I read Nicholas Fisk as a kid, or at least I think I did. I’m certainly familiar with his work. For years, I was shit-scared of the Penguin cover for Space Hostages—so scared that I’m unsure if I cracked the covers.

I was aware of Grinny, but I know I never read it. So, thank you to Sam Lieth and Backlisted for forcing me at gunpoint to pick it up and its prophetic sequel, You Remember Me.

Grinny has the simplest of plots. Aliens are seeking to invade Earth. But before they arrive in their hordes, they’ve sent a scout to check out the planet and determine how easy (or hard) it will be to conquer. That scout arrives as Tim and Beth’s Great Aunt Emma. This is, of course, a lie. There is no such person as Great Aunt Emma. However, a hypnotic suggestion that affects the adults, not the kids, means that Emma is accepted into the family. It’s left to Tim and Beth to uncover Grinny’s devious plan and defeat her!

Grinny is terrifying, but no more frightening than Doctor Who of the period (the early 70s). Autons pretending to be cops, aliens pretending to be Great Aunts—it’s all the same glorious tapestry aimed at frightening the crap out of kids. Are we still frightening eight to ten-year-olds like this? I hope so!*

Thirteen years later comes the sequel, You Remember Me. The alien, Grinny, is back as the vivacious, beautiful, charismatic Lisa Treadgold. With the phrase “You Remember Me,” she has hypnotised everyone, including Tim, a cub reporter working for the local rag. Only Beth seems impervious to Lisa’s charm.

Given the current rise in populism and fascism, You Remember Me is incredibly timely and prescient. The way Treadgold worms her way into the minds of those around her, silencing anyone who defies her, is genuinely confronting. The climax is also far bloodier (without any descriptions of gore) than I expected. Also, threaded amongst all the authoritarianism and creepiness is a fascinating lesson about how to make a battery.**

Both books are terrific—short and punchy, scary and funny. I should probably get past my fears and read Space Hostages.

*I genuinely don’t know because I don’t read contemporary middle-grade fiction, and I don’t want to come off as a reactionary bemoaning a golden age of kids’ literature from when I was a kid. But, hey, feel free to inform me.

** No, I didn’t immediately go out and make my own battery. I did it a week later.