Farris did not believe in the old stories. Grandmother Rochette spoke of such strange things: monsters and magic and impossible heroes who could only exist in legend. But when Tom, her little brother, is kidnapped by the same monsters Grandmother spoke of, Farris is forced to change her view of reality in order to save him. Following Tom and his captors sends Farris below the crust of the earth, where layer after layer of new worlds await. She travels both within the mind and without, taking a path of harrowing adventure and personal enlightenment as she tries to free Tom. Unlikely companions join her, from her faithful goat Bumble to Gloria the magical fish, a seemingly trustworthy dweller of the Brass City, and Sasha … a man who knows far more about her than he should. THE LAST MAN