Satire with extra bite – review by Lisa Timpf of Ira Nayman’s Bad Actors on The Miramichi Reader

Cover artwork by Hugh Spencer
Cover artwork by Hugh Spencer

On the Miramichi Reader website, Lisa Timpf has just reviewed Bad Actors, the second book in Ira Nayman’s trilogy about the Multiverse Refugees.

She introduces the book as “In Bad Actors: Second Pi in the Face, veteran Canadian author Ira Nayman serves up offbeat hilarity with a side order of satire.” She adds that “One of the distinguishing features of Nayman’s writing is an irrepressible wit.” After briefly outlining the plot of the first book of the trilogy, Good Intentions, and introducing the plot of Bad Actors, Lisa writes “As anyone familiar with Nayman’s work might expect, Bad Actors is steeped in humour in a variety of forms, including ridiculous situations, slapstick, tangential digressions, and word play. It’s helpful to take one’s time reading Nayman’s writing so as not to miss any of his funny references, which range from in-your-face obvious to subtle-enough-to-miss-if-you’re-not-careful.”

She goes on to talk about the serious side of the story (indeed the whole trilogy), using humour to address the issue of racism and discrimination, and says that “Nayman’s passion for this issue comes through clearly in Bad Actors, adding extra bite to the satire.”

You can read the whole of Lisa’a review on the Miramichi Reader here. Thanks Lisa, glad you enjoyed the book.

Award-winning author celebrating 20 year anniversary of satirical website, releases eighth satirical novel.

The third book in Ira Nayman’s trilogy addressing the issue of refugees, reframing them in alternate realities across the multiverse, is published as he celebrates the record-breaking anniversary of his website.

DARTFORD, KENT – 17 June 2022 – Elsewhen Press, an independent UK publisher specialising in Speculative Fiction, is committed to publishing outstanding books by incredible authors. One of those authors is award-winning Canadian satirist, Ira Nayman. In September, Ira’s website of political and social satire, Les Page aux Folles, (http://www.lespagesauxfolles.ca), will enjoy its record-breaking 20th anniversary. By then it will consist of 38 collections of prose articles and nine books of cartoons, over 3,700 pieces of writing and close to 2.5 million words. Surprisingly, as well as producing this wealth of material, Ira has also found the time to write eight novels in the Multiverse series, published by Elsewhen Press, exploring the possibilities of Alternate Realities. Of course they are not merely science fiction adventures, they are also replete with political satire and social commentary.

The latest in the series is The Ugly Truth. It is also the third novel in the Multiverse Refugees trilogy which addresses the exploits of refugees from the dying universe Earth Prime 4-6-4-0-8-9 dash Omega, who are being relocated to alternate Earths across the multiverse. In Ira’s typical style, the serious subject of refugees is combined with a quirky humour – in this case, the refugees are little blue tricksters with no hair and exaggeratedly round features who wear exquisite three piece suits and wreak comic havoc on a wide variety of dominant species.

Asked how he finds the time to create SF novels as well weekly updates to his satirical website, a spokesperson for Ira said, “He’s proflicic…prolifcic…proclif – he writes a lot.”

Peter Buck, Editorial Director of Elsewhen Press said, “Ira is like a force of nature. His energy and dynamism shines through his work, not just on his incredible website but also in his novels that we have been privileged to publish. The humour never lets up, if you miss a joke there’ll be another one along in a line or two. He is a master of puns, and loves smashing words together to make entertaining neologisms. Meanwhile, he is not only telling an engaging story but often making a worthwhile point too. The Multiverse Refugees trilogy started addressing the pressing issue of how some states cope with, and respond to refugees, when the first novel, Good Intentions, came out in 2019; the second book, Bad Actors, in 2021 developed the theme; now in 2022 the third book, The Ugly Truth, seems ever more pertinent.”

Ira explained the method behind his madness this way: “Good Intentions, the first book in the trilogy, followed the single story of the first alien emigré from a dying universe. Bad Actors, the second book in the trilogy, takes place two years later, when tens of thousands of aliens have moved to Earth Prime. To reflect the diversity of their experience, that novel was made up of six different storylines. The Ugly Truth, which takes place two years after that, when over a million aliens have been placed in a variety of different universes, is a completely fragmented novel to reflect the variety of their experiences (and the responses of native populations to them). For me, form often follows function.”

