INVASION is Luke Rhinehart’s most original, entertaining and controversial novel since THE DICE MAN. A very funny Sci-Fi adventure story, a fierce political satire, a challenging look at how our civilization looks to aliens from another universe: this book is unique. To be published by Titan in September 2016.
Super-intelligent hairy beach balls suddenly appear from another universe, creatures that can change shapes and have the brain power a thousand times that of the most powerful human computer. And they’ve come to earth to play!
Cynical old codger Billy Morton finds it pretty weird when a round hairy “fish” lands in his fishing boat and follows him home. He, his wife and two boys come quickly to love this playful alien and want to protect him from humans. But when ‘Louie’ starts using their computer to hack into government and corporate accounts, steal billions, disable nuclear weapons, and generally upset the establishment, they realize that Louie and his friends mean trouble.
Although most aliens seem interested only in harmless play, the government concludes that all must be considered terrorists and be eliminated. As a result, the life of Billy and his family begins a roller-coaster ride of fame, fortune, jail, death, resurrection, and a distinguished ranking high on the FBI’s “Most Wanted” List.
The results are . . . well, that’s why you read the book.
“Classic Rhinehart. Fresh, smart and very very funny.”
Danny Wallace, Author of Yes Man
“Invasion is an incisive, iconoclastic, humane and utterly compelling . . . Luke Rhinehart delivers a subtle and fast-paced page turner . . . destined to become a classic.”
Richard Godwin, Author of One Lost Summer
“Funny, warm, and with a streak of satire sharp enough to take your leg off. Luke Rhinehart at his best. I read the book, my teeth grinding with jealousy.”
Nev Fountain
“Swinging wildly from innocent fun to black humor, playful slapstick to political evisceration, Invasion pulls off the trick only truly killer satire can manage: Making you laugh when you should be crying.”
Robert Brockway, Author of The Untouchables
“A riotous, satirical pounding from another dimension. A fine addition to the Rhinehart canon.”
Robert Wringham, Author of Escape Everything!
“How do you hold up a mirror to a crazy world that doesn’t want to look? And how do you show it where it’s going wrong without preaching? If you’re Luke Rhinehart – aka The Dice Man – you distract it hilariously with a bunch of morphing aliens whose chaotic antics serve only to demonstrate how cynical and insane the world order has become. It takes a master of satire to pull this off because as a device, bouncing ‘hairy balls’ shouldn’t work, but they do. Once you stop laughing, you’ll realise you’ve been distracted – and hypnotised – just long enough to learn the lessons he so deftly imparts.’
Steve Boggan, Author of Follow the Money
“. . . Luke has created a marvelous world, peopled it with marvelous characters and woven it into a marvelous story. It is by turns charming, satirical, laugh out-loud funny and disturbing.”
— Paul Lucas, author of seven plays, with a West End production of THE DICE HOUSE.