Veniss Underground
Synopsis
In his debut novel, literary alchemist Jeff VanderMeer takes us on an unforgettable journey, a triumph of the imagination that reveals the magical and mysterious city of Veniss through three intertwined voices. First, Nicholas, a would-be Living Artist, seeks to escape his demons in the shadowy undergroundโbut in doing so makes a deal with the deviโฆ In his debut novel, literary alchemist Jeff VanderMeer takes us on an unforgettable journey, a triumph of the imagination that reveals the magical and mysterious city of Veniss through three intertwined voices. First, Nicholas, a would-be Living Artist, seeks to escape his demons in the shadowy undergroundโbut in doing so makes a deal with the devil himself. In her fevered search for him, his twin sister, Nicola, spins her own unusual and hypnotic tale as she discovers the hidden secrets of the city. And finally, haunted by Nicolaโs sudden, mysterious disappearance and gripped by despair, Shadrach, Nicolaโs lover, embarks on a mythic journey to the nightmarish levels deep beneath the surface of the city to bring his love back to light. There he will find wonders beyond imaginingโฆand horrors greater than the heart can bear. By turns beautiful, horrifying, delicate, and powerful, Veniss Underground explores the limits of love, memory, and obsession in a landscape that defies the boundaries of the imagination. This special edition includes the short stories โThe Sea, Mendeho, and Moonlightโ; โDetectives and Cadaversโ; and โA Heart for Lucretiaโ and the novella Balzacโs War, offering a complete tour of the fantastic world of Veniss. Praise for Veniss Underground โA wonder-filled journey that echoes Danteโs Divine Comedy, the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, and the landscapes of Hieronymus Bosch.โโPublishers Weekly โAudacious . . . full of beautiful sentences, black humor and terrible wonders.โโSan Francisco Chronicle โ[The novelโs] milieu recalls Philip K. Dick, its passages of prose poetry Edgar Allan Poe, its wry fatalism Jim Thompson. Wow!โโBooklist โIn the hands of a brilliant writer like Jeff VanderMeer, writing fantasy can be a means of serious artistic expression . . . also playful, poignant, and utterly, wildly imaginative.โโPeter Straub, author of lost boy lost girl
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