The Ugly Truth, was published by Elsewhen Press in eBook format on 17th June and will be out in paperback on the 4th July.

Notes for Editors

About Ira Nayman

Ira Nayman is a debonair humunculus of mystery who leads an exciting double life as an author of humorous divertissements. He has self-published 12 books in the Alternate Reality News Service series, the latest of which is code-named Good King Wrenchless (but is really named Welcome to the Insurrection (We’re Not Sorry For the Inconvenience)), as well as XBT12 (Idiotocracy for Dummies, an omnibus volume containing the first three Vesampucceri books). The Ugly Truth is the eighth novel in the Transdimensional Authority/Multiverse series, the third in the alien refugees trilogy.

Ira has also been assigned a bottom secret mission to promote the 20th anniversary of his web site, Les Pages aux Folles, which will take place in the first week of September, 2022. The birthplace of both the Alternate Reality News Service and the Transdimensional Authority, Les Pages aux Folles’ weekly updates of social and political satire will fill 38 books and comprise somewhere between two and two and a half million words.

Ira was also the editor of Amazing Stories magazine for two and a half years, and is past President of SFCanada, the organization of science fiction and fantasy professionals. Or, at least, that’s his cover story and he’s sticking to it.

About The Ugly Truth

Cover artwork by Hugh Spencer
Cover artwork by Hugh Spencer

Emigrating to a new universe can be hard.

People in the new universe eat for sustenance (rather than get their energy directly from sunlight). Eww! They use umbrellas to protect them from the rain (rather than pianos and anvils and safes and orangutans – oh, my! – falling from the sky). Their gods do not reward them in the afterlife for how funny they were while they were alive – as if any other qualities in life matter!

Fleeing a dying universe is not for the faint of gall bladder!

The Ugly Truth: is the final volume in Ira Nayman’s appropriately described Multiverse Refugees trilogy. In it, musicians are hoist on their own poetic petard, pies fly and four foot tall blue aliens with no hair and exaggeratedly round features who wear exquisite three piece suits find amusing new ways to die.

As they say on Earth Prime 4-6-4-0-8-9 dash Omega, “May the Audi Enz laugh upon you all the days of your life!”

Cover artwork by Hugh Spencer

“The name of the game here is wordplay. Non-stop, unrestrained, groan-worthy … inspired wordplay.”

– Alex Good, reviewing Good Intentions

Visit bit.ly/TheUglyTruth-Nayman

Contact details:

For more information on Les Pages aux Folles, email Gisela McKay at g.mckay@lespagesauxfolles.ca or call her at +1 647-470-9087.

For more information on The Ugly Truth or any of the other novels in the Transdimensional Authority/Multiverse series, contact Al Murray at Elsewhen Press on +44 (0) 7956 233402 email: al@elsewhen.co.uk

For more information on how ideas developed on Les Pages aux Folles informed the writing of the novels… it’s a toss-up, really. Feel free to contact either.

 

As disasters and refugees once again hit the headlines, Ira Nayman’s satire on the inability of governments to handle a refugee crisis seems ever more prescient

In his Multiverse Refugees Trilogy, the imminent destruction of an inhabited universe leads to the need for the managed immigration of aliens – despite incompetent governments, greedy corporations and opposition from protest groups.

DARTFORD, KENT – 20 August 2021 – Elsewhen Press is a publishing house that is becoming known for high quality, entertaining yet insightful speculative fiction, addressing real-world issues through a fictional prism. Their latest title is Bad Actors by Ira Nayman. It is the second book in Ira’s Multiverse Refugees Trilogy (and hence subtitled Second Pi in the Face). Ira, a prize-winning satirist and past President of SFCanada, the organisation of science fiction and fantasy professionals in his native Canada, comes from a family in which previous generations had been refugees. He is well aware of the contribution that refugees make to a country that has become their adopted home, and is incensed by increasing xenophobia around the world. This has driven him to write this trilogy.

