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The Gift of Fire & On the Head of a Pin  By  cover art

The Gift of Fire & On the Head of a Pin

By: Walter Mosley
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman,Beresford Bennett
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Publisher's summary

The Gift of Fire

In ancient mythology, the Titan Prometheus was punished by the gods for bringing man the gift of fire - an event that set humankind on its course of knowledge. As punishment, Prometheus was bound to a rock. But in The Gift of Fire, those chains cease to be, and the great champion of man walks from that immortal prison into present-day South Central Los Angeles. Disheveled and lost, he is thrown in jail, where he meets lifelong criminal Nosome Blane. Shocked at what humanity has done with his gift, he looks for another way to empower his cause. His only hope lies with Nosome's bedridden fourteen-year-old nephew, Chief Reddy, who is anointed with Prometheus' second gift of fire.

On the Head of a Pin

Joshua Winterland and Ana Fried are working at Jennings-Tremont Enterprises. JTE is developing advanced animatronics editing techniques that will create high-end movies indistinguishable from live action. But one night Joshua and Ana discover something lingering in the rendered footage . . . an entity that will eventually reveal itself as "the Sail" and lead Joshua and Ana into a new age . . . beyond the reality they have come to know, and deep into the true nature of good and evil.

©2012 Walter Mosley (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“One of this nation's finest writers.” ( The Boston Globe)
“A writer whose work transcends category and qualifies as serious literature.” ( Time)
“Walter Mosley delivers the goods...explosively distilled prose as powerful as homemade booze.” ( Chicago Tribune)

What listeners say about The Gift of Fire & On the Head of a Pin

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    4 out of 5 stars

Love Mosley's take on science fiction and fantasy!

I've been a long time fan of this author. He has such a wonderful way of interpreting life. The first of these two short novels reflect his reinterpretation of Greek mythology in a wonderfully creative way. The second represents his take on the future. I listened to both stories multiple times and it was my introduction to both readers who I found to be highly competent. I especially liked Beresford Bennet. Of the two novellas, I found The Gift of Fire to be the most engaging. They were both too short and I hope sometime in the near future the author uses these as a basis for a full-length novel. I love Mr. Mosley's science fiction and fantasy work, even more than the Easy Rawlins series! Bravo!

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Good, not great

Admittedly I only listened to the first story. It was entertaining but....meh. I wasn't that interested in Part 2. I'm still in WM's camp, but not this section. Meanwhile, I'm totally looking forward to the next Leonid McGill novel or meeting one of his other independent creations (like Johnny Fry, John Woman, or Debbie; all fantastic characters).

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  • Overall
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Great story - telling

Two very good, very unpredictable short novels. Both would make great sci- fi movies. World shaking narratives, but very personal. Much to say about human values and morals.

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