This new printing of Pamela Zoline's famous cross-genre story collection reproduces the 1988 text, but with an important emendation on page 123. Aside from that, and a dazzling new cover, this edition brings to a new audience, a new generation, the same excitement that comes of encountering the emergence of an important new voice for visionary fiction. Only very rarely does there appear a book that captures the attention of a broad spectrum of readers, draws extraordinary praise from critics, and catapults the author overnight into an established presence. That is exactly what has happened with this collection. This book presents two novellas (including "Sheep," which appeared first in our Likely Stories) and three long stories. Alongside her oft-anthologized story "The Heat Death of the Universe," will be found "Instructions for Exiting This Building in Case of Fire," "The Holland of the Mind," and "Busy About the Tree of Life." We're taken from the ontological recesses of Sarah Boyle's kitchen into an encyclopedic cure for insomnia, and then find recounted what must surely be the most catastrophic (and hilarious) genealogy in modern fiction. All along the way, as the cultural detritus of Western Civ seeps in between the quotidian cracks, Zoline never loses sight of the personal dimensions of life.

For many billions of years, humans0́4having conquered the curse of aging0́4spread throughout the entire Milky Way. They are able to live all their dreams, but to their great disappointment, no other intelligent species has ever been encountered. Now, humanity itself is on the brink of extinction because the universe is dying a protracted yet inevitable death. They have only one hope: The 0́8Rescue Project0́9 was designed to feed the black hole in the center of the galaxy until it becomes a quasar, delivering much-needed energy to humankind during its last breaths. But then something happens that no one ever expected0́4and humanity is forced to look at itself and its existence in an entirely new way.

Mack looks at five ways the universe could end, and the lessons each scenario reveals about the most important concepts in cosmology. --From publisher description.

"The unexamined life is not worth living." - Socrates Have you ever wondered what the purpose of life is? Why humans are here on earth? Have you thought about what will happen when your heart stops beating? Where you will go after you die? Have you ever questioned what the point of life, death, and the universe is? What's the Point of Life, Death, and the Universe?: Find Out Why You Exist answers the profound questions that every human being asks themselves. With heartwarming passion and grace, author Gurdeep Brar explains the realities of our existence, including our relationship with ourselves, the universe, the spirit world, and the paranormal world. It is part memoir, part spiritual manifesto, and part self-help work-book. Thought provoking questions conclude chapters, which will actively engage you, and help you understand your life. With the utmost compassion, this book will guide you through your own special spiritual journey. It will improve every aspect of your life and help you find the meaning and purpose for your existence. What's the Point of Life, Death, and the Universe?: Find Out Why You Exist answers the profound questions that every human being asks themselves. With heartwarming passion and grace, author Gurdeep Brar explains the realities of our existence, including why we are here, what the purpose of life is, and where we go in the afterlife.

It's only a matter of time before a cosmic disaster spells the end of the Earth. But how concerned should we about about any of these catastrophic scenarios? And if they do post a danger, can anything be done to stop them?

This fast-paced action novel is set in a future where the world has been almost destroyed. Like the award-winning novel Freak the Mighty, this is Philbrick at his very best.It's the story of an epileptic teenager nicknamed Spaz, who begins the heroic fight to bring human intelligence back to the planet. In a world where most people are plugged into brain-drain entertainment systems, Spaz is the rare human being who can see life as it really is. When he meets an old man called Ryter, he begins to learn about Earth and its past. With Ryter as his companion, Spaz sets off an unlikely quest to save his dying sister -- and in the process, perhaps the world.

“Reading Manifold: Time is like sending your mind to the gym for a brisk workout. If you don’t feel both exhausted and exhilirated when you’re done, you haven’t been working hard enough.”—The New York Times Book Review The year is 2010. More than a century of ecological damage, industrial and technological expansion, and unchecked population growth has left the Earth on the brink of devastation. As the world’s governments turn inward, one man dares to envision a bolder, brighter future. That man, Reid Malenfant, has a very different solution to the problems plaguing the planet: the exploration and colonization of space. Now Malenfant gambles the very existence of time on a single desperate throw of the dice. Battling national sabotage and international outcry, as apocalyptic riots sweep the globe, he builds a spacecraft and launches it into deep space. The odds are a trillion to one against him. Or are they? “A staggering novel! If you ever thought you understood time, you’ll be quickly disillusioned when you read Manifold: Time.”—Sir Arthur C. Clarke