The Adventures of Larry the Alien (McDonnell)
by John McDonnell (2011)
(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)
This was a freebie that seemed like it might be a little humorous. And it was humorous, a little.
The book is divided into eight short stories, but it's actually one continuous narrative, about the size of a short novella. I think I've read longer things in Clarkesworld magazine. But it was sold as a book and it listed online as such, so that's how I'll record it.
Murphy owns a small, quiet bar, and he likes it that way. He sees that Larry is pretty scuppered and tries to cut him off. Larry zaps him back to dinosaur times, but brings him back before he's eaten by a T-Rex. Murphy thinks this is a great trick and becomes friendly to Larry, who would later zap other people away.
Larry appears to be human because Larry can change shape so that he could look like any human or animal. And when he gets too drunk, he accidentally shifts shapes. He goes home with Murphy where he causes trouble with Murphy's wife when he takes the shape of Kim Kardashian. Most is forgiven though when he morphs into Pierce Brosnan.
Larry winds up transforming Murphy's life and his bar. Dolores (the wife) likes the changes. There is a promise of more, but I haven't looked online.
It was an interesting short book to read. Some of the problems I had with it could be excused by the fact that this is a 2011 book originally published by Smash words. I'm not overly familiar with that site, but I've seen if referenced a bit. It seems like a place I could've gotten started if I'd been so inclined and didn't luck out with eSpec Books.
Moving on.
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