The Commons: Book 1: The Journeyman: Volume 1 (The Commons: A Contemporary Fantasy Series) - Softcover

Peck, Michael Alan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0986082325 ISBN 13: 9780986082320

Publisher: Dinuhos Arts, LLC, 2015

Synopsis

Winner: Illinois Library Association's 2015 Soon to be Famous Illinois Author Project

"Paul Reid died in the snow at seventeen. The day of his death, he told a lie—and for the rest of his life, he wondered if that was what killed him."

And so begins this contemporary fantasy's battle for the afterlife, known as The Commons. It's been taken over by a corporate raider who uses the energy of its souls to maintain his brutal control. The result is an imaginary landscape of a broken America—stuck in time and overrun by the heroes, monsters, dreams, and nightmares of the imprisoned dead.

Three people board a bus to nowhere: a New York street kid, an Iraq War veteran, and her five-year-old special-needs son. After a horrific accident, they are the last, best hope for The Commons to free itself. Along for the ride are a shotgun-toting goth girl, a six-foot-six mummy, a mute Shaolin monk with anger-management issues, and the only guide left to lead them.

Three Journeys: separate but joined. One mission: to save forever.

But first they have to save themselves.

˃˃˃ "[A] brilliant piece of fiction...that is destined to blow up"

— Bronsen Earl, Amazon reviewer

˃˃˃ "[U]niquely crafted...simply a marvelously well-written make-believe story..."

— Grady Harp, Amazon Hall of Fame reviewer

˃˃˃ "[A] near perfect blend of the strange and unexpected."

— Ray Nicholson, Amazon Top 1000 reviewer

˃˃˃ "I'm a huge fan of the genre and Mr. Peck manages to bring something fresh and engrossing to the table."

— violet13

A Magical Realism Novel with Elements of Mythical and Metaphysical Fantasy

˃˃˃ "Books with this mix of metaphysics, fantasy and magical realism are becoming more prevalent...but few of these books are as well executed as this one."

— Tahlia Newland, Awesome Indies Reviewer

About this title

About the Author

I tell tales big and small. Life's magical, but it isn't always enough for a good story. So I make up the rest. To me, it's not real until I've put it into story form, which means I repeat myself a lot. In fact, the phrase that passes my lips most often is, "I may have told you this before, but ..." I've made my living writing about TV, its celebrities, and its past. (I used to pen a column called "Ask the Televisionary" for TV Guide.com.) I've also put food on the table reviewing restaurants, writing about travel, and doing SEO and content strategy. Only the writing counts in the end. I have a godawful memory, so I focus on the written word. I like to think that over time, I've gotten better at it--the writing, not the remembering. I forget important dates. I'm pretty good with movie lines. But after several years, I tend to tweak them. I prefer my versions over the real ones. Funny goes a long way with me. Probably further than it should. I grew up outside Philadelphia and have lived in New York, L.A., and San Francisco. My current home base is Chicago. At holiday time, the missus and I terrorize the world via The Little Drummer Boy Challenge. Please join us.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dinuhos Arts, LLC
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0986082325
• ISBN 13: 9780986082320
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 382