Helium by Dave Kenney: A Postwar UFO Novel About Grief and Gravity

What kind of book is Helium? It is a historical novel with one impossible element. Dave Kenney’s debut, published by Atmosphere Press on September 14, 2026, is set in Southern California in the late 1940s and early 1950s, when sightings of strange lights and flying saucers filled newspapers. Its heroine, Joan, carries a secret that the publisher frames as a gravity problem: in some moments she is not entirely held to the ground.

The setup

Joan is grieving. The war took a man she loved, and other losses followed. She ends up, more or less by chance, at Palomar Gardens, a tiny settlement at the foot of the mountain where the great Hale Telescope was being completed. There she takes a job in a roadside cafe that comes with lodging and a small circle of coworkers who spend their off hours talking about the sky.

At the center of that circle is George, the cook, who is writing about life on other worlds and who gradually remakes himself as a prophet of the space age. As his fame grows, mysterious machines appear in the sky and vanish again, and Joan has to decide how much of what she is seeing is wonder and how much is performance. The jacket copy calls it a story of faith, folly and the longing to touch the stars.

Real history underneath

The novel draws on a real moment. The Palomar Observatory's 200-inch mirror was hauled up the mountain in 1947 and the telescope was dedicated in 1948, and the area became a magnet for people who believed visitors from space were near. Reviewers note that Kenney builds the plot around the era's news coverage of saucers and contactees, and seasons it with period details from music, drinks and cosmetics.

What the critics said

Foreword Reviews gave Helium its top Clarion rating, five out of five, and described it as a mesmerizing historical novel driven more by serendipity than by action. BlueInk Review called it skillfully written and multi-dimensional while noting a slow pace that leaves room for the characters to develop. Both reviews point to late revelations, one about the wise man on the mountain and one about what has been weighing Joan down, so new readers should avoid spoilers.

Who it suits

Readers who liked quiet literary novels with a speculative edge, fans of mid-century California settings, and anyone interested in the history of UFO culture will find the most to enjoy. Readers who want a fast thriller should know that both reviews describe a leisurely build.

Book details

• Title: Helium
• Author: Dave Kenney
• Publisher: Atmosphere Press
• Published: September 14, 2026
• Length: 398 pages (paperback)
• ISBN: 9798901742709
• Formats: paperback and ebook (Amazon Kindle listing)