Keep Your Shape
by Robert Sheckley
Galaxy Science Fiction (November, 1953); UK No. 13 (April 1954), pp. 4-20.
Humorous SF invasion short story with philosophical undertones. Sheckley posits a race of shapechangers whose oppressive caste system limits each individual to a prescribed set of forms. Confronted with Earth’s biological diversity, the disgruntled lower echelons exhibit a tendency to go native!
The Possessors
by John Christopher (Hodder & Stoughton, 1965)
![Book cover: “The Possessors” by John Christopher (Hodder & Stoughton, 1965) [Sphere, 1978 edition]](https://www.derelictspacesheep.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Christopher_Possessors.jpg)
The sort of novel whose publication in 1965 might well have informed Innes Lloyd and Gerry Davis as they gravitated Doctor Who towards ‘base under siege’ stories. Christopher postulates an isolated setting and bleak alien invasion scenario, grimly explored through damaged characters.
The Time Mercenaries
by Philip E. High (Dobson, 1969)
The anachronistic juxtaposition promises much—a submarine crew, fighting instincts still intact, is resurrected to defend a future civilisation of genetically ordained pacifists from alien invasion—but the premise is too quickly cast aside; the captain and his men become largely superfluous.
Three to Conquer
by Eric Frank Russell (Avalon, 1956)
Russell selectively breeds two SF storylines — alien body snatchers and telepathic outsider — to produce a memorable invasion tale, told in the manner of hardboiled detective fiction (itself melding lone wolf with FBI manhunt). Cited for possible adaptation during Doctor Who’s planning stages.
The Fifth Wave
dir. J Blakeson (2016)
A not-terribly acted alien invasion film introducing young adults to the soul-destroying clichés and tropes infesting the genre. While The Others plot dystopian sequels, we learn only that teens (both as characters and viewers) are considered incapable of recognising a plot hole.
Monsters vs. Aliens
dir. Conrad Vernon & Rob Letterman (2009)
Monsters vs Aliens is an animated comedy with a surplus of incidental humour but a concomitant deficit of cohesive, character-driven plot. The jokes are funny enough but the heroine’s journey of discovery is no more compelling than a walk to the shops.