Small Town Problems: A Sci-Fi Novella

by Chris Ritchey

Comfortable in his simple rural life, widower Robert Potter never put much stock in Old Jim’s moonshine-fueled conspiracy theories. But after he finds Har'elday, the lone survivor of a crashed spaceship, he begins to wonder if the Loch Ness Monster has relocated to Eufaula Lake. Much to Robert’s dismay, the wandering eye of the federal government is casting a questioning gaze on his small farm town as well.

Caught between relentless federal agents and the found family harboring him, Har’elday’s freedom depends on the ingenuity of his new friends.

A Sci-Fi novella, Small Town Problems is the first book in a three-part series that explores the impact a lone survivor from an advanced alien civilization can have on a sleepy farm town in the middle of Oklahoma. Robert Potter gifts us with his insights as we traverse this world-shattering event through his eyes.

A close group of friends help Har'elday adjust to his new life as he finds solace in the comfort of a hard day's work on the farm. But, how long can such peace last?

In what has been called a throwback to the golden age of science fiction, you can expect to find the heartwarming feeling of a found family, the awkwardness of a budding romance, and genuine and funny characters. We also explore the toll of loss and hardships that are compounded by the advances of a threat looming on the horizon.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy

Paperback

First published November 19, 2021

Reviews

[Jonathan Koan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goodness, what a tremendous debut novella from Chris Ritchey. This book is only 146 pages, and it packs a TON in. This book has what would be fantastic character work in a novel, but is superb character work in a novella.

This book is really about an alien ship that crashes in a small town and the people of the small town try to keep the alien survivor a secret from the government. It very much feels influenced by ET, even if the alien is significantly different from ET.

Har'elday (the alien) was excellently written. His character was so fascinating to read. He has a really fun dynamic with the other characters, particularly with Robert and with Shannon, who are also standout characters.

Chris Ritchey is able to add in humor in much needed moments, great references, and even sadness when needed. The book gets the balance of tone just right.

I mentioned earlier about how the book does so much in such a short amount of time, and I mean it. This could have been a novel story wise and yet it doesn't feel at all like it is missing something (well a sequel surely, but this story itself is complete here). That economy of words is very impressive, particularly in a debut.

The last chapter here is just outstanding. It was an emotional roller coaster, and I am shocked that the book could pull this many things in one chapter.

Ovearll, I loved this book, and am so excited to read whatever Chris Ritchey puts out next. 9.3 out of 10!

[Andrews WizardlyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

What a fun read. I got a little of a Resident Alien kind of vibe from this novella. A great motley crew and characters that are relatable. The end felt a hair rushed one charcuterie pronounced all his R as W which took a minute to get used to. Overall I enjoyed the reading experience and look forward to more from this author

[Aaron M. Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small Town Problems is a first contact story filled with heart, humor, friendship, and of course small town vibes.

I also want to thank Chris Ritchey for sending me a copy of this book to review!

Genesis

I was actually first introduced to Small Town Problems through YouTube when Daniel Greene posted a full video reviewing this book. This was over a year ago, so I could not remember exactly what Daniel’s thoughts were on this book but I believe it was mostly a positive experience.

Ritchey reached out to me asking if I would be interested in reading his book called Small Town Problems that sparked my memory where I thought to myself, “I remember seeing this book somewhere”. This is when I put two and two together through the help of Ritchey himself saying that he took Daniel’s criticism back to the drawing board to improve and revise Small Town Problems to be the book that it is today.

So I said, “Yes, I would love to check it out.”

From here, well, you can see how it turned out with my thoughts below.

Preamble

Small Town Problems is a sci-fi novella coming in at only 153 pages long but is planned to be the first of a three-part series.

After completing this book, I am excited to see how Ritchey continues the story and expands on the established relationships for the characters we come to know and love.

I actually did not know that Ritchey was planning more books in this series until I began writing this review and I'm all for it!

I decided not to revisit Daniel's video on Small Town Problems so I could make my own judgements and opinions on this book without any external factors weighing in on my reading experience.

There is a classic saying that goes “you can't judge a book based on it's cover” which I 100% agree with but I also believe this should be applied to book reviews as well. Even if the review is coming from a large established voice in the book community. Everyone's experience will be different and not everyone's opinion will match your own.

So I say, take a chance if you're even remotely interested in a book and don't take any review as gospel, even this review here.

Alright, let's get back to Small Town Problems and see what my thoughts were on this small size novella.

