an author of fate and chance

There is an author, Jostein Gaarder who I find absolutely facinating. He's a Norwiegan, a philosophy teacher, and an author of fiction. The author of Sophie's World, his most widely renouned work, often reads like the philosophy manuel not the fiction it is thinly veiled to be. But I enjoyed his books The Solitare Mystery and Maya best, these works have a connection in their use of cards, fate, imagination, and the idea of existence through some form of a creative outlet. I am curious to know if others have read these books, know anything about the author or have anything to say about fate, and especially about the authors almost obsessive quality of useing a deck of cards as an analogy to life in his works. At least I find that to be what he is drving at.