[573 pp/ 6"x9"] Have you ever wondered ... about the meaning of life? Or if a person standing six feet from the epicenter of an atomic bomb blast feels any pain? The main character of this story and his unwitting friends have the satisfyingly unfortunate experience of finding out the answer to both questions. The protagonists include a man who never wears a coat and is a firm believer in stating the obvious. Another involves the narrator in a love triangle, her dark secret later revealed on the Jerry Springer Show. A third always wears a ski mask and has determined that the Earth is actually a ride in a cosmic amusement park, the only way to get off being to die. Through these and other equally eccentric characters, you will be transported on a world tour incorporating elements of the exotic orient, historic Europe, and counter-cultural San Francisco. This is the debut novel of Douglas Alan, whose other works include the tongue-in-cheek sci-fi epic, The End, And Then?