Aftermath

“Comfortable in his simple rural life, widower Robert Potter never put much stock in Old Jim's moonshine-fueled conspiracy theories. But after he finds Har'elday, the lone survivor of a crashed spaceship, he begins to wonder if the Loch Ness Monster has relocated to Eufaula Lake. Much to Robert's dismay, the wandering eye of the federal government is casting a questioning gaze on his small farm town as well.”

Small Town Problems takes place in a small town, would you believe that? And just like in the books description, something unusual takes place in this small town in Oklahoma when our main character, Robert Potter, happens upon a single alien survivor of a crashed spaceship.

From the very beginning of this story, Ritchie does an excellent job immersing you in this small town where everyone knows everyone. A town where people call each other by their first name. A town where everyone’s business is out in the open and where keeping secrets is basically non-existent.

This is problematic for our main character because he befriends an alien.

As you can probably already tell, this is not your typical first contact story with aliens descending to Earth wreaking havoc across the planet. Don't get me wrong, I can always get behind an alien invasion tale but it's refreshing to have a story approach aliens from a different perspective.

In Small Town Problems we get to see a budding relationship between two unlikely species that really touches your heart as the friendship really does feel realistic and genuine. There is also excellent dialogue between the two displaying clear chemistry that flows as if you're watching a sitcom.

If you were a fan of Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary, I can confidently say you will also be a fan of this book for the growing friendship, the focus on science, and the fantastic character work.

Now, going back to the problem at hand, we have an ALIEN in town

This is an issue because word on street is that the American government completely decimated another small town where there were potential aliens. So, our main character and a select few of his closest buddies seek to keep our new alien friend safe from the feds while also trying to help him get his ship back in working order.

There was also an emotional depth to this story that I was not expecting at all. Ritchie explores many human struggles of loneliness, loss, and companionship that add layers of context to our main character, Robert.

I literally teared up in a couple scenes that took my by complete surprise.

The only slight issue I had while reading this book was descriptions of a few things including characters and items. This mainly included our new alien friend, the spaceship, and a few other scenes where it was difficult for me to picture the item in my head. In terms of our alien friend, the best way that I could picture him was as a bigfoot looking creature. Hopefully I am close here but for now I can confirm the bigfoot conspiracy!!

Additionally, our new alien friend has somewhat of an accent witch helps distinguish his dialogue but it was a bit difficult to fully understand every word in a sentence at times but for the most part I read it without issue.

Overall, Ritchey successfully crafted a beautiful sci-fi story told within a small town with characters you will easily and quickly latch onto. Also there was a layer of adrenaline pumping scenes towards the tail end of this tale that I fully enjoyed.

I rate Small Town Problems 4.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to any sci-fi fan. If you are looking for a quick character driven story full of humor, science, and friendship, this is the book for you!

Going back to the genesis of this review, pretty soon I am also going to a make a video review on this book while also addressing the feedback Daniel Greene gave during his review. Once that video is up, I will link here in this review and of course post it on my Twitter/X profile.

“We need to live in their life, not their death.”


If you are interested in learning more about Small Town Problems and more of Ritchey's work, you can check out his site for updates & news https://jesterslibrary.wordpress.com/.

For all future reviews, be sure to follow me on Twitter/X or visit my website where I will host all future book reviews.

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“Your name here!”

[Timothy Burbage · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author sent me this story for free for a review.

I really enjoyed this novella. It's about first contact, but takes a completely different direction than I was expecting. Instead of hard sci-fi with military intelligence, it's a cozy small-town story about local people solving local problems.

I liked the main character. I liked the coziness of the setting and story. I liked the alien (though I found the way his speech impediment was written very annoying). I liked the lower stakes.

I think the prose could do with a tiny bit of tidying up from a copy editor (chicken coup instead of coop was used once for example), but apart from a couple of things I spotted (and I think the incorrect use of rhoticism needs looking at) I would say this is a professional level of quality.

Supposedly this is the first in a trilogy of novellas and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more.

[Derek Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part comedy, part first contact drama, part government conspiracy, and part cozy small town story, SMALL TOWN PROBLEMS offers a unique blend of different types of stories that was a joy to read through.

