Steven Millhauser, "The Invasion from Outer Space"

An invasion from outer space hits a town.

"We had wanted, we had wanted—oh, who knew what we’d been looking for? We had wanted blood, crushed bones, howls of agony."

I love Steven Millhauser. He's one of my all-time favorites. He crafts prose so elegantly it puts me in the scene. I cannot recommend him highly enough.

Imagine my surprise over finding a story in the New Yorker, and it's science fiction! Elegant and short, we are treated to a benign (?) invasion from space. I, personally, would not want to live in this town in the aftermath. There's something creepy in the ending. I leave it to you to discover this major talent.

Read it here.