Palimpsest (novel)

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Palimpsest
Palimpsest cover byCatherynneValente.gif
Cover of the first edition of Palimpsest
Author Catherynne M. Valente
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Fiction, Novel
Publisher Bantam Spectra
Publication date
March 2009
Media typePrint (Paperback)
PagesApprox. 367 pages
ISBN 978-0-553-38576-2 (pbk.)
OCLC 232129602
813/.6 22
LC Class PS3622.A4258 P36 2009

Palimpsest is a novel by Catherynne M. Valente, published in March 2009. It follows four separate characters as they discover and explore a mysterious city accessed only at night.

Contents

Summary

The novel follows four travelers: Oleg, a New York City locksmith; the beekeeper November; Ludovico, a binder of rare books; and a young Japanese woman named Sei. They have all lost something important in their life: a wife, lover, sister, or direction. They find themselves in Palimpsest after each spend a night with a stranger who has a tattooed map of a section of the city on their body.

During the course of the novel, November recalls a favorite book of hers as a child. This book, which is only mentioned briefly in Palimpsest, was turned into a full-length novel in 2009. Valente wrote The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making as a crowd-funded project; in October 2009, she announced that it, as well as a sequel, had been picked up by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers. [1]

Reception

Palimpsest won the 2009 Lambda Literary Award for LGBT SF/Fantasy/Horror [2] and was a finalist for the 2010 Hugo Award for Best Novel. [3]

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References

  1. Catherynne M Valente - All Things Fairyland. . Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  2. "2010 Lambda Literary Finalists & Winners". Lambda Literary Awards. May 2010. Archived from the original on August 17, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  3. "The 2010 Hugo and John W. Campbell Award Nominees". AussieCon 4. April 4, 2010. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2010.