Basically what I asked for in the title. Doesn’t need to be a “first contact”or “alien invasion” or “war with aliens” type of story specifically, could be a setting where we already know about aliens, but now we are just making our entrance on the galactic stage with them. In fact, I’d prefer if it dealt more with the politics and logistics of humanity joining their galactic brethren in space.
For reference, I’m thinking something sort of in the vein of the Star Trek TV series “Enterprise”, where humanity is eager to get to the stars, but finds themselves unaware and not fully prepared for the universe that awaits them, both in terms of dealing with the actual challenges and dangers of space travel and colonization, but also the challenges and dangers of politics and perhaps even conflict with aliens.
David Brin’s “Uplift” books also come to mind as a good comparison / reference for this type of setting / story telling, where humanity has to contend with both the physical dangers of space and other worlds and the political challenges of dealing with alien cultures.
Any recommendations along these lines?
Also for reference, authors that I really enjoy include: Eric S. Nylund, Kim Stanley Robinson, Richard Nell, David Brin, and Michael Crichton.
by TheMagnuson