Name: The Intergalactic Interloper
ISBN: 9781735317519

Delas Heras

This debut novel dives into the lives of bohemian New York neighbors whose worlds are turned upside down by a mysterious rooftop landing. When Ollie spots an alien on a nearby rooftop he knows right away that no one is going to believe him. Sure enough, his friends think he is losing it, and even his bandmate, Zara, is convinced he is seeing things. But she still offers to help him track down his cat, who has mysteriously vanished. Together, they follow a trail of clues that leads them inexorably upwards, towards the strange creature lurking on a rooftop overhead.

The Intergalactic Interloper

Jeff James

When I read about Delas Heras’ debut, The Intergalactic Interloper, it sounded like a perfect change of pace from the world outside. It’s a short book, humorous if not laugh-out-loud funny, and charming in a gentle, nostalgic way. The action begins in the distant past of New York City 1995, a place and time that feels comforting purely because it is a quarter of a century and thousands of miles away from where I am right now.

When part-time bookseller and aspiring musician Ollie goes looking for his missing cat, Pirate, one night, he sees a strange turtle-like alien creature disintegrate a pigeon on his roof with a ray gun. Did Pirate meet the same fate? Meanwhile, the alien, Axzleprova, is trying to make first contact with Earth cats, their local species of choice, and are frustrated by the disappearance of their favorite specimen.

Ollie does his best to convince his friends and band mates that he isn’t going crazy and that he needs their help to find his cat. The combination of an alien presence and a feline absence set off a chain of events that bring a cast of absurd characters into contact and conflict with each other. The chapters alternate viewpoints between Ollie, the alien, his friends, and several of his neighbors, some of whom get up to some very strange extracurricular activities.

I enjoyed this book, but I do feel like its breeziness made it seem a bit slight. I wanted a quick read, but I also wanted a bit more from this premise. I’ve read a few of those big, kaleidoscopic novels about disparate characters on the periphery of an event – Skippy Dies comes to mind – and I love when a novel digs in to the personalities and motivations of a huge ensemble. The Intergalactic Interloper plays with that notion but perhaps doesn’t take it far enough. Also, one of the story threads about Ollie’s neighbor Constance feels like quirkiness for the sake of it.

Price Waldman narrates the audiobook, bringing a perfect level of of arch humorousness to the absurd proceedings. I definitely think his performance adds to the entertainment value of the book, and would recommend checking it out in audio.

I’ll keep an eye out for more books by Heras. This is a promising debut, and a decent way to spend a few hours forgetting your troubles and the state of the world outside.

Originally posted at Full of Words. Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

Suzanne

This book was a lovely unexpected respite in our current pandemic.

A book set in the East Village in NYC in 1995, with the book sharing the different perspectives of people living near each other on 4th and ave A.
It is a short delightful dive into a large two headed turtle like alien duo called AxzleProva. The aliens considering cats the best species on earth is something I can get wholeheartedly get behind. They want to study cats more closely and disguise their spaceship on the roof as a water tower. I loved who different the stories were from the different perspectives. 
My aunt and uncle lived very close to where the book is set, whom I would visit yearly. It was lovely to dip back into time without cell phones.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves sci-fi, funny humor and the odd way communities form in large cities (myself living in a metropolitan city as well).

I read this book as an ARC provided by NetGalley.

The Intergalactic Interloper

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