Off Course

When a strange spacecraft lands in a field, state patrolmen Larry Dermott and Tim Casey are first on the scene—and quickly find themselves face-to-face with an alien named Dameri Tass. Unable to understand his language, they watch in baffled disbelief as he offers a metal-capped translation device, only for Tim to collapse in pain before the device finally lets him speak with the visitor, albeit in a thick brogue that deepens the comic chaos. Dameri Tass is fascinated by Earth's horse and misunderstands human life with delightful absurdity, but the moment is cut short when Army officers and helicopters arrive, turning a roadside oddity into a military operation. Whisked to Washington, the alien becomes the focus of governments, diplomats, and a waiting world, all eager to believe he may hold answers to Earth's troubles. Blending satire, slapstick, and first-contact wonder, the story follows humanity's anxious hope that an outsider might save it—and the fear of what that help could cost. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.