The Hanging Stranger is a grim short story more speculative fiction with horror elements, than science fiction. It has a decent premise and a good twist. If you enjoy some horror with your fiction I can recommend this.

The synopsis below contains *SPOILERS*.

It is a grim story about an alien force secretly invading earth. This is accomplished by replacing the population of a small town with doppelgängers. When somebody notices this absurd invasion tactic, they are promptly taken into custody and strung up for all to see (hence the title). The body serves as bait to catch the next person not yet replaced by an evil simulacra. ( )

A man sees a dead stranger hanging in plain sight but his neighbors don't seem to notice or care. How did this come to be?

This might be the first thing I've read by Philip K. Dick and perhaps a random short story wasn't the best place to start, especially as short stories aren't typically my favorite.

Despite liking sci-fi in general, this story might have appealed to me more if it weren't in that genre. At first it seemed like a study in human behavior ala the real-life Kitty Genovese tragedy (i.e., people assuming someone else is dealing with it and then nothing gets done). Then it seemed like a psychological look into one man's mind as he slowly unravels from reality. For it to then end with it actually being a story of aliens seemed anticlimactic honestly.

That all being said, it's a short story that can be read in about 30 minutes so it's still worth it if you're really invested in the genre or reading works by this particular author. ( )

Read on Serial Reader--a 2-issue short story. It all starts with a hanging man only one other man seems to notice. A stranger, dirty, a little beat up. Where did he come from, and why does no one seem perturbed?

Creepy and clever. ( )