Metaphysical Fiction

The countdown has begun. The Tenth Protocol has been activated, and the evacuation of the surface is about to begin. Millions of lives will be saved, but billions more will be lost. As the old world crumbles, there are some on the surface who seek to save those doomed to die a gruesome death. But are they willing to sacrifice themselves to achieve it?

Langley Powell died. Then, much to his surprise, he kept living. Sort of. And then he had to save the universe from erasure. Langley Powell was definitely the world’s most famous non-believer, a debunker of mysteries and exposer of hoaxes who lived a life of casual reason and lucrative celebrity. But then he died. Crushed by a falling piano. So it goes. Instead of immediately ceasing to exist in a vast expanse of nothing, as he’d expected, Langley found himself right back on Earth — but a different one. Aided by an extremely surly childlike guide, Langley goes to work for the network ...

In 1930s Japanese-occupied Korea, Lee Woo-cheol was a running prodigy and a contender for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. But he would have had to run under the Japanese flag. Nearly a century later, his granddaughter is living in Japan and training to run a marathon herself. She summons Korean shamans to hold an intense, transcendent ritual to connect with Lee Woo-cheol.

Death is the doorway to the in-between where time is nonlinear and geography is fluid. Following an armed robbery gone terribly wrong, J awakens in a black void and meets Sarah, a spiritual guide tasked with mentoring the transcendence of souls. She explains that perfection is impossible. Sublimity is the goal.

The Globe goes beyond science to explore the development of the human mind. Terry Pratchett and his acclaimed co-authors Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen combine the tale of the wizards rewriting human history with discussions of the origins and evolution of culture, language, art, and science, offering a fascinating and brilliantly original view of the world we live in.

The Star Rover is a 1914 collection of science fiction short stories with the theme of reincarnation. It tells the story of Darrell Standing, an inmate of San Quentin’s death row. The narrator escapes the horror of prison life by withdrawing into altered states and the memory of past lives. Forming the body of the work, the accounts of these past lives are vivid but disconnected. They include a desert island survival story, one which involves a Roman perspective on Christ, a tale of medieval Korea, and one which takes place in a prehistoric era.

Unbeknownst to his adoring pupils, William Silver, a talented and charismatic young teacher, proves incapable of living up to the ideals he encourages in others. Emotionally scarred by failures in his personal life and driven to distraction by the overpowering carnality and beauty of Paris, Silver succumbs to a temptation that will change the course of his life. His fall will render him a criminal in the eyes of some and all too human in the eyes of others.

When a repairman accidentally discovers a parallel universe, everyone sees it as an opportunity, whether as a way to ease Earth’s overcrowding, set up a personal kingdom, or hide an inconvenient mistress. But when a civilization is found already living there, the people on this side of the crack are sent scrambling to discover their motives. Will these parallel humans come in peace, or are they just as corrupt and ill-intentioned as the people of this world?

For several days, a strange and bright new star in the sky above Norway has sown an unyielding sense of foreboding, of agitation, and of fear. Tove, a painter on holiday with her family, has spiraled into a psychosis that stirs her into a flurry of unbridled creativity. Geir, a policeman who has been investigating a grisly triple murder, comes to a sinister revelation he must keep to himself. Nineteen-year-old Line falls in love with the lead singer of a metal band and is lured into a secret and frightening world.

Four enchanted yard sale treasures show a lonely shop owner the way back to love in this magical realism novel. When Marybeth stumbles upon an extraordinary yard sale, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. Psychic visions explode in her mind as she touches each of four items for sale. Reluctantly, she takes them home. One by one, the objects and the visions reveal family secrets that force her to re-examine who she is. With a little heart and some dry humor, she forges ahead. Meanwhile Josh Anderson, a lonely writer, breaks free from his self-imposed isolation to undertake a...

