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Galveston: A Novel

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 452 ratings · 30 reviews

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 ci...more

Hardcover, 454 pages

Published March 1st 2000 by Ace Hardcover (first published February 28th 2000)

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Mar 19, 2012 Terry rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People that love great writing and fantasy

Shelves: fantasy, post-apocalypse, canadian

This may be Sean Stewart's best novel, though it is not my favourite. Here we see Stewart displaying full mastery of his prose, his characterization, and his depiction of a fully realized magical world. Be warned though, neither the characters, nor the world presented, are always pleasant to behold.

We follow the story of Josh Cane, a young man with a chip on his shoulder due to the constrained circumstances of his life that are the result of his father's loss of a pivotal game of poker. Add to...more This may be Sean Stewart's best novel, though it is not my favourite. Here we see Stewart displaying full mastery of his prose, his characterization, and his depiction of a fully realized magical world. Be warned though, neither the characters, nor the world presented, are always pleasant to behold.

We follow the story of Josh Cane, a young man with a chip on his shoulder due to the constrained circumstances of his life that are the result of his father's loss of a pivotal game of poker. Add to this the fact that Josh lives in a world after the occurence of a magical apocalypse wherein everyone has to work hard to survive, not only due to their physical circumstances, but also due to the perilous proximity of the magical Otherworld, and you have the makings of a pretty downbeat story. Stewart himself has described this book as: "...your Basic "Boy Meets Girl, Boy Loses Everything, Girl becomes her Own Evil Twin, Boy Is Framed For Murder and Sent Along With Sidekick To Be Eaten By Cannibals, and Things Get Worse When The Weather Turns Bad" story." That about sums it up.

Of course there's more to the novel than a simple encapsulation, even one given by the author, can provide. First of all we have, once again, Stewart's excellent characters: Our main character Josh is by turns repulsive and worthy of pity; a man who had expected a life of much greater comfort than the one he ended up with and who is unable to let go of the bitterness he feels as a result of his circumstances. The only person who seems able to stand Josh is his best friend Ham Mather, the gentle giant who loyally accompanies Josh in his exile that is brought about by Josh's infatuation with the third of our heroes: Sloane Gardner, the heir-apparent to both the political and magical leaders of Galveston whose desire to escape from her responsibilities leads to disaster. Standing in the background of the story like a looming spectre is the distorted and eternal carnival otherworld presided over by Momus, a godlike trickster who will give blessings to mortals courageous, or foolhardy, enough to pay the price. As always, be careful what you wish for.

As noted, Josh's story goes from bad to worse and his circumstances, both physical and personal, can become hard to stomach. You think George R. R. Martin can put his characters through the ringer? He could pick up a few tips from Sean Stewart here. There are also no easy resolutions. Stewart always avoids the easy answer or pat conclusion. Our characters do get resolutions of sorts, and they certainly grow and change as people, but nothing is exactly as one might have expected and nothing follows the standard Hollywood paradigm for such things. This is all to the good I say and for all its difficulty, you'd be hard pressed to find a better told story than the one you'll find in _Galveston_.

I wouldn't recommend this as a starting point for Stewart: go to _Resurrection Man_, or _The Night Watch_ for that. Both take place in the same world deluged by magic, though at different points in its history. They are a bit more friendly to their protagonists, though they never quite let them off the hook either. No matter where you start though, you're in for a real treat with Sean Stewart. He's truly an excellent writer of great talent.(less)

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Feb 26, 2008 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Michael by: Krystyn

Shelves: slipstream

What a great book - the best of 2008 so far.

The basic idea: Galveston, Texas experiences a magical disaster and is cut off from the rest of the world. The city itself is divided into the mundane and real, and the never-ending twilight world of Mardi Gras.

Stewart illustrates his ideas so vividly throughout the novel; I would call his illustrative skill his greatest strength. There's so much going on, and so many facets - poker, apocalypse, Southern Gothic, gentle magic, and the flawed characters....more

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Sep 16, 2011 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi

This fine work of magical realism is set in a fictional near future Galveston, TX. In this version of the world, magic started to seep into the world, and, in 2004, overflowed in and event referred to as The Flood. Ghosts became commonplace and palpable, some people mutated into fantastical beasts, some people gained magical powers, and all sort of miracles and metaphysical phenomena began manifesting. The authorities of Galveston have been able to hold the magic at bay for a couple of decades,...more

