"We all left the scene of the crime, committed by death, with stony faces. Every man glancing at another, before withdrawing into our individual abode of thoughts to begin a service of silence, probably for the dead man. The realization that the man with the smile could have been any of us made the silence heavier, the fact that we shall meet the same fate one day fueled the silence as we journeyed on" Reality is the only thing that is real. A collection of vividly descriptive short stories, presenting reality and the mind

***2019 Watty Award Winner - Science Fiction*** Charlie has always been the one left behind. It isn't because there's something special about him; in fact, there is nothing special about him at all. As one of the few unlucky members of Terran society to be born without powers, Charlie's luck has never looked worse. After a visit to his brother's school ends in an international disaster, Charlie finds himself stranded on an alien planet with no idea where he is, how he got there, or why he is even awake. Why did his captors let him go? How will Charlie get home? And more importantly, what in the world is Trial 017? [Book One of the Scion series]