Al Hess blends neurodivergent passion with eerie suburban secrets in Key Lime Sky as a group of queer, quirky misfits uncover a supernatural phenomenon after a UFO explodes over a small Wyoming town. Within the pages of this delightfully cozy adventure, Hess creates a slow burn of supernatural proportions, the tone shifting imperceptibly into hazy, creeping horror, blanketing the mundane in the surreal as reality rips itself apart around a pie-loving food blogger and xir budding romantic partner, a plus-sized Latino bartender. As secrets are unveiled, conspiracies crushed, and preparations for the end of the world are made, Denver Bryant finds a family – and place – to call home.

Denver PIES. A lot. Xe loves pie. Xe knows pie. Xe reviews pie. It’s an everyday part of xir life: eating pie, critiquing pie, talking about pie, and offering unabashed and unasked for opinions of pie. Xir safe space is xir blog, where, you guessed it, xe writes about pie. And also, maybe talks about aliens, a long-lost childhood fascination of xir, when a UFO explodes over town as xe’s heading back home from a particularly bad pie tasting.

The weird thing? No one in town seems to remember the explosion of neon green and magenta light. They don’t notice the static of the radio, an all-encompassing buzz. They don’t notice that the internet has gone out, or that the TVs have lost their signal, words ping-ponging across screens in blank despair. It’s eerie and deeply unsettling, Denver a phantom ghost floating through an unaware town, xir questions dismissed, unheard, and only reaffirming xir sense of loneliness and isolation. They all write the event – and Denver’s questions – off as another one of Professor Pie’s strange quirks. The continued dismissal is grating on xir already frayed, overstimulated nerves, and Denver turns to the only real safe space xe has to document the strange event: xir blog. Just an addendum to a blunt review of an unsatisfactory cherry pie to vent and document the strange experience.

Instead of falling into obscurity, mention of the UFO encounter rockets xir ailing blog back into viral territory, generating much needed revenue. It’s reinvigorating and overwhelming to be seen, to be accepted, to be heard, and that sense of belonging urges Denver into an all-out investigation. What starts as an impromptu Q&A as Denver wanders around town, thrown off by the presence of strange hail-pebbles that xe was convinced xe dreamed overnight, turns into the start of a romantic relationship when Ezra Gómez Miramontes, a new-to-town bartender, invites Denver over to look at the alien hailstones under a microscope while they eat xir favorite pie and talk about aliens and conspiracy theories.

What unfolds thereafter is wholesome and charged with tension – surreal, sexual, and suspenseful – as the duo navigate highs and lows, with incredible attention to detail. Charming, witty banter goes hand-in-hand with acceptance, with Hess highlighting the reality of neurodivergence for many. Denver experiences intense sensory overload and on-the-page autistic meltdowns but is written with an incredible sense of compassion and care. As a fellow neurodivergent, it was so nice to feel seen on the page – in the harsh clatter of dishes in a diner; in the never-ending, incessant thoughts that just won’t stop; in feeling too much, thinking too much, hearing too much – aided by the fact Hess writes with incredible attention to detail, bringing the visual and sensory to life. Sights, sounds, smells, textures – all are laid bare on the page with open honesty and impeccable detail, and the result is an amalgamation of Denver’s life. From delicious, unheard of pies that made me question if, perhaps, I dislike pie not because of textual issues, but simply because I haven’t found the right one yet, to viscous body horror, there’s never any doubt about what Denver is experiencing as reality slowly falls apart in the wake of the UFO sighting.

Denver is observant, blunt, opinionated, and incredibly determined, which makes xem the perfect candidate for a surreal exploration of the unknown, but xe’s also deeply insecure and lonely and sincere. Xe wants, desperately, to belong, but is often plagued by feelings of frustration and self-doubt, filled with the need to explain, to apologize, to reign in xir questions and answers and everything that makes xem unique. Slowly but surely, Ezra’s patience and acceptance help Denver to realize that xe does belong. As the two joke over government coverups and space hermit crabs over bourbon pecan pie topped with whipped cream, a sense of calm temporarily blots out the anxious unease and fear building just below the surface, ebbing and flowing as the novel progresses into a surreal landscape of looping highway markers, orange sandstorms, distorted photographs, and buildings turned inside out as the quest to discover what is happening in Muddy Gap, Wyoming unfolds.

