When Kyle Leverson, prematurely retired from the U.S. Army after being injured in combat, and living alone in a remote spot in the mountains of northern Arkansas, goes to investigate on hearing a thud outside his home, he finds, to his shock, that an alien has landed in his garden, after a malfunction in its unreality-drive exploration starship. This is not a War of the Worlds scenario, though. The alien was hurt during its enforced descent to Earth, when its fast-disintegrating lifepod dropped through the canopy of the pine trees on the mountainside and dumped it right beside Kyle's house. When Kyle nervously rescues the wounded creature and takes it into his home to see if he might be able to help it, it is grateful for his assistance--very grateful.

As Earth becomes an interstellar species, the ramifications hit home -- literally. Alien Cresperians scattered all over Earth; enemy Snappers seeking to expand their interstellar empire in any way they can. And Sergeant Edward "Bang" Bangler finds himself in the midst of two of the biggest battles he's ever been in -- a battle for his heart, and a battle for his home.

When a stranger invades geneticist Mai Trung's office, he has to say only one word to get her interested in leaving with him: Xenobiology. Rumors have been rife about aliens on Earth, but only a select few know that they arrived on widely scattered lifeboats from a wrecked spaceship. Mai is brought into the secret group working with a few of the surviving aliens because they have one trait that is almost incredible for its implications: They can turn themselves into perfect humans. More than perfect, actually. Closer to superhuman. And Mai is told she will be working with one of the aliens in order to help figure out how to apply that ability to humans; to heal injuries, to slow or even reverse the aging process, to make oneself healthier or more attractive. In the meantime, other scientists are re-engineering some of the alien technology in order to build a faster-than-light spaceship before other nations who have captured aliens do so. From that first word in her office, Mai begins an incredible journey that will eventually take her to the stars and into a whole new existence. Sequel to Human by Choice.

Oops! is the third collection of stories by Darrell Bain. When Cupid and a Gremlin bump heads, the sparks fly in a rare fantasy story by the author. Others stories in the collection include A Simple Idea, an almost ludicrously simple method of eliminating corruption and idiocy from the political process, one that has been around for centuries but gone unrecognized. Cure for an Ailing Alien finds a nurse who must come up with a cure for an alien, one whose bodily processes are completely unknown. You'll be amazed at her cure! Retribution is the story of unexpected consequences when alien meets human. Robyn's Rock is partially based on a happening in the author's life during a walk with his granddaughter.
There are many more stories in this collection, all written in the individual style that has kept Bain's readers coming back for more for the past twenty years. This a book to add to your collection, stories by a notable, multi-award winning author.

Bark is the humorously wild tale, set in Texas, of an addled little, ADHD-affected dachshund named Tonto, who just happens to be the only thing standing between the earth and an accidental alien invasion. The book also contains the autobiography of the real-life little "weenie dog" who inspired the story.