<div>&ldquo;James Baldwin meets Aldous Huxley&rdquo; in this &ldquo;highly original&rdquo; speculative fable (Chicago Tribune). Nominated for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in Fiction In a post-human world, creatures called oafs keep humanlike &ldquo;mans&rdquo; as beloved pets. One day, a poor boy oaf brings home a man, whom he hides under his bed in the hopes his parents won&rsquo;t find out . . . &ldquo;Much like Pierre Boulle&rsquo;s 1963 novel Planet of the Apes, this novel is a sardonic parable on the nature and destiny of the species. A nimble fable whose bold narrative experiment is elevated by its near-biblical language and affectionate embrace of our inherent flaws.&rdquo; &mdash;Kirkus Reviews &ldquo;An imaginative and honest epic, weaving together biblical stories, fantasy, poetry, and fairy tales with a touch of realism. . . . Allen asks us to question the assumptions, -isms, and contradictions of the modern world. . . . Recalling the humanitarian concerns of Octavia Butler&rsquo;s Fledgling and the poetry of Ovid&rsquo;s Metamorphosis [sic], this book will appeal to readers of literary fiction and fantasy.&rdquo; &mdash;Library Journal &ldquo;Imaginative, versatile, and daring, Allen raids the realms of myth and fairy tales in this topsy-turvy speculative fable. . . . With canny improvisations on &lsquo;Jack and the Beanstalk,&rsquo; the &lsquo;Epic of Gilgamesh,&rsquo; and Alice in Wonderland, Allen sharpens our perceptions of class divides, racism, enslavement, and abrupt and devastating climate change to create a delectably adventurous, wily, funny, and wise cautionary parable.&rdquo; &mdash;Booklist &ldquo;It is one thing to devise a fable dealing so adroitly with such concepts as racism, war, religion, and the very nature of civilization itself, but Preston&rsquo;s true triumph is the infusion of each page and every astonishing episode with palpable emotional resonance.&rdquo; &mdash;Les Standiford, New York Times&ndash;bestselling author of Last Train to Paradise A Chicago Tribune Noteworthy Fiction Pick</div>

Every Boy Should Have a Man

<div>A &ldquo;funny, relentless, haunting, and highly readable&rdquo; novel about one man&rsquo;s desperate gambling addiction (ForeWord Magazine). P is a school bus driver in Florida, and six month ago he won a hundred grand at the casino. What his wife and family don&rsquo;t realize is that the money is long gone. To keep them fooled&mdash;and feed his ongoing compulsion&mdash;he indulges in bigger and bigger bets, scrounging for cash anywhere he can. Finally, faced with the ultimate financial crisis, he hits it really big. Yet winning, he soon learns, is just the beginning of a deeper problem . . . &ldquo;Allen takes his place on a continuum that begins, perhaps, with Dostoyevsky&rsquo;s Gambler, courses through Malcolm Lowry&rsquo;s Under the Volcano, William S. Burroughs&rsquo;s Junky, [and] the collected works of Charles Bukowski and Hubert Selby Jr. . . . colorfully evokes the gambling milieu.&rdquo; &mdash;The New York Times Book Review &ldquo;This is strongly recommended and deserves a wide audience; an excellent choice for book discussion groups.&rdquo; &mdash;Library Journal</div>

All or Nothing

<div>&ldquo;A consummate tragicomedy of African American family secrets and sorrows, and of faith under duress . . . a shout-hallelujah tale of transgression and grace.&rdquo; &mdash;Booklist Sixteen-year-old Elwyn Parker is a member of the austere community of Christian believers at the Church of Our Blessed Redeemer Who Walked Upon the Waters, a devout and sincere piano prodigy who learns too late that the saintly girl he has had a crush on all his life is inexplicably pregnant and soon to be wed. Then the beautiful forty-two-year-old widow, Sister Morrisohn, in the midst of the confused emotions of her grieving, ends up in Elwyn&#39;s arms. Despite the problems posed by their age difference and the strict prohibitions of their strong religious beliefs, Elwyn and Sister Morrisohn&#39;s love is true, and as it grows among the ascetics, abstainers, and holy ghost rollers of their church, it exposes with wit, poignancy, and insight the dark secrets and ancient crimes of the pious. In Jesus Boy, &ldquo;by turns solemn and funny&rdquo; (The New York Times), Elwyn learns through tragedy and epiphany that the holy are no different from the rest of us. &ldquo;Heartfelt and occasionally hilarious, Jesus Boy is a tender masterpiece.&rdquo; &mdash;Dennis Lehane, New York Times&ndash;bestselling author of Mystic River and Since We Fell</div>

Preston L. Allen
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Books By Preston L. Allen (3 Books)

Every Boy Should Have a Man

All or Nothing

Jesus Boy

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