“I write whatever I feel like writing,” says author Grace Mirchandani on her website. “My books cover a wide variety of genres, tropes and styles.” Good for her. I hope her genre-hopping hero’s journey is fruitful.

But if I may be so bold, I’d like to encourage Mirchandani to stick with the science-fiction-monster-invasion sub-genre she plays around with in her novel The Them. It’s a terrific effort that’s a bit like H.G. Wells’ classic novel The War of the Worlds with a genderfuck twist along with plenty of heart and a little bit of humor. 

Like all SF invasion literature, Mirchandani’s novel taps into our insecurities about invincible alien forces coming to Earth unopposed. In this case, froggy neck-headed slug beasts slaughter two-thirds of the planet’s population before eventually abandoning their mission. And, for some inexplicable reason, these monsters really hate the ladies. They go out of their way to decapitate every woman they come across. That’s the big mystery in Mirchandani’s tale. 

In The War of the Worlds, the Martian invaders are defeated by indigenous microscopic bacteria. But in this case, it’s the female population who hold the key to forcing the aliens to retreat from Earth. Again, and like always, women are the best weapon for saving mankind.

The Them isn’t feminist science fiction, however. There’s no male/female paradigm to smash or political message to explore. The action and storytelling is pretty straightforward. I can only imagine what kind of novel Mary Shelley, Ursula K. Le Guin or Lois McMaster Bujold would have written given the same milieu.

Instead, Mirchandani finds a way to keep her storytelling as chipper as possible. She gives us a gaggle of characters who never pictured themselves in an apocalyptical scenario. Instead of being comic book superheroes, they turn out to be a motley crew of helpless victims. 

Readers see the invasion through the eyes of three main characters. Brian and Tamara are two regular people trying to survive the tragic loss of their partners. They’re hanging on as best they can. 

It’s Cal, on the other hand, who’s the wildcard. I wouldn’t call him an idiot savant, but he’s definitely an eccentric guy who possesses extraordinary survival skills. He helps his friends navigate the situation and is a valuable expositional tool for the author. 

In due course, Cal figures everything out. He understands the power of women and he finds a way to weaponize it against the invading space monsters. “We hold all the cards now,” he says triumphantly. “We found their kryptonite. It’s time to reclaim our planet and send those fuckers home.”

[ The Them / By Grace Mirchandani / First Printing: July 2024 / ISBN: 9798329433890 ]