[ahmedfromtunis]

Thanks! I really like it when authors shock my neurons with ideas they never even came close to entertain.

Alien aliens are always rare in sci-fi books. Although I really struggled with the octopodes in Children of Ruin, so I'm not sure if I'm ready yet.

Can someone please suggest books with novel, really alien forms of life, social structures, etc.?

[Annual]

I vaguely remember The Gods Themselves by Asimov being a strong contender here, but it's been decades since I read it.

Spider Robinson's "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon" series had a story towards the end that blew my tiny little teenaged mind back in the 90's.

Octavia Butler, of course. Xenogenesis.

[stevenwoo]

The middle third of The Gods Themselves is so weird and different I thought it was a book printing error at first and I had to re-read some of it about six times to make it stick.

[Keysh]

The Tines in Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep are pretty good example. (The aliens in A Deepness in the Sky are physically alien, but psychologically pretty close to humans.)

[bodantogat]

Check out Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

[alphan0n]

We’re going on an adventure!

[Zardoz89]

Diaspora by Greg Egan.