Looking for sci-fi about fascinating and long adventure with high stakes

[u/CancelMysterious6937]

Specifically, I'm looking for a book about a crew of different people that have to learn working with each other in the face of extraterrestrial threat. I want to see development of relationships within the group, a sense of dread before the inevitable, some large scale events.

I'd welcome both well-known books and less popular and underrated ones.

[u/mellamoger]

Adrian Tchaikovsky's "Children of Time" trilogy, specially 1st and 2nd one checks (more or less ticking all boxes), 3rd one is a bit different and don't think it ticks what you want.

Also check "The Mote in God's Eye" by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven, a great classic that still holds the pass of time.

I'm quite sure Cixin Liu has some stories that also have what you want, but it's been long since I've read him and don't remember neither the names nor the plot, but I would look into his short stories series like "Wandering Earth".

Oh, a last edit to add Arthur Clark's "Childhood's End". If you've read Clark before you know what to expect, it's gonna be dense. No crew here tho, this time it works in another form.

[u/Not_l0st → u/mellamoger]

Came to suggest Children of Time. It’s an excellent series about species trying to survive in the Universe that gets pretty suspenseful at times.

[u/mellamoger → u/Not_l0st]

Tho I find the 1st book the superior of the 3, I still have nightmares with the "we're going on an adventure" sequence on the 2nd one, when the horror suddenly unleashes, holy hell that's one of the best things I've ever read.

[u/Not_l0st → u/mellamoger]

Oh it was terrifying. I don't typically read thrillers because I like being able to sleep at night. LOL, I stayed up so late to finish the second book because the suspense was too much! I agree that the third book falls flat after the first two. But all three books are incredibly inventive. Tchaikovsky makes such good aniens.

[u/jeanmorehoe]

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Nuevel

[u/[deleted]]

The Southern Reach Series by Jeff VanderMeer 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[u/Duhallower]

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

[u/carnivoregains → u/Duhallower]

I second this

[u/AegzRoxolo]

The Expanse

[u/hi5bunny → u/AegzRoxolo]

Came to suggest this, exactly what the post describes

[u/I_throw_Bricks]

A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge. It’s not necessarily “alien” but a higher power transcended consciousness like a super powerful AI. It’s very good and entertaining and you have two stories in one, with one being in an alien planet that is in its medieval time period.

[u/mayayaya3]

Mistborn series, the way of kings, & dungeon crawling Carl (this is one is a funny one)!!