The Shardlands Series

This saga unfolds in the distant future, where humanity has colonized vast swathes of the galaxy. After the collapse of great empires and protracted conflicts, humans encounter their first alien civilization on their journey into the cosmic unknown. When a mysterious probe carrying an unknown being is discovered, a race against time begins. Can its intentions be deciphered and contact established before it's too late?

Recommended Reading Order

The Mote in God's Eye
Larry Niven
560 pages
20 hours of reading
In the year 3016, the Second Empire of Man spans hundreds of star systems, thanks to the faster-than-light Alderson Drive. No other intelligent beings have ever been encountered, not until a light sail probe enters a human system carrying a dead alien. The probe is traced to the Mote, an isolated star in a thick dust cloud, and an expedition is dispatched. In the Mote the humans find an ancient civilization--at least one million years old--that has always been bottled up in their cloistered solar system for lack of a star drive. The Moties are welcoming and kind, yet rather evasive about certain aspects of their society. It seems the Moties have a dark problem, one they've been unable to solve in over a million years
1
4.0
The Gripping Hand
The Long-Awaited Sequel to The Mote in God's Eye
Jerry Pournelle
413 pages
15 hours of reading
For the safety of mankind, the aliens called Moties have been quarantined for 25 years (see THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE) and are now poised to break out of their solar system and spread rapidly into humanity's space. Kevin Renner, Horace Bury, Rod Blaine and other characters introduced in THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE must now find new ways to cope with the inevitable Motie expansion while trying to protect humanity. Sequel to the novel Robert A. Heinlein called "Possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read."
2
3.9

Recommended Reading Order

The Mote in God's Eye

The Gripping Hand