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  Thursday, February 02, 2006


I recently finished reading Galveston, by Sean Stewart. This is a fantasy novel unlike any I've ever read. It was written in 2000, and intended to convey the near future.

In the year 2004, Mardi Gras unleashed an explosion of magic and spirits upon the world -- and destroyed almost all of civilization, save for the town of Galveston, TX, where a few of the city leaders made an uneasy pact with Momus, the leader of the spirit world, to create an oasis of non-magic in the town. Unfortunately, the dividing wall is "leaky" and magic creeps in and infects people from time to time...

Ten years later, age has left the heads of the rich families tired and frail -- though still leading the city through its ongoing trials. Pre-2004 supplies are running low or gone entirely, and the gap between the haves and the have-nots widens further. And the magic, while held at bay, continues to cast a shadow over everything and everyone.

Sloane Gardner, daughter of the town's matron, is unable to face her mother's impending death and appeals to Momus for help.

Joshua Cane, whose family lost its wealth shortly before Mardi Gras 2004 when he was 10, has become a bitter and resentful young man, toiling away as a poor-man's apothecary and unable to find peace with the rich, the poor, or himself.

This book is fascinating in the way it weaves magic into the present-day world in a manner that is surreal yet believable. The character development is rich and engaging as well. I thoroughly enjoyed it.


8:56:24 PM    comment []


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