Humanity once fought off a global alien invasion—but the threat may not be over. New developments suggest the enemy could return stronger and more prepared. This time, the outcome may not be the same.

In these science fiction books, extraterrestrial beings are sympathetic, horrifying and everything in between.

Once a month, we feature a story from Lightspeed’s current issue. This month’s selection is “Hell is Empty” by J.R. Dawson.