Ryan Bingham's job as a Career Transition Counselor—he fires people—has kept him airborne for years. Although he has come to despise his line of work, he has come to love the culture of what he calls "Airworld," finding contentment within pressurized cabins, anonymous hotel rooms, and a wardrobe of wrinkle-free slacks.

With a letter of resignation sitting on his boss's desk, and the hope of a job with a mysterious consulting firm, Ryan Bingham is agonizingly close to his ultimate goal, his Holy Grail: one million frequent flier miles. But before he achieves this long-desired freedom, conditions begin to deteriorate.

With perception, wit, and wisdom, Up in the Air combines brilliant social observation with an acute sense of the psychic costs of our rootless existence, and confirms Walter Kirn as one of the most savvy chroniclers of American life.

Barely getting home from work? Tired of your annoying boss and over-competitive colleagues? Frustrated with your tax deductions? All of the above? Then read on! Join our unlikely hero, Ayel, as he makes his way through overpriced cab fares, paranormal bloggers, beggars with babies, camwhores, flying cars, and giant robots.

In 1986, an alien spaceship crashed on the Spratly Islands containing an unlimited energy source and a vast supply of advanced technology. Fast forward to 2016, and China owns the islands now. With a behemoth Chinese company controlling the country’s economy, Ayel tries to survive his daily life as a simple corporate employee. His life turns upside down when a ghost from his past returns to haunt him. With strange twists and conspiracies, Ayel may just find his boring life to be a little more interesting.