When the Managing Director receives an interoffice memo in Ptydepe, a language he has never seen before, he discovers that affairs in his Department are not entirely under his control. Communication in the new language is supposed to be more precise and scientific, but without proper documentation, the befuddled Josef Gross finds himself running in circles in search of a translation. To complicate matters, the Deputy Director attempts to usurp Gross’s job, everyone in the Ptydepe Translation Center has gone to lunch, and the Staff Watcher is keeping a close eye on the supply of cigars. Yxap tseror najx!
Reclusive genius Abel Znorko fails to shoot an unwelcome intruder -- a journalist determined to interview him about his latest novel. But as Erik Larsen continues to force his way into Znorko’s solitude, it becomes clear that he knows more than he should about this epistolary romance between the author and a mysterious woman named Helen. Paring away each others’ lies and evasions, their interaction reveals an increasingly complex pattern in an apparently simple melody.
Tired of waiting helplessly for traffic lights to change, Donny Rowan seeks the road not taken. He’s put his life up for sale on the front lawn, and scans the galaxy from his E-Z Boy recliner in the attic. He’s setting his sights on the other side of the universe — a parallel dimension with alternate spatial-temporal rules but a very similar journey of self-discovery.
