Beyond the Wall of Sleep: A Collection of Prose and Poetry 1988-1997

The nine richly imaginative and original stories inside Beyond the Wall of Sleep examine profound realizations and sublime truths yet defy categorization. They run the gamut from esoteric to experimental fiction, drawing upon R. Andrew Heidel's personal mythos on life before living and after dying, as well as the immortality of the soul and the creation of gods. In the short story "Dead Drunk," the personification of Death is found alone in a bar after she has quit her job; in "The God Makers," a simple fisherman is unwittingly responsible for his village deifying the sea; and "Interview with God" is a tale about a soul applying for a Birth Visa before his incarnation on Earth. The poetry, unconventional in form and style is eclectic to say the least, reads more akin to Zen meditations conveying a sense of wonder about life and the universe in which we live.

You may take what is yours,
return what was borrowed, and bring
upon yourself what is to come.
There is no understanding life.
Only living.