eating some bland engineered chow and living in lower oxygen. Luckily, an inhabited planet with a viable atmosphere has been identified. The various sentient species living there invite humans to come life there. The humans take a 20 year trip in stasis. However, when they arrive the government has changed and humans are no longer welcome. After much debate, the aliens let one family come on a trial basis. They have everything stacked against. The aliens do not want the humans there and run anti-human propaganda. The humans gradually learn about the aliens (such as how they show emotions through scents and that one species had been exterminated due to their horrid singing.) After some challenges, the humans are able to share art (especially music and comedy) with the aliens, overthrow the reactionary government and live peaceable on the planet. It is a lighthearted book with a somewhat dark subject matter.

A for Andromeda

A for Andromeda by Fred Hoyle and John Elliot

A for Andromeda is the novelization of a BBC series from the early 1960s, set in the 1970s. The original series is mostly gone, but the Internet Archive has a recreation available. Part of the appeal of the book is seeing what they expected of the future. The expectations of truly massive computer that uses punch cards seems so quaint. They also expected a future dominance of industrial cartels as the cold war continued.

The world state, however, is just background for the story of alien communication. There is a message from space. It seems to be communicating a form of mathematical code that continuously repeats. A scientist is able to interpret it as code for building a computer. They manage to get defense military funding to build the computer. (I guess they used their understanding. Theoretically, modern people could have built a small microcomputer.) The computer was better than anything of the day. It also helped them respond to missile threat from the east, making the military brass very eager to continue funding.

Things start getting out of control. The computer had asked questions about the planet and life. Then it gave details for synthesizing a lifeform. After some efforts, humans were able to complete the synthesis and the lifeform survived. Later after gaining more knowledge, the machine gave instructions for synthesizing a human-like being, Andromeda. She could learn quickly and interface directly with the computer. The computer has a plan which seems to involve the colonization of earth. The current population are likely to be in the way. A scientist wants to destroy the computer, but others like the value it provides. 

The computer has planned for various contingencies. It shows it has the ability to kill people that cause problems, while also having the ability to heal. A scientist eventually helps Andromeda discover some sort of emotion and eliminate the computer. Then Andromeda seems to reach her own ending by drowning (though it ends suddenly.)

Though the book focuses on extraterrestrial intelligence, it does seem applicable to modern concerns with artificial intelligence also.

I am Number Four

Mogadore had let their planet go to waste. They sought to destroy the planet Lorien to gather their resources. Nine children escaped the planet to earth. The Mogadorians, too, are on earth trying to destroy them. However, the children have charms that mean they can only be killed in order, and they have done a good job hiding. I Am Number Four centers on the fourth of these. HE has realized that the other three have died by tatoos that have appeared. He has been moving about with his caretaker, Henri. Anytime there is something that may cause them to be noticed, they move. They try to live in rural places and slip under the radar. He finally starts to develop friends in Florida when something happens that makes them move. This time, he adopts the name John Smith and lives in Ohio. Alas, things start to get complicated. He gets bullied by a football player, and then falls in love with a girl. He also befriends a boy that is into aliens and conspiracy theories. At first, John tries to blend in, but as he develops his special powers, he uses them to save his friends. He has to tell them, and can't lie under the radar. Eventually, he is found out and a battle royale ensues. Quite a different coming of age story.
in the process, we learn that many of the human advancements came from Loriens. Even earth language was provided. Many of the important figures in history were caused by human/Lorien cross breeding. This helps explain how they could fall in love. The unfolding narrative works really well. There are some clues (like the special character of the dog, Bernie Kosar), that are guessable before the characters learn about it. This helps add to the fun.