CONTENT
The story stars Robert, a widower who lives on and maintains a small farm. We meet him in a rather awkward scenario because he's dragging the corpse of what appears to be an extraterrestrial being. He does the responsible thing and calls the town Sherriff, Bill, and eventually finds himself wrapped up in a bit of a small town conspiracy where his alien corpse is not the only one to be found. Worse still, there's a bit of a looming threat surrounding what will happen if they are not able to quietly handle the situation without involving Federal Authorities. One thing leads to another and the band of ragtag townspeople make first contact with an intelligent lifeform named Har'leday. The hijinks that ensue as the people of the town interact with this bigfoot-looking alien and try to lend him a hand while keeping his existence a secret were a lot of fun. There's a cozy sort of feeling to it all as Har'leday studies the dynamics between his new friends and makes connections to his own life back home. The interactions between the characters were something of a highlight for me. The cast isn't always exactly nice to one another, but there is a deep comradery between them and they seem to show up for one another when it counts. The dialogue between them during the silly, snarky, and serious moments always felt deeply human and it's that authenticity to the characters that really pulled me through the story. That said, there's also a pretty decent plot that we follow, though I don't want to speak to much more of it than I already have. I think I will just say that I appreciated the bittersweet nature of the ending and thought it was a fitting conclusion to the rapidly escalating events of the story's climax. This isn't a story that's going to change your life, blow your mind, or knock your socks off, but I think more people than not are going to have a really nice time with it like I did.

eBOOK
The more recent cover that this book now has is a huge improvement over the one it was given originally. It has a really nice art style that felt sort of fitting to the story told within and nicely encapsulates the overall mood of the narrative as well. One small gripe I had about it though is that, on Kindle, it's sort of like the image is a different size than the standard cover dimensions since it displays as a little bit stubbier than other titles both in the Library view and when looking at the cover page when opening the book itself. There isn't anything crazy going on with the interior, but it is all well handled and nicely laid out. I also think the chapters were at a nice and somewhat consistent length which made for a smooth reading experience.

CONCLUSION
I think SMALL TOWN PROBLEMS is a cute little story that could reasonably be enjoyed by just about anyone though there are some mild moments that would make the age range skew a little closer to the adult spectrum (I think it could be appropriate for most teens as well). It's a satisfying little tale that I'm quite pleased I made the time to read through.

(+) An intriguing start that catapults readers into a well-paced plotline
(+) Lots of funny and genuinely human interactions
(+) An interesting blend of different genres and a cool take on a first contact story
(+) A well-executed ending
(+) A charming cover and solid overall presentation
(+) Even pacing and consistent chapter lengths made for smooth reading

[L.S. Popovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small Town Problems, from the title, might elicit expectations of a sitcom drama. In a sense, you would not be entirely wrong. But at its heart, it is a fun, popcorn novel about people running into and responding to trouble, where their innate curiosity plays as big a part as their ingenuity. The characters strike me as realistic and most of their reactions contain various levels of predictability. It is unique among the first contact books I've read for containing less menace and more kooky oddities. This type of scenario hearkens back to Galaxy Quest and more Hollywood films than books. While the book is not overly ambitious, the author does inject the plot and style with a lot of personality.

The first ingredient is vivid description, and an intriguing opening. This short novel's wacky aesthetic can only be compared to low-budget films of alien invasion scenarios. Twilight Zone-esque in execution, the small town atmosphere is pulled off marvelously. I am a big fan of American classic Golden Age of science fiction vibes which fewer books are going for nowadays, even with the success of Netflix shows banking off nostalgia. I picked up tones of Stranger Things, reminding me of ham radio farmers, long empty highways, fields, barns, guns, and aliens. Here are all the familiar trappings equipped with cinematic aplomb. We are given well-paced scenes that entertain and infuse the story with mystery, keeping us turning pages. The traces of humor in the first person perspective are everywhere evident, along with witty dialogue and quirky characters. A treat for conspiracy theorists and soft s-f enthusiasts alike. At its core, it explores the extraordinary alongside the mundane, and is an effective satire on the genre, while also being a spooky look at human relationships when faced with the unknown. I detected a bit of Twin Peaks in the preoccupation with character, the blase acceptance of the supernatural, and the relentless, albeit goofy humor. In the end you are left with an enjoyable and refreshing read. If you enjoy films like Eight Legged Freaks, you will feel right at home in this novel.

[Jerry Harwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminiscent of my memories of E.T., The Searchers (a fun goofy comedy), and a little bit of X Files. On the book side it reminded me a book I read as a teen: Quozl by Allen Dean Foster. In Foster’s novel a whole colony of alien bugs bunny type rabbits arrive whereas here it is a smaller invasion and ultimately a very small circle of characters. In both there was a fun worldbuild where country folk deal with the extraordinary… the same way they deal with everything. Ingenuity, placing friends and family first, and with a bit of humor. From the opening (“I hope the chickens aren’t too spooked to lay”) we are introduced to everyday people encountering an advanced alien species. As someone who grew up “country” I enjoyed the bear traps, Christian burials, Randy Travis songs, moonshine stills, unsettling animal heads mounted on home walls, and a general fear of federal agents. The story is well paced. I’ve seen some reviews regarding the simplicity of the plotline, but I feel this is applying expectations of a 500 page book to a 150 page book. I’ve said in other reviews I wish more authors wrote in this length: longer than a short story but not the deep commitment of a long novel.
Yes, there are aliens. One In particular, Har'elday, who Robert befriends. The result is an excellent first book by the author, whose short stories are worth checking out also. I was given a copy for review. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