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Aug 28, 2009 Anya rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow, what a ponderous and lethargic fantasy novel. I liked the set-up: in the early 21st century, Galveston, Texas is inundated by a flood--but it's a flood of magic, not of water. This magical Flood kills many of the city's inhabitants and also decimates its infrastructure, rendering lots of 20th-century technology useless. So the town has moved on from then as a split community: the "real" Galveston, where various factions of people struggle to make the best of their suddenly-primitive situati...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Sunil rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, 2008

I hadn't realized that the book takes place in the same universe as his previous books Resurrection Man and Night Watch, which I hadn't read. The books are about different characters in different places at different times, but they all deal with the same central conceit: magic in the real world. For Galveston, the key event is the Flood of 2004, when magic suddenly seeped into the world entire. In the resulting cataclysm, Galveston Island was cut off from a civilization now bereft of technology....more I hadn't realized that the book takes place in the same universe as his previous books Resurrection Man and Night Watch, which I hadn't read. The books are about different characters in different places at different times, but they all deal with the same central conceit: magic in the real world. For Galveston, the key event is the Flood of 2004, when magic suddenly seeped into the world entire. In the resulting cataclysm, Galveston Island was cut off from a civilization now bereft of technology. And now, there are two Galvestons: the real Galveston and—superimposed on top of it—the magic Galveston, which is in perpetual Mardi Gras and ruled by the god Momus. A couple members of the community work to keep the two worlds separate.

Now, this all sounds very fanciful, but Stewart treats it as normal, which is very cool and interesting and somewhat disorienting. Especially because he never comes out and explains all the rules, so you have to sort of learn them in context, but even then, something weird will happen and you just have to go with it even though you never would have expected it based on what you thought you knew about how the magic worked in this book. This allows his imagination to run wild, basically.

The magic is not the point, though. I don't know why I have to keep coming to this realization, but it still continues to take me by surprise. The magic is just a vehicle, just a setting. The real story is about the characters and the community. Some of the reviews mention the "unlikable" protagonists of Josh Cane and Sloane Gardner, one a poor apothecary and the other a rich girl. And it's not so much that they're unlikable. It's that Stewart doesn't sugarcoat them in any way. He lets their flaws be just that: flaws. And it's sort of uncomfortable to read because they're very human flaws, and you see them in yourself. But the honest representation of these characters makes you even more invested in their growth, which is what the book is really about, the way they grow and learn about themselves and their place in the community. The plot—the events, the things that happen—doesn't follow a clear, defined arc, so you never really know where the story is going, but you care about how the events affect Josh and Sloane. And Ham, Josh's best/only friend. Stewart surprised me by avoiding clichés and instead treating his characters like real people with complicated emotions. Like I said, flawed characters. Flawed like we all are.

As a bonus, you get some tips on poker strategy (poker is used as a plot device and a metaphor throughout the book) and survival medicine (Josh has to make do with what he has now that the real medicine has run out). It's a really good book, and I think it's probably quite different from most fantasy novels.(less)

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Jan 26, 2009 Wealhtheow rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: think galactic

Shelves: fantasy

In 2004, waves of magic engulf the world and pull it into madness. In Galveston, Texas, two women hold back the flood of magic. With the help of the Mardi Gras Krewes and Momus, a trickster god, Jane and Odessa quarantine the magic into a never-ending carnival; anyone who demonstrates magic is killed or sent there. A generation later, Jane is dying and her only child, Sloane, bargains with Momus so she won't have to watch her mother die. But of course, there is a loophole--and Sloane is caught u...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 07, 2012 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

I found this book at one of those 'book sale" stores, and it was one of the best purchases I ever made. Sean Stewart's unique brand of magic captivates right from the start. This book is pure gold, a great introduction to Sean Stewart's writing.

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Apr 20, 2013 John Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: booksilike, recentreads

I'm starting to love Sean Stewart's work--it's heartfelt and human, even as it deals in magic, mystery, speculation, and madness. Being from Texas, I especially love the works that are set here (Galveston, Perfect Circle, Mockingbird), but I've just started reading one of his Canadian novels (The Night Watch) and so far enjoying it almost as much, although the locations and cultural references aren't as familiar. Galveston may be my favorite so far, though--it's a sad novel, in many ways, but al...more

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Oct 22, 2009 Janet rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, novels

I didn't enjoy this as much as Stewart's "Passion Play" -- but I still became engrossed by his vision of a gritty, grimly-determined Galveston in the wake of the return of magic to the world. This magic is chaotic, dangerous, often grotesque; and it's held at bay through the merciless exiling of any citizen who begins to show signs of being touched by it.

