The Orphan's Tales
In the Night Garden
Catherynne M. Valente, Michael Wm. Kaluta
Readers rate it 4.2 (32 on Hardcover)
496 pages · Released Oct 31, 2006 · Spectra
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The Orphan's Tales parent’s guide: what’s inside
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A note for parents
This is a sophisticated fantasy collection written in a lyrical, fairy-tale style that draws heavily from Arabian Nights traditions. While the stories contain some darker elements and mature themes appropriate to the genre, the prose style and nested-narrative structure make it better suited to older teens than younger children. The book rewards readers who appreciate complex storytelling, character ambiguity, and literary craft, with strong themes about identity and self-discovery woven throughout.
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From the publisher
A Book of Wonders for Grown-Up ReadersEvery once in a great while a book comes along that reminds us of the magic spell that stories can cast over us--to dazzle, entertain, and enlighten. Welcome to the Arabian Nights for our time--a lush and fantastical epic guaranteed to spirit you away from the very first page....Se... A Book of Wonders for Grown-Up ReadersEvery once in a great while a book comes along that reminds us of the magic spell that stories can cast over us--to dazzle, entertain, and enlighten. Welcome to the Arabian Nights for our time--a lush and fantastical epic guaranteed to spirit you away from the very first page....Secreted away in a garden, a lonely girl spins stories to warm a curious prince: peculiar feats and unspeakable fates that loop through each other and back again to meet in the tapestry of her voice. Inked on her eyelids, each twisting, tattooed tale is a piece in the puzzle of the girl's own hidden history. And what tales she tells! Tales of shape-shifting witches and wild horsewomen, heron kings and beast princesses, snake gods, dog monks, and living stars--each story more strange and fantastic than the one that came before. From ill-tempered "mermaid" to fastidious Beast, nothing is ever quite what it seems in these ever-shifting tales--even, and especially, their teller. Adorned with illustrations by the legendary Michael Kaluta, Valente's enchanting lyrical fantasy offers a breathtaking reinvention of the untold myths and dark fairy tales that shape our dreams. And just when you think you've come to the end, you realize the adventure has only begun....From the Trade Paperback edition.
Shelved under
- Princes
- Fiction
- Fantasy
- Fiction, fantasy, general
- LGBTQ gender identity
- LGBTQ science fiction & fantasy
- collection:otherwise_tiptree_award=winner
- Fantasy fiction
- LGBTQ
- Young Adult
- Adventure
- Science fiction
Books in The Orphan's Tales
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ISBN 9780553384031 · Spectra