Ira says, “Anger is the satirist’s rocket fuel. I decided to write a story about refugees. Sure, it’s not an uncommon trope in speculative fiction, where aliens are sometimes metaphors for human beings, but I figured nobody had approached the subject quite like I would.

It is undoubtedly true that no-one else would write such a story quite like Ira. As Peter Buck, Editorial Director at Elsewhen Press puts it, “Ira has a unique and highly distinctive way of telling a story: at times surreal, rarely predictable, always funny and often poignant.

In Ira’s story, the refugees are escaping an ill-fated universe that is in imminent danger of collapse. To live on Earth Prime they must undergo changes that irreversibly affect their physiology, and they are being helped to cope by non-governmental agencies and charities. Unlike those that we see in news bulletins, Ira’s refugees are short aliens, with blue skin, always wearing exquisite three-piece suits. Their beliefs revolve around humour and their only weapons, and defence, are jokes.

But Ira, as well as entertaining his readers, is keen to make a point and encourage people to think about the issues that he addresses. Peter Buck, again, “His skill as a satirist keeps you laughing all the way to the end, while gently directing your attention to the real-world issues that are at the heart of the story.

Can satire effect change? Ira certainly hopes so. Using aliens to encourage humanity in world leaders is his tactic.

Bad Actors: Multiverse Refugees Trilogy: Second Pi in the Face is now available in eBook format on most platforms and will be out in paperback in October. Good Intentions was the first book in the Multiverse Refugees Trilogy and Ira is already putting the finishing touches to the final book.

Notes for Editors

About Bad Actors

Cover artwork by Hugh Spencer
Cover artwork by Hugh Spencer

Two years after the discovery that Earth Prime 4-6-4-0-8-9 dash Omega is in imminent danger of collapse, the Transdimensional Authority has helped hundreds of millions…well, millions…okay, a lot of aliens immigrate to Earth Prime. How’s that working out?

Rodney              Pendleton, the first alien to make the move, is now a tech millionaire (hover technology is wildly popular – who knew?). Wainwright Walsh, lead singer for The Occidental Tourists (ask your parents… or, maybe your grandparents), puts together an all-star band to raise funds for a foundation to help the aliens adjust to their new home.

But all is not beat yas and scream on Earth Prime. An investigation into the first murder of an alien being leads to an anti-alien protest group, revealing a dark, speciesist strain of human emotion. And a different investigation into the disappearance of aliens in Latin America reveals a dark, greedy strain of human emotion.

It turns out, some problems cannot be solved by the swift, unexpected application of pie!

ISBN: 9781911409847 (paperback, 264pp) / 9781911409946 (eBook)

Visit bit.ly/BadActors-IraNayman

About Ira Nayman

Ira Nayman has been writing comedy for over 50 years. Bad Actors is the seventh novel set in the Transdimensional Authority/Multiverse series published by Elsewhen Press, the second in the Multiverse Refugees Trilogy. He has also self-published 12 books in the Alternate Reality News Service series, the latest of which is named Welcome to the Insurrection (We’re Not Sorry for the Inconvenience).

Ira will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of his web site, Les Pages aux Folles, in the first week of September, 2022. The birthplace of both the Alternate Reality News Service and the Transdimensional Authority, Les Pages aux Folles’ weekly updates of social and political satire will fill 38 books and will be comprised of somewhere between two and two and a half million words.

Ira was also the editor of Amazing Stories magazine for two and a half years, and is past President of SFCanada, the Canadian organization of science fiction and fantasy professionals.

About the cover

The artwork at the heart of the cover of Bad Actors was produced by Canadian artist Hugh Spencer, and provides a vision of the experience of travelling between alternate realities (according to Ira).

 

“simply brilliant in its inventiveness and originality” – review of Good Intentions on Risingshadow

Cover artwork by Hugh Spencer

On Risingshadow.net, Seregil of Rhiminee has reviewed Good Intentions by Ira Nayman. This is the first novel in The Multiverse Refugees Trilogy, but also the sixth novel of the Transdimensional Authority series. Seregil starts by saying that he’s “amazed at how fresh and original, not to mention amusing, this novel is” and that, despite being the sixth Multiverse novel, Ira “manages to come up with new novels that are just as good and entertaining as the previous ones”.

