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Aliens Attack!
Told through the men and women—and aliens—who experienced it firsthand, Dave Housley's sci-fi novel ALIENS ATTACK! presses us with the big question: what would you do at the end of the world? Intertwining the depth of sonder with the honesty of reality, Housley brings us the truth of what an alien invasion would look like in each of our lives. From a woman who realizes the man she’s about to marry has a dark secret to a priest addicted to oxycontin holed up with a choir he despises, ALIENS ATTACK! is pockmarked with wry humor, pop culture references, and authenticity. Housley holds the mirror up for us and tells us to behold what we cannot run away from—ourselves.
Praise for ALIENS ATTACK!
“This book won’t just break your heart. It will burn it, blow it up, zap it like the titular aliens attacking. It happened to me - but I’ve also never been more grateful to an author for introducing me to characters—aliens, dads, clergymen, kids—who in the midst of crisis behave in such a poignantly, perfect human way that I’m still thinking about them, long after leaving them back on that burned out earth.” —Amber Sparks, author of Happy People Don't Live Here
“When the shit hits the fan, you’ll still be you and what about that? ALIENS ATTACK! is an existential coming-of-age, the truest, realist thing I’ve read in a hundred years. It should be terrifying but I found it to be enormously comforting. I don’t know why. Worthy of mention in the same breath as Ursula Le Guin but better because it’s an expression of the keen, funny, perceptive mind of Your Friend Dave.” —Laura Scalzo, author of American Arcadia
“What would you do—really do—in an emergency of planetary proportions? How capable, ethical, and heroic would you be? In this novel about an alien invasion of earth, Housley smuggles uneasy questions like this into our brains with wry humor and cleverly intertwining narratives. Multiple perspectives from both sides of the invasion equation show us calamity from the perspectives of everyday people (and aliens) who are vulnerable, fallible, and feel refreshingly real, reflecting ourselves back to ourselves.” —Tara Campbell, author of City of Dancing Gargoyles and TreeVolution
Praise for ALIENS ATTACK!
“This book won’t just break your heart. It will burn it, blow it up, zap it like the titular aliens attacking. It happened to me - but I’ve also never been more grateful to an author for introducing me to characters—aliens, dads, clergymen, kids—who in the midst of crisis behave in such a poignantly, perfect human way that I’m still thinking about them, long after leaving them back on that burned out earth.” —Amber Sparks, author of Happy People Don't Live Here
“When the shit hits the fan, you’ll still be you and what about that? ALIENS ATTACK! is an existential coming-of-age, the truest, realist thing I’ve read in a hundred years. It should be terrifying but I found it to be enormously comforting. I don’t know why. Worthy of mention in the same breath as Ursula Le Guin but better because it’s an expression of the keen, funny, perceptive mind of Your Friend Dave.” —Laura Scalzo, author of American Arcadia
“What would you do—really do—in an emergency of planetary proportions? How capable, ethical, and heroic would you be? In this novel about an alien invasion of earth, Housley smuggles uneasy questions like this into our brains with wry humor and cleverly intertwining narratives. Multiple perspectives from both sides of the invasion equation show us calamity from the perspectives of everyday people (and aliens) who are vulnerable, fallible, and feel refreshingly real, reflecting ourselves back to ourselves.” —Tara Campbell, author of City of Dancing Gargoyles and TreeVolution
186 pages, Paperback
Published April 21, 2026
About the author
Dave Housley
19 books42 followersDave Housley is the author of five novels and five story collections, most recently the novel-in-stories Aliens Attack!, the novel The Other Ones, and the collection Looney. He is one of the founding editors at the literary organization Barrelhouse, and the primary organizer of the writers conference Conversations and Connections: Practical Advice on Writing, which is held in Washington, DC in the Spring. He is the Director of Web Strategy for Penn State Online Education. He lives in State College, PA with his wife and son. He wants to believe.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 17, 2026
It’s the end of the world as we know it and not one person on Earth feels fine.
A novel‑in‑stories, Aliens Attack! gives us first‑hand accounts of what a bunch of random people were doing the day the aliens blew everything to hell. In the moments before their lives change forever, we meet a husband about to have “the talk” with his wife, a drug‑addicted priest on the brink of withdrawals while hiding in the basement with his choir, a group of grownups drowning in nostalgia as they realize how old they’ve become, and a man who leaves his wife and kids in the car so he can run into a McDonald’s to make sure it’s safe for his son to pee. And that’s just scratching the surface.
But Dave doesn’t stop there — we even get the inside scoop straight from the aliens themselves as they joke about our “extra chromosome” and fall head over heels for our yapping four‑legged friends.
