[MKI]∎ Download Galveston Sean Stewart 9780441009961 Books

Galveston Sean Stewart 9780441009961 Books

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Galveston Sean Stewart 9780441009961 Books

"Galveston" is that rare treat, an alternate universe fantasy that feels grittily real, yet devoid of tiresome exposition or bizarre flights of fancy that exist only to show off the author's imagination. Sean Stewart is one of the funniest, sharpest, smartest, and most readable authors I've stumbled across recently. There are similarities to China Mieville (without the creepy, nightmarish horror) and Rupert Thomsen's "Divided Kingdom" here, but "Galveston" is refreshingly original.

Two floods have shaped the history of the island of Galveston, TX: a flood of water in 1900, and a flood of magic in 2004. This second flood was turned back mainly by the efforts of two extraordinary women, Jane Gardner and Odessa Gibbons, who organized the citizenry (mainly around Mardi Gras Krewes) and drew a harsh dividing line between the "real" Galveston and the endless Carnivale where magic (and the moon god Momus) hold sway. But now Jane and Odessa are growing older, and with no one to take up their duties, the future of Galveston is threatened.

The story of Sloane, Jane's daughter (and reluctant prospective heir) is contrasted with that of Josh, her childhood friend who has drifted from her glittering social circle into the slums of lower Galveston. While Sloane flirts dangerously with the power of Mardi Gras, Josh is accused of her murder and, along with his friend Ham, is exiled out of the charmed circle of safety that is Galveston and into the terrifying outside world. The journey of these three characters into their respective destinies forms the backbone of the story, with plenty of pleasing diversions and extraordinary secondary characters to flesh things out.

Some people apparently found the ending abrupt and unsatisfying, but I think it was absolutely perfect. One of the most pleasing aspects of Stewart's writing is that he never drifts into cliché, stock characters, or predictable plot development. Neither Sloane, Josh, or Ham end up the way that traditional literary convention would seem to demand they must. To say more would spoil some of the delightful surprises Stewart has to offer, but let's just say that if you don't know the characters well enough by the end of the story to fill in what Stewart is smart enough to leave unsaid, you haven't been paying attention.

It's a shame that so few of Sean Stewart's books remain in print, but it's well worth the effort to track them down. The world of fantasy needs more original voices like his.


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Galveston Sean Stewart 9780441009961 Books Reviews

