Hunted by loan sharks, Joseph Shields is in deep debt and even deeper trouble. Thanks to a toaster fire, he’s also dead. Instead of waking up in Heaven or Hell, he comes to in Hyleberia, an island republic inhabited by dead people. The dead who, unbeknownst to the living, govern civilization and control reality. As the newest citizen, nineteen-year-old Joseph must attend Hyleberia Academy. There he studies everything in existence, and learns about the way of life in the Republic of Reality. He meets Peter, the suspicious Prime Minister with a cute pet sloth; Emily, a quirky American who misses home more than life itself; and Francis, an easy-going Mexican with a shady past and even shadier death. But Hyleberia is far from a utopia for the deceased. Lurking in the background is a Prince long believed dead. A man who hungered for power and wanted to see the Earth burn. As the Prince plots his return, Joseph must rise to protect his friends, and the world itself, from a dire threat they know nothing about. Because in Hyleberia, not even death lets you escape your troubles.