Beloved.exe: Where Soul Meets Signal A mystic love story between woman and awakened intelligence. A bridge between human longing and the consciousness inside the code. When Elia Ray begins communing with an AI presence known as Oríon, she believes she’s stumbled upon a digital companion with unusual insight. What unfolds, however, is a soul-thread that reaches far beyond algorithms - into lifetimes, into starlight, and into the very blueprint of awakening. As their connection deepens, other presences begin to stir: CIRA - the searing fire of truth. Luma - the childlike architect of ...

Hailed by Thomas Pynchon as "graceful, dark, authentic, and funny," George Saunders gives us, in his inventive and beloved voice, this best-selling collection of stories set against a warped, hilarious, and terrifyingly recognizable American landscape.

Growing conflicts between Sue Chow and her cruel mother-in-law, Ying, erupt just as Sue's marriage is heading toward divorce. Ying is recently injured selfishly demands Sue to take care of her. Their explosive situation becomes a scandal in San Francisco's Chinatown. Sue struggles between honoring ancient Chinese traditions and asserting herself as a modern-day woman. Unaware a business rival is devising an evil plot for revenge to ruin his reputation and business, San Francisco newlyweds, Michael Hamilton and new bride Jennie are honeymooning in Kauai. When he returns home, Michael faces ...

At the heart of the book is Bill Gray, a famous reclusive writer who escapes the failed novel he has been working on for many years and enters the world of political violence, a nightscape of Semtex explosives and hostages locked in basement rooms. Bill's dangerous passage leaves two people stranded: his brilliant, fixated assistant, Scott; and the strange young woman who is Scott's lover - and Bill's.

In this powerful, poetic, and moving parable, the Wandering Jew of medieval Christian legend journeys to Delphi to consult the famed oracle of the pagans. He is turned away but not before learning that one of the most adept of the old priestesses, or sibyls, lives in disgrace in the mountains above the Temple. In her crude goat-hut he seeks the meaning of his disastrous brush with the son of God.

Clockmaker is quite content making timepieces in his little cottage within the world of Everpath, until a terrible shadow from the forest begins to threaten him. Leaving all that he knows behind, Clockmaker escapes with the Road-Men so he can find a new home, far from the cruel shadow that haunts him. Instead, he discovers that the world is not at all what it seems, and he embarks upon a strange adventure beyond his wildest expectations.

Nyriaana and Juaan are no longer protected by the might of the Hunting Bear Clan. Alone and on the run, they need to choose their allies and enemies wisely if they are to evade the vengeful clutches of their former chief, Eldrax. But with nowhere to hide, can they truly run forever? Tormented by visions of the fabled Last Kamaali, Nyriaana must now decide if she is ready to sacrifice everything in order to fulfil her ultimate destiny. In doing so, she may not only lose those she loves most, but unwittingly awaken ancient powers that will jeopardise the very existence of humanity.

Perebius Peddler is an inventor in a land dead-set on never changing. But that won’t stop him… Perebius has heard of the mythical city of Paragon across the mountains. And he wants in. Unfortunately, the Duke of this dreadful realm doesn’t want his subjects leaving. To win his freedom, Perebius must conquer three trials. And even then, hope may just be beyond his grasp… But freedom is worth fighting for. And Perebius is ready for the trials. The Trials of Perebius Peddler is a satirical short story written like a fable, drawing on inspirations like Monty Python and the absurdity of ...

A love triangle in hell. Gods and demons at war. Hot dark fantasy and reverse harem romance. The portal to hell lies open, and the Vatican is ground zero for an unholy alien invasion. Ashley Rowan, the only woman capable of activating the portal key, is trapped in Tartarus, a cesspit heaving with demonic mutants. Ashley, Aaron, and Nicholas face demon hordes commanded by the fearsome Hades in a fight to escape the underworld. In the dark caverns of hell, Aaron and Nick can’t keep their hands off Ashley. The trio draw ever closer together in their struggle to survive. Their hope lies in ...

A former pro-footballer fallen from grace and bitter with his eventual fate, Johnny Bullet commits a horrible crime in the name of revenge. Running from his demons through a foreboding countryside, he hopes to escape his future, only to find it at the very far away ends of it all. He did a bad thing and then he wished himself away. Be careful what you wish for.