In the state of Liberty, water is rationed at alarming prices, free speech is hardly without a cost, and Texas has just declared itself its own country. In this society, paranoia is well-suited because eyes and ears are all around, and they are judging. Always judging. This terrifying (and yet somehow vaguely familiar) terrain is explored via Eleanor - a young woman eagerly learning about the gifts of her magic through the support of her coven. But being a white witch is not as easy as they portray it in the books, and she's already been placed under 'house arrest' with a letch named Stan, a co-worker who wronged her in the past and now exists in the form of a cat. A talking cat who loves craft beers, picket lines, and duping and 'shooting' people. Eleanor has no time for Stan and his shenanigans, because she finds herself helping another coven locate a missing witch which she thinks is mysteriously linked to the shortage of water in Liberty.
KAREN HEULER stories have appeared in over a hundred literary and speculative magazines and anthologies such as Conjunctions to Tin House and Weird Tales. She has received an O. Henry award, been a finalist for the Iowa short fiction award, the Bellwether award, the Shirley Jackson award for short fiction, among others. She has published four novels, four story collections and a novella. She also teaches fiction writing at NYU's School of Professional Studies.
Title: The Splendid City
Author: Karen Heuler
ISBN: 9780857669858
Binding:
Publisher: Watkins Media
Publication Date: 2022-06-14
Number of Pages: 400
Weight: 0.2981 kg
Karen Heuler's The Splendid City is a wonderful fabulation, both humorous and contemplative, about the desperate state of US politics and society.
A thoroughly original and quirky novel.
She's always a must read.
the joy of The Splendid City lies in the quirky and all-embracing exuberance of Heuler's imagination.
A delight from start to finish.
How can anyone resist talking cats? I know I can't.
Pre-order this book immediately. It is a joy.
A fun, whimsical, fantastical satire
Whimsical, satiric, and bursting with imagination
The dialogue is clever and the satire spot-on. The social commentary hits the nail on the head.
A sharp, lively, funny contemporary fantasy with the feel of an up-to-date, more adult version of L Frank Baum's Oz books.