The Dragon Griaule
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- $3.99
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
More than twenty-five years ago, Lucius Shepard introduced us to a remarkable fictional world, a world separated from our own 'by the thinnest margin of possibility.' There, in the mythical Carbonales Valley, Shepard found the setting for 'The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule,' the classic account of an artist--Meric Cattanay--and his decades long effort to paint--and kill--a dormant, not quite dead dragon measuring 6,000 feet from end to end. The story was nominated for multiple awards and is now recognized as one of its author's signature accomplishments.
Over the years, Shepard has revisited this world in a number of brilliant, independent narratives that have illuminated the Dragon's story from a variety of perspectives. This loosely connected series reached a dramatic crossroads in the astonishing novella, 'The Taborin Scale'. The Dragon Griaule now gathers all of these hard to find stories into a single generous volume. The capstone of the book--and a particular treat for Shepard fans--is 'The Skull,' a new 40,000 word novel that advances the story in unexpected ways, connecting the ongoing saga of an ancient and fabulous beast with the political realities of Central America in the 21st century. Augmented by a group of engaging, highly informative story notes, The Dragon Griaule is an indispensable volume, the work of a master stylist with a powerful--and always unpredictable--imagination.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a world where an immense comatose dragon forms a part of the landscape, six stories (including the novella "The Skull," original to this volume) show that the 6,000-foot-long Griaule, paralyzed by a wizard's spell long before the stories begin, may not be able to move but can still inspire, influencing two artists as well as the dehumanization of the residents of the Carbonales Valley. Shepard uses this unlikely premise to examine human nature and present intricate and often poetic stories about the people who fall under Griaule's influence, though Griaule's indifference leaves the reader with the sense that the individual's lives are guided more by their own decisions than by any external force. These six stories explore ground far from the high fantasy with which dragons are frequently associated. Fans of Shepard's unusual and often powerful Griaule tales will be delighted to have them all in one place.
