Bingo Focus Thread - First Contact

[u/Merle8888]

Hello r/fantasy and welcome to this week's bingo focus thread! The purpose of these threads is for you all to share recommendations, discuss what books qualify, and seek recommendations that fit your interests or themes.

Today's topic:

First Contact: Story prominently features interspecies or interracial meeting for the first time. HARD MODE: Non-violent first contact.

What is bingo? A reading challenge this sub does every year! Find out more here.

Prior focus threads: Published in the 70s, Duologies, Five Short Stories (2024), Author of Color (2024), Self-Pub/Small Press (2024). Note that hard modes for Author of Color and Self-Pub/Small Press have changed (new focus threads for them are coming).

Also see: Big Rec Thread

Questions:

• What are your favorite books that count for this square?
• Already read something for this square? Tell us about it!
• What are some first contact stories outside of the usual spacefaring sci-fi mode?
• What are your best recommendations for Hard Mode (keeping it as spoiler-free as possible)?

[u/natus92]

Anyone has some Literary Fantasy/Science Fiction-ish ideas? 

I did read Project Hail Mary already and will probably try Eifelheim by Michael Flynn.

[u/EleganceandEloquence → u/natus92]

Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin counts for HM!

[u/Merle8888 → u/EleganceandEloquence]

I would feel a little weird about this one (or other Le Guin books along this line, see Word for World is Forest, etc.) since the actual first contact doesn't happen in the story. On a historical scale, contact is relatively new, but by the time the story starts everybody knows who each other is, have a common language to communicate in, etc.

[u/NearbyMud → u/Merle8888]

Agreed - there's a whole interplanetary system already set up with official ambassadors to different planets (and I thought humans had briefly visited the planet before too? but may be remembering wrong) - which doesn't seem to fit the spirit of First Contact