ISOF
by Pete Townsend
Misquoting Shakespeare and an unfortunate incident with an aquarium combine to lead teenage Ben into an alternate reality. Imprisoned by a race of fish-headed creatures, rescued and then coerced into searching for a missing girl, along with three other teenagers, his hopes of finding a way home seem futile. Avoiding malevolent shadows, captured by the notorious Cutters, and encouraging dragons to go on the rampage is nothing compared to the odd assortment of bumbling sages, mad inventors, rock faces and life-absorbing sirens they meet. With the help of an ancient book and a host of disembodied spirits, Ben finds the missing girl, along with a diamond tooth and an old bell, but then finds himself betrayed from an unlikely source. Encountering an exploding river, a near death experience and monstrous dogs, Ben is left speechless as one of the teenagers embraces death and a tree. As the alternate world threatens to destroy everything around him, he is left wondering what is real,...