Contents (view Concise Listing)

• 1 • Introduction: Beginnings ... • (2011) • essay by Marty Halpern
• 7 • The Thought War • (2008) • short story by Paul J. McAuley [as by Paul McAuley]
• 15 • How to Talk to Girls at Parties • (2006) • short story by Neil Gaiman
• 29 • Face Value • (1986) • short story by Karen Joy Fowler
• 43 • The Road Not Taken • [Roxalani • 1] • (1985) • novelette by Harry Turtledove
• 69 • The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything • (1984) • short story by George Alec Effinger
• 85 • I Am the Doorway • (1971) • short story by Stephen King
• 99 • Recycling Strategies for the Inner City • (1990) • short story by Pat Murphy
• 109 • The 43 Antarean Dynasties • [Birthright Universe] • (1997) • short story by Mike Resnick
• 125 • The Gold Bug • (2007) • novelette by Orson Scott Card
• 157 • Kin • (2006) • short story by Bruce McAllister
• 169 • Guerrilla Mural of a Siren's Song • (1989) • short story by Ernest Hogan
• 181 • Angel • (1987) • short story by Pat Cadigan
• 197 • The First Contact with the Gorgonids • (1992) • short story by Ursula K. Le Guin
• 205 • Sunday Night Yams at Minnie and Earl's • [Minnie and Earl's] • (2001) • novella by Adam-Troy Castro
• 257 • A Midwinter's Tale • (1988) • short story by Michael Swanwick
• 273 • Texture of Other Ways • (1999) • short story by Mark W. Tiedemann
• 291 • To Go Boldly • (2009) • short story by Cory Doctorow
• 311 • If Nudity Offends You • (1988) • short story by Elizabeth Moon
• 323 • Laws of Survival • (2007) • novelette by Nancy Kress
• 359 • What You Are About to See • (2008) • short story by Jack Skillingstead
• 375 • Amanda and the Alien • (1983) • short story by Robert Silverberg
• 393 • Exo-Skeleton Town • (2000) • novelette by Jeffrey Ford
• 415 • Lambing Season • (2002) • short story by Molly Gloss
• 429 • Swarm • [Shaper/Mechanist] • (1982) • novelette by Bruce Sterling
• 453 • MAXO Signals: A New and Unfortunate Solution to the Fermi Paradox • (2007) • short story by Charles Stross (variant of MAXO Signals 2005)
• 457 • Last Contact • (2007) • short story by Stephen Baxter
• 473 • About the Contributors (Alien Contact) • (2011) • essay by uncredited