In Raham’s SF novel, long after an asteroid apocalypse has erased human civilization from Earth, various alien interlopers compel the planet’s guardian spirit to take drastic measures.

The author continues his tongue-in-cheek Dead Genius SF series, launched with A Singular Prophecy (2011). Earth has, for eons, been either settled or seeded by space-traveling civilizations that largely rise and fall haphazardly while myopically failing to note the others’ existence or respect other forms of intelligence. Following an asteroid strike that ended the present human era, Earth was colonized by the Jadderbadians, insect-folk who spend most of their long lives in worm/maggot stages. Their religion blinds many of them to the truth that the scruffy Earth “primates” who serve as their pets (or irritate them as pests) are actually remnants of advanced Homo sapiens. Among the other exotic races and entities in the mix is Gaidra, a planetary consciousness annoyed by the eco-injuries inflicted by all the egocentric life forms fixated on their own greed, grandeur, and procreation. Only a few comprehend the Big Picture, including the digitized personality of Rudy Goldstein, a tech genius who was (unwillingly) turned into sentient code after his biological death, and Mnemosyne, Rudy’s AI caretaker, who presents herself to the degraded remaining humans as the Spider Woman, a tribal goddess (“They say she lives in a metal mountain and speaks to them in times of great danger”). An imminent seismic disaster means they all must unite to survive. Raham uses the book’s complicated setup for clever excursions into exobiology, interspecies culture-clash farce, evolutionary eccentricity, catastrophism comedy, and SF in-jokes (oh, was that a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy reference that just went by?). The finale is more like a series cast-reunion frolic, and the weird science becomes quite a potluck party, though the ultimate message is clear: Even the most bizarrely divergent beasties should cooperate for the common good. New readers to the series will particularly appreciate the author’s drawings, charts, and timelines, which should offset some confusion.

An increasingly madcap conclusion to an eco-themed SF saga of a weary Earth chafing under its alien tenants.

On a future, much-altered Earth, the archived intellect of crusty scientific genius is resurrected to confront various threats.

Raham’s comical SF sequel may confuse newcomers by thrusting together ensemble casts/creatures from his two previous books, A Singular Prophecy(2011) and A Once-Dead Genius in the Kennel of Master Mortice Ambergrand(2018). This installment’s cast includes human paleontologist Ryan Thompson and his lover, Skeets; they are more or less immortal because they fused with powerful “Grovians,” vaguely equine quadruped aliens (secretly inhabiting Earth since the Cretaceous) who spawn and hibernate in structures resembling trees. Returning players are: the digitized mind of grouchy scientist Rudy Goldstein and his guardian AI computer, Mnemosyne, aka “Nessie.” Both are lone remnants of technological human civilization following an apocalyptic asteroid strike. This odd couple had brokered peace between human survivors and the insectlike Jadderbadians, another bizarre alien race colonizing a beleaguered Earth. Now in a fresh caper, both sets of protagonists (plus substantial entourages) become aware of each other in the process of confronting threats. Ito Prime, a clone Grovian with no affection for any other race, is dangerously at large, possessing different bodies while seeking world domination. And the sentient aura/spirit/energy field of Earth, called Gaia, has grown irritated with all these antics and activates a Yellowstone supervolcano to cull the globe’s troublesome residents. Meanwhile, cyborg superhumans on Mars, led by an Australian-accented bloke called Pi, reveal ambitious projects of their own. It’s not unlike a late-career Robert Heinlein or Doris Lessing saga, with reappearing characters and themes, like widespread arrogance among the various species, though Raham’s attitude is quite tongue in cheek. The writer delights in strange ET zoology and reproduction habits, adding his own drawings of fanciful and factual flora and fauna. Unsurprisingly, a tribute to Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxyarrives in the mix. Rudy and Nessie outshine the fairly flat Ryan Thompson and his associates, but this eccentric, Stapledonian SF should sate the regulars.

Wildly inventive SF with a busy, sometimes-flummoxing plot.

