Some happy news.
In the midst of a rather dreary & cold day, something incredible is happening.
The newly released novel Palimpsest is zooming up the amazon bestsellers charts at a speed few of us could have imagined.
However, loyal readers may recognize the author - "But that's Catherynne Valente's new book, and she's an amazing writer, no wonder it's doing so well!". The part that makes it incredible is that I happen to know the author, and have caught sneak peeks at the process of how a book grows, how it's published and publicized - so this is really fantastic to see everything come to fruition.
Cat herself has been working like a mad woman to pull together a no-holds-barred publicity tour, part of which is by train (trains and the mating thereof being a major plot point), and includes craftspeople & performers who are supremely talented in their own right (Wyrding Studios, for one!).
Now, I will warn you - this is not a breezy read to be consumed in an afternoon or on a beach. Ms. Valente's prose is most accurately compared to food stuffs; peaty scotch, dark chocolate, fine burgundy and dry-aged filet. You take small bites and savor, because each of her sentences are lyrical and intricate - well suited to the rather sumptuous material the book covers, I think.
Palimpsest is a city that one can only visit in the dreams that occur after sleeping with a person who has been there - a person who is recognizable by the map tattooed on their skin by the experience. Once there, you find your own map marked on your body the next morning. Suffice to say, it's a place worth visiting.
If you go to Cat's website, you can watch the trailer for the book there, but it would be best not to watch it at work.
So yes. Very, very much worth the $11.20 amazon is currently charging. Go read, and enjoy!
The newly released novel Palimpsest is zooming up the amazon bestsellers charts at a speed few of us could have imagined.
However, loyal readers may recognize the author - "But that's Catherynne Valente's new book, and she's an amazing writer, no wonder it's doing so well!". The part that makes it incredible is that I happen to know the author, and have caught sneak peeks at the process of how a book grows, how it's published and publicized - so this is really fantastic to see everything come to fruition.
Cat herself has been working like a mad woman to pull together a no-holds-barred publicity tour, part of which is by train (trains and the mating thereof being a major plot point), and includes craftspeople & performers who are supremely talented in their own right (Wyrding Studios, for one!).
Now, I will warn you - this is not a breezy read to be consumed in an afternoon or on a beach. Ms. Valente's prose is most accurately compared to food stuffs; peaty scotch, dark chocolate, fine burgundy and dry-aged filet. You take small bites and savor, because each of her sentences are lyrical and intricate - well suited to the rather sumptuous material the book covers, I think.
Palimpsest is a city that one can only visit in the dreams that occur after sleeping with a person who has been there - a person who is recognizable by the map tattooed on their skin by the experience. Once there, you find your own map marked on your body the next morning. Suffice to say, it's a place worth visiting.
If you go to Cat's website, you can watch the trailer for the book there, but it would be best not to watch it at work.
So yes. Very, very much worth the $11.20 amazon is currently charging. Go read, and enjoy!