ShadowSpinners is honored and thrilled to present Stephen T. Vessels last work, Fall of the Messengers. I personally believe it is a phenomenal achievement and a truly great piece of fiction. I know that Stephen would be proud of this a hardcover edition. Alan M. Clark created the cover art and interior illustrations, and two of Stephen’s own drawings are included inside. With this book, not only do you get a great science fiction fantasy read, but a work of art! Fall of the Messengers is now available on Amazon and the usual suspects, plus you should be able to order it through your local bookstore.

About the book:

When .=ca.85 arrives on Earth and takes human form, he is mysteriously separated from Frisa, his companion and co-messenger. Humanity and the remnants of civilization trudge on in the aftermath of a nuclear war, desperately in need of the message he and Frisa came to deliver. But .=ca.85 has never been alone before, and after stumbling on the scene of a murder, there are soon multiple mysteries to solve. Taking on the identity of a detective, Planchette, he must find Frisa, catch a murderer, identify the recipient of his message, and ultimately unravel the enigma of his own being. He has lived many lifetimes on many worlds, but these mysteries are all connected, and there is more at stake than even the fate of Earth and humanity.

Advance praise for Fall of The Messengers!

“Stephen T. Vessels skates gracefully on the ice of genius.”

—Elizabeth Engstrom, author of The Itinerant and Black Ambrosia

“I knew Stephen T. Vessels was a humanity-affirming renaissance man, but this book proves it to the world. Nobody else I know could have layered together time travel, the decline of human civilization, dark energy geometry, half an alien messenger searching for its other half while wearing the flesh of an investigating cop, spooky action at a distance, a murder mystery, and a cosmically profound love story. What a ride!”

-Eric Witchey, Winner of the International Book Award for both Littlest Death and Bull’s Labyrinth

“Fall of the Messengers is a triumphantly audacious novel. Part alien sci-fi, murder mystery, post-apocalyptic tale, meditation on humanity, and told in an exuberantly kaleidoscopic voice only Stephen Vessels could dare to attempt. Its originality of plot is equaled only by a singularity of characters like no other. A great artistic achievement.”

-Monte Schulz, Author of Metroplis

“A being arrives on Planet Earth to witness the destruction of London then New York. And thus, Stephen Vessels plunges us into the story of Planchette Chron, as he searches for a missing soulmate named Frisa and to deliver his singular message to its recipient. Vessels combines science fiction, philosophy, art, and hard-boiled detective elements into a cosmic smorgasbord. He is not only influenced by Samuel R. Delany, Philip K. Dick, and William Gibson, but has earned a place at their Round Table. Vessels departed our atmosphere too soon. How fortunate that Fall of the Messengers stands as one of his best works. Overwhelming, brilliant, tragic, thought-provoking.”

-Max Talley – author of Yesterday We Forget Tomorrow, Santa Fe Psychosis, andMy Secret Place.

To view more of Alan’s art, click here!