An exploration of consciousness through the lives of fictional characters.
The genre is primarily Science Fiction, specifically Postapocalyptic, but it leans heavily toward Political Drama. It also incorporates strong elements of Fantasy, as well as Historical, Romance, and Mystery. In essence, the book depicts an entire alternate universe, blending various genres into a unique narrative. Prepare for an engaging read and a remarkable journey through time, space, and the mind. We sincerely hope you will find this sci-fi novel among the best fiction books you have read.
A search for "consciousness" online yields nearly 100 million results, each deemed relevant by the search engine. Reviewing a few of these sources reveals definitions ranging from "all that exists" to "nothing at all." In truth, humans have a limited understanding of what consciousness is or how it functions. Scholarly discussions often become circular, while speculative sources can veer into the absurd. It remains a complex and difficult subject to study.
To study an ocean, much can be learned from within its depths. However, a complete understanding requires observing it from the outside. This is impossible with consciousness. As conscious beings, our awareness exists within it, with no external perspective available for study. While we can examine the streams that flow into and shape an ocean, we can only hypothesize about the forces that form the vast ocean of consciousness in which our awareness exists.
Several years ago, I began writing a book, but it evolved in ways I hadn’t planned. From the first page, characters emerged independently, telling a story I hadn’t envisioned, one I observed rather than crafted. While I added some of my own words to express personal insights and theories, those sections proved to be the weakest parts of the narrative. The most compelling elements arose naturally, as I listened and typed while the characters interacted. It soon became evident that these characters possessed their own will and self-awareness, distinct from my own, as if they had emerged from the essence of consciousness itself.
Fascinating! My curiosity drove me to explore consciousness and awareness—two distinct concepts. I examined them within the realm of consciousness where these characters, these enigmatic figures, seem to reside. Through this, I learned that while consciousness appears boundless, awareness is only the small fraction we currently comprehend.
This exploration resulted in three novels and several short stories over the years. This publication includes the complete trilogy and a selection of short stories that offer deeper insight into the characters’ backgrounds. The narrative follows a group of young people navigating a world that defies reason, surrounded by so-called experts with limited understanding and ascended masters who provide more speculation than clarity. As they seek meaning and strive to understand their reality, we, too, embark on a journey within consciousness, exploring what feels like an infinite expanse of awareness, each layer revealing profound mysteries waiting to be discovered.
The text features various images of objects and places, accompanied by relevant quotes or poems tied to specific elements of the story. These serve as artifacts from our real world, woven into the fictional narrative. When characters use unfamiliar words, concepts, or theories that I don’t fully grasp (or have never encountered), I include footnotes explaining comparable terms and ideas from our reality. This fusion of the real and the imagined grounds the story, providing a solid foundation for readers to engage with and immerse themselves in the fictional world.
I hope you enjoy their journey.
By Gary Brandt
Over The Edge Press
Arizona USA
Copyright © 2007-2025 by Gary Brandt.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Pictures in this book of trees and lakes were taken in Flagstaff, Az. Many pictures were purchased from photos.com or dreamstime.com. Any people in the pictures are models and have no relationship to this book or its story. Character faces are CGI or AI generated, and are not real people.
FOR PLANET EARTH
May you have a long and happy life.
I am grateful to the characters John, Sally, Ben, Michael, Pat, and the others for sharing their story with me. I am especially grateful to Kaguya for bringing this story into my domain so that I could learn of it and share it.