Sum: Forty Tales From The AfterlivesSum: Forty Tales From The Afterlives What happens to us when we die? And what does that tell us about being human? In the afterlife you may find that God is the size of a microbe and unaware of your existence. Or you may find the afterlife contains only those people whom you remember. In some afterlives you are split into all your different ages; in some you are recreated based on your credit card records; and in others you are forced to live with

Sum: Forty Tales From The Afterlives

What happens to us when we die? And what does that tell us about being human?

In the afterlife you may find that God is the size of a microbe and unaware of your existence. Or you may find the afterlife contains only those people whom you remember. In some afterlives you are split into all your different ages; in some you are recreated based on your credit-card records; and in others you are forced to live with annoying versions of yourself that represent what you could have been.

In these wonderfully imagined tales - at once funny, wistful and unsettling - Eagleman kicks over the chessboard of traditional notions and offers us a dazzling lens through which to see ourselves here and now. His stories are rooted in science and romance and awe at our mysterious existence: a mixture of hope, love and death that cuts through human nature at innovative angles.

'A very well-written, very funny and very thought-provoking book that makes you realize that when it comes to the afterlife, most religions suffer from an acute shortage of imagination. Sum immediately made me think of several more alternative afterlives' - * Yuval Noah Harari *

'Brilliantly realised, blazingly original, Sum isn't so much about the next life as this one. Eagleman's stories - parables? - a chilly reminder of our foibles and delusions.' - * Sunday Herald *

'40 intriguing tales describing different heavenly scenarios ... and all formidably imagined ... Readers may discover much to appreciate - not least the lives they are living now, still so much better than some nightmares in these pages ... quirky, occasionally unsettling ... never short of new new ideas, all of them rolled out with style.' - * Independent *

'This delightful, thought-provoking little collection belongs to that category of strange, unclassifiable books that will haunt the reader long after the last page has been turned. It is full of tangential insights into the human condition and poetic thought experiments ... full of touching moments and glorious wit of the sort one only hopes will be incopious supply on the other side.' - * The New York Times *

'This stunningly original book is little more than 100 pages long. You can get through it in an hour, but you'd be mad to hurry, and you will certainly want to return to it many times ... Sum has the unaccountable, jaw-dropping quality of genius. It seems exquisitely adapted to fill the contemporary longing for a kind of secular holy book.' - * Observer *

'It does what it says in the title - satirical, playful, troubling, inventive, thought provoking and often funny takes on possible afterlives. A complete one off. I've been buying it and giving to friends and family. Everyone is delighted. Keep by the bed and feed yourself one or two before turning out the light.' - * Sunday Herald *

'Mind-bending . . . Thought-provoking and life-affirming with the dose of humour I enjoy. To help me appreciate the here and now rather than agonising about the 'what-ifs'' - * Daily Telegraph *

'SUM is an imaginative and provocative book that gives new perspectives on how to view ourselves and our place in the world.' - * Alan Lightman, author of EINSTEIN'S DREAM *

'I suppose there could be people who dislike Canongate's latest find ... those, dare one say it, without poetry in their souls. For the rest - the millions who even in a post-religious, secular society find themselves at unexpected moments wondering who or what God is, if he's not a little old man sitting on a cloud.' - * Scotsman *

'This is as much an object of desire as an actual book ... elegant, surreal and philosophically questioning, each story from neuroscientist Eagleman offers an inventive, thought-provoking blend of science and romance ... sly wit, ingenuity and oddly acute insight into the vagaries of the human condition.' - * Metro *

'The most thought provoking stocking filler you could hope to find: a slender volume of bite size vignettes pondering what happens after we die.' - * Scotsman *

'Whimsical, dark and sometimes funny' - * Daily Express *

'Clever, memorable stuff.' - * The London Paper *

'A clever book.' - * Daily Telegraph *

SPECIFICATIONS:

Author:David Eagleman - Дэвид Иглман

Publisher:Canongate Books

Language:English

Publication Date:2009

Number of pages:128 pst

Format:Paperback

Width:111 mm / 4,4'

Height:178 mm / 7'

Weight:91 g

ISBN:9781847674272