Long after an asteroid nearly erases Earth’s civilization, an artificial intelligence guardian and the archived intellect of a genius must deal with the arrival of large, caterpillarlike alien colonists.  

In this sci-fi novel, much-married Albert “Rudy” Rudyard Goldstein earns wealth and esteem for helping heal Earth’s abused environment. Near death, the brilliant but cantankerous fellow rejects having his neural matter uploaded and his mind rendered practically immortal. But after he dies, a doctor and his cousin, an AI expert, do it anyway. Rudy, mildly annoyed, finds himself a disembodied consciousness entrusted to a resourceful, self-sustaining AI computer presence called Mnemosyne (whom he nicknames Nessie). Rudy eventually has a diversion, as an asteroid collision mostly ends terrestrial civilization. A million years later, Rudy, Nessie, and their mound-shaped complex are Earth’s last remnants of advanced technology. The local, primitive tribes worship Nessie as a goddess. In these diminished circumstances, humanity finally has alien first contact with a race called the Jadderbadians. They are tall, segmented, caterpillarlike creatures, not really evil but disposed to regarding Homo sapiens as little more than pets and slaves (if the name Arrogant Worms didn’t already belong to a Canadian band, these beings would have it). When Nessie’s surveillance drones are discovered, the stage is set for a confrontation. Jadderbadian scientist Morticue Ambergrand—slightly more broad-minded than his cohorts—makes Rudy’s acquaintance in a startlingly close way. Raham (Confessions of a Time Traveler, 2015), prolific in generating science books for school-age readers, turns his considerable talent and vision to a grown-up, seriocomic sci-fi narrative. The arch tone should remind readers of Kurt Vonnegut, although Raham is better grounded in exobiology and science and displays a more upbeat outlook for the human (and nonhuman) condition in this engaging tale. That said, hard-sci-fi fans may cock an eyebrow over how the author introduces the planetwide conscious entities, Gaia (for Earth) and Hydra (the corresponding spirit of Jadderbad), who also take active roles. The result is a bit like Arthur C. Clarke’s big-think mind stretchers, laden with wisecracking insults and the occasional dirty joke.

An enjoyable, post-apocalypse mind romp featuring technologically bred demigods, future Stone Age tribes, and supercilious worms.

In this diverse collection of essays, short stories, illustrations, anecdotes, and other missives, Raham informs without being dry and teaches without being pedantic while covering a wide range of subjects in biology and the history of science.

The project of making sense of human existence may be endless, but you’ve got to start somewhere. In one piece, Raham explains how the story of the evolution of life on Earth is intimately related to microbial development. An obituary for a revered scientist sheds light on the value of her discoveries, translating them into everyday speech while capturing the personal significance of her work for Raham. “Alive & Aloft in the Aeolian Zone,” a combined essay and interview with science professors, describes the role played by the wind in creating and sustaining the planet’s complex aerial ecosystem. Other pieces discuss metamorphosis, Thomas Jefferson’s interest in the study of fossils, and the momentous discovery of arrowheads by Loren Eiseley in the 1930s. Also included are captivating excerpts from original works of sci-fi and adventure following “a dynasty of outstanding fossil hunters….Like me—and most paleontologists—the Sternbergs became captive to the lure of finding worlds lost in the catacombs of deep time.” Raham’s striking illustrations figure prominently throughout, varying in style from pen-and-ink sketches and cartoons to colorful, otherworldly paintings of tiny life forms. What’s more, comments from Raham preface each piece in the collection, providing context and background, which adds a personal touch and something of an overarching narrative to the book. Overall, the well-rounded collection testifies to the riches gained by sustained dedication to scientific inquiry, an enterprise that involves patience, persistence, and original thinking. Though the pieces differ in style and intent, the general outlook is broadly humanist, emphasizing the importance of scientific experimentation as a fundamental component of our collective self-understanding as a species. And yet this enthusiasm is tempered by humility about our place in an incomprehensibly large cosmos.

A welcome excursion for pop-sci fans featuring a number of striking artworks.