Thomas King's new novel imagines how we'd react if aliens paid us a visit — read an excerpt now

Renowned American Canadian author Thomas King returns with his new novel, Aliens on the Moon, which follows the residents of a small Ontario town who are dealing with different life-changing challenges — whether it's a car breakdown or a love affair.

When their lives are suddenly upended by the same extraordinary event — the arrival of aliens — their reactions are both comical and revealing. 

While some fear the aliens' proclamations of their mandate to save Earth, others see their visit as a chance to take advantage of possible perks, like having a massive discount weekend at Costco. 

"Sometimes books emerge from the consideration of the standard tropes — life and death, love and hate, revenge, redemption, resurrection," King told CBC Books in an email. 

But King says his latest book was inspired by the simple question of how we'd respond if our fabled alien encounters were to become a reality. 

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"After 50 years of dealing with movie aliens, would the arrival of real aliens move our needles? How would we deal with such a situation? Would we forget our differences, band together against a common threat?" 

"Or would we simply avert our eyes, ignore reality, because feigned ignorance has worked so well with climate change, racism and gender equality?" King said.

Thomas King is a Canadian American writer of Cherokee and Greek ancestry who is regarded as one of the most influential Indigenous writers and scholars of his generation. 

King was the first Indigenous person to deliver a CBC Massey Lecture in 2003.

His books include Truth & Bright Water; Green Grass, Running Water, which was on Canada Reads in 2004; The Inconvenient Indian, which was on Canada Reads in 2015; and The Back of the Turtle, which won the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction in 2014. He also writes the DreadfulWater mystery series. 

Aliens on the Moon will be out on Aug. 15, 2025. You can read an excerpt of it below. 

Chapter 1 

The Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile is the first to raise the alarm. In quick order, SALT in South Africa, Roque de los Muchachos on La Palma in the Canaries, Mauna Kea on Hawaii, and SPT in Antarctica all confirm the Paranal observation.

Aliens have landed on the moon.

Chapter 2 

Three days after the aliens arrive from deep space and park their ship on the moon, Nico Karras is at the local Subaru dealership, where the tow truck has brought his new Forester.

Gary Tidy is behind the service desk.

"This is the fourth time it's happened," Nico tells Gary. "I get in the car, and it won't start."

There's a television set in the service waiting area, and CBC News is looping an enlarged image of the moon.

Gary points to the television. "Did you know that all the places on the moon have Latin names?"

"My car?"

"The spaceship landed in Mare Imbrium."

The pictures on the television are grey and grainy, and Nico can't see much that resembles a spaceship.

"I think there's something wrong with the electrical system." "'Mare Imbrium' means 'Sea of Rains.' Kinda cool."

"I'm concerned," says Nico, "that there could be a systemic flaw in the car that is draining the battery."

"Missed you last week," says Gary. "Chuck almost got an eagle of the eighth." "Been busy," says Nico.

"How's your mum?" "The battery?"

"She settling into Falling Leaves okay?" "Autumn Leaves. The battery?"

Gary looks away from the television to his monitor. "We'll give it a quick charge and see how that works."

"And if that doesn't fix the problem?" "Then it could be a bad battery." "Which Subaru will replace?"

"Can you believe it?" Gary hums the opening bars from Star Wars. "There actually is intelligent life in the universe."

You're just in time," she tells Nico. "They're expecting the aliens to exit their ship any moment now.

When Nico gets back to the house, Sudi is sitting on the sofa, watching the continuing coverage of the aliens on the moon.

"You're just in time," she tells Nico. "They're expecting the aliens to exit their ship any moment now."

"They being?"

"See those guys." Sudi waggles a finger at two men in suits who are having an animated conversation. "They're experts."

"On what?"

"And your mother called." Sudi twirls a finger in the air.

"Let me guess." Nico sits down on the sofa with a thud. "Autumn Leaves is a dump? She wants to move back to her old house? Should have had a daughter? Have I missed anything?"

"You'll never make her happy. She's angry because she's lost control of her life." Nico stares straight ahead at the television. "Why is the sound off?"

"Have you ever listened to experts?"

Nico gets a glass of water from a push spout on the refrigerator door. It's a feature of the appliance that he likes. The water is cold, so you don't have to rummage in the freezer for ice cubes.

"Autumn Leaves is a great place," says Nico. "It sure as hell isn't cheap."

I think we can assume that the aliens didn't come all this way just to sit on the moon.

"I think we can assume that the aliens didn't come all this way just to sit on the moon." Sudi turns away from the screen.

"How's your car?"

"They charged the battery." "Didn't they do that last time?"

[no ornament]

The next morning, the car won't start. The guy who arrives is the same guy who towed the car the day before.

"Didn't we tow you yesterday?" The patch on the guy's coveralls says HECTOR. "We did."

"And now the car won't start? Again?"

"It might not be the battery," says Nico. "There could be something wrong with the car itself."

Hector opens the hood. "Hey, you interested in snow removal?" "Now?"

"Course not," says Hector. "In the winter. Gary just got a pickup with a snowplow. He's signing people up. Now's the time to get on the list."

"I normally do it myself," says Nico.

"Number one cause of heart attacks." Hector hands Nico a card that says TIDY PROPERTY MANAGEMENT. "Bet he'd give you a good rate. Seeing as you guys play golf together."

"Right now," says Nico, "number one priority is the car."

"You have to wonder." Hector hooks the Subaru up to the tow truck. "Aliens land on the moon, and now your car doesn't work."

Adapted and excerpted from Aliens On the Moon by Thomas King, published by HarperCollins Canada. Copyright © 2025 by Dead Dog Café Productions Inc. Reprinted courtesy of HarperCollins Canada. All rights reserved.