Attitude

What would you do if you woke up with no memory, trapped in a metal chamber aboard an alien ship? Dr. Little faces exactly this nightmare in Hal Clement's tense sci-fi novella. He remembers nothing, not even his own name, only that he's a doctor and something has gone horribly wrong. As the fog of unconsciousness lifts, he realizes he's a prisoner on a vessel commanded by beings both fascinating and terrifying, his fate intertwined with crew members who may be allies or enemies. Clement, the master of hard science fiction, builds unbearable suspense as Dr. Little must decode his situation using only his scientific mind and an increasingly desperate curiosity about what his captors want from him. The title hints at the solution: sometimes survival depends on finding the right perspective. This is alien encounter fiction at its most claustrophobic and intellectually satisfying, a compact gem that proves you don't need vast scope to explore the profound terror and wonder of first contact.