Commander Greenstick’s latest assignment is his toughest yet: on the primitive planet of Earth, a crop of his brethren have achieved sentience mere days before they are due to be ripped from the ground and devoured. Now he must help these poor veggies to use their newfound wits and relay his intelligence-giving signal to the only species that hasn’t yet grown eyes and hands: the celery.

Let’s face it, you’ve reader weirder set-ups.