Seregil’s review is well worth reading in its entirety, so I will only pick out a couple more quotes from it, and encourage you to read the full review yourself. He describes the book as an “excellent humorous science fiction novel that is filled with quirkiness, inventiveness and hilarious wittiness”, “one of the most amusing and most satirical science fiction novels I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading”, “sharp yet entertaining satire and parody about humans, humanity and the state of the world”. I think that gives a reasonable picture of how much Seregil liked the book. He concludes by saying it is “one of the best novels available for readers who love humorous speculative fiction.”

Read Seregil’s review on Risingshadow.net here.

 

Prize-winning Canadian satirist tackles the subject of alien refugees in his own inimitable style

Ira Nayman’s latest humorous science fiction novel sees a small blue alien resettled in a sleepy town, with local and transdimensional consequences.

DARTFORD, KENT – 22 March 2019 – Elsewhen Press, an independent UK publisher specialising in Speculative Fiction, is delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of Good Intentions by prize-winning Canadian satirist and speculative fiction author Ira Nayman. The sixth book in his Transdimensional Authority series, Good Intentions also begins the Multiverse Refugees Trilogy as the First Pie in the Face (you’ll understand if you read on).

Ira says “I decided I wanted to write a story about refugees. Sure, it’s not an uncommon trope in speculative fiction, where aliens are sometimes metaphors for human beings, but I figured nobody had approached the subject quite like I would. I also came by the story honestly: my father came to Canada as a war orphan from Europe in the late 1940s, while my mother’s family fled persecution in Russia a generation earlier. I know what refugees contribute to the country, and have been incensed by the increasing xenophobia in both my country and the world at large. Anger is the satirist’s rocket fuel.

Cover artwork by Hugh Spencer

At the end of the second novel in the series, the chief scientist of the Transdimensional Authority set up an alarm to warn him if a universe is succumbing to the universe-killing machine that was at the heart of that story. One of Ira’s original inspirations for Good Intentions was: how would the Transdimensional Authority respond if that alarm went off?

The refugees from the ill-fated universe are short aliens with blue skin. The first one we meet, Rodney, wearing an impeccable suit, always carries a briefcase with him, out of which he seems able to pull any inanimate object that he needs. This includes pies, Rodney’s preferred means of introduction (now you might understand the subtitle of the book).

Peter Buck, Director of Word Wrangling at Elsewhen Press says “Ira has a unique and highly distinctive way of telling a story: at times surreal, rarely predictable, always funny and often poignant. Like the consummate satirist that he is, Ira entertains you with an unputdownable story that makes you laugh out loud and by the end you realise he has also made some extremely important points for you to think about. Perhaps the world’s so-called ‘leaders’ should be made to read Ira’s stories and then maybe they might start to exhibit a little more humanity. Or would that be too much to expect?

Good Intentions (The Multiverse Refugees Trilogy: First Pie in the Face) will be available to buy on all popular eBook platforms from 1st April 2019 (yes, April 1st!) and is already available to pre-order. The paperback edition will be available on 3rd June 2019.

Notes for Editors

About Ira Nayman

Ira Nayman

In another life, Ira Nayman was a skydiving WWI hero, a yak herder in the treacherous Rocky Valleys and the lead guitarist for the band The Strange Feebles. Since that other life happened in another universe, it may not be as impressive to you as it sounds.

In this universe, Ira is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of his decision to devote his life to writing comedy, in all of its forms and in a variety of media. His Web site of political and social satire, Les Pages aux Folles, has now been updated weekly for over fifteen years. The ninth book in the Alternate Reality News Service series, E Deplorables Unum, was self-published in January, 2019; two more books in the series will be published before the end of the year. Good Intentions is his sixth Multiverse novel published by Elsewhen Press.

Ira is also surprised to find himself the editor of Amazing Stories magazine. Yes, that Amazing Stories magazine. I know, right?

