Shifters is a novel that takes place in a city in which humans and humanoid creatures called “shifters” are grown in test-tubes and taught how to live by androids and books. The city belief structure is centered on supernatural beings called Guardians. The Guardians never appear, but are symbolized by a Light above the horizon. Humans and shifters live under oppressive social structures that limit their agency. Most of the city’s inhabitants do not realize they are enslaved by arbitrary systems. The novel’s protagonists must learn to overcome these damaging constructs and journey away from the city in order to find a new life, free of fabrication and falsity. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection