Search - Galveston

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 cigarettes, cold beer, and aspirin. Twenty years later, three major figures hold the city in precarious balance: Momus, the king of carnival and god of magic; Jane Gardner, ex-lawyer and unofficial mayor, fighting to maintain essential services in the real city; and Odessa, angel and arbiter. When Gardner develops Lou Gehrig's disease, her daughter, Sloane, strikes a desperate bargain with Momus, and the delicate balance is destroyed; cataclysmic change ensue

The year is 2028. More then a generation ago, a magical apocalypse called "The Flood" hit the earth and left its inhabitants fighting to survive in a world where electricity and medicine have become precious, limited resources. In Galveston, Texas, two people born after the Flood are pulled into the world of magic--Sloane, who is more than willing to get away from her hefty responsibilities, and Josh, who despises the world of magic, but has been obsessed with Sloane since their youth.

The book is a harsh look at life and magic. It almost seemed like a warning against some human waste, but since the great change came about through magic, much of the darkness in the book seems unwarranted. The characters seem to move through the pages of the book with little in the way of consistent motivation. Redemption in the characters seems to earn them little reward.

In all, an interesting book, plenty of fascinating characters and new ideas, but not one I'd gladly read again.