I, for one, welcome our new alien plant people overlords. If you love alien invasion stories like The Day of the Triffids, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, or The War of the Worlds, then you don’t want to miss Overgrowth, the first new novel in several years from Mira Grant, the horror/sci-fi alias of celebrated fantasy author Seanan McGuire. Mira Grant’s terrifying take on carnivorous mermaids, Into the Drowning Deep, is still one of my all-time favorite horror novels. So when Overgrowth came out last month, it went straight to the top of my TBR.
Anastasia Miller is part of the vanguard for an invasion of alien plant people. And she can’t help compulsively sharing this fact with everyone she meets—which doesn’t make her very popular among the humans. Despite this, she’s managed to eke out a comfortable existence for herself with a loving boyfriend and friendly roommates who tolerate her quirks. Then it finally happens: a signal is detected in outer space that proves aliens are real, and they’re headed toward Earth. Now Stasia must reckon with how many of her loved ones truly believed her claims of alien origins and who was just indulging her. Stasia even doubted herself sometimes. But now that the aliens are on their way, she must make a decision: will she embrace her alien nature and side with the invaders or stand by the species who raised her and the humans she loves. As Stasia’s body begins to change, a psychic connection opens up between her and her alien kin, and the human governments begin to murmur about violent resistance, she realizes she may not truly have a choice.
Overgrowth is clearly drawing on a long tradition of plant-based aliens in film and literature and makes overt references to invasion tales that have come before. Each section of the story is prefaced by both a quote from H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds and an epigram credited to Anastasia Miller. Stasia is very self-aware of the genre and relates most strongly to the classic film Invasion of the Body Snatchers, though she is quick to note which aspects of the aliens this story “got wrong.” She and her roommate also share a love of the delightful horror-comedy musical Little Shop of Horrors—which turns a bit sour as they come to realize that Stasia is indeed a carnivorous plant and, like Audrey II, must feed on humans to survive. There are many examples of carnivorous plants in horror literature, though they often (like Audrey) take the form of some sort of giant venus flytrap that can swallow people whole, with long tentacle-vines to reel prey in. But Mira Grant takes this tale in a different direction: Stasia and her people are vampire-like, specifically consuming human blood. While the flower-shaped specimens from her home world can suck out blood through their viney tendrils, Stasia generally relies on a syringe. This aspect reminded me of one of my very favorite Edith Nesbit stories, “The Pavilion.” This short tale, originally published in 1915 and which I discovered last year while reading The House of Silence from Handheld Press, also features a vampiric plant that drains human and animal victims of their blood. There’s something about this combination of carnivorous plant tropes with the vampire genre that I really love!
While alien invasion stories and carnivorous plant tales have been told before, this novel uses these plot tropes to explore complicated questions of identity. Stasia struggles with the fact that most people don’t believe her when she tries to tell them who she is—an experience shared by her boyfriend Graham, who is transgender. This connection is part of what first brought them together and makes their bond so strong. But, of course, turning green and revealing oneself to be a member of an invading alien species bent on consuming humanity is not quite the same as coming out and transitioning one’s gender presentation. Stasia’s own sense of her identity becomes torn as the invasion approaches. She’s spent most of her life looking indistinguishable from other humans, having stolen the form and memories of a young child who had the misfortune of encountering her seed. But as her alien biology awakens, it blends with her existing human biology, creating a green, human-shaped hybrid. Will her friends and boyfriend find her too alien to love? On the other side, will her human shape prevent her from truly fitting in with her more plant-like kin? Not to mention the deeper ethical questions of whose side she should be on when the aliens attack. When presented with a sort of compromise, an option to join with the aliens and be transformed, Stasia’s friends must face their own complicated questions about identity. What aspects of yourself do you need to retain to still be you?
If you’re looking for a sci-fi novel that will make you gasp, laugh, and think, then be sure to pick up Overgrowth! You can find it on shelves now at your favorite local retailer, or buy it online and support The Gothic Library in the process by using this Bookshop.org affiliate link. Once you’ve read it, let me know your thoughts in the comments!