Firmament Works

A collection of mind-bending stories and essays exploring infinite libraries, forking paths, and the nature of time and identity.

Ted Chiang's second collection of stunningly original sci-fi stories that ask deep philosophical questions through meticulous thought experiments.

The quintessential dystopian novel about totalitarian surveillance, the erasure of truth, and the struggle to remain human in a society of total control.

A monumental epic where intellectuals are cloistered in monasteries to protect knowledge, only to be called upon to save the world from an existential threat.

A satirical and dark apocalyptic tale about science, religion, and the end of the world via a substance called ice-nine.

A curated anthology of essays and fiction exploring the mystery of consciousness, the self, and the soul.

Whimsical and profound stories narrated by a being named Qfwfq, witnessing the birth of the universe and evolution with human neuroses.

A sociological examination of how modernity produces "human waste"—populations rendered superfluous by globalization and progress.

A poetic dialogue between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan, describing impossible, fantastical cities that reflect the human condition.

A bounty hunter tracks down rogue androids in a post-apocalyptic future, blurring the line between human empathy and artificial life.

An investigation into why some people are better at predicting the future and the teachable skills that refine their foresight.

Oliver Sacks explores the world of the Deaf, examining sign language not just as communication but as a unique cognitive and cultural landscape.

A classic study on how people mentally map their urban environments, introducing concepts like legibility and wayfinding.

An allegorical novella where farm animals overthrow their humans to run a utopian society, only to recreate the tyranny they fought against.

An anthropological analysis of how different cultures classify things as "clean" or "dirty" to maintain social order and boundaries.

Lewis Carroll's surreal masterpiece of nonsense and logic, following a girl's journey through a world where rules constantly shift.

A vision of a future society engineered for pure happiness and stability at the cost of freedom, individuality, and deep emotion.

A cult thriller diving into the secret history of cinema, subliminal messaging, and a conspiracy hidden within the flickering lights of film.

Kafka's nightmarish tale of a man who wakes up transformed into a giant insect and his family's subsequent alienation and cruelty.

Hemingway's spare, powerful story of an aging fisherman's epic solitary battle with a giant marlin and his own endurance.

A satirical Victorian novella about a two-dimensional world, exploring geometry and the difficulty of perceiving dimensions beyond our own.

An exploration of how buildings adapt effectively to their environments and users over time, contrasting those that age well with those that become obsolete.

A foundational architectural theory arguing that buildings and towns should be built from patterns that create a living, human-centric environment.

A lyrical narrative documenting the decades-long scientific struggle and eventual triumph of the LIGO team in detecting gravitational waves.