Galveston, Texas, is an island already rich in history and eccentric characters when, during Mardi Gras in the year 2004, sudden magic floods the streets. The world is changed--divided between the real city, where technology and its products become unreliable and scarce, and the city doomed to endless carnival, where it is always 2004 and there are still such wonders as cigarettes, cold beer, and aspirin. Twenty years later, three major figures hold the city in precarious balance: Momus, the king of carnival and god of magic; Jane Gardner, ex-lawyer and unofficial mayor, fighting to maintain essential services in the real city; and Odessa, angel and arbiter. When Gardner develops Lou Gehrig's disease, her daughter, Sloane, strikes a desperate bargain with Momus, and the delicate balance is destroyed; cataclysmic change ensue
The year is 2028. More then a generation ago, a magical apocalypse called "The Flood" hit the earth and left its inhabitants fighting to survive in a world where electricity and medicine have become precious, limited resources. In Galveston, Texas, two people born after the Flood are pulled into the world of magic--Sloane, who is more than willing to get away from her hefty responsibilities, and Josh, who despises the world of magic, but has been obsessed with Sloane since their youth.
The book is a harsh look at life and magic. It almost seemed like a warning against some human waste, but since the great change came about through magic, much of the darkness in the book seems unwarranted. The characters seem to move through the pages of the book with little in the way of consistent motivation. Redemption in the characters seems to earn them little reward.
In all, an interesting book, plenty of fascinating characters and new ideas, but not one I'd gladly read again.
The book is a harsh look at life and magic. It almost seemed like a warning against some human waste, but since the great change came about through magic, much of the darkness in the book seems unwarranted. The characters seem to move through the pages of the book with little in the way of consistent motivation. Redemption in the characters seems to earn them little reward.
In all, an interesting book, plenty of fascinating characters and new ideas, but not one I'd gladly read again.
I've read this book twice! I thought it was a great escape.
I thought it was kind of funny!!
from Barnes and Noble:
Sean Stewart's previous novel, Mockingbird, was selected as a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle, and one of the Best Fantasy Novels of the Year by Locus. Now in his most stunning novel yet, one of the most critically acclaimed fantasy writers of our time takes readers to Galveston-an island uprooted, and uplifted, by magic...
Fantasy novels don't get much better than Galveston. (Washington Post Book World)
Sturdy, can-do realism...It is a tribute to Sean Stewart's great skill...[A] triumph. (Washington Post Book World)
...Stewart's gently twisted humor saturates his plot as well as his language and imagery. (Salon.com)
Vivid, sometimes brutal narrative and life-sized characters...Eerie, enthralling, flavorsome, and Stewart's best by far. (Kirkus Reviews)
Intricately imagined 21st century Texas...terrific fun to read but will send shivers of recognition down many a spine. (Publishers Weekly (starred review))
Sean Stewart's previous novel, Mockingbird, was selected as a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle, and one of the Best Fantasy Novels of the Year by Locus. Now in his most stunning novel yet, one of the most critically acclaimed fantasy writers of our time takes readers to Galveston-an island uprooted, and uplifted, by magic...
Fantasy novels don't get much better than Galveston. (Washington Post Book World)
Sturdy, can-do realism...It is a tribute to Sean Stewart's great skill...[A] triumph. (Washington Post Book World)
...Stewart's gently twisted humor saturates his plot as well as his language and imagery. (Salon.com)
Vivid, sometimes brutal narrative and life-sized characters...Eerie, enthralling, flavorsome, and Stewart's best by far. (Kirkus Reviews)
Intricately imagined 21st century Texas...terrific fun to read but will send shivers of recognition down many a spine. (Publishers Weekly (starred review))
