When a traffic accident takes the life of Joe Grant and his young
daughter Elizabeth, it puts them into a twilight world. Neither
dead nor alive, they join a community of thousands of other "souls"
who, like them, pass the days trying to understand what has
happened to them, and-even more important-what is to become of
them. They discover that many people remain trapped in this
existence for a long time, but some do "leave." How and why is a
mystery. People from every period of human history live in this
town without a name. A Pilgrim from the 1600s, frontiersmen and
settlers from the nineteenth century, an Indian warrior and a used
car salesmen all co-exist together-at times uneasily. Each bides
his time, carrying on relationships, building homes, and trying to
conduct a normal every-day life under extraordinary circumstances.
Joe discovers that this new world, although mimicking the features
of the one he left, is very, very different. Although everyone
keeps the form they had at the time of their death, they are all
physically equal. A frail looking grandmother is just as strong and
just as agile as a burly dockworker. Also, even though they are
dead, people still suffer and feel pain. They must eat, sleep and
seek shelter from the elements. Normal emotions like love and
happiness exist but are muted. Only those who have a connection to
someone alive, like Joe has with his wife Sally, can experience
snippets of real emotion, real life. But this comes at a price. As
long as he is still connected to Sally she can never put his death
behind her and move on with her own life. As he goes through this
world Joe meets Edrey Sikes, a woman from the late 1800s. He is
introduced to her friend Amanda Scabbard who died in childbirth at
age sixteen, Amanda's husband Will who died in his fifties, and
their son Edmund, eighty, who live together again as a family. He
also meets Ezra Potts, a cantankerous old hermit who thinks he has
"figured a way out." In a world without machines, Ezra has managed
to build a functioning airplane. If only he can get it to work
right, he believes he will fulfill his personal destiny and
"transition" to a better life. Ezra is partially right. This world
is a place where people go who haven't learned all they needed to
know in life, or done all the things they needed to do when they
were alive to earn the right to eternal happiness. Some of these
people are basically good, others tend toward evil, and this world
is their second chance. If the good become complacent, or the evil
succumb to the temptation to "feel" again by giving into base human
passions, they are lost forever. Figuring this out is only the
first challenge. Without truly understanding the connection Joe,
Ezra and Edrey are all called upon to make individual sacrifices to
help their fellow man. Some of those who have given up all hope
decide to terrorize the town, feeding off the intense emotions
their agony produces. Although able to flee Joe, Ezra and Edrey
return to fight against all odds to save their friends who are
imprisoned by these "lost souls." This is what critics have said
about Phillip Ellis Jackson's novels (www.scifi-jackson.com) "These
novels are among the best stories we have read for some
time-offering a great mix between science, technology and life-like
characters." "If anyone is looking for a good read for sunning at
the beach, or for a long flight, it will definitely keep you
engrossed and entertained, right down to the last page." "What
happens within the book's technological framework is always
intriguing. The chess-like developments of the plot itself are also
comfortably paced, and indeed such elements click into place
throughout." "Even the minor characters generally rise to three
dimensions and have mixed motivations and even mixed loyalties." "A
fascinating sci-fi thriller that will keep you turning the
pages-cover to cover."
General
Imprint: |
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
May 2012 |
First published: |
May 2012 |
Authors: |
Phillip Ellis Jackson
|
Dimensions: |
203 x 127 x 15mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
272 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-4701-6909-1 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
Genre fiction >
Science fiction
|
LSN: |
1-4701-6909-6 |
Barcode: |
9781470169091 |
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