David Eagleman @ Oxford Literary Festival March 24, 2010

What happens to us when we die? And what does that tell us about being human? In the afterlife you may find that God is the size of a microbe and unaware of your existence. Or you may find the afterlife contains only those people whom you remember.

In this collection of imagined tales, neuroscientist David Eagleman kicks over traditional notions and offers a dazzling lens through which to see ourselves here and now. His stories are rooted in science, romance and awe of our mysterious existence.

'SUM is terrific. It's such a good idea that I was grinding my teeth all the way through wishing I'd thought of it first. The inventiveness, the clarity and wit of the prose, the calm air of moral understanding that pervades the whole thing, add up to something completely original.' Philip Pullman