First Contact?

First Contact? - A novel by Hugh Walters (1971) / Book #13 in the Chris Godfrey of *U.N.E.X.A.* series. Preceded by "Nearly Neptune". Followed by "Passage to Pluto '-' Two spaceships on an exploratory voyage to Uranus come into contact with a being of superior intelligence from a distant world.

|...| Radio signals begin flooding Earth from the vicinity of Uranus and two ships, each with a crew of four are sent to investigate. The signals are traced to an alien spaceship on Ariel, one of the moons of Uranus. The ships land and all but two enter the alien vessel to converse with the apparently friendly humanoid alien, Vari. One of the two remaining crewmen believe the alien to be malevolent and determines to destroy it...

[Synopsis]: Mysterious radio signals from Uranus are flooding Earth, making radio communication impossible. Our four friends, together with four other astronauts on a backup ship, are sent to investigate. On arrival they find a strange spaceship and an apparently friendly alien humanoid, Vari. While Chris, Serge and Tony are convinced of the alien's good intentions, Morrey believes they have been brainwashed and determines to destroy Vari - even if the cost is his own life...
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(*) United Nations EXploration Agency (UNEXA).
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http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/walters_hugh
http://unexa.org/walters/13contac/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Contact%3F
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/hugh-walters/first-contact.htm

[Review] FIRST CONTACT? by Hugh Walters. Thomas Nelson Books, 1973. 174 p. $5.95. Age level: 10-13: "Radio signals have been received from the vicinity of Uranus and two ships, each with a crew of four, are sent to investigate. All are hoping for first contact with an alien intelligence, all despite their prior experience in space admit to some fear of the unknown. The signal is traced to one of Uranus' moons, and it is there that the two ships land and all but two of the crew enter the alien vessel to converse with the visitor. Those two remaining behind do not believe in the alien's benvolence, just the opposite, and decide to take action. Tragedy is averted by the alien's advanced technology. The conflict between man's intellectual ability and his animal instincts which make him react with fear and violence to new situations is strongly demonstrated.

Mr. Walters is able to put across science and technology in an easily grasped manner; the flight, landings, control center on Earth are all very realistic. Yet he just as competently presents questions of the highest philosophical and personal concern in a manner that all can understand. Aimed at the teenage/young adult reader, the novel teaches while it entertains, presenting questions of destiny and religion without cant or dogma'.' -- Gail C. Futoran

Aventura / Drama / Ficção científica / Infantojuvenil / Literatura Estrangeira / Romance / Suspense e Mistério / Terror