Two humans join aliens in protecting Earth from hostile extraterrestrials in this third installment of an SF series.

Daytona Beach, Florida, mystery writer Jacob Casell has already saved the world twice. He previously befriended Arcon, an alien artificial intelligence, whose “swirl of energy” form usually resides in spheres of varying colors. They’ve thwarted menacing alien species that have threatened Earth. But Earth’s newest visitor from the stars, humanoid Silenna, hails from the same planet as Arcon. She comes in peace but brings bad news: Not only is an activated doomsday device heading to Earth, but a ship of unknown origin and intentions, which followed Silenna, has landed on the moon as well. In the course of his ongoing adventures, Jacob has locked eyes with Amy Goodwin, an aerospace engineer and part-time astronomer. This flourishing romantic couple team up with Arcon and Silenna to try to stop interplanetary baddies from executing whatever catastrophe they’re plotting. The heroes’ precarious mission puts them inside a spaceship—which one human eventually pilots—that drops them into action on the moon. Gittlin’s consistently fast-paced novella hits the ground running. The story, for example, wraps up one threat (from the second installment) and quickly introduces another. Tension rises along the way, including when Arcon, on a lunar reconnaissance mission, loses contact with his pals back on Earth. Unfortunately, the team knocks out one menace with such ease and proficiency that the subplot ends on an anticlimactic note. But the narrative is otherwise exciting, especially with its grim countdown as Silenna estimates the number of days until Earth’s potential doom. The author gleefully describes a mysterious spaceship, pointing out a “support beam shaped like a massive Martini glass” and such eccentricities as the infirmary’s “fuzzy” walls and ceiling. The tale—which features stock photographs—delivers an ending that, perhaps unsurprisingly, suggests another installment is in the wings.

A delightful romp with spaceships, suspense, and assorted aliens.

A mystery writer, an alien artificial intelligence, and a reanimated woman must work together to prevent world destruction in this SF novella.

The first installment of this series, The Silver Sphere (2021), saw 36-year-old mystery novelist Jacob Casell discovering an AI, a telepathic ball of stupendous energy named Arcon. When the merciless Krondorians aimed a deadly pulsar ray at Earth, Arcon managed to nudge the planet out of orbit, saving the world. But the Krondorians are still a threat, so Arcon now intends to transmit their home world’s coordinates to scientists on his own planet, Aneleya, by bouncing a signal off the Hubble Telescope. Walking on the beach, Jacob and Arcon discover the body of a beautiful red-haired woman. She was Amy Goodwin, 26, with graduate degrees in aerospace engineering and astronomy, and—if Arcon can reanimate her—these credentials could help get access to the Hubble’s control room. Arcon succeeds, and Amy (though still reeling from the whole situation and the realization that she was murdered by her boyfriend after she’d discovered his financial shenanigans) agrees to help. Can this unlikely trio pull it off? Though Gittlin makes this novella the second volume of a series, it also works as a stand-alone. The mystery novelist–AI alien buddy concept is fresh and fun, and the story moves at blazing speed. But it can feel underdeveloped; the mission doesn’t have much suspense since Arcon can apparently do just about anything. Similarly, Amy is too obviously fantasy girlfriend material. That said, the book is an enjoyable read, with an ending that provides a pleasingly surprising twist. Uncredited digital images and photographs of inconsistent styles accompany but don’t add much to the text.

A brisk, entertaining tale that delivers comic and science-y adventures.