Includes bibliographical references and index.

The books of Lost -- "Are you there, God?" : faith, sacrifice and redemption -- Who has the power over the clay? purpose, fate and free will -- Stuck and "unstuck" in time : a tradition of time travel -- "Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath" : Lost parents -- "We're all mad here" : dreams, illusions and the nature of reality -- "Maybe there is a beast-- maybe it's only us" : group dynamics and the communities of Lost -- A conclusion : the purpose of "stories that aren't even true".