LEFT
By Paul McGrath
Fiction / Satire / Humor
Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing
Pages: 232
Publication Date: March 14, 2025
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*** SYNOPSIS ***
A Sci-Fi Satire of Alien Espionage, Southern Charm & Chaos on Earth!
First-time novelist Paul McGrath delivers a sharp, witty, and wildly entertaining sci-fi satire that asks: What if an alien held up a mirror to America—and we didn’t like what we saw?
Anton-7—aka Roy McDonald—was supposed to observe Earth, not get stuck on it. But after missing his ride back to planet Xylodon, he decides to make the most of his exile in Hernando, Mississippi. Breaking the number-one rule of alien espionage—never interfere—he dives headfirst into human affairs, finding friendship, romance, and the simple joys of a good cup of coffee and a highly anticipated trip to Buc-ee’s.
But when tragedy strikes, Anton-7 takes matters into his own hands, setting off a whirlwind of chaos that shakes both Earth and Xylodon.
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*** REVIEW***
Sci-fi satire in a fun new book.
As a former journalist turned fiction fiction writer, I know how hard it is to throw off the style of writing that served us so well when writing news stories, as well as feature stories for magazines and newspapers in print. We “told” stories via our words, and those words could be interesting, even compelling, but we didn’t “show” the reader through depth of character or scenes that pulled a reader in by engaging all the senses -making the story and the characters feel real.
Knowing the difficulty of that transition, I highly commend McGrath for bringing us a good story in his debut novel. There are places where the fiction writer shines. Such as during Roy/Anton’s conversations with the WWII vet, Ezra, nicknamed “Gator.” Ezra comes across as a grandfather figure and much of the humor in the book is in the scenes with them at the Waffle Barn. For example this response from Ezra to Roy asking how he was that day, “Still vertical and ventilatin’ for what that’s worth.”
Those mornings together for breakfast and coffee are even more fun when Ellie joins them and Gator is obviously hoping the two “youngsters” will get together.
Of course they do, and the bantering between them as the relationship develops is playful and fun. I enjoyed their scenes together like this one when Roy visits her classroom and talks to the kids about plants and introduces them to the science of botany. The road trip that Ellie and Roy take to Memphis is also a strong scene with lots of humor.
Other scenes weren’t so strong and that’s where the journalist slipped back in to the writing.
The premise of the story is clever and the reasons that Anton and others from Xylodon are here on earth is refreshingly different from stories where aliens want to take over Earth. It was most interesting to note that much of what is wrong with societies on Earth is paralleled in the society of that distant planet. When focusing on the U.S. government there is one great quote from the fictional president that I highlighted, “Yes,” the president said, “How about introducing a law that would require members of Congress to have to serve as pallbearers the next time there’s a school shooting.”
My sentiments exactly, and what a wonderful way for an author to make a point without being preachy or heavy-handed.
The book would’ve benefitted from a more careful edit. There were places that words were used incorrectly, such as “nodded in the negative.” A nod is always affirmative. And I winced when I saw a form of the “n” word used to describe how someone acted in a situation. Thankfully, that was the only time the word shows up, and it’s in the context of an expression that was common and acceptable – to some – in the 40s and 50s.
Despite those few glitches, I enjoyed the read. This is an enjoyable novel presented with a light touch on the sci-fi and the romance, which is always a pleasure for me. And I always like good satire. If all that suits your taste, then this is a title to check out for sure.
*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR ***
Paul McGrath is an award-winning journalist and educator whose career spans five decades. He spent thirty-seven years working at the Houston Chronicle after stints in Conroe, Lubbock, and Lockhart, Texas. He currently teaches at Texas A&M University.
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