_Galveston_ is set in the same world as two of Sean Stewart's earlier novels, _Resurrection Man_ and _The Night Watch_, though all three books are set at different times, and feature different characters, and are basically completely independent books. It's an alternate history of sorts sometime around World War II, fantasy started to leak into our world, at first slowly, such that at moments of great emotional stress, "minotaurs", dangerous magical creatures would be created. Then, in 2004, some years before the action of _Galveston_, came the Flood, where the world was apparently inundated with magic. In the island city of Galveston, a semblance of order has been maintained, mainly by the agency of two women Jane Gardner, the secular leader of the city, and Odessa Gibbons, the Recluse, who polices the border between the magical part of Galveston, and the ordinary city. Anyone who shows traces of succumbing to magical influence is sent by Odessa to the magical part, where it is always Carnival, always 2004, always a party; and where over time people undergo strange alterations some become part shrimp (the Prawn Men), or part cat, or heron, etc.
_Galveston_ is mainly the story of two people, Jane's daughter Sloane Gardner; and Josh Cane, who was sweet on Sloane when he was a boy. But Josh's father lost their house in a poker game, and Josh's mother kicked him out and ended up becoming an apothecary in the poorest part of Galveston. Josh learned from his mother the bitter art of trying to make medicines in a mostly post-technological world, taking over the business when she died of diabetes after her insulin stock ran out. Josh is forever bitter at his exile from the high society of Galveston, at his mother's death and father's abandonment, and at the way most of his new neighbourhood is slow to accept him.
Josh and Sloane are about 23 when the main action occurs. Sloane is watching her mother die, fearing the time when she will be expected to take over running the town, a job for which she feels inadequate. A desperate trip to the magical part of Galveston leads to a disastrous bargain with Momus, the god who rules that part of town, a bargain intended to save her mother, but which of course goes wrong.
From there the action intensifies. Odessa helps Sloane make additional trips to the magical side, this time appropriately masked, while Josh and his friend Ham end up framed for a crime that didn't even occur, and exiled to the barbaric Texas coast. Just at this time, the disaster which has been foreshadowed throughout the book happens a hurricane, and some deaths, which finally loose the tide of magic onto the long protected city of Galveston. Sloane is forced to learn more about herself, and to try to find a way to lead the newly changed city, while Josh is forced to even more bitter self-confrontation.
This is really an absorbing book, a wonderful read. The magical elements are very well described, as is the decaying "real world" landscape of post-Flood Galveston. The characters are bitterly and honestly portrayed, and despite manifold weaknesses, they are very sympathetic. My only disappointment was that the book doesn't really end so much as stop. I think this is a result of Stewart's refusal to "lie" he doesn't want any easy solutions, either easy happy endings, or easy tragedies. The book's theme could be described as "life isn't fair", or perhaps "it doesn't get any better than this". To some extent, this means reader expectations are frustrated I sense because of a feeling that to satisfy conventional expectations would be cheating. At any rate, I felt the ending of the book read a bit flat, though the theme is driven home excellently, and the characters are treated honestly and their changes are real. In sum, a very good book.
I loved this book although the ending was a bit abrupt. The characters, and setting were as full and beautiful as that moon on the front cover.
Interesting book about perpetual Mardi Gras on Galveston Island. With all the characters from Galveston's history.
Sean Stewart came to my attention with Nobody's Son, and the fresh, adult look that it offered at Fantasy (Hey, I just found a magic sword....) made me consume every book of Stewarts I could find.
I am a big fan, and thus, if you are looking for a non-biased view (in my view, impossible) this review will not be particularly helpful.
Set in his "returned magic" universe, Galveston offers us a set of protag's who are not without warts, and antag's who have some humor and humanity (even if one is a god.)
It is not an exact copy, or rehash of his earlier works. It is different in pacing and form, thus no free ride by slipping on your complacency hat and just thumbing through the pages. You have to read this one.
And no doubt, you will be glad you did.
"Galveston" is that rare treat, an alternate universe fantasy that feels grittily real, yet devoid of tiresome exposition or bizarre flights of fancy that exist only to show off the author's imagination. Sean Stewart is one of the funniest, sharpest, smartest, and most readable authors I've stumbled across recently. There are similarities to China Mieville (without the creepy, nightmarish horror) and Rupert Thomsen's "Divided Kingdom" here, but "Galveston" is refreshingly original.

Two floods have shaped the history of the island of Galveston, TX a flood of water in 1900, and a flood of magic in 2004. This second flood was turned back mainly by the efforts of two extraordinary women, Jane Gardner and Odessa Gibbons, who organized the citizenry (mainly around Mardi Gras Krewes) and drew a harsh dividing line between the "real" Galveston and the endless Carnivale where magic (and the moon god Momus) hold sway. But now Jane and Odessa are growing older, and with no one to take up their duties, the future of Galveston is threatened.

The story of Sloane, Jane's daughter (and reluctant prospective heir) is contrasted with that of Josh, her childhood friend who has drifted from her glittering social circle into the slums of lower Galveston. While Sloane flirts dangerously with the power of Mardi Gras, Josh is accused of her murder and, along with his friend Ham, is exiled out of the charmed circle of safety that is Galveston and into the terrifying outside world. The journey of these three characters into their respective destinies forms the backbone of the story, with plenty of pleasing diversions and extraordinary secondary characters to flesh things out.

Some people apparently found the ending abrupt and unsatisfying, but I think it was absolutely perfect. One of the most pleasing aspects of Stewart's writing is that he never drifts into cliché, stock characters, or predictable plot development. Neither Sloane, Josh, or Ham end up the way that traditional literary convention would seem to demand they must. To say more would spoil some of the delightful surprises Stewart has to offer, but let's just say that if you don't know the characters well enough by the end of the story to fill in what Stewart is smart enough to leave unsaid, you haven't been paying attention.

It's a shame that so few of Sean Stewart's books remain in print, but it's well worth the effort to track them down. The world of fantasy needs more original voices like his.