by Sean Stewart
First published 2002
The island city of Galveston has survived two transformations. The great hurricane of 1900 claimed thousands of lives and reshaped the land itself. Over a century later, during Mardi Gras 2004, magic arrived and changed everything again. Now the city exists split between two realities. In one half, ordinary life continues. In the other, an eternal carnival reigns where creatures born from human emotion stalk the streets. Dog-sized scorpions scuttle through abandoned neighborhoods. A weeping clown appears to those in despair. A black widow spider woman devours anyone who ventures too close. The survivors must navigate this divided world where joy and suffering have taken physical form. The magical side of Galveston operates by different rules, where the intensity of human feeling during the city's darkest and brightest moments has spawned beings that embody those extremes. Residents face a choice between the safety of the mundane world and the dangerous allure of a place where emotions become real and Mardi Gras celebration never stops.
Genres: fantasy, horror, magical-realism, urban-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: alternate-reality, found-family, magical-realism
Setting: Galveston
Period: 2004
455 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Ace
Content warnings: violence