How do alien based novels usually portray alien cultures?
In alien based novels, alien cultures are often presented as mysterious at first. Take 'Rendezvous with Rama' for example. The alien spacecraft Rama is so different from anything humans know that its creators' culture remains a mystery for a long time. Some novels portray alien cultures as being more communal than human cultures, like a species where every individual is dedicated to the greater good of the whole group without the concept of personal gain that is so prevalent in human society. Others might show alien cultures as having a unique form of communication that is not based on sound or written language as we know it, but on something more like telepathy or a complex exchange of chemical signals.
Often, they show alien cultures as very different from human ones. For example, in 'The Left Hand of Darkness' by Ursula K. Le Guin, the alien species has a unique gender - fluid society. Some novels might portray alien cultures as highly advanced technologically, like in 'Contact' where the aliens can send complex signals across galaxies.