It’s funny and endearing and, yeah, a little terrifying too. The whole thing showcases just how wildly unprepared we are for a hostile extraterrestrial takeover. It definitely made me wonder whether I’d have what it takes to survive… or if I’d just go up in flames with everyone else.
A delightful reminder that we are absolutely not surviving an invasion, but we’ll make great stories for whoever does.
A novel‑in‑stories, Aliens Attack! gives us first‑hand accounts of what a bunch of random people were doing the day the aliens blew everything to hell. In the moments before their lives change forever, we meet a husband about to have “the talk” with his wife, a drug‑addicted priest on the brink of withdrawals while hiding in the basement with his choir, a group of grownups drowning in nostalgia as they realize how old they’ve become, and a man who leaves his wife and kids in the car so he can run into a McDonald’s to make sure it’s safe for his son to pee. And that’s just scratching the surface.
But Dave doesn’t stop there — we even get the inside scoop straight from the aliens themselves as they joke about our “extra chromosome” and fall head over heels for our yapping four‑legged friends.
It’s funny and endearing and, yeah, a little terrifying too. The whole thing showcases just how wildly unprepared we are for a hostile extraterrestrial takeover. It definitely made me wonder whether I’d have what it takes to survive… or if I’d just go up in flames with everyone else.
A delightful reminder that we are absolutely not surviving an invasion, but we’ll make great stories for whoever does.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I devoured this collection of stories in a single sitting. 5 very enthusiastic stars!
Filled with several progressive and intersecting storylines, Aliens Attack! follows the good guys, the bad guys, the okayest guys, and a few aliens during an invasion of Earth. With the backdrop of an extraterrestrial invasion of the planet, humans are defined by their humanity and everything that means: heartbreak, betrayal, joy, jealousy, hilarity, triumph, and failure. So much failure. But in an interesting twist, we see aliens in much the same light, never really giving the reader a feeling of "othering" the invaders, but understanding them and their motivations (or lack thereof). Without the continuity of a single character arc, you won't get a buttoned up resolution, but instead a very poignant glimpse into how humanity reacts in crisis and the opportunity to reflect on the "what if" of your own reactions.
I just adored this collection and think everyone should read it. Big thanks to the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this stunner, Aliens Attack!
Filled with several progressive and intersecting storylines, Aliens Attack! follows the good guys, the bad guys, the okayest guys, and a few aliens during an invasion of Earth. With the backdrop of an extraterrestrial invasion of the planet, humans are defined by their humanity and everything that means: heartbreak, betrayal, joy, jealousy, hilarity, triumph, and failure. So much failure. But in an interesting twist, we see aliens in much the same light, never really giving the reader a feeling of "othering" the invaders, but understanding them and their motivations (or lack thereof). Without the continuity of a single character arc, you won't get a buttoned up resolution, but instead a very poignant glimpse into how humanity reacts in crisis and the opportunity to reflect on the "what if" of your own reactions.
I just adored this collection and think everyone should read it. Big thanks to the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this stunner, Aliens Attack!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Told from multiple povs, Housley offers a humorous, existential, thought-provoking, and, at times, tender take on an alien invasion. This isn't the alien attack from the movies—even when it is. This book is (almost) a series of connected vignettes told around the invasion. Relationships and lives at various points in their evolution and demise are presented here and intersect with a surprise attack that means the end of everything. This book is very human, even when told from the aliens' perspective, and makes you question what you would do when faced with the end—would you embrace the life you lived, or would you look back on it with regret?
May 17, 2026
I know Dave from the writer’s world and it was so fun to see inside his brain during this collection of stories/chapters. Aliens! Attack! Yikes!
I loved the different angles on how different people react when the aliens start blowing shit up. I read the scene with Cindy and the button (iykyk) out loud to my husband because TOO SOON, DAVE.
Creative, silly at times, poignant at the end. A fun read for sci-fi lovers or (like me!) not so much :)
I loved the different angles on how different people react when the aliens start blowing shit up. I read the scene with Cindy and the button (iykyk) out loud to my husband because TOO SOON, DAVE.
Creative, silly at times, poignant at the end. A fun read for sci-fi lovers or (like me!) not so much :)
April 23, 2026
Well that was different in a good way. The title says it all, aliens attack and take over. I like how it puts you in the mindset of several different people including the aliens. 3 1/2 stars
May 3, 2026
Just loved this! I wrote a longer review on the SpecFicWriters.com website, but suffice it to say that this was a fantastic read and one of my favorite scifi books in the last few years.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews