If you have watched any movies with aliens, you must have been fascinated by these creatures. But have you read an alien book to develop imagination and the settings yourself?
There is something captivating about science fiction literature. Science fiction comes in various subgenres, but I have to say that any book with aliens will always be my go-to. Stories featuring these extraterrestrial beings give me a horror-inducing thrill and get me on an adventurous journey. Young adults will tell you the same.
If you are a young adult, below are some of the best alien books you must check out.
The XEan Girl, by Vanessa & Layla Jeune
Layla is part human and part alien. She is on a reconnaissance mission on planet XE when something goes wrong. She crashes on Earth, and that is when it dawns on her that there is no way she will be able to get back home.
Layla is helpless on this new planet, but then she meets Dion, the owner of the property on which her ship lands. Dion takes her in for treatment and helps her contact her people. Layla’s new powers come to light after an accident that leads to their discovery.
General Kuch and the Kranus empire are responsible for this realization, and they now decide that they have someone who will steal the Life Crystal, helping them conquer the Galaxy.
After being reunited with her family and establishing new relationships, Layla will have a tough decision to make. She will have to discover new friendships and learn brave lessons in her quest to destroy General Kuch and keep the Universe from ruination.
We are the Ants, by Shaun David Hutchinson
Henry Denton has lived several years under periodic alien abduction. He has told the others about these frequent abductions, but it only earned him his new name, the “Space Boy.” But then everything changes when the aliens give him a working ultimatum.
Henry is tasked with stopping the end of the world. The world is to end in the next 144 days, and all he has to do for this not to happen is push a big red button. The problem is that Henry is unsure he wants to do this.
Different factors are at play. Henry has not had a very wonderful life. His mother struggles to earn a living as a waitress, and the only thing that holds her together is a thin layer of cigarette smoke. Henry’s brother just impregnated someone, and he is also a jobless dropout.
Their grandmother is living with Alzheimer’s. To add to all this, Henry’s boyfriend committed suicide, and he hasn’t healed from his grief. For him, it might just be better to wipe the slate clean.
But before everything else, Henry is a scientist, and he must handle this issue logically and thoroughly. That’s when he decides to analyze the pros and cons. He will have to examine his one-night stand bully, his best friend’s betrayal, and a brilliant boy who walks into the wrong class.
Alien Echo, by Mira Grant
Alien Echo is spot-on science fiction. It is nerdy and excellently detailed to keep you engrossed page by page. The horror and action of the characters and the aliens are well-paced, and you will feel like you are in the fight too.
Olivia and Viola are twin sisters who mostly remember being dragged around the universe. Both of their parents are xenobiologists, and it is because of this that they are always looked for. Their research about obscuring alien biology is highly on demand.
After settling on a new colony world, an alien threat is discovered, and it is not like anything ever seen. That’s when the twins’ world gets ripped apart. They begin to run for their lives.
As they run from these horrifying creatures, Olivia only has two weapons; her xenobiology knowledge and her resolution to protect Viola. The colony is collapsing into chaos very fast.
But this is nothing compared to what is about to happen. A hidden family secret comes to light. It is surprising and horrifying to Olivia, just like the aliens that surround them.
The aliens will infiltrate the colony world’s rich wildlife and soon start to adapt. If Olivia wants to survive, she will also have to adapt.
Bad Island, by Doug TenNapel
Bad Island is a tale about a family’s fight to survive in the midst of a lost civilization.
Reese is bummed after finding out that he has to spend a vacation with his annoying family. This means he will have to spend time with his go-getter dad, worry-wart mum, and a bratty small sister.
But things will go from bad to worse when their boat gets derailed by a strong storm. It gets shipwrecked, and the family finds itself on a mysterious island with weird animals and plants. This island is packed with angry natives, and its alien creatures are also terrifying. Everyone wants to kill this family at every turn.
However, they will work together to unravel the mysteries that surround this island and its origin as they dodge the dangerous inhabitants. Unlocked secrets and their fight for a chance to survive might just get them united.
Base of Fire, by Toby Neighbors
Base of Fire is the second entry of the Never Surrender Series. It is the saga of a family’s fight for survival amid incalculable odds.
An invasion has begun, and there is no safe place. The incoming danger is one of the things Marine Moss LeFer, a former marine, is highly conversant with.
Some deadly aliens have spread out on Bellona Prime’s northern territories. These violent aliens go by the name Sartans. Bellona Prime is a leafy and green new world in which an immature human colony lives.
