A Short Review of The Mercury Waltz, by Kathe Koja

The Mercury Waltz by Kathe Koja

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Mercury Waltz, like Under the Poppy, its prequel, is not for the faint-hearted. Rich, dense, complex, intricate--so I would describe the world and characters of this fin de siecle/Victorian tale, set in what seems to be a universe very close to that of the reader--but then, is there magic here or not? Or is just the magic of the stage, of the theatre, of the storyteller.

Koja continues the story of Rupert and Istvan, puppeteers, who seem to have found a home here in the Mercury. Here Istvan's wonderful and daring tales can be presented on the stage and here Rupert can feel settled. Or can he? There is danger--the local government sees them and their work as immoral--is it? What will happen with the powers of the conventional and the safe confront those who are not safe or conventional, and all too risky, but are the more human?

At the heart of htis tale is the ongoing love story of Rupert and Istvan and of those around them--finding love, and sometimes losing it. Those who loved Under the Poppy will not be disappointed.



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