He finds his life in this universe exciting enough. The way things go, he’s probably allergic to sky…

Visit bit.ly/GoodIntentions-IraNayman

About the book

Title: Good Intentions

Subtitle: The Multiverse Refugees Trilogy: First Pie in the Face

Series: Transdimensional Authority, 6

Fiction / Science Fiction / Humorous; Fiction / Science Fiction / Adventure; Humor / Topic / Politics

Print edition:

ISBN 978-1-911409-44-1, 336pp, Demy; RRP £9.99 / €11.99 / US$17.99 / CA$23.99 (3 Jun 2019)

Electronic edition:

ISBN 978-1-911409-54-0, EPUB / Kindle; RRP £2.99 / €3.49 / US$3.99 / CA$4.99 (1 Apr 2019)

About the cover

The artwork at the heart of the cover of Good Intentions was produced by Canadian artist Hugh Spencer, and presents a pretty accurate vision of the experience of travelling between alternate realities (says Ira).

 

“excellent, fresh and wonderfully satirical science fiction” – review on Risinghadow of The Multiverse is a Nice Place to Visit, But I Wouldn’t Want to Live There

Cover artwork: Hannah B. Farrell ARNS Cover on wall by permission of Travis MilesSeregil of Rhiminee recently reviewed Ira Nayman’s latest Multiverse novel The Multiverse is a Nice Place to Visit, But I Wouldn’t Want to Live There, the fifth book in the Multiverse (aka Transdimensional Authority) series. Seregil starts by writing “Ah, Ira Nayman has done it again!” and goes on to say that although this is the fifth book in the series “it is still as amusing, fresh and highly entertaining as the previous novels (to be totally honest, in certain ways this novel is even better than its predecessors).” Later Seregil writes that he finds Ira’s ability to parody popular culture absolutely brilliant and he was “once again amazed at his shameless way of writing genuinely funny and thought-provoking satire about TV series etc. Just like the previous novels, this novel has quite an amazing amount of references to popular culture, which is one of the reasons why I enjoyed reading it.” As he adds, “Virtually nobody and nothing is safe from his quirky humour and that’s an extremely good thing.” Seregil concludes his review with a plea to Ira: “More, please!”.

Read the whole of Seregil’s review on Risingshadow.net here.

 

entertaining, fresh, and some dead-on satire – The Future Fire review of The Multiverse is a Nice Place to Visit, But I Wouldn’t Want to Live There

Cover artwork: Hannah B. Farrell ARNS Cover on wall by permission of Travis Miles
Cover artwork: Hannah B. Farrell
ARNS Cover on wall by permission of Travis Miles

On The Future Fire Reviews, Lisa Timpf has posted a substantial review of The Multiverse is a Nice Place to Visit, But I Wouldn’t Want to Live There the latest in the Multiverse (aka Transdimensional Authority) series by Ira Nayman.

Lisa writes that Ira’s novel “blends the elements of a police procedural with madcap humor and imaginative characters and locales” and the reader is “treated to humor that leaves no stone unturned” where “everything and everyone is fair game for Nayman’s wit” including employing “absurdity to good effect” and “a knack for giving old expressions a new twist”.

The book is liberally sprinkled with references to popular culture and Lisa specifically picks out the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Star Trek, Mel Blanc, Jack Ryan and Canadian icons such as Margaret Atwood, Celine Dion and Tim Hortons. Aliens are also fair game for Ira’s fun, ranging from sparkling word play to slapstick humour. While some of the humour is purely for entertainment, some is intended to “pack a satirical bite based on Nayman’s observation of human nature” and “politics” as well as “observations about relationships, workplace dynamics, and our interface with technology that hit close to home”.

Lisa found the book to be “an enjoyable read, although I found myself reading carefully rather than quickly so as not to miss any of the sometimes-subtle humor”. It was, Lisa says, “entertaining, and the variety of types of humor and original turns of phrase kept things fresh”, there are “strong female as well as male characters, inventive and creative scene-setting, and some dead-on satire”.

Thanks for the review Lisa, we’re very happy that you enjoyed Ira’s book.

If you want to read the whole of Lisa’s review (and I recommend that you do), you can find it on The Future Fire Reviews here.

