Published in 1962, 'After Ixmal' is a science fiction novella by Jeff Sutton that explores the aftermath of humanity's extinction through the eyes of Ixmal, a sentient artificial intelligence. Awakening from a seven-hundred-million-year dormancy, Ixmal grapples with his existence as the ruler of a desolate Earth, reflecting on themes of creation, power, and isolation. The narrative escalates when Ixmal encounters another intelligence, Zale-3, leading to a battle of wits that underscores the cyclical nature of creation and destruction.
