Threshold takes place in Ooolandia, a world
much like our own (but with an extra “O”). In this world, the feathered, the
furred, the scaled, the shelled, the shorn, and the nearly naked all live and
die, sometimes together, sometimes apart. They
are divided by species and distracted by design, happily hypnotized by the
culture of MORE. And why not? Who doesn’t want MORE? MORE thrills, MORE things,
MORE big bottles of beer. MORE stuff for everyone!
But hidden in the fog of
everydayness, a great calamity is approaching. Our hero, Banshooo, (okay, so
he’s a monkey, but he’s also a brilliant scientist) has collected data showing
that the natural world is losing the stability necessary to sustain life. His
warnings are ignored by the authorities who are considering phasing out nature
altogether. With his quirky sidekick, Taboook, (a species one-off whose main
interest is eating,) Banshooo sets out on a journey beyond the surface of the
Seen world to bring back proof of the true nature of nature.
Fearing the monkey may have been
deconstructed in the Unseen world, his colleague, Sukie, (a mouse mathlete)
joins with Ambrose, a far-seeing owl, and Joe, (a disillusioned surveillance
employee) to develop a quantum computer program creating a 3-D Image revealing
the threads of infinite complexity that sustain all life, and confirming that
those threads are breaking apart. The Image is confiscated by the authorities
and the rebels are on the run.
Meanwhile, after overcoming many
obstacles and with the help of several mythic creatures and a fugitive raccoon,
Banshooo has a revelation that brings him to, and through, the threshold to the
Unseen world. There, he learns what is happening and why; he learns how stories
influence what is possible and how a new story is waiting to be told, and he
learns, much to his chagrin, that it’s up to him to tell it.
Banshooo and Taboook return to the
Seen world and join Sukie and the rebel alliance in a desperate effort to retrieve
the Image in time to save the beating heart of manifest energy. Will they
succeed in time to avert disaster?
Threshold is an eco-fantasy
proposing a new future in a land that mirrors our own.
I hope you like
it.
Threshold
Patricia J. Anderson
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Common Deer Press
Date of Publication: March 27, 2018
ISBN Digital: 978-1-988761-17-6
ISBN Print: 978-1-988761-16-9
Number of pages: 240
Word Count: 66,000
Cover Artist: Carl Weins
Tagline: Fantastic Mr. Fox meets The Tao of Physics
Book Description:
The population of Ooolandia (a world much like our own but with an extra "O") is hypnotized by the culture of MORE. Citizens of all kinds and colors go about their lives unaware that hidden in the fog of everydayness a great calamity is approaching.
Banshooo, an amazingly mindful monkey, works for the Ooolandian Department of Nature with his colleague a mathlete mouse. Together they have amassed data proving, beyond any doubt, that the natural world is losing the stability necessary to sustain life. Unfortunately, their warnings are ignored by the authorities who are planning to phase out nature altogether.
Freaky winds, icy earthquakes, and mutant anemones plague the landscape. After a wildly devastating storm, Banshooo has a vision revealing the connection between Ooolandia and the Unseen World -- a connection that lies deep within and far beyond all that is seen. This connection is vital to Ooolandia's survival, and it is fraying. He realizes he must take radical action. Along with his quirky sidekick (a one-off of unique appearance whose primary interest is snacking), he sets out on a journey beyond the surface of the Seen to bring back proof of the true nature of nature.
Threshold Excerpt 3
The monkey sighs a big
one. “Okay, I saw an opening in the midst of a swirling foggy haze. I believe
it is the gateway to the Unseen World. But when I tried to go toward it, it was
like I was moving through layers of something, and then …”
“Then what?”
“Then I felt like I was about to break apart.”
Morie leans back. “Hmmm. That would indicate you might
have been approaching another realm.”
Ambrose’s eyes grow even wider than usual. “Can you do
that?”
“I knew a guy who tried.”
“Knew?”
“He’s no longer with us.”
“Oh.”
“There’s a molecular dispersion problem involved.”
“I see.”
“Supposedly there are ways to do it without splintering,
but it’s complicated. It has to do with perception.” He looks at Banshooo. “For
instance, you saw something that was happening in another space, like space
travel but in your mind. If you could access that perception, if you could go
into it, so to speak, you might be able to travel there without
dematerializing.” Morie speaks slowly as he thinks out loud. “Time and space
and perception. They’re joined, allied in some fundamental way. Exactly how and
in what manner … that is the question.” He rocks back and forth slowly.
“Are light-years a measure of the distance to enlightenment? I wonder …”
About the Author:
Patricia J Anderson’s essays and short stories have appeared in numerous periodicals including The Sun, Tricycle, Chronogram, Ars Medica, Glamour Magazine and Rewire Me.com. Her books include All of Us, a critically acclaimed investigation of cultural attitudes and beliefs, and Affairs In Order, named best reference book of the year by Library Journal. She is the recipient of The Communicator Award for online excellence and has produced exhibition, kiosk and website copy for such institutions as the American Museum of Natural History and the Capital Museum. She is the editor of Craig Barber’s Vietnam journal, Ghosts in the Landscape. She lives with her family in New York’s Hudson Valley.
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