Surreal Fantasy

Learn the truth behind the mask of Hollywood in these 10 bizarre tales of dreams and dream weavers, movies and movie-makers, by some of the most respected fantasy writers of our time.

Earwig takes a rare day off, which he spends drinking by himself in Au Metro, a seedy bar full of drunks, dancers and eccentrics. It is St Martin's day, and in the evening, as crowds parade through the street carrying lanterns through the snow, he is drawn reluctantly into a conversation with a sinister stranger called Tyre. As a result Earwig accidentally maims a waitress with a broken bottle. He understands that on some level Tyre meant this to happen. Shortly afterwards a black cat is delivered to the flat, unasked for.

Sometimes that very thin line between illusion and reality is not as clearly defined as we would like it to be. It certainly wasn't the day that Alan Mitz stumbled into the garden of Abdul Gasazi. For in this bizarre and eerie place - where strange topiary trees loomed - the evil visage of Gasazi casts its shadow. And even after Alan escaped, the spell of Gasazi still seemed to penetrate into his everyday world. In this extraordinary, unusual, and unique book, Chris Van Allsburg explores both real and surreal worlds with incredible deftness.

On occasion, the dimensional barriers between realities weaken. In those instances, you might catch a glimpse of different places and times. Welcome to Never Wake. Never Wake offers four short stories from the Meridian Wanderings universe. Wonderfully penned prequel fables, Never Wake is the perfect place for fantasy and sci-fi fans to jump on or for long-time Meridian Wanderings fans to learn of tales from long ago.

A gnome wanders among strange worlds of immeasurable beauty and terror on a quest for magic to restore the health of a goddess. If he fails, all creation will dissolve. And so he must dare anything to succeed, even trespass a realm of terrible darkness, pain, and dread sorcery - Earth. The Lady of the Garden, one of the godlike Nameless Ones, has used her magic to dream into existence the worlds of the Bright Shore. But now her unborn child lies motionless in her womb.

Are your nerves strong? Are you ready to subject yourself to a brutal intellectual shock? If yes, leave everything behind and listen to Sacramental, a grotesque fantasy where black humor intertwines with erotica, fantasy, manic philosophy, and music that pierces the deepest secret corners of your soul. You may not be able to withstand the emotional tension of this musical novel until its end, but one thing is certain, you will never forget it.

One afternoon, young Thomas fails to return home for dinner and is soon reported as missing. His disappearance is told from the points of view of all involved, and what unfolds is a tale of ghosts, murder, grief, magic, and necromancy. It is always certain that Thomas will return...but the nature of his reappearance will haunt the minds of all protagonists involved, and each will be changed forever.

Dust storms pop up out of nowhere and are a danger for drivers on the open highways of the southwest. But when you can't see what is in front of you, maybe, with a little help, a fresh pair of eyes, you see something new. Something that might not even be there other times, something that is accessible only when dust storms may exist!