On the Head of a Pin: A Novel from Crosstown to Oblivion

Crosstown to Oblivion

by Walter Mosley

In Walter Mosley's On the Head of a Pin , Joshua Winterland and Ana Fried are working at Jennings-Tremont Enterprises when they make the most important discovery in the history of this world—or possibly the next. JTE is developing advanced animatronics editing techniques to create high-end movies indistinguishable from live-action. Long dead stars can now share the screen with today's A-list. But one night Joshua and Ana discover something lingering in the rendered footage…an entity that will lead them into a new age beyond the reality they have come to know.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction

288 pages, ebook

First published May 8, 2012

About the author

Walter Mosley (b. 1952) is the author of the bestselling mystery series featuring Easy Rawlins, as well as numerous other works, from literary fiction and science fiction to a young adult novel and political monographs. His short fiction has been widely published, and his nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times Magazine and the Nation, among other publications. Mosley is the winner of numerous awards, including an O. Henry Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, a Grammy, and PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Sunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Walter Mosley's work and have always felt there was a touch of scifi/ fantasy to his novels so though surprised, wasn't that surprised that he actually has science fiction. Thought this was very intriguing, written in his usual style (lots of relationship drama) and it was just too short. I was left wanting more!

[S. Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short novel bound in the same book with The Gift of Fire. Both are part of a series by Mosley, Crosstown to Oblivion, which I think is just used to separate these offerings from his earlier detective pieces. I became a fan of Mosley's after reading The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, a brilliantly envisioned novel. While the setting of this novel is 2012, it deals with ethical questions arising when a small tech company successfully creates a sort of animated movie screen. The intention is to use pre-existing recorded data to create all new images. But what they ultimately produce is their own technological Frankenstein. This book is simultaneously whimsical and haunting, cynical and dire, a carefully crafted cautionary tale.

[Elizabeth Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book and am really excited to move on to the other books in this series. I was able to follow the story & characters quite easily, which I am not able to do with many other sci-fi books. Each character was interesting and even if I didn't like their personalities, I felt invested in their journey.

[James Fant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hallmark Walter Mosley

The writing here is Hallmark Walter Mosley. Beautiful prose provides a platform for a fantastic tale that meshes science fiction and fantasy. What does the Sail represent? Is it a window to the soul or a springboard for time travel? Whichever, you can't help but feel the passion put into this story. I'm looking forward to the next in the series

[Rene M. Mastin · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the Head of a Pin

I liked this unusual dive into the thought of parallel universes and brings that are beyond the reach of the human mind. Experience the experience of intuitive souls who are one with God and nature in its most purest sense.
This story must be read slowly and with a open mind. Enjoy it!

[Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keep on writing, Mr. Mosley! I enjoy your work in all genres, so let me say that I like your crime/suspense novels for their characters and your science fiction for the unique ideas. This novel seems to me to be one of your great ones.

[Jacque · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the fact that this man can cross genres and still write a great piece.

[Road Worrier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting wacked out sci-fi that feels like it is putting its finger on the heart of humanity. I really liked this; and the audiobook reader was decent.

[Kevin Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book my non sci-fi readers like me.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walter Mosley is a master

genre be damned he is fluent in detective, murder, noir, sci fi, love stories (inter dimensional love stories) and writes about the human condition, and the character of the people he chooses to tell his stories through. His stories ring true and make you want to turn pages until there aren’t any left to turn.

[Bernie Mojzes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never met a Walter Mosley book I didn't like, and that hasn't changed. That said, the way he approaches SF/F concepts tends to be a bit different from how he writes his other books. I'm not sure why, and I'm also not sure I'm entirely on board with that direction. Maybe because his audience is largely a mystery and mainstream, he feels a need to simplify some of the things that might otherwise turn off his primary readership? Whatever the reason, the writing takes on a childlike quality - not immature, but simple, stripped down, direct. The story itself remains dense with nuanced meaning, which makes for an interesting juxtaposition. So I guess I'm also not sure that I'm NOT entirely on board...

[Marissa Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since Water Mosley wrote this, expect a mostly upstanding black male protagonist dealing with racists and cuckolds, dolled-up blonde women who can't say "no," and a succession of sexual encounters that are--each one of them!--the best ever. Mosley has reserved his ingenuity here for the science-fiction plot, which involves an artifact that unexpectedly opens communication with humanlike souls from other eras.

[Raul Sanchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Walter Mosley is probably my favorite living author. So my standards for his work are high. With that in mind, I thought ON THE HEAD OF A PIN explored a fascinating and original sci-fi concept. But I could not shake the feeling that Walter may have wanted to move on to something else and did not develop the story as fully as he could. All the same, it was a worthwhile, if abbreviated, read.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short novella about discovering some sort of weird window into, um, alternate reality? all realities? Something like that. Weird, but marginally better than the other short novella (The Gift of Fire) this one was housed with.

[Kathleen]

Goodreads only has the ebook edition at this time, I am currently reading the hard cover, obtained from the public library.

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A touch of 1950s golden era sci-fi. Nostalgic, but ultimately not where I want to be right now.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mere 104 page novella paired with the gift of fire<\i>, On the Head of a Pin<\i> is almost very good.