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This year, things have gotten so crazy that nothing really surprises us anymore. In fact, if a spaceship were to land in our back yard, most of us would probably just shrug it off as just another day in 2020. But in The Intergalactic Interloper by Delas Heras, the event causes chaos for a group of neighbors.
The story turns life upside-down in a neighborhood in New York City after an alien ship lands on the roof of one of the buildings. One morning, while he’s searching for his missing cat, Ollie catches a glimpse one morning of a strange, turtle-like creature with two heads as it disintegrates a pigeon with a shiny weapon. His friends all think he’s losing his mind, but as Ollie and his band mate Zara continue their search for the cat, a few other neighbors have their own strange experiences with the otherworldly visitors.
Though the alien partners are sent to Earth to observe the planet and its inhabitants without being seen, a few small glitches in their mission change the lives of several of the neighborhood’s residents: the building super and his ornery wife, a lonely court reporter, an underemployed mattress store employee, and, of course, Ollie and his friends. The story is random and offbeat, with so many quirky moments that will make readers laugh in surprise. And while the short story doesn’t really allow a lot of time to get to know the multitude of characters, they’re definitely all quite entertaining.
At the same time, though, the story is so random and so filled with characters and storylines that it’s uncertain what it’s trying to accomplish. On one hand, it’s a story about Ollie’s life, his lost cat, and his uncertain relationship with Zara, who’s dealing with her own life’s uncertainties. But then it begins picking up different characters and different storylines, venturing into the stories of an angry neighbor who hates cats, the super who’s decided to resort to mysticism to fix his fears (and his relationship with his wife), and others. It’s definitely a random little story—but not necessarily one with a solid storyline.
Of course, if this year’s chaos and uncertainty have you feeling a little bit random and haphazard, The Intergalactic Interloper is a fitting read. It’s an odd sci-fi comedy that might just make your own life seem a little less crazy.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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