A Metaphysical Science Fiction Novella
An allegorical vignette about life, choices, and identity set in the absurdity of space.
WELCOME TO THE SPACE STATION
We pride ourselves with giving you exactly what you need.*
Take your time as you experience joy and sorrow, love and anger.† Replay fond memories or replace them with new ones–your choice! Travel to distant lands and witness cosmic and earthly events that will leave you changed forever! See your life as it was meant to be seen.
Don’t worry, we’ll be there to help you along your journey. We’ll take a back seat, of course, but we’ll always be available to guide you if you need it.
Now, suit up and get ready to board!‡ Your experiences are waiting!
* Needs are subjective and not always based on reality. Guests may obtain new perspectives, uncover emotional trauma, or develop a better outlook on life.
† Experiences may lead to altered brain chemistry, physical changes in the brain, a distortion of reality, and irrational fears. Please warn your loved ones ahead of time that you might return to them a fundamentally different person.††
†† We also advise guests to warn their loved ones that they may decide not to return. We offer generous packages for our residents that wish to remain on the Space Station indefinitely.
‡ Caution: Once on the space station, you must remain there until your journey is complete. Failure to do so may cause temporal incursions, brain damage, or fatality. The Space Station does not claim fault for any galactic or personal injuries incurred during your visit.
Reviews
“This symbolic look at our passage through life is innovative, charming, whimsical, amusing, enchanting, and evocative. It is a wonderfully creative example of metaphysical fiction that will evoke debate and delight the reader.” —Readers’ Favorite Book Review, starred Review
“There is no guide here. No narrator to take your hand. No reassuring chapter roadmap. The novel breaks conventions unapologetically. No villains lurk, no catastrophe looms. The peril here is quieter: stagnation, self-deception, and the unsettling question of whether growth is still possible. What unfolds is not science fiction in any traditional sense, but a procession of symbolic encounters. It takes a few chapters to find your footing, but once you do, the emotional logic becomes strangely clear.” —PenMasters Global
“What begins as a surreal and disorienting journey gradually becomes a carefully structured meditation on the human condition, particularly the quiet anxieties we carry and the personal growth that follows their confrontation. Gadeken emphasizes that discomfort is not inherently destructive; instead, it becomes something workable, shaped through effort, resilience, and inventive responses, even when forward motion is imperfect or unclear.” —BookView Review, starred Review
“The absence of explicit resolution may feel disorienting to readers who prefer narrative clarity and forward-driving plot. This ambiguity, however, becomes the book’s strength. The refusal to over-explain mirrors the experience the story depicts: life rarely provides instructions, reassurance, or neat conclusions. By leaving interpretive space open, Gadeken invites readers to project their own experiences onto the station’s spheres, making the story feel personal rather than prescriptive.” —The Prairies Book Review
K.R. Gadeken 