The main characters, Sloane Gardner and Josh Cane, are each brought to confrontations with themselves, their family histories, their society, m...more

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Mar 10, 2012 Chris Branch rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fantasy

I rated this book 8/10 back when I first read it in '04, and I remembered it being fantastic and intense, but somehow couldn't remember the ending. So, after a re-read, my rating stands (translated to Goodreads' more limited 4/5), but I can see why I didn't remember the ending. Up until about three quarters of the way through, I was prepared to give it a 9 or a 10. Most of the book is indeed fantastic, in the sense of being a great read as well as a near perfect example of contemporary fantasy....more

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Mar 14, 2011 Melanti rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, apocalyptic

This is such a wonderful book.

Part of me saying this is that the book is local. That's unusual for Houston. While some novels may be set in Houston, it's a nebulous Houston that can be substituted for any moderately large city out there, except that they have people wearing cowboy hats and boots, so it's obvious the authors have never been here for any length of time.

This book, though, is absolutely anchored here. It mentions local landmarks often. And while the book is understandable without th...more This is such a wonderful book.

Part of me saying this is that the book is local. That's unusual for Houston. While some novels may be set in Houston, it's a nebulous Houston that can be substituted for any moderately large city out there, except that they have people wearing cowboy hats and boots, so it's obvious the authors have never been here for any length of time.

This book, though, is absolutely anchored here. It mentions local landmarks often. And while the book is understandable without them, just saying the name invokes instant images for me.

To me, Bolivar Island invokes images of hurricane Ike, Gilchrist and that lone yellow house left in a swath of rubble. Appropriate.

Mention the Balinese Room, I get images of its storied history, police raids, remodeled nightclubs and finally the broken pier that is all that Ike left behind. And Odessa used this for her house?! An entire, huge nightclub? I know the Balinese Room was under renovation/reconstruction when Stewart lived in Houston. I wonder how much had been rebuilt when he saw it.

Gouts of flame coming from Texas City refineries? I used to drive 225 all the time, passing through Pasadena and Deer Park. A bit north of Galveston, but I know exactly the image he's trying to invoke.

Turning from Seawall Blvd to Broadway? Been there!

There's more to it than just enjoying something local, though. You have complex, wonderfully flawed characters. Though those characters come to realize their flaws by the end, and are working on them, the flaws are too deep be fixed in the span of a few short weeks.

Then you have the magic: lovely chaotic Mardi Gras, cities and gods coming to life and walking their streets, bizarre, wonderful, strange occurrences seen as commonplace in the darkness. But contrasted to that, you have a post-industrial society: no medicine, no cars, no factories, shoes made from old car tires - just people living off of whatever they can scavenge from artifacts made before the magic came, and no real hope of any change for the better while they cling to the past.

It's an interesting contrast between the absolute solidity of the "real" Galveston, and the shifting, nebulous Galveston of Mardi Gras.

I'm definitely going to hunt down the other two books set in this world and read them as well.
(less)

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Feb 22, 2008 Kirsten rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-pre-12-07, own

A highly original, gritty fantasy. In the year 2004, there was a Flood -- not of water, but of magic, which has destroyed most of civilization and left twisted magical beings in its wake. The Flood hit Galveston, TX in the middle of the Mardi Gras celebration, but thanks to the work of the witch woman Odessa, the island survived. Now, half the island struggles to survive with failing technology and ever-decreasing supplies of modern medicine, eking subsistence out of the sea. In the other half o...more

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May 21, 2010 Justus rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

Haunting little book. I'm a fan of the alternate contemporary reality type of books. Note that this is not a two parallel universe (ala Neverwhere) but a alternate future where magic rules the world while the survivors cling to what's left of industrialized civilization that they can. Well thought through and an entertaining read. I was a third of the way through last night and just burned through the rest of the book. Does start a little slow but once it gets moving it really goes. Of course, a...more

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Mar 13, 2009 Kristi Thompson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Excellent novel, I liked it much more than the Night Watch. Play the hand you're dealt. The poker bits reminded me a bit like that Tim Powers. Is poker inherently fantastical?

There's something very great and disturbing in the way that magic is presented as wonderful, strange and bizarrely beautiful, everything magic was ever meant or thought to be, and yet, and because of that, horrifying and completely inimical to the modern human.

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Dec 14, 2012 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am not usually a fan of futuristic/fantasy novels. However this one captivated me. It had just the right amount of historical accuracy blended withfantasy/science fiction along with some excellent characters and dual story lines. Really enjoyed the read!

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Dec 09, 2008 Olivia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Here is a book written about my old stomping grounds, brought to life along with the Galveston of History, occupying the same space and time. A rich detailed magical realism based on the truth of Galveston's enthralling and haunted past.

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Feb 05, 2009 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved it. The atmosphere of surreality was at the same time perfectly logical, the characterization was sharp as a knife, and the writing was clean and crisp.

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Dec 29, 2009 Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alt-reality-magic, i-see-dead-people, favorites

Galveston started a bit slow but I am glad I stuck with it. It was very original, creative and intelligent. Sean Stewart gives an interesting spin on magic and makes profound statements on the effects of natural disasters on human behavior. His characters are wonderfully complex and well-realized. I highly recommend this book.

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Mar 26, 2012 Josh rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paperback

Every bit as good as I had remembered. I don't understand why Sean Stewart isn't a household name.

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Jun 21, 2011 Tina added it · review of another edition

Shelves: unfinished

ETA: Life's too short to read stuff that sounds like terrible fan-fic.

This has generally gotten good reviews, and I'm only about 70 pages in, but damn, right now it's only my hatred of abandoning books keeping me going. That's not entirely true; I really like the premise, but so far the execution sucks. It's self-indulgent, racist, sexist, and trying too hard. Also, I think if I have to read one more description of the main character's boobs (I'm sorry, "breasts"), I'm going to throw the book ac...more

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Dec 28, 2010 Uwe Hook rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Magical, haunting, thrilling and disturbing. Beautiful read.

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Jun 03, 2010 Rusty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Galveston experiences the effects of magic during Mardi Gras, 2004. Creatures are born of survivors' happiness and sufferers' pain - dog-sized scorpions, a crying clown, and a widow who eats her victims. Part of the city is locked into a never-ending Mardi Gras. The heroine is Sloan Gardner who comes to the city to see her stepfather, Momus, and finds herself locked into the Mardi Gras, victim of a twisted prank by him. Meanwhile, what happens to the people on the other side can never be changed...more

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Jun 20, 2007 Cindywho rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dark, fantasy-sf

This one is set in the same world-premise as Stewart's Resurrection Man and The Night Watch. Magic swept into the world like a hurricane in 2004 and humans in Galveston have been trying to ward it off for nearly a generation as the remnants of civilization crumble. The fantasy was darker than I've been in the mood for, but the narrative was extremely compelling - it wouldn't let me go.

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Dec 30, 2007 Cindy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dark, fantasy-sf

"This one is set in the same world-premise as Stewart's Resurrection Man and The Night Watch. Magic swept into the world like a hurricane in 2004 and humans in Galveston have been trying to ward it off for nearly a generation as the remnants of civilization crumble. The fantasy was darker than I've been in the mood for

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Dec 30, 2011 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, past-challenges

The best way to describe this book: the plot was flimsy. Definitely needed more...something. I was more entertained by yelling "I've been there!" out loud when the text mentioned a familiar place (I live on Galveston Island) than by the actual story.

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Mar 29, 2008 Carolyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Magical. This story draws you into another world, one where magic has laid waste to their world and left them close to madness. The description of the tension within the characters and their experiences is raw and unrelenting. I truly couldn't put this book down.

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Jul 01, 2007 Yoon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sff

Brilliant if bleak novel of Galveston after a second flood--this one stripping away technology's leavings and installing a Masque, among other forms of magic. It is, as one of the characters says, about civilization--what people do in spite of hardship.

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Apr 08, 2009 Deborah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Deborah by: Ziggy

Shelves: fantasy, started-but-not-finished

Had a hard time relating to characters. As a result, had a difficult time getting into the story. Once into the story, lost interest by Part 3.

So sorry Ziggy! I tried for months.

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Aug 15, 2008 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Weird, otherworldly book about magic that takes place in Galveston, Tx.

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Mar 07, 2008 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who liked HBO's Carnivale

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi

Magic floo. Endless Mardi Gras party. Blood of the lamb. Good stuff.

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About Sean Stewart

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Sean Stewart (born June 2, 1965) is a U.S.-Canadian science fiction and fantasy author.

Born in Lubbock, Texas, Sean Stewart moved to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1968. After stints in Houston, Texas, Vancouver, British Columbia, Irvine, California and Monterey, California,...more

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Books by Sean Stewart

Yoda: Dark Rendezvous (Star Wars: Clone Wars, #7)

Cathy's Ring (Cathy Vickers Trilogy, #3)

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“He noticed Miss Bettie was wearing a watch, a steel Rolex with diamond chips. "What time is it?" he asked. Miss Bettie glanced at him and laughed. "You do seem to have difficulty remembering, don't you? Well, then, I shall tell you. It's now, Joshua Cane. Always and only now.” — 2 people liked it

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