Michael's review
Galveston by Sean Stewart
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. A rich and rewarding read.
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. A rich and rewarding read.
And it gets better and better. Such a fun, rich novel, like a Southern "Little, Big." It deserves a huge audience and I'm glad it's grown by one!
I've liked some Sean Stewart i've read but when I hear things like `Southern Little, Big' I am on board...
I don't want to lead anyone astray--Stewart's not nearly as elegant a stylist as Crowley, but then again who is? Galveston to me is one of the great contemporary genre fantasy novels, up there with Little, Big, Karen Joy Fowler's Sarah Canary, Geoff Ryman's Was and one or two others.
I was disappointed in Stewart's Passion Play, but Galveston sounds great! I wonder if I'll be able to read all the books I own this lifetime...
Hey, I'm with Tracy -- since joining Goodreads, my book bill has jumped considerably. But that's about the best thing in the world to spend money on, in my estimation. THANKS, all, for the great suggestions!


