The planet Össe. A world without change for thousand years... and for thousand years intertwined with space. Össe is the home of mycelial technologies and faster-than-light Ships, the Earth cannot do without. But while the Earth civilization successfully expands into space, Össe stands behind.

Lucas Hildebrandt saw also the dark side of Össe: the fanatical faith and untouchable Church; the cult of space force; the steel monuments of the Insect god... and bloody religion that takes human sacrifices in His name. Lucas is no stranger to paralyzing force of trëighrü, invidiousness of the Quintet of the sacred drug, spores of intravenous fungi. He is no stranger to hate. He sees the Össean influence on Earth growing; and he looks in vain for a force that could challenge that.

Now, that could change.

Ash~shaad of Fomalhiwa, a man endowed with psychotronic abilities, is heading toward Earth. Fomalhiwa is a counterweight to Össe; and Lucas does everything in his power to turn the spotlight on Ash~shaad's homecoming.

However, as they say on Össe – the most important things happen unseen.

Invasion. Metamorphosis. Decision.

The Mycelium cycle was conceived some time after 9/11. The story takes place in the far future, but it is also a contemporary and valid metaphor of the clash of two different cultures.

Fifty years after the first contact with the ancient theocratic civilization of Össe, the Terrestrials are still vainly trying to come to terms with their mentality. The balance of powers is shifting. The Össean religious fanaticism stealthily infiltrates the terrestrial secular society, similar to our own; and it lacks the antitoxins against large ideologies and reacts either by xenophobia or by pathetic, ostentatious self-abasement and hypocritical multiculturalism. But religion is more than a political power. It is always present as a personal experience; and various characters in the novels attempt finding their own form of faith that would be an alternative to the institutionalized evil of the ideology. However the one who seeks God on his own is more than likely to end up with a debauched faith in miracles or uncritical acceptance of cheap esoterics.

Mycelium is a story of a man that trusts himself to be under no illusions. He scorns fanaticism. He relishes detachment. And indeed, is one of the few to discern the danger -- but he fails to realize that it's only because he himself was steeped in the world of Össe much too long. In the webs of Össean Church intrigues he fights his last desperate fight: not with Össeans, but with himself -- for the remnants of his human self.

The Quintet of the sacred drugs. Five steps on the road to Enlightenment: the most splendid and the most terrible Össean gift to human planets. Gömershaül, in terronic The Opening, will crush the walls of sanity. Laëgühr, The Ice under the Skin, will focus the mind on a distant goal. Ökrë, The Fall into Darkness, will burn everything that was; and Yantrün, The Sight, will open the gate to the new world and reality. Finally, Räwë, The Voices and the Stars will speak directly to the soul –- and bind the chaos of doubts into one singular whole, the Cosmic Ring of the Perfect Presence.

Such is the Össean faith.

But than there are the others. People like Lucas Hildebrandt that understand what they are being asked to do, but never seem to be able to do it right. Instead of the Cosmic Ring of the Perfect Presence they keep saying the Comic Stink of the Putrid Essence; and instead of ascending to God they persistenly stagger in the opposite direction.

For them it is a living Hell. Or at least a fight for life.

Five steps of subjugation, dependence, madness.

The Mycelium cycle has five volumes -– interconnected novels with one continuous story. It is a monumental project and took the author twelve years to finish. Every novel has its own story arc, but it is also a part of the overarching plot. Each book is named after one member of the Össean Quintet of the Sacred Drugs:

The first book was published by Argo in June 2013.

The second book was published by Argo in November 2013.