The Gift of Fire/On the Head of a Pin: Two Short Novels from Crosstown to Oblivion

While Mosley is best known for his Easy Rawlins mystery series, this “double” of two short novels demonstrates his proficiency with high-quality speculative fiction and are equally accessible to mystery and fantasy readers. In “The Gift of Fire,” the Titan Prometheus, tortured by an eagle sent by Zeus as punishment for sharing divine knowledge with mankind, manages to escape to present-day Los Angeles, where he adopts human guise. The reality-bending “On the Head of a Pin,” focused on a technological breakthrough that accidentally led to “the most important discovery in the history of this world, or the next,” is even stronger. Both are distinguished by Mosley’s often biting descriptions of humanity’s humble place in the universe. Fans of thoughtful, subtly eerie present-day fantasy will eagerly await future Crosstown to Oblivion novellas. Agent: Gloria Loomis, Watkins-Loomis Agency. (May)