Cloud & Ashes: Three Winter's Tales
Almost two decades after the publication of her debut novel,Moonwise, Gilman returns to the fantasy realm of Cloud with a trilogy of interconnected narratives. 2000's Nebula-shortlisted Jack Daw's Pack follows an otherworldly traveler as he creates a rich tapestry of myth in the cards he throws down. 2003's A Crowd of Bone, which won the World Fantasy Award, is a decidedly nonlinear tragedy about child witch Thea, who flees her goddess mother and a foolish love-struck mortal. The novella Unleaving, the original piece of the trinity, revolves around Thea's daughter, Margaret, who unravels the heavens and, in turn, much of the mythos of Cloud. Though the sublimely lyrical Jacobeanesque dialect is challenging, readers who enjoy symbolism and allusion will cherish Gilman's use of diverse folkloric elements to create an unforgettable realm and ideology.(May)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.