The Stranger (The Labyrinths of Echo, 1) - Softcover

"'Splash a bit of enchantment into my glass' ... there is no better phrase to describe the state that a reader may find themselves in when exposed to a strong, absolutely legal, literary narcotic by the name of Max Frei." -"Stolichniye Novosti"
"To the reader: plan wisely. This book will permanently transform you." -"Knizhniye Retzenziyi"

"The whole effect is like a collaboration between Raymond Chandler and Gilbert and Sullivan-cheerfully noirish and disturbingly satirical." - "Library Journal"
"I've never looked forward to the publication of a book more than I did Max Frei's The Stranger...a fantastic book."-"January Magazine"
""The Stranger" is a hugely enjoyable mix of madcap mirth and fantastical adventure." -"California Literary Review"

The Stranger will appeal to a broad coalition of delighted readers. Strike a chord with readers of all stripes. Fantasy, horror, philosophy, and dark comedy are all ingredients in this amazing work in which a sharp wit and a bewildering web of clues opens up a Pandora's box of secrets. Max Frei is a twenty-something loser-a big sleeper (during the day, that is-at night he can't catch a wink), a hardened smoker, and an uncomplicated glutton and loafer. But then he gets lucky. He contacts a parallel world in his dreams, where magic is a daily practice. Once a social outcast, he's now known in his new world as the "unequalled Sir Max." He's a member of the Department of Absolute Order, formed by a species of enchanted secret agents; his job is to solve cases more extravagant and unreal than one could imagine-a journey that will take Max down the winding paths of this strange and unhinged universe.