THE INVADER

Episode #477 · Written by Alfred Coppel · Narrated by Scott Miller

An alien intelligence arrives on Earth with a mission it believes is both urgent and benevolent. Armed with reason, patience, and scientific certainty, it begins its work convinced that success is inevitable.

But confidence proves dangerous when perception is incomplete. As the invader moves through an unfamiliar world, small miscalculations compound into overwhelming consequences. Fear spreads, instincts collide, and the gap between understanding and reality becomes impossible to ignore.

The Invader is a tightly focused story of perspective and error, where the true threat is not malice but assumption. Alfred Coppel builds suspense through observation rather than action, allowing dread to grow as the reader recognizes what the protagonist cannot.

There are no villains in the traditional sense, only incompatible truths moving toward a brutal intersection. The story’s power lies in its restraint and its refusal to soften the cost of misunderstanding.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alfred Coppel was an American science fiction writer whose work often explored war, psychology, and the limits of rational thought. Writing during the mid-twentieth century, he developed a reputation for concise, unsettling stories that delivered their impact through irony and moral tension rather than spectacle.

The Invader is among his most remembered works, frequently cited for its chilling reversal of expectations and its sharp examination of how intelligence can fail when stripped of empathy.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to The Invader by Alfred Coppel — a gripping classic science fiction short story where alien logic collides with human fear in a deadly misunderstanding.

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