Fregolist (Fregoli Delusion): Believe various people are actually the same person in disguise.
Gefahrgeist (Sociopath): Sociopaths lack empathy (the ability to feel for the pain and suffering of others) and morality. They are driven by their need to achieve and rule in social circles.
Geisteskranken (Delusionist): Reality is responsive to the beliefs of humanity. Under normal circumstances, it requires large numbers of people—all believing the same thing—to effect change. The more people who believe something, the more real their belief becomes. Geisteskranken are capable of believing something so utterly and completely—are insane enough—to effect noticeable changes in reality all by themselves. Most are only mildly neurotic and can cause minor or subtle changes. A Geisteskranken’s power is directly proportional to the strength of his or her delusions.
Halluzinieren (Hallucinations): These folks are capable of manifesting hallucinations in one or more senses. Minor Halluzinieren might just cause people to smell whatever the Geisteskranken is thinking about. Powerful Halluzinieren can hallcinate in all five senses and twist local reality.
Hassebrand (Pyromaniac): Set fires as an outlet for their repressed rage and loneliness.
Intermetic (Syndrome of Intermetamorphosis): Believe people swap identities with each other while maintaining the same appearance.
Kleptic (Kleptomaniac): Are compelled to steal things (usually of little or no value). They are often not even aware they’ve committed the theft.
Mehrere (Schizophrenic): Are so sure they are more than one person . . . they actually are! The various people they become can have wildly varying physical and mental traits. The truly deranged can be an entire crowd of people; either one at a time, or all at once.
Mirrorist (Eisoptrophobia): Some believe the reflection in a mirror is someone other than themselves. Some Mirrorists believe their reflections know things, can see the future, or travel freely between different mirrors (useful for long-distance communication). Others believe mirrors are portals to other worlds or dimensions. Some Mirrorists fear their reflections are trying to escape, while others fear their reflections are trying to drag them into the mirror.
Otraalma: Think they are possessed by demons or evil spirits.
Phobic: Anyone suffering a strong phobia.
The Pinnacle: The ultimate leveler of the playing field. Embracing one’s delusions comes with a price. Sure, holding one’s emotional scars tight and constantly picking at one’s mental wounds might cause a Geisteskranken to grow in power, but embracing insanity is not healthy. As Geisteskranken lose their grip on reality, they become stronger, more able to utterly believe all manner of insane shite. As their sanity crumbles apart, the range and strength of their delusions increases. Eventually, however, those delusions come to completely define that Geisteskranken’s reality. They take over. That moment, that teetering instant when delusion crushes sanity, is the Pinnacle, and for a brief instant, the Geisteskranken might become so powerful as to challenge the gods. Unfortunately (at least for them) they are no longer sane enough to do anything with that power. What happens after depends on the delusions in question. A Mirrorist might be dragged into the mirror by his reflections. The Doppelgangist might be replaced by a Doppel. The Hassebrand might incinerate herself in an orgy of flame.
Somatoparaphrenic (Somatoparaphrenia): Believe one or more limbs (sometimes an entire half of their body) belong to someone else. Often this means they have no control over that limb. In extreme cases, the limb develops a “mind of its own,” with its own agenda.
Therianthrope (Therianthropy): Believe they are possessed by (or sometimes were born with) animal spirits. Many believe they can transform partially (or completely) into their animal form.
Wendigast (Wendigo Psychosis): An insatiable craving for human flesh. Typically the person will become a demonic monster, though still recognizable as having once been human. This is more common in the tribes to the far north, where every winter, starvation becomes an issue. In appearance they combine the emaciation of severe starvation—along with open sores—with demonic strength. They also stink of death and decay. Some turn into massive giants, growing in strength and size as they eat.
GLOSSARY
Abgeleitete Leute: Semimythological city populated solely by copies of a single Mehrere.
Albtraum: The nightmares of man given flesh. These creatures take shapes relevant to those they haunt. They feed off the delusional and mostly attack Geisteskranken.
Aufenthalt: Independent city-state.
Auseinander: A city-state defeated by the Sieger clans. A Sieger Geisteskranken lost control during the battle of Sinnlos after raising an army of the dead. The city-state is now populated by the raised undead and ruled by what was the strongest of the Geisteskranken’s inner demons.
Basamortuan desert: The easternmost edge of the world. Home to the Basamortuan tribes.
Flussrand River: The physical boundary defining the border between the city-state of Gottlos and the Theocracy of Selbsthass.
Folgen Sienie: Small city on the eastern border of Reichweite.
Geborene Damonen: A religion/Theocracy based in Selbsthass, headed by Konig Furimmer. The Geborene believe the universe was not created by the gods, that somehow it came before them, and that humanity created the gods out of its desperate need to believe in something.
Geldangelegenheiten: Small but extremely prosperous city-state. Center of the Verzweiflung Banking Conglomerate.
Gottlos: Grubby little city-state run by King Dieb Schmutzig, who had been the previous king’s greatest general. Dieb is a fairly powerful Gefahrgeist.
Grunlugen: Independent city-state ruled by a family of petty Gefahrgeist.
Kälte Mountains: A range of mountains far to the east of Selbsthass and north of Geldangelegenheiten. Beyond these mountains lies the Basamortuan desert, the easternmost edge of the world.
