Sum: Tales from the Afterlives

· Brilliance Audio · Narrated by David Eagleman, Gillian Anderson, Emily Blunt, Nick Cave, Noel Fielding, and Stephen Fry
2 reviews
Audiobook
2 hr 46 min
Unabridged
Eligible
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About this audiobook

At once funny, wistful and unsettling, Sum is a dazzling exploration of unexpected afterlives—each presented as a vignette that offers a stunning lens through which to see ourselves in the here and now. In one afterlife, you may find that God is the size of a microbe and unaware of your existence. In another version, you work as a background character in other people’s dreams. Or you may find that God is a married couple, or that the universe is running backward, or that you are forced to live out your afterlife with annoying versions of who you could have been. With a probing imagination and deep understanding of the human condition, acclaimed neuroscientist David Eagleman offers wonderfully imagined tales that shine a brilliant light on the here and now.

At once funny, wistful and unsettling, Sum is a dazzling exploration of unexpected afterlives—each presented as a vignette that offers a stunning lens through which to see ourselves in the here and now. In one afterlife, you may find that God is the size of a microbe and unaware of your existence...

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Ratings and reviews

2 reviews
Lisa Dixon
October 10, 2026
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About the author

David Eagleman received undergraduate degrees in British and American literature from Rice University in 1993. He received a PhD in neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine in 1998, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute. He is currently a neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine, where he directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action and the Initiative on Neuroscience and Law. He has written several nonfiction books including Wednesday Is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia, Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Unconscious Brain, Live-Wired: The Dynamically Reorganizing Brain, and Cognitive Neuroscience. He has also written a work of fiction entitled Sum: Tales from the Afterlives. His articles have appeared in numerous publications including Science, Nature, the New York Times, Discover Magazine, Slate, Wired, and New Scientist.
David Eagleman received undergraduate degrees in British and American literature from Rice University in 1993. He received a PhD in neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine in 1998, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute. He is currently a neuroscientist at Baylor College o...

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