Zod Wallop

There are two versions of Harry Gainesborough's bestselling children's book Zod Wallop: the published version, written second, and the original version, stolen by Harry's zealous fan, Raymond Story, while Harry and Raymond were both patients in a mental hospital. The published version has a happy ending; the private version was Harry's confrontation with the death of his child. And the private version, emotionally true and infused with the power of a group hallucination, ending with the destruction of the world, is becoming real. Harry Gainesborough, ex-writer of children's books, just wants to be left alone. But the world—several worlds, actually—won't let him. Raymond Story, escaped from Harwood Psychiatric (and now married to Emily, a catatonic girl that Raymond declares is the Frozen Princess) has enlisted some of his fellow patients and is intent on saving the world—with Harry's help. Nonsense, of course. But a Ralewing (a nasty sort of flying sting ray that Harry invented for his book) appears to have eaten the paint from the roof of Harry's car; the ruthless executive of a large pharmaceutical company bears an unsettling resemblance to Zod Wallop's evil Lord Draining, and a hotel in Florida could be about to host the end of the world...