Fantasy Books
by Mary Stuart
I surfed into your site. Since you list books I'd thought I'd tell you of a couple of books I read if you don't mind. Your group might enjoy it. It's hard to locate a grown-up fantasy so these were a find.
First one is new. It's a very interesting fantasy/sci-fi book recently that deals with some modern issues including genetic science. It's called Saint Jack and Toad:Third Angel of the Apocalypse by P. Carraher. It's more grown-up than much of the fantasy out there. Not for the Harry Potter crowd. High-school age and up, I'd say. So you might be interested. I'm tired of the "trolls and robots" type fantasy so this book's originality was a nice discovery.
It's about this NY city fireman who loses his family in a fire and who wants to then kill himself. He's kept from doing it by the appearance of a vision that tells him he must live in order to save the world from a growing threatening evil. (which turns out to be the misuse of genetic science). He agrees to do it and thus begin his adventures. He takes a trip to Hell and back, is granted great powers (control of the elements, invisibility, etc.) as he seeks out this evil. Toad of the title is a runaway boy.
The "Third Angel" of the title refers to the angel in the bible (Revelations) who talks about the "pollution of the waters of life". It's the author's contention in this book that DNA can be thought of as the true "waters of life" and that the current DNA "tinkering" going on might very well be the pollution the bible warns us about.
Apocalypse soon?? Anyway, a very provoking thought.
The book, set in modern day NY City, reads as much like a good suspense novel as fantasy. Like Stephen King but with more depth to it than most of King's stuff. In my opinion anyway.
Another book you might like is a forgotten classic. It's The Wild Asses' Skin by Balzac (of all people!) This is a wonderful fantasy by the 19th century author. It's about this young man who is poor and who wants "more" out of life, i.e., fame and riches. He wanders into a shop where he's sold the dried skin of a donkey. The skin is a magic one that can grant the owner any wish and desire. The catch is that, with each wish, the person holding the skin loses some of his life! This young man grows old quickly needless to say. A wonderful story and, again, like Saint Jack a thinking person's fantasy.
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