Through it all, Ezra, gentle, patient, and understanding, becomes a safe space. His charming gestures and hopelessly romantic tendencies add an element of sweet acceptance to the narrative, which is littered with small love letters to Denver: in hand-picked flowers and tentative apologies, sharpied tattoos and rumpled sheets, comfort movies and colorful cat bandaids. As the world falls apart around them, Ezra and Denver embark on a passionate journey of comfort and acceptance. It’s subtle, tender, and impossibly wholesome, with Ezra being the first of many to outwardly express support in Denver’s ability to solve the puzzle that is the invasion of Muddy Gap.

What unfolds is a cozy sci-fi adventure, wherein a band of unlikely misfits conquer the alien apocalypse, all while finding acceptance and embracing their own identity amidst a backdrop of speculation that builds until it bursts in an eerie, unsettling wave of vibrant color, bringing with it a new beginning. Unabashed in its exploration of neurodiversity and tender in its exploration of romance and found family, Key Lime Sky is nothing short of delightful, combining surrealism with wit, and adding in a dash of eldritch horror in an unforgettable adventure fueled by tangerine nightmares, key lime skies, and hazy, iridescent photographs.

Al Hess has whipped up a deliciously unique out of this world adventure! Key Lime Sky is the epitome of cozy sci-fi with a side of eerie suspense and I loved every single second of it! Filled with mystery, romance, and of course, lots of pie - this otherworldly tale is a beautiful ode to found family, finding yourself, falling in love…and fighting aliens.💚

🥧 Pie
🛸 UFOs
🔍 Mystery
💻 Blogger
🕵️‍♂️ Investigation
🧠 Neurodivergent
🫖 Cozy
🏳️‍🌈 Queer
🥧 More Pie
🏡 Small Town
🗺️ Adventure

Key Lime Sky is one of my favorite reads of the year and I’m so excited to see what Al Hess comes up with next!

Thank you so much Angry Robot for the advanced copy!

“Hi, I’m Denver. Any pronouns.” Thank you Angry Robot Books and Al Hess for this free early book.
“Key Lime Sky” by Al Hess ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: SciFi. Location: Muddy Gap, Wyoming, USA. Time: Spring, near future. Note: LGBTQ+ and Disability inclusive.

Denver Bryant is 34, autistic, non-binary, and comfortable with any pronouns. (I’m using ‘he’ based on Denver’s comments on conjugating ‘xe’) Denver loves pie so much locals call him Professor Pie. He posts passionate pie reviews from across Wyoming. Driving home from a diner (nasty cherry pie!), he sees a UFO flash and burst over Muddy Gap. When he talks to locals, they’re angry-and no one saw anything. Not the hail storm of brain-weakening seashells (hailshells). Not the orange sand, or the disappearing residents. Denver’s convinced folks won’t talk to him because he’s different, so he documents it on his pie blog. The only one who takes him seriously is handsome bartender Ezra.. They must destroy the alien source before it crumples reality.

I love author Hess’ use of description: (“The scent of faded rain” “The insect whine of gossiping neighbors”.) He’s written a quirky scifi story that’s much more than just its genre. Hess gives us unbiased, kind, gentle relationships-with someone who is safe, who doesn’t judge you for your differences-who reassures you it’s ok to feel upset, that you don’t need to apologize for being yourself. You’ll feel the heat in a new relationship. If you love TJ Klune, this is your new book! It’s ‘local misfit fights alien invaders’ and ‘secretive government coverups’, it’s also disability awareness and loving relationships, and it’s 5 stars from me!🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️

It's no surprise at all to me that I loved Key Lime Sky - I've been a huge fan of Al Hess since reading Mazarin Blues, and every one of his books has been a winner for me since.

In Key Lime Sky, we get the fantastic rep that I've come to know and love from Hess, this time with non-binary, autistic, Cherokee, plus-size, pansexual, Latino, Black, trans-femme, and more. The main characters are also stunningly illustrated by Hess, another of my favourite features of his books.

