It does surprise me. I am constantly surprised it hasn't imploded into a black hole from the negative IQ ratings I have seen on there.
I didn't read any of the links, just threw them together as a starting point for reasearch, but I remember occasionally seeing some really good answers on Reddit. That was probably some time ago (not sure how long, maybe a couple of years?). The culture might have changed since then.
Reddit's quite good for reliable product reviews. They also aren't allowed to call each other cigarettes like on 4chan. If they say anything controversial, though, it's entire trees of posts deleted. Even dissing a particular dog breed...
Thanks for that list, it will help get me started. Already have some interesting ideas, this is going to be a fun challenge.
To answer the OP's question, most writers don't have the "chops" to pull it off. Even Tolkien's "aliens" are still humans in rubber suits. There have been many authors with non-human MCs. Asimov had his robots like R. Daneel Olivaw. Gordon Dickson had his Hokas. C.J. Cherryh has several including the Mri, Hani, and Atevi. There are other authors as well.
I know I'm a bit late to this thread, but it reminded me of an idea I had earlier, on another thread: Demon Chickens! I mean, writing from the point-of-view of an alien (with no human/humanoid features, language etc. at all) isn't that different than writing from the point-of-view of a chicken, much less a demon-possessed chicken. He's egging on his imprisoned brethren and sistren to cross the road ... to FREEDOM!!! (All right, I'm going)
Oddly, my most recent story is human based, but each planetary body has their own way of doing things. While not radically out of left field, the main planet setting for the story has designated facilities for those with the urge to purge, are registered and kill clones. Which in turn means mainstream murder is extremely rare as a result, and those that practice such barbarism are still functional members of their society. Probably a tad off the norm for most more relatable societies.
The Chanur series walked the above line successfully. A feline species rescues a human male and takes him as crew on their ship. The species is close enough to humans to make them relatable but different enough to make the interesting.
