First published 1992
A California museum curator makes what should be a routine trip to Mendocino to acquire a nineteenth-century woodcut sketch for his collection. The folded paper appears unremarkable, but the curator soon encounters a cast of peculiar locals who believe this scrap possesses extraordinary powers. What begins as a straightforward professional transaction spirals into something far more complex as these strange characters reveal their intense interest in the seemingly ordinary artwork. The curator finds himself caught between his scholarly perspective and the mysterious forces that others insist surround this particular piece. As the situation unfolds, he must navigate the gap between rational museum work and the inexplicable beliefs of those who see magic where he sees only historical artifact.
Genres: art, 20th-century, adventure, fantasy, 21st-century, academia
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, mystery
Setting: California, Mendocino
Period: 19th-Century
352 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Ace