The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye

A dead man is brought back to life so he can support his family in "The Happy Man"; occasionally he slips into a zombielike state while his soul is tortured in Hell. In "Vanilla Dunk," future basketball players are given the skills of old-time stars like Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. And in "Forever, Said the Duck," stored computer personalities scheme to break free of their owners. In these and other stories in this striking collection, Jonathan Lethem, author ofThe Fortress of SolitudeandMotherless Brooklyn, draws the reader ever more deeply into his strange, unforgettable worlda trip from which there may be no easy return.

JONATHAN LETHEM is the author of seven novels, including Amnesia Moon, Gun, with Occasional Music, and the forthcoming You Don’t Love Me Yet. He lives in New York.