Thomas Wharton Knihy

Dreams, fairy tales, and reality intersect in this rich, absorbing fantasy ofa rebellious teen on his journey through the Perilous Realm. There he meets agirl with a special destiny of her own, and Shade, an unusual wolf.

Nicholas Flood, an unassuming eighteenth-century London printer, specializes in novelty books -- books that nestle into one another, books comprised of one spare sentence, books that emit the sounds of crashing waves. When his work captures the attention of an eccentric Slovakian count, Flood is summoned to a faraway castle -- a moving labyrinth that embodies the count's obsession with puzzles -- where he is commissioned to create the infinite book, the ultimate never-ending story. Probing the nature of books, the human thirst for knowledge, and the pursuit of immortality, Salamander careens through myth and metaphor as Flood travels the globe in search of materials for the elusive book without end.

Dr. Edward Byrne is on a climbing expedition in the Canadian Rockies in 1898 when he falls into a crevasse. While waiting to be rescued he sees the figure of an angel. A stiff-upper-lip Englishman, he tells nobody, but he allows the vision to haunt him for the next twenty-five years.

In a northern Alberta mining town, River Meadows, ghost ore—a new energy source—promises immense wealth but brings with it time and space distortions that make the area uninhabitable. After evacuation, the region is sealed off, humorously dubbed "the Park." The narrative unfolds through various voices across history, centering on four young individuals connected to River Meadows, whose legacies extend beyond their lives. Following the mining death of Ben Hewitt, his widow and children, Alex and Amery, are among the first to leave. While Alex, now a successful game designer, has moved on, Amery remains haunted by the past, attempting to rescue wildlife affected by the ore. Her dangerous missions into the toxic wasteland lead to her disappearance, prompting Alex to return and search for her, joined by her friend Michio Amano, a mathematician pushing the limits of physics. Meanwhile, Claire Foley, who escaped River Meadows, now engages in wildlife trafficking under the guise of a travel publisher. As Alex and Michio search for Amery, Claire faces a life-altering decision upon encountering the last of an endangered crane species. This narrative weaves a rich tapestry of environmental themes, exploring humanity's flawed stewardship and nature's wisdom.