I suppose it’s fair to ask for a tad more concrete detail here. And, as in all good tales, the key leads to a glistening treasure.

But, if you can sink into the narrative flow, let loose the nagging part of your mind that insists on sense, the dislocation engendered by the twisting shape of the story becomes a gift. If you attempt to cling to these regular buoys that a reader relies upon, you will be lost. I will warn those curious about this book up-front: It will force you to let go of plot and timeline and characters and finally, the story itself. There is the initial lurch and puzzlement, and then that same unhurried wonder and horror while journeying through the labyrinth of this text. While The Night Garden offers all these at one juncture or another, the enduring reward it left me with was one of dislocation. Of the many prizes avid readers are granted while rustling through pages, there are common evocations joy, sorrow, knowledge, comfort. Valente’s new novel, The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden. And just when you think you've come to the end, you realize the adventure has only begun.There is a strange gift for the reader at the heart of Catherynne M. 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. From ill-tempered ``mermaid`` to fastidious Beast, nothing is ever quite what it seems in these ever-shifting tales-even, and especially, their teller. And what tales she tellsTales 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.

Inked on her eyelids, each twisting, tattooed tale is a piece in the puzzle of the girl's own hidden history. 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. Welcome to the Arabian Nights for our time-a lush and fantastical epic guaranteed to spirit you away from the very first page. Every once in a great while a book comes along that reminds us of the magic spell that stories canĬast over us-to dazzle, entertain, and enlighten.

Orphan's tales in the night garden