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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ColonelHardisson" data-source="post: 3680907" data-attributes="member: 363">When it comes to this subject, there are two books I always recommend: The Science of Aliens by Clifford Pickover, and Aliens and Alien Societies by Stanley Schmidt. You should be able to find or order both fairly easily. The latter is a writer's guide to the subject, but the former is very thought-provoking. When it comes to "alien" aliens (which are easier to find than "alien" fantasy races), Robert L. Forward went out of his way to devise some of the most truly alien races seen in books. Vernor Vinge is another author who really comes up with interesting takes on aliens. "A Fire Upon The Deep" has quite a few examples, from the Tines, a kind of dog-like creature that is sentient in packs of 4-6 (fairly human in personality, but Vinge explores how different a sentient being can be who is made up of multiple parts) to the Skroderiders, which are kinda like a sea plant/sea anemone that has achieved sentience.The Moties of "The Mote In God's Eye" have some human characteristics, but their race is stratified into a number of different sub-species who all perform different functions in society, and don't perform well outside those functions.Larry Niven devised a number of interesting alien races for his Known Space books like Ringworld. An example are Pierson's Puppeteers, a race descended from herd animals, for whom paranoia and xenophobia are survival traits. Only insane individuals can be used as ambassadors, as sane Puppeteers never leave their planet or deal with alien races. The Ringworld itself is inhabited by uncountable races descended from a common ancestor (which is also an ancestor of humans), all of which have evolved to fill various ecological niches.James Hogan's "Giants" series presents an interesting race, They are large and humanoid, but their biology makes them strictly pacifistic in a physical sense, and they are extremely risk-averse. This is because even fairly minor cuts and bruises can prove fatal to them. That doesn't mean they aren't dangerous.2300 is a RPG that has some really different aliens. Best example - the Kafers, or Vah, a vaguely humanoid-shaped critter with some insectoid features. They only become truly sentient when in pain or danger.</blockquote>

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