There is a hunt for the Sartans, and Moss is the leader. But winning this battle will not be an easy task. The Redessarians, who are the alien overlords, are not about to easily give up such a precious prize. That’s just part of the problems. The Western Coalition is also not acting quickly enough on its promise to assist.
Moss is confident that a second invasion is about to occur, and he is highly determined to protect his growing family on Bellona Prime out of desperation. He hopes they can have a promising future on this new planet. To win this quest, he must get all the help and resources available. That is the only way to prevent the greatly feared alien threat. But not everyone on Bellona Prime is supportive of his efforts.
A Warship Named Sky, by Saxon Andrew
This is a story that will get you into deep thoughts about what makes us human, and it dives more into politics and strategy.
The protagonist, Angel Barret, buys a broken spaceship which he intends to make a monument for his wife, who has passed on. He has no idea that this spaceship will bring about extreme repercussions. The impacts will lead to shaken foundations of all the galaxy’s civilizations.
All Angel wants is to live peacefully until he dies to join his wife. However, he becomes a target of the most powerful civilization. They are firmly resolved and ready to do all it takes to prevent a hidden secret from coming to light. It doesn’t matter if that means the Earth will get destroyed.
Barret starts as an average human being, but he will later turn out not to be as average as you thought. He will prevent the earth from alien destruction.
The insights in the book are fascinating, and they reflect how you can achieve a goal without violence and how to use action and reactions to see into people’s thoughts.
Bent Heavens, by Daniel Kraus
Liv Fleming’s father disappeared more than two years ago. This was not a very long time after he had claimed that aliens had abducted him. Liv has now come to terms with her dad’s disappearance, and she is confident that he is dead. This, however, does not mean that Liv has given up the traditions she was brought up with.
Every Sunday, Liv and Doug Monk go into the woods to check Lee’s traps. He set them up to trap the aliens he always believed were after him.
Liv does not live in her childhood fantasies anymore. She is done with having to pretend that she believes all the absurd theories her dad had. She is done having to live with emotions for her friend’s sake. She now decides that it is time she destroys the traps. But things will take a twist.
On that same day, she goes into the woods and finds a creature in one of them. It is inhuman, and that can only mean that it is an alien. Liv suddenly comes to terms with a painful realization- her dad didn’t lie about the aliens. But no one, including her, has ever believed him.
Liv and Doug will be faced with a tough choice. Should they take this matter into their own hands, or should they hand this alien to the authorities?
Flying, by Carrie Jones
Everyone treats Mana like someone who needs protection. She is an only child and is used to being coddled. Imagining anything could happen in her everyday life and the tiny town she lives in is impossible. But Mana’s mum is babying her more than ever as she looks forward to cheering a big upcoming game. This will also be an opportunity to get out of the house to Mana.
But on this particular night, her life changes. One guy starts spitting acid as the game goes on then a knockdown erupts in the locker room. Mana starts to leap around, but it all seems a bit too much- she is a good jumper and a flyer of the cheerleading group.
When she gets home, their house is trashed, and there is an alien in their garage. Could her mother have had a reason for being too overprotective?
Her mom is missing, and it turns out she was an alien hunter. She has taken a piece of technology wanted by both humans and aliens. Her mom’s fellow alien hunter and partner wants Mana to come with him. For the first time, she will be on her own, must try to save her mum and probably the world. Is she up to the challenge?
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, by Christopher Paolini
Kira is a xenobiologist who has always dreamed about living in new worlds. But this dream has now awakened a nightmare she never imagined.
She finds an alien relic on an uncolonized planet. She is on a routine survey mission here when she discovers an unusual rock formation with unique chemical composition. Initially, Kira is delighted, but her ecstasy soon turns into a terrifying situation.
She decides to explore the rock, but then the ancient dust in her environment begins to move. Kira has just triggered a horrifying series of events that will leave her bound to an alien.
War starts among the stars launching Kira into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of transformation and significant discovery. Her first contact is not like anything she imagined. The events also push her intensely to the very limits of what being human means. An alien species, the Wranaui, is after her, and the symbiotic alien “The Soft Blade” bound to her.
As Kira tackles her fears and her now shambling world, Earth and its colonies verge destruction. Humans and the Wranaui are faced with an evolving threat. Kira might be the final and greatest hope for humanity.
Conclusion
Aliens and alien ordeals are interesting for young adults and lovers of science fiction. Reading books developed on alien themes is fascinating and brings about a mixture of feelings but with just the right amount of thrill, if not more.
Our YA alien books list above will be an excellent opportunity for you to get the alien exhilaration.
Are you interested in YA books? Check our favorite YA books series!
Cover art: Xision53