Mysterious Aisles

Axel Platzoff does not work at the Handy Pavilion by choice. Stacking shelves seemed beneath the former supervillain who had come close to world domination so many times. But as part of his plea deal with the Hague, Axel had to work somewhere, so he worked at the big-box hardware store in the sleepy Australian suburb of South Hertling. Fortunately, he is not the only eccentric employee of the place. Other Pavilionites come from backgrounds almost as strange as Axel’s. There are cyborgs, ape-men, ghosts, and assistant managers; dryads, time-travellers, demigods and school leavers. Finally, Axel feels at home.

Then, tragedy strikes. The construction of a rival hardware store, just across Hurley Road threatens Axel’s living and his new friends. Axel has no choice but to to take the fight to his enemies, the only way he knows how. But is the DIY Barn really nothing but a rival hardware store, or is it a front for sinister forces, far more terrifying than the Pavilionites ever imagined? (Spoiler: It’s the second one)

An engaging mix of urban fantasy and workplace comedy, Mysterious Aisles follows its eccentric ensemble cast as they march towards open warfare with the Barnling forces.