A sequel to Many in One, the volume One in Many portrays characters in a variety of situations, from playful to serious to deeply moving and boundlessly joyful. In place of Madhav taking different roles in the stories in the earlier volume, each of the stories in One in Many has a separate central character. Nearly all of them are made in the mould of Madhav,--humorous, witty, and serious,--and their differences melt away, just as the differences between people of different countries, nations, and religions do. It is, in fact, hard to describe the characters by their nationality. They may possess Indian names, but their nationality and citizenship are another matter. They have relatives and friends in both the continents and their identities transcend national geographical boundaries. The locale of the stories also lacks distinct unity; it extends from one hemisphere to the other, from Washington, DC, to Balgudi, a town in India not, however, to be found on a map. The focus of the stories is not what separates people, one from the other, but what binds them together, rather what can/ should bind them together.

The short stories in the collection "Many in One" seek to build bridges across countries and cultures. A product of globalization, they have literary ancestry in both the eastern and the western hemispheres. While giving the final touches to the preparations for his own prospective death and cremation, Madhav, the common protagonist of the stories, receives a call from his daughter in the United States telling him that she has obtained all the necessary documents for his emigration from India to the US and that he must join the family in the US at the earliest. Down goes the drain all his plans and preparations, and, on his relocation, his preoccupation with death gives way to the pursuit of happiness, not only for himself but for the world. The stories in the volume describe the numerous roles he assumes fitting the title "Many in One" to promote peace and understanding among people. Madhav appropriates even the role of the writer and claims he is the true author of the stories in the collection. With the single mission of removing walls and giving the right of choice of salvation for all and a free pass to all to heaven in a democratic spirit, Madhav talks about religion, literature, music and business. Assuming one role after another, Madhav waltzes the reader through the chaos of the world, building bridges across cultures and between nations. Simultaneously serious, lighthearted and witty, the stories should appeal to a wide spectrum of audience-- from the general reader to students and teachers of literature.

TONI MORRISON, NOVELIST is a collection of essays on Morrison's eleven novels from THE BLUEST EYE to GOD HELP THE CHILD. The author of the collection analyses the novels strictly from a literary- critical point of view and deliberately avoids approaching them from any theoretical perspective, as he believes that Morrison's fiction-for that matter, literary work of any writer of merit, -- is too rich and complex to yield to theoretical analysis and that much would be lost by any such study. This position may sound heretical today, but invites accommodation in the present context when Morrison herself has declared that she contributes no ideology or theory. She is committed to the presentation of black experience, but she does so in a way to make it look like common human experience of the oppressed classes of people of any race, nationality, or color. A reader can easily relate to the characters in her novels and their lives. Morrison's fiction is not easy reading. A reader has to put in a good deal of effort to construct her story/plot, characters, and setting from the writer's non-traditional/non-liner ways of presenting them. TONI MORRISON, NOVELIST is written primarily to develop appreciation of Morrison's works among those who would require a little help.

Sci Phi is an online science fiction and philosophy magazine. In each issue you will find stories that explore questions of life, the universe and everything and articles that delve into the deep philosophical waters of science fiction universes. This month we have, Flash Fiction When Things Go Wobbly by Gregg Chamberlain - A story of giant ants and unexpected results Last Stand by E.J. Shumak - Another giant bug story, but this time a tale of loss and hope for the future Fiction Idle Hands are the Devil's Worship by Mark Andrew Edwards - A fun lesson in why curiosity isn't always a good thing Strange Matter by Brian Niemeier - What would do if the world kept ending and you were the only one who knew it? Pathways by Liam Hogan - Life takes different paths, are we sure we are on the right one? A Quadrillion Occupied Planets by Marc Anthony - What is the price of peace and is it worth paying? Detritus by Jason Kimble - How do you live when your world gets shaken to its core? An Alternative Ending by Saligrama K. Aithal - A look at another world and their differing customs Articles Philosophical Reflections on The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special by David Kyle Johnson - The title pretty much nails the content A Deeper Rabbit Hole: Reconsidering the Philosophy of the Matrix Trilogy by Joseph Moore - Our first essay written in response to an earlier essay, and an interesting read The Tyrants Headache by Eric Schwitzgebel - An interesting exploration of Functionalism and you will need to read it to find out what "anesthesia by genocide" is Khan as Nietzschean Ubermensch and as Moral Actor in "Space Seed" by Patrick S. Baker - More Star Trek, this time looking at Khan and Nietzsche Our serial, Beyond the Mist by Ben Zwycky continues in this issue as well, with Chapters 4 & 5. Finally we have a review of the Atopia Chronicle by Peter Sean Bradley.