The Utods are a highly advanced alien species from whom the human race might learn much, with superior technology and a profound philosophy. But when they meet, their customs and conventions are far beneath what humankind considers to be civilized.

Brian Aldiss's satirical depiction of the first encounter and subsequent violent conflict between mankind and a gentle, intelligent race which it cannot understand was first published in 1964, but its archly ironic message of cultural misunderstanding and the potential for catastrophe it entails resonates as strongly today.