Communication

"Communication" by Charles L. Fontenay is a science fiction tale that follows the initial journey of Earth astronauts to Mars. It's a story about the problems and confusion that can happen when different species try to talk to each other. When the Earth explorers meet Martians, they try to communicate using math, but they don't realize the Martians seem angry. Because of misunderstandings, things go wrong, and communication falls apart. The Martians, feeling threatened by the Earth people, wipe them out. This shows how fragile communication can be between very different cultures and species. Fontenay makes readers think about how important it is to understand others and what dangers can come from miscommunication when exploring other planets.