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Jews in Hyperspace

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Clifford Pickover is perhaps the leading translator of complex, advanced scientific theory into language ordinary people can understand. His latest book, "Jews in Hyperspace," may be his most ambitious project yet. It uses the medium of science fiction as its format, the adventure story (or odyssey) as its structure, and the Middle East as its setting. The main characters (two young Israeli couples) discover a gigantic egg, which turns out to be the vehicle that takes them to amazing places. Their voyage of discovery takes the reader on a quest for solutions to the most intractable problems of our times, starting with the political situation in the Middle East. In addition, religion is blended with science, prose morphs into poetry, the very concept of reality is called into question, imagination blends with ratiocination, and probability gives way to possibility.

The book ends with a quotation of the last lines of Alfred Tennyson's "Ulysses." The unknown worlds to explore are now the alternate universes conjured up by our unfettered imaginations. One of the main characters in the book, Baruch, mentions the doctoral dissertation of physicist Hugh Everett, "Relative State Formulation of Quantum Mechanics." Dr. Everett posits that the universe is composed of quantum superimpositions of countless parallel universes. Baruch says that "a few controversial physicists wonder if universes exist where fairy tales are real."

Meanwhile, the two Israeli couples who are the main characters in this story encounter a world where the Nephilim mentioned in Genesis did not die out but co-exist unhappily with homosapiens.

There is a brutal battle between the visitors and the Nephilim. A lull occurs at nightfall, and one of the women utters a beautiful prayer. It is a variation on a prayer to be found formally in the Jewish evening service, but it is also commonly said as a children's bedtime prayer. It is in stark contrast to the violence that has just occurred:

"O Lord, grant that this night we may sleep in peace and that in the morning our awakening may also be in peace. May our daytime be cloaked in Your presence. Protect us and inspire us to think and act only out of love. Keep far from us all evil. May our paths be free from all obstacles from when we go out until we return home."

As the young couples continue their voyage to unknown worlds, fearing that they will never be able to find their way home, they battle monsters, they are the objects of wild chases, and they undergo many narrow escapes; in contrast, they enjoy bucolic picnics in landscapes of incredible beauty, and they encounter conscious, intelligent beings very different from ourselves.

The ending of the book provides a solution to one of the important intractable problems of the Middle East, using futuristic technology and science. I will not tell you about it and risk spoiling it for those curious people who will want to investigate this odyssey on their own. Suffice it to say, that you will find the world which is the final destination of this journey to be surprising, fascinating, and unforgettable.