Chasing Aliens

Daniel Lavelle dives headfirst into America’s UFO fever dream and comes back with something rarer than alien wreckage: clarity. Chasing Aliens is hilarious, humane and quietly devastating, a road trip through sky watches and Skinwalker Ranch that becomes a deeper reckoning with belief, loneliness and the stories we tell to make the cosmos feel less empty – Eliot Higgins, author of WE ARE BELLINGCATMany of us have questions about aliens. Are they real? Have they visited? Who’s covering them up? In Chasing Aliens, Daniel Lavelle tackles all of these with the relish of a believer and the diligence of a sceptic. But beyond that he answers the question that really matters: what is it we’re talking about when we’re talking about aliens? – James Ball, winner of the Pulitzer PrizeLavelle’s quest for the truth about the UFO phenomenon involves a fascinating journey across the United States where he meets a colourful cast of characters who are at least as interesting as the UFO mystery itself. A hugely entertaining, gonzo-style examination of UFOs, ufology and ufologists – Nick PopeA wild trip into the unknown and the surreal with Oldham’s answer to Hunter S. Thompson, except with more laughs, more heart and less bullshit. An essential book from one of the best non-fiction writers in the UK – Lanre Bakare, author of WE WERE THEREChasing Aliens is an exhilarating adventure into the dusty heart of American conspiracy land, where Daniel Lavelle tries to parse alien myth from government secrecy from captivating lunacy. Lavelle’s investigation is, at the same time, utterly serious and totally berserk. His rip-roaring, edge-of-your-seat narration is injected with as much serious research as there is joy, humour and intrigue. I’m recommending this book to everyone I know – Cara McGoogan, author of THE POISON LINEWith equal measures of sincerity and scepticism, Daniel Lavelle takes us into the UFO heartlands of America. But what begins as a journalistic quest for extraterrestrial evidence develops into a tender exploration of the question: are we alone? I loved going on this road trip to find ‘the little green men’ in Lavelle’s funny, heartfelt and clear-eyed book – Katie Goh, author of FOREIGN FRUITLavelle, a young British journalist, won an Orwell Prize in 2023 for his reporting on homelessness (including his own experience). This book may seem like a swerve: he takes a road-trip across the United States, not only to investigate why more than 40 per cent of Americans believe aliens have made contact, but to meet some who claim it’s happened to them. But the same journalistic skills are at play: enthusiasm, deft writing and an attention to the strange, fascinating details of ordinary lives – Cal Revely-Calder & Lucy Thynne * The Telegraph, Books to Look Forward to in 2026 *

Daniel Lavelle is an Orwell Prize-winning freelance feature writer from Manchester. His first book, Down and Out, was published in 2022 and won a Royal Society of Literature award for non-fiction writing.

He has covered topics such as mental health, homelessness, and culture for the Guardian (for whom he co-authored the series ‘The Empty Doorway’), New Statesman, and the Independent. He received the Guardian’s Hugo Young award for an opinion piece on his experience of homelessness.

‘The Empty Doorway’ won Feature of the Year at the British Journalism Awards 2019 and was nominated for the same award at the National Press Awards 2020.