The Dance of the Changer and the Three

I think this short story is the best approximation of a truly alien mindset that I’ve read. The middle third of Asimov’s novel The Gods Themselves also embeds you deeply and sympathetically in an alien culture, but in the end you can understand Asimov’s aliens. Carr’s aliens remain alien, and the story is both unsettling and exciting.

The story can be read at lexel.net.