COSMIC EGG INC.

A young man in New York is caught up in a surreal plot to save the world from complete annihilation in Andrews’ debut SF novel.

College sophomore Peter Kane is spending the summer with his aunt on Long Island and working at a youth shelter when something odd happens: At a Hamptons mansion, a mysterious figure tells Peter that he has been tasked with saving the world. Obligated to fulfill the mission, Peter is given a guide in the form of Sam, who appears as an AI–fueled wisecracking dog. Sam offers a mix of bossiness and bro-culture slang, a grating personality that Sam himself derides (“My goddam parents are like Reddit and YouTube, and the dorks who coded me for this stupid program slant my personality so I’m a smart-alecky, annoying wiseass”). Meanwhile, a man named Vernon Hines attempts to commit suicide. He doesn’t get very far before he is also confronted by an entity that tells him of his importance to the planet Earth. A man who looks very much like Morgan Freeman informs him that he must save the world before it’s too late and that his guide (in this case, Jesus) will help him defeat the looming evil. As a reluctant Peter struggles to figure out whether his experiences are real or if he’s really just living in a computer simulation, Vernon finds that his religious mission may not be exactly what he has been led to believe. This fast-paced save-the-world story maintains a lighthearted tone despite the heavy subject matter and manages to stay somewhat grounded while exploring the mind-bending possibilities in the interconnecting storylines. There is a lot to be explained here, and the first half of the novel does take some time to get off the ground as it lays out all of the many layers to the scenario. The second half is easier to digest, as the author keeps adding surprises along the way, and the twist conclusion does not disappoint.

An engaging, playful SF story led by two very unlikely heroes.