The Happiness Collector
A Contemporary Fantasy Pitting Modern Humans Against Ancient Gods
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- $299.00
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- $299.00
Descripción editorial
“Urban fantasy, unexpected romance, and mythology all collide in King's latest. A must for V.E. Schwab and Katee Robert fans.” –Booklist
In this stunning contemporary fantasy novel for fans of V. E. Schwab and Kaliane Bradley, a historian’s dream job in Italy takes a dark turn when she discovers her employers aren’t exactly human…
After losing her book deal and her academic position, historian Aida Reale needs a new career, and fast. After all, she and her fiancé, Graham, have a wedding to pay for. So when a friend recommends her for an extremely high-paying position at a company called MODA, it feels like the perfect stroke of luck. And with a move to Italy and a breathtaking palazzo included, how could she say no?
Aside from a snooty assistant, a daunting NDA and some very stringent rules about the use of personal technology, working for MODA is a dream come true—at least at first. But the more research Aida conducts for this elusive company, the more things feel off. Not only does her relationship with Graham suffer, but it seems like every site she visits either vanishes or is struck by tragedy soon after she’s been there.
It’s only after a mysterious woman approaches Aida and Luciano, her devastatingly handsome and equally concerned MODA colleague, that they learn the truth—they are just mortal pawns in a game between gods. Now Aida must find answers to the question she's been avoiding: What's really happening to all the happiness she's been collecting…and can she stop the gods’ plans before it’s too late?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
King (In the Garden of Monsters) highlights art and history's importance to humanity in this immersive, heart-racing fantasy. Historian Aida Reale struggles to find work after she loses her teaching gig and her publisher goes under. Then she receives an eerily timed and out-of-the-blue offer from a mysterious company, MODA, inviting her to Italy to document various artworks and historical locations. With unbelievable pay and luxurious accommodations, it seems "too good to be true," but Aida hesitantly accepts. Her task is to measure the happiness of each location she visits and report back to her strange new bosses quarterly. Dreamy fellow "happiness collector" Luciano Leto is equally suspicious of the gig and when he and Aida compare stories, they notice a pattern of terrible things happening to the places they document shortly after their visits. This mystery is solved when a goddess appears to them and reveals that their employers are gods working to erase human happiness. Aida and Luciano are mere pawns in a divine war, but it's up to them to save the world. King's prose can be somewhat overwrought, but her descriptions of Italy are wonderfully evocative and the mythological intrigue propels the plot at a brisk clip. Armchair travelers and contemporary fantasy fans alike will be thrilled.