 

“non-stop whimsical adventure” – review of The Multiverse is a Nice Place to Visit, But I Wouldn’t Want to Live There on Amazing Stories

Cover artwork: Hannah B. Farrell ARNS Cover on wall by permission of Travis Miles
Cover artwork: Hannah B. Farrell
ARNS Cover on wall by permission of Travis Miles

On the Amazing Stories website, Ricky L. Brown has posted a review of Ira Nayman’s latest novel in the Multiverse series (aka Transdimensional Authority series), The Multiverse is a Nice Place to Visit, But I Wouldn’t Want to Live There. Having not read any of the previous books in the series, Ricky was initially apprehensive at diving in to the series at book 5. However, he says that such apprehension was unnecessary and assures readers that they will be comfortable jumping into this series at any point. In fact he says “I did not have the pleasure of starting at the beginning, but I fully intend to do so in the near future”.

Ricky describes Ira’s series as “a collection of humorous examinations of the social interactions between a wide range of colorful characters who travel between alternate realities”, which is a pretty succinct outline. He says that this latest addition to the series is “compelling” because the events that are being investigated involve people having their consciousness exchanged with somebody else in a different reality. He finds the idea of a multiverse fascinating enough, he says, but add “Nayman’s penchant for literary wit to the mix” provides the reader with a “non-stop whimsical adventure that is both thought provoking and difficult to put down”.

Ricky draws the inevitable comparisons with Douglas Adams. Both Nayman and Admas, he says, “employ the same dry humor and ability to make the most irrational situation seem, well, commonplace”. His analysis of both is itself thoughtful and insightful and he concludes that “Adams’ work seemed limited to cultural and social issues dropped in a fantastic setting, but Nayman takes these concerns in a different direction by drawing on the fandom of science fiction and relying on the strength of his target audience’s knowledge of the genre to understand the humor”.

This is an interesting and well constructed review, not just of this book but of Ira’s approach to humour and storytelling. He concludes by saying that this book is “a fun read and a fine introduction to author Ira Nayman if you’re not already familiar.” He says he will now be adding the earlier books in the series to his “must read” list.

You can (and should) read Ricky’s full review on the Amazing Stories website here.

 

As new Ira Nayman book is released, publisher denies it has been redacted by covert agency

The fifth book in Ira Nayman’s Multiverse series investigates anomalies within the reporting of news events, but becomes the subject of a news story itself as theories abound to account for a missing chapter.

DARTFORD, KENT – 16 June 2017 – Elsewhen Press, an independent UK publisher specialising in Speculative Fiction, is delighted to announce the publication today of The Multiverse is a Nice Place to Visit, But I Wouldn’t Want to Live There by Ira Nayman. In this, the fifth novel in Ira’s Transdimensional Authority series, (now more accurately called the Multiverse series as the fourth book in the series was mostly about the Time Agency – honestly, if you blinked, you would have missed the appearance of the Transdimensional Authority, and if you didn’t blink, well, Elsewhen Press accepts no responsibility for the cost of the surgery to rehydrate your eyes), we once again follow the intricate web of events that unfold in a Transdimensional Authority investigation (oh! – so we could have stayed with the other series name after all – it’s not easy keeping track when these sentences can be the size of a Sherman tank!).

However, conspiracy theorists have been conjecturing why there is apparently no chapter 17 in the book. We categorically deny that it was removed under instructions from an inter-governmental agency. Sources say: “It never existed. Suggesting it was removed under pressure from officials is fake news. Sad. Even without chapter 17 this is a great book, the greatest book ever published. It has no need for a chapter 17. Chapter 17s are overrated – covfefe is much better.”

Cover artwork: Hannah B. Farrell ARNS Cover on wall by permission of Travis Miles
Cover artwork: Hannah B. Farrell
ARNS Cover on wall by permission of Travis Miles

