Tom Beresford - failed academic, alien familiar, and tyro sci-fi scribbler - is out of inspiration. Although he's finished his first novel, he's not sure what to do with it in the face of an antagonistic publishing industry. But then he and his friends - Ed, Simon and Amanda - uncover what appears to be a plot against another revered Norwich institution: the month-long City of Ale booze-fest. To get to the bottom of this, they must visit fifty-nine pubs on nine ale trails to collect stamps and decipher subliminal alien messages, a task that Tom and his friends (at least Ed and Simon) grudgingly accept*. Three Men in a Bar, Thomas?But what is the nature of the peril - if there truly is one? And what does this have to do with the return of Max, Amanda's ex, from Germany? Or to the formation of a vociferous new environmental movement in the city? And who is the mysterious 'Fixer' who seems to be at the heart of the alien shenanigans? And what is the role of their nemesis, Terminus Est?Science fiction? Comedy? Autobiography? Metafiction? Even Tom doesn't know what the hell is going on. Let's hope he works it all out by the time of the final full stop.*Yeah, right!