[T. Atkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ritchey’s Small Town Problems has an engaging old-fashioned feel in its delivery. Although I was a bit disheartened by the lack of description when it came to characters, the spacecraft, and his spreading of breadcrumbs throughout the pages before I could finally piece together Har'elday’s actual appearance, I found Ritchey’s story to be a quick read and entertaining at times.
There were instances where there was dialogue involving several characters that I became lost as I tried to figure out who was talking. I also would have loved to have been let in on what the other person was saying on the other end of those telephone calls.
But all in all, I found Small Town Problems to be an enjoyable read. I loved the subtle humor and camaraderie between Robert and the space alien Har'elday. Ritchey does a great job at creating and building relationships among the characters, and I was pleasantly (but not so pleasantly; as the ending left me a bit heartbroken) surprised that I had not figured out the ending as I thought I had.

[Cassie Devay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small Town Problems was a short and sweet little story about an alien finding his place in a small southern town. It’s filled with really likeable characters, and the plot moves really quickly. The prose was a bit too simplistic for my taste, and the formatiing could have used another pass.
The best and worst part of the book are the same thing. Har’elday the alien. Watching him get to grips with the new home he’s found for himself, struggling with the strange cultural norms humans have and seeing the relationships he builds are all great. But the way he speaks is awful. Every single “r” is replaced with a “w” when he speaks, in an attempt to mimic an Eastern European accent, but I couldn’t stop myself from hearing him speaking in an uWu voice the entire book, which consistently took me out of the story.
Overall, it has really fun characters, iffy prose, and kinda rough dialogue, but was a mostly fun read that I could easily recommend to someone who likes cozy sci-fi
3.5/5 ⭐

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a unique and fun story. The characters had great depth, and were very believable. Be prepared to challenge your ideas of a typical small town, and the people who live there. These aren't your typical small town problems, but ones with an otherworldly origin. I loved the little quirks of the characters, and that people reacted in a way you'd expect, and not with some totally out of character burst of heroism just to force the plot in a certain direction. I loved the old school sci-fi feel it had, reminding me of movies and shows I watched growing up. If you're looking for a fun sci-fi read that's a bit off the beaten path, then you've found your next read!

[Tanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was so much fun!

[Lee Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and touching out-of-this-world sci-fi novella

This is a fun and touching debut novella by Chris Ritchey about a small community of friends who become immersed in an out-of-this-world situation with shades of ‘E.T.’ and even ‘Super 8’ with an adult edge.

All of the main characters have a depth and chemistry that carries the story from the get go – I’ll admit after the first chapter I was hooked into this world where visitors from space have arrived with one survivor becoming a prominent figure in the story. Our main character ‘Robert’ befriends this ‘visitor’ and their chemistry works incredibly well with a fun play on language which adds to the immersion. Of course when a situation like this arises in a small US town, there are the authorities to contend with and this acts as the conflict in which our heroes need to overcome.

Having lost someone close in the past, ‘Robert’ doesn’t shy away from the memories which makes for a touching element of the story and there are even some comedic moments which lighten the sense of his loss. The story culminates with an action chase sequence quickly flowing into an explosive ending that will pull at readers heartstrings.

‘My eyes blurred as they recovered, and I tried to squint and regain my focus. I rubbed them hard, and it started to clear up, but the ringing made it difficult for me to grasp my surroundings. I looked up again to see fireballs arcing toward earth…’

[Kenneth Feller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my usual sort of read, but I picked this up on an indie sale recognising the title from a couple of positive BookTube reviews. And being a novella, I figured I'd take a chance, and that it'd probably make a good palette cleanser.

The title says it all: this book is a sci-fi set in a small town in the US. It's got cozy vibes, heartfelt moments, and an extra-terrestrial trying to get by on Earth. It's well written, mid-paced and doesn't drag.

I found this book to be okay, but also, I'm not the right reader. If cozy sci-fi/fantasy is your jam, definitely give Small Town Problems a go.

[cosmin buta · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf at the 54% mark. i tried to be funny but it wasnt really. felt rather unimaginative. the only part i liked was the inner monologue with the dead wife. sorry.