Jerry Pournelle

Jerry Pournelle passed away recently. He was the co-author, with Larry Niven, of one of my all-time favorite alien invasion books, Footfall. The Earth is invaded by aliens who look like baby elephants with multiple tentacles instead of trunks.

Trust me, it reads a lot better than it sounds. Niven and Pournelle take the alien invasion step by step, describing the attack, and the human response, in great detail that's very well researched. Imagine Tom Clancy (The Hunt For Red October) meets Independence Day, and you'll get a good idea of what Footfall is like. This is an excellent book that's highly recommended.