Plot-wise, this was a great ride. A twist on the classic pop-culture, remote-town USA, alien invasion story, Key Lime Sky combines weird and wonderful happenings in a mystery plot that keeps you guessing, filled with almost psychedelic imagery, and a heck of a lot of delicious pie. Like seriously, I'm craving some so much!

The writing was witty, introspective, exciting, moving, and filled with relatable emotion especially for those who see themselves in Hess's characters, like I do. Within a wild sci-fi plot sits the real focal point of the story - human relationships, overcoming past trauma, trust, and accepting & defending one's own experience.

As always, I highly recommend Al Hess's work (all of it!) and hope that you'll also give Key Lime Sky a go when it's released in August this year. I've already pre-ordered it! I received this ARC from Angryrobotbooks directly and on Netgalley but as always these opinions are my own, honest, and freely given. Thank you to Al Hess for another wonderful book, and for access to this ARC!

In typical Al Hess fashion, Key Lime Sky is an enjoyable, heart-warming delight, with an added sprinkling of SFF wonder. However, in some ways, I did find this slightly weaker than his previous novels. Although it was still an utter joy to read, and I found Denver's POV to be really engaging, I would have liked more exploration of the side characters and the world itself. Outside of Denver's interiority, and some glimpses of Ezra's background, there were a few underdeveloped aspects of the tale. That said, I had a wonderful time reading this - and it made me want to procure and eat some pie (though I'm slightly in awe of the Alphabet Pie - I can't believe that, upon Googling, it turns out to be real).
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Utterly charming and delightful. A story of kind yet socially excluded people learning their true courage in the face of a UFO invasion.

From the blurb, the cover and the fun pun title I felt I had a good chance of really liking this book. And I really did! But it was so much more than I expected. This book delivered all the cheesy sci-fi I was hoping for alongside the small town American diner vibes, and I discovered so many flavours of pie I want to try (pistachio pie! Why have I never had this before?). It absolutely nails the nostalgic feeling from sci-fi b-movie, UFO invasion, area 51 that I wanted from this book. The atmosphere is perfect!

However, alongside this core narrative of the alien invasion of the small town of Muddy Gap, we also have so much more. We have a beautiful love story of two people who are kind, curious, passionate and socially excluded in their town. We have a found family where people support each other and see the good in each other in a time of great peril. We have heroes who challenge the stereotypes of people you’d typically see in alien invasion stories and show how valuable and strong people are.

It was fascinating seeing Denver’s perspective as the peril increases. Denver gets overwhelmed but sees patterns and details that others miss. Xe is frequently treated as odd by some of the townsfolk and when xe tries to help and warn others of the UFO invasion xe is ignored. Xe is continually called ‘Professor Pie’ by the townsfolk and is frustrated when people won’t call xem Denver (a name that is special to xem for a really personal and meaningful reason). Denver’s character growth is just phenomenal throughout this story as xe reacts to the challenge of the alien and also learns to open up and trust others.

Ezra is such a wonderful romantic interest, so kind and supportive. It was such a sweet romance where two people just find such joy and support in each other.

How has this book managed to pack so much into not a huge amount of pages? I loved this and I’m already thinking about friends I want to get this book for who I think will find it really meaningful.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to Al Hess, Angry Robot books and Net Galley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for allowing me to read an arc of this book.

Al Hess is one of my favourite authors and I was so excited to get to read an arc of Key Lime Sky. I knew the premise of the book but even knowing a few details hadn’t prepared me for how mind bending and exciting this story would be. I enjoyed it so much and it was so different to any other book I’ve read.
It was also so nice to read a book with a nonbinary character who uses any pronouns including neo pronouns which xe prefers. I really connected to Denver with how xe often felt like xe didn’t fit in with other people or was a burden, and I really liked getting both perspectives on that. I also really enjoyed the romance between Denver and Ezra and reading about Denver’s blog and love of pie. The alien storyline was woven throughout in a really thoughtful way and all of the theory behind how it occurred made a lot of sense. I don’t want to give too much away, so I think I’ll leave it there, but I highly recommend this book!