A Profound Frolic in an Unreasonable Multiverse
When one random thought turns the sun into a colossal honeydew melon, Dr. Maximilian Tundra is about to have a very bad day. (As is everyone else on the Earth.) Elsewhere, another Max discovers that an entire mining colony—and every trace of human civilization in the system—has vanished, forcing multiple versions of one ordinary man in a Hawaiian shirt into a race across infinity to stop reality from unraveling.
Join multiple Maxes for Book 2 of the Tundraverse collection, which began with Alpha Max.
The Story
Meet the Maxes of Every Possible World
Disaster strikes in two different realities, but it doesn’t stop there. As more versions of Max collide, they must uncover the cause of this catastrophic decoherence before countless other universes suffer the same fate.
Blending hard-ish science fiction, metaphysics, existential questions, and gloriously strange comedy, Beta Max explores consciousness, free will, entropy, love, and our desperate search for meaning. It is a cosmic adventure for readers who want their multiverse stories clever, satirical, emotionally resonant—and completely unafraid to turn the sun into garbage fruit.
Reviews
What Readers & Critics Are Saying
Wonderful, powerful, unique!
“Hard-hitting ideals, ideas, social inspections, and personal and political quagmires evolve a delightfully satirical romp that will attract readers beyond the usual sci-fi reading circle. Beta Max is a wonderful, powerful, unique creation that librarians and readers will want to place high on their acquisition lists for its rollicking, disarming spectacles of a human being poised to change the world(s).”
–Midwest Book Review
Highly Recommended!
“Not only is the story hilarious, but true to Mark A. Rayner’s style, it makes crafty insights into such topics as gender identification among other issues that create a completely satisfying reading experience!”
–Grady Harp, Amazon Top 100 Reviewer
A Phenomenal Series!
“I think I laughed on the second sentence, which I expected, but not that soon. It might be a record. I love the concept of this series with multiverses and many (MANY) Max Tundras. The inclusion of different characters, including the different Maxes, really make it fantastic. I especially like that they all have chosen different names, because if not, it would be nigh impossible to keep track of them all. It’s entertaining, weird, and funny – all the best things for fiction! I think the crazy boos were my favorite part of this one. This is just a phenomenal series and I’m so excited for the next one!”
–Melanie Henn, Goodreads
A Crazy, Fast-paced Romp!
“I don’t typically pick science-fiction books but this one sounded interesting and it did not disappoint! It’s a crazy, fast-paced romp through space and the multiverse with unique and lovable characters while stretching the mind. Max and his many iterations navigate readers through adventures rooted in space science, relationships, and existential questions about life with a good dose of humour, poking fun at everything at the same time. Time, pun intended, flew by as I devoured the book!”
–Melanie Ross, Goodreads
Available Now
Take the Strangest Journey Through Infinity
Meet the Maxes, question everything you know about existence, and discover why the end of the universe may begin with a single laugh.
Available for preorder now!
About the Author
Mark A. Rayner
Mark A. Rayner is an award-winning author known for imaginative science fiction that blends cerebral ideas with sharp humor, emotional depth, and fearless social commentary. His Tundraverse novels invite readers to wrestle with philosophy, science, and the absurdities of being human—without ever losing sight of the fun.
