"The Region Between" first appeared in Galaxy back in 1970. It had originally been commissioned as one of a set of stories by different authors who all used a common starting point as set out in the story's prologue, written by Keith Laumer. Ellison's contribution was a longer work than one usually expects from him, but it nevertheless sustains its bombardment of ideas and feelings throughout. What's more, Ellison created a story that demanded a different format to allow for full expression. The result was a typesetter's nightmare but, as you will see, the experience now only makes this story all the more fascinating, it actually takes you into the story itself. Mike Ashley

Craftsman and amateur astronomer Geoffrey Carlisle from Ely discovers that the moon is fractionally ahead of its usual elliptical orbit. He becomes instantaneously well-known for his unique observation. Using Carlisle's findings, astronomy experts discover that each star circling the moon has been slightly warped. Yet after some time, as Professor Wright from Cambridge University had predicted, the warped stars return to their rightful places, suggesting that the world is an information-ordered one, like an analogue program acting out. What then, are the actual repercussions of a computational error in reality?

'Death in the Promised Land' explores the potential dangers of becoming too closely involved in virtual reality. Parts of the story were later reworked into the novel Tea from an Empty Cup (1988), which had a sequel in Dervish is Digital (2001), both excellent examples of merging cyberpunk with the detective genre.

When Sora's swallowship is taken out by a swarm during the war she is rescued by Merlin, a legendary man who has allegedly discovered a super-weapon built by the Way creators; a gun so powerful it I said to have stopped the previous war. Sora is sceptical, though, for Merlin has been missing for ten thousand years, yet he has not aged a day. As the current war between aliens and humans intensifies, the need to find this weapon becomes unquestionably urgent. They must find the gun before the enemy does and incinerates them. Can their quest to save humanity and end the war be achieved with Merlin's gun?

Far in the distant, post-human future, the Cater-Zimmermann community set out to refute the theory that the universe is created exclusively for mankind by cloning themselves a thousand times over and sending each copy to a different star within the galaxy. One of the copies of Cater-Zimmermann, Paolo Venetti, arrives at Orpheus; a water-world inhabited by floating mats that perform as a Turing machine.

Alien Abduction Some 2,740 US citizens claim to have been abducted by aliens each day. That's an incredible 2% of a population of 300 million. Surely statistically some of these cases must bear truths? Area 51 It is rumoured that Area 51 houses the UFO disc found at Roswell, as well as other crashed alien spaceships. What is the truth? The Babylonian Brotherhood Twelve-foot lizards from the planet Draco have colonized Earth and seek world domination. Crop Circles Made by intelligent beings from elsewhere, or earth-bound pranksters? Face on Mars Was the image of a humanoid face 1.5 miles long by 1 mile wide purposefully constructed or is it simply an accidental resemblance? Hollow Earth The Earth is hollow and houses a surreptitious advanced civilisation. Majestic 12 Evidence found about a group of military officials, scientists and intelligence officials set up in 1962 to study alien technology. Legitimate or bogus? Men in Black Mysterious figures who seek to conceal UFO identity. They appear at a witness's house after a sighting and remove all physical evidence before threatening the witness to remain silent. Are they really government agents? Nazi Moon Base During the Second World War the Germans sent a successful mission to the moon, made a lunar station and built an underground base in Antarctica for space exploration research. Project Bluebook Since December 1969 there has been no official US government body actively investigating UFO sightings. But what about unofficially? Rendlesham Forest Did an alien spacecraft land at Rendlesham Forest in 1980? Roswell In 1947 an extra-terrestrial spacecraft with alien occupants landed in New Mexico. Allegedly, this event was covered up by the US military, but why? Shag Harbour In October 1967 an unidentified flying object was seen floating on the waters of Shag Harbour. Even following thorough investigation, no explanation has ever been given for this.

Black Helicopters Black helicopters are believed by some to be used for the surveillance of patriotic groups opposed to the takeover of the United States by foreign powers. Those sinister, silent, Black Hawk Down-style copters are hard to miss, but what exactly is their role? The British Royal Family According to Lyndon LaRouche, the British royal family are imperial masters of the planet. Is it possible that Satan lives in Buckingham Palace? The Illuminati So powerful are the Illuminati that they are said to mastermind events and completely control world affairs, but how much do we actually know about them? Le Cercle A transnational, clandestine cabal of influential individuals, the group prides itself on complete anonymity. Only a handful of articles are known to have been written about the group, so what do we really know about them? MK-ULTRA What went on under MK-ULTRA? And did anybody ever receive reasonable compensation? New World Order How powerful is this group that seek to enable a one-world government? Omega Agency The Omega Agency and its allies, the aliens, are devising a plan to restore the planet's environment after the OA take over New World Order dictatorship. P2 (Propaganda Due) Did P2 set out a plan for a fascist coup in which unions would be banned and the media would be placed under state control? Skull and Bones "It's so secret we can't talk about it," George W. Bush said on the membership of Skull & Bones. Does this organisation control the US?