The Memory Theater
A Novel
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4.4 • 11 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
From the award-winning author of Amatka and Jagannath—a fantastical tour de force about friendship, interdimensional theater, and a magical place where no one ages, except the young
In a world just parallel to ours exists a mystical realm known only as the Gardens. It’s a place where feasts never end, games of croquet have devastating consequences, and teenagers are punished for growing up. For a select group of masters, it’s a decadent paradise where time stands still. But for those who serve them, it’s a slow torture where their lives can be ended in a blink. In a bid to escape before their youth betrays them, Dora and Thistle—best friends and confidants—set out on a remarkable journey through time and space. Traveling between their world and ours, they hunt for the one person who can grant them freedom. Along the way, they encounter a mysterious traveler who trades in favors and never forgets debts, a crossroads at the center of the universe, our own world on the brink of war, and a traveling troupe of actors with the ability to unlock the fabric of reality.
Endlessly inventive, The Memory Theater takes us to a wondrous place where destiny has yet to be written, life is a performance, and magic can erupt at any moment. It is Karin Tidbeck’s most engrossing and irresistible tale yet.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Tidbeck straddles fantasy, coming-of-age drama, and horror with an exciting, sometimes wrenching tale of friendship and time travel. The parallel world of the Gardens was conceived by its founders to be "perfect, innocent, unravaged by the passage of time, like the Arcadia of myth," says a librarian who helped with the project. Except, of course, it's not that innocent. Members of a ruling class called the Masters live only for pleasure; those who serve them have their real names withheld and are constantly tortured with body art carved into them with teeth and nails; and when teenagers grow up they are killed. Dora and Thistle are best friends who manage to escape the Gardens and embark on a journey through the outside world. As Dora and Thistle look for their names and a way back home, they travel through a variety of worlds in which the meaning of humanity changes often and the duo learn to trade favors on their way to freedom. Expansive and wildly imaginative, the narrative mixes fantasy elements with enough violence to satisfy horror fiction lovers ("Thank you for your service. Your death will be slow," says a Master before stabbing a boy with a knife). This fast-paced fantasy will please fans of quest stories who don't mind a bit of darkness.
