Beyond the Wall of Sleep

by R. Andrew Heidel

The nine richly imaginative and original stories inside Beyond the Wall of Sleep examine profound realizations and sublime truths yet defy categorization. They run the gamut from esoteric to experimental fiction, drawing upon R. Andrew Heidel's personal mythos on life before living and after dying, as well as the immortality of the soul and the creation of gods. In the short story "Dead Drunk," the personification of Death is found alone in a bar after she has quit her job; in "The God Makers," a simple fisherman is unwittingly responsible for his village deifying the sea; and "Interview with God" is a tale about a soul applying for a Birth Visa before his incarnation on Earth. The poetry, unconventional in form and style is eclectic to say the least, reads more akin to Zen meditations conveying a sense of wonder about life and the universe in which we live.

Genres: Fiction, Poetry

56 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Andie Valdez · Rating 3 out of 5]

the prose section is made mostly of short stories about gods and higher beings, which I enjoyed, though some of them are about regular people (these were not as interesting to me and felt out of place). the writing is melodramatic at times but it's not bad because the subject matter is already grandiose, so it fit. the poetry is alright. some of them were funny, but others I found myself thinking about other things while reading. the whole book is in first person and every female characters feels like a prop for the MC to further his journey or to sexually objectify. except for the first short story where Death is treated with some respect, though that may be because the MC, and the author, find her intimidating.