Peter Beagle’s magical SUMMERLONG continues to garner praise.

CURIOUS
MIND GARDEN praises the novel.

Based in Greek myth, SUMMERLONG is Rick Riordan’s
PERCY
JACKSON series for adults and is equally compelling. Here, just as Abe, Joanna, and Lily become strangely mesmerized by Lioness, so too the reader becomes so drawn into this novel that it is impossible to put aside.

The book is a Staff Pick at BOOKSHOP
SANTA CRUZ.

Once upon a time, an elderly couple befriended a young woman who was in need of some help. What follows was more challenging and fantastic than they could ever have imagined. A twist on an old story, its classic elements are electric and it is all the more compelling for its modern setting. Magical, truthful, and at times unbearably harsh, this is definitely not a happily-ever-after book.

Photo: Rina Weisman

READINGTRANCE reviews the fantasy.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Both the feel and particulars of this book reminded me quite a lot of Patricia McKillip’s more recent stories, where she explores a contemporary setting impinged upon by mythic elements. (If you liked ‘Kingfisher,’ or ‘Mer,’ don’t miss this one!

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Joanna and Abe are an older, long-term couple whose relationship has been loving but has also depended on a certain amount of distance. Joanna’s job as a flight attendant means she’s frequently away, and Abe has his own house, and takes plenty of time for his writing and academic research.

The setting also feels distant – an island on the outskirts of Seattle. The sense of foggy isolation that the location lends the narrative feels very appropriate to the story.

For more info on SUMMERLONG, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Magdalena Korzeniewska

Design by Elizabeth Story