Who is the ultimate judge of the world? When God and organized religion stand at bitter odds, which one are we supposed to listen to? The four tales collected in The Great Debate, through the mixed elements of horror, whimsy, and captivating allegory, follow this common theme, exploring both the pain of LGBT people and others who feel rejected by the church and the joy that comes with realizing that God's love is by no means subject to the laws of human society.

In August of 1850, the fledgling town of Nightfire, Texas was plagued by a supernatural terror that all but destroyed it. The survivors, having found the key to keeping their town safe from the beasts in the future, rebuilt the town, using their clandestine knowledge to keep Nightfire safe from the monsters for all time. As the generations passed, the nightmarish story was lost to all but a few, each of whom felt confident that the vial of werewolf blood, secreted away in the basement of a small, unassuming Methodist church, would continue to keep the monsters at bay. Now, after 147 years of secrecy, the fragile artifact that has guarded against the horrors of the past has been destroyed, and the purest intentions of a teenage boy named Daniel has caused the long dead blood of the werewolf to quicken once again. Desperate for salvation, Daniel finds himself torn between his faith in both God and his friends and the unquenchable bloodlust of the monster gestating inside of him, as the two irreconcilable aspects of his spirit struggle for control of his mind and body. Confronted with the pain and loss that follow what has been done to him, and having seen more horror than he had ever imagined God could allow to exist in the universe, Daniel must risk the lives of his friends and loved ones to finally determine whether his faith will be enough to save them all and turn back the relentless hunger of the werewolf, or whether, as he fears at the core of his tortured spirit, there is in fact no saving any man, no matter how sinless and devout, from the cunning, murderous instincts of the savage beast within.

Welcome to Nightfire... As a deceptively quiet night comes to a close, Janie Alberts, a woman who had lived a life filled with peace, never once making an enemy in all her eighty years, has been savagely murdered in her home, her throat torn apart as if by an animal. Under the dark, concealing cover of the very same night, two mysterious men have returned to town, each having spent years abroad after leaving under illicit circumstances, and both now trying to escape dangerous pasts that they dare not share with anyone. Stranger still, whoever has committed the murder now in question has purposely left clues to suggest the involvement of a vampire; a tactic that threatens to expose the darkest secret that the diminutive town of Nightfire, Texas has ever dared to keep.

Humans call them elves or sprites, but these beings call themselves gnomekind. They are divided into two primary groups: the magical Old World Gnomes and the scientific Techgnomes. Communication between these two worlds is strictly forbidden. And yet, from time to time, the rules get broken.

Not all rule-breakers are bad, however, as teenaged gnomes Ak'ten and Pete may prove. Forging a forbidden friendship, the two young gnomes set out together to make a daring rescue inside Fenrir's fortress. Years ago, the Old World Prince Fenrir uncovered a power buried in the shadows of gnome myths. Blending the two worlds of magic and science to unify his sinister cult of Darkgnomes, Fenrir has become obsessed with finding a fabled artifact known as the Devil's Pearl.

Their quest leads Ak'ten and Pete into unfamiliar realms, and each must embrace the unusual and sometimes dangerous aspects of the other's culture. But their mission is more urgent than either of them realize. Fenrir has grown dangerously close to achieving his ultimate goal. The keys to obtaining the Devil's Pearl are within his grasp, and whoever possesses the Pearl will rule the world.