So, let’s get back to the book. Why would someone, apparently chosen at random, have their consciousness swapped with someone else in another reality? How would someone, apparently chosen at random, have their consciousness swapped with someone else in another reality? Why would another three persons, apparently chosen at random, have their consciousness swapped with three other someone elses in another reality? Why would the entire bridge crew of a starship, apparently…well, you get the picture. What will happen to all these very confused people? How does the Alternate Reality News Service get scoops on these events so quickly? Why are their reporters acting so dodgy – do they have something to hide, or just issues? Who are the Pops, and can they help? Does the editrix-in-chief know what’s going on, and if she does would she even tell Noomi (our favourite TA investigator)? What was that noise from her office when Noomi was ‘interviewing’ her? Why am I asking you these questions when you haven’t even read the story yet? Or have you? Why are you reading this blurb if you’ve already read the story? Are you looking for an alternate reality, or just alternative facts? This is fiction you know, we tell it like it is. If you want alternative facts you better try a news service…or a politician. Oh, and if you’re looking for a news service, you could always consider the Alternate Reality News Service.

The Multiverse is a Nice Place to Visit, But I Wouldn’t Want to Live There is available on all popular eBook platforms from today. It will be available in paperback in August.

Notes for Editors

About Ira Nayman

In his past lives, Ira Nayman was, among other things: a cave painter whose art was not appreciated in his lifetime; several nameless peasants who died before their 20th birthday during the Dark Ages; a toenail fungus specialist in the court of Louis XIV; and Alan Turing’s scullery maid. In his current incarnation, Ira is the creator of Les Pages aux Folles, a Web site of political and social satire that is almost 15 years old (that’s positively Paleolithic in Internet years!). Five collections of Alternate Reality News Service (ARNS) stories which originally appeared on the Web site have been self-published in print. Ira has produced the pilot for a radio series based on stories from the first two ARNS books; “The Weight of Information, Episode One” can be heard on YouTube. Ira has also written a series of stories that take place in a universe where matter at all levels of organization has become conscious. They feature Antonio Van der Whall, object psychologist. Ira’s Web Goddess tells him he should make more of the fact that he won the 2010 Jonathan Swift Satire Writing Contest. So, Ira won the 2010 Jonathan Swift Satire Writing Contest. He is currently President of SFCanada, and Managing Editor for the Amazing Stories Web site. In another life (but still within this incarnation) Ira has a Masters degree in Media Studies from The New School for Social Research which was conducted entirely online. He also has a PhD in Communications from McGill University. Ira taught New Media part-time at Ryerson University for five years. Whoever created the Karmic wheel has a lot to answer for…

Visit bit.ly/Multiverse5

 

“fantastic, inventive and entertaining” – review of It’s Just the Chronosphere Unfolding as it Should on RisingShadow

Artwork: Hannah B. Farrell Photograph of Dingle Dell: Jose Manuel Revuelta Luna/shutterstock.com
Artwork: Hannah B. Farrell
Photograph of Dingle Dell: Jose Manuel Revuelta Luna/shutterstock.com

On the RisingShadow.net website, Seregil of Rhiminee has reviewed It’s Just the Chronosphere Unfolding as it Should, the fourth in Ira Nayman’s series of Trandsimensional Authority novels. He starts by saying it is “one of the funniest and most inventive humorous science fiction novels” he’s ever read, because Ira blends “absurdism, satire, parody and sarcasm in a uniquely entertaining way”. He adds that Ira is a “one-of-a-kind author who has no rivals”.

Seregil, who has read and enjoyed (and reviewed) the previous novels in the series points out that “Extraordinary happenings and things have been an essential part of this series ever since the beginning and they’re also an essential part of this novel” and says he was delighted that Ira was once again in “excellent form” and mesmerising his readers with “strange things”. Seregil likes Ira’s writing style because he has “his own unique way of writing about the characters and the happenings. He boldly writes his own kind of fiction and stays true to his own style.”

He also admires Ira’s “sharp sense of humour and his ability to write original stories, because he never seems to run out of ideas.” He goes on say that it’s great that Ira “has a gift of adding amusing references to popular culture, because only a few authors are capable of doing so” and Ira does it “ in a delightfully sharp and witty way”.

Seregil concludes by recommending It’s Just the Chronosphere Unfolding as it Should because it’s a “fantastic, inventive and entertaining novel for readers who want to laugh out loud while reading a novel”. In a final summary that is reminiscent of Bill and Ted, he says “Excellent humorous science fiction!”

This was a very brief overview of Seregil’s review which you should read in its entirety on the RisingShadow website here.