Krieger: The warrior sect of the Geborene Damonen.
Leichtes Haus: Tavern in Selbsthass City.
Menschheit Letzte Imperium: The last of humanity’s great empires to fall. This entire continent had once been united under a single despotic ruler, perhaps the greatest Gefahrgeist ever to live.
Mitteldirne: Capital of Gottlos.
Müll Loch: Birthplace of Stehlen.
Neidrig: City just beyond the northwestern border of Grauschloss.
Rand: City belonging to the Auseinander city-state.
Reichweite: Small city-state west of Selbsthass, beyond the free cities (including Neidrig).
Ruchlos Arms: Inn located in Neidrig
Schatten Mörder: Cotardist assassins of the Geborene Damonen.
Schlammstamm: Nomadic grassland tribes whose society is organized around whoever of its members owns the most horses. At the center of each tribe is a deranged shaman who thinks he can control the weather and talk to tribal ancestors.
Schwarze Beerdigung: Tavern in Neidrig.
Selbsthass City: Capital of Selbsthass. Home to Konig Furimmer, High Priest of the Geborene Damonen.
Selbsthass: Theocratic city-state. Ruled by Konig Furimmer, High Priest of the Geborene Damonen. Originally an independent state with its own royal family, Selbsthass fell under the sway of the Geborene.
Sinnlos: Small city located on the border of Auseinander and the lands held by the Sieger clans. Famous due only to the fact that the final battle between the Sieger and the Auseinander occurred here.
Tiergeist: Therianthrope assassins of the Geborene Damonen.
Traurig: City in the city-state of Geldangelegenheiten. Birthplace of Wichtig.
Unbedeutend: Backwater city-state that’s been at war with itself for three generations.
Unbrauchbar: Small city just within the borders of the city-state of Gottlos.
Verrottung Loch: The worst tavern in all of Neidrig.
Verschlinger: A tribe of savages in the far north who believe they gain strength and wisdom by devouring their foes. The Verschlinger do not believe in an Afterde
ath.
Verteidigung: Garrisoned city to the north of Selbsthass City.
Verzweiflung: Organized banks/moneylenders based in the city-state of Geldangelegenheiten.
Wahnvor Stellung: The largest and most powerful religion. They believe the gods are crazy. Crazy enough, in fact, that through sheer divine belief, they created the universe and everything within it. Only truly insane creatures could believe strongly enough to create something this complex. They worship the old gods that pre-date recorded history.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Where to start? Well, I guess at the beginning . . .
My parents passed along their love of books. Without them I wouldn’t be here. Literally and literarily.
Being the spouse of a writer cannot be easy. We’re moody, lock ourselves away for months on end, and often get grumpy when reality drags us from the fantasies we’re building in our demented little minds. Or maybe that’s just me. And so . . . Emma, my love, thank you.
Someone once said a wise man can count his true friends on one hand. Actually, I think it was the bassist from Iron Maiden. Anyway, I have to use a second hand, so I guess I don’t qualify. Truth be told, no one has ever accused me of wisdom. I have been blessed with a truly amazing and supportive group of friends: Richard Height, Ken Iliadis, Hans Leuschner, Rich Little, Dave Stephenson, and Peter “Zed” Zosimadis. A better group of dudes in all the world there is not.
Thanks to my test readers, Richard Little (who read the book almost as many times as I have), Richard Height, and Kristopher Neidecker, who pushed me to create the wiki for this novel (http://michaelrfletcher.com/beyondwiki). Check out Kristopher’s blaagh at http://klneidecker.com/. Their feedback helped make this book what it is.
I left a fifteen-year career as an audio engineer to write books, and promptly became destitute. SpringGage hired me on as a project coordinator and continues to employ me even though I spend most of my time writing books. Apparently the idea of patronizing the arts is not yet dead. Thanks!
A special thanks has to go out to my amazing agent, Cameron McClure. She called my novel viscerally disgusting, my characters repulsive, and then offered to represent me. I knew then I’d found the right agent!
I’d also like to thank executive editor David Pomerico at Harper Voyager for taking a chance on an unknown. You spend a few years writing a book and you think you know everything about it and then David comes along and shows you what you missed.
Last but certainly not least, I’d like to thank everyone at Harper Voyager. I haven’t met you all yet, but let’s do pints. And soon! Seriously, I’m thirsty.
Cheers!
—MICHAEL R. FLETCHER
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MICHAEL FLETCHER is a Canadian writer whose first novel, 88, was published by Five Rivers Publishing, a small Canadian press. His short fiction can be found in Interzone, On Spec, Daily Science Fiction, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, and Arcane. This novel grew out of his desire to write something outside of the normal tropes of fantasy, and his contemplation of rare mental disorders (like Cotard’s Syndrome) in a fantasy context.
Michael can be found at www.michaelrfletcher.com.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
ALSO BY MICHAEL R. FLETCHER
88
CREDITS
Cover design by Richard L. Aquan
Cover illustration by Richard Anderson
COPYRIGHT
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Harper Voyager and design is a trademark of HCP LLC.
BEYOND REDEMPTION. Copyright © 2015 by Michael R. Fletcher. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN 978-0-06-238703-5
EPub Edition June 2015 ISBN: 9780062387059
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