The Magician of Tiger Castle

The beloved author of Long ago and far away (and somewhere south of France) lies the kingdom of Esquaveta. There, Princess Tullia is in nearly as much peril as her struggling kingdom. Esquaveta desperately needs to forge an alliance, and to that end, Tullia''s father has arranged a marriage between her and an odious prince. However, one month before the "wedding of the century," Tullia falls in love with a lowly apprentice scribe. The king turns to Anatole, his much-maligned magician. Seventeen years earlier, when Anatole first came to the castle, he was regarded as something of a prodigy. But after a long series of failures--the latest being an attempt to transform sand into gold--he has become the object of contempt and ridicule. The only one who still believes in him is the princess. When the king orders Anatole to brew a potion that will ensure Tullia agrees to the wedding, Anatole is faced with an impossible choice. With one chance to save the marriage, the kingdom, and, of most importance to him, his reputation, will he betray the princess--or risk ruin?

Autorentext

Louis Sachar

Klappentext

The beloved author of Holes presents his first adult novel, a modern fantasy classic of forbidden love, a crumbling kingdom, and the unexpected magic all around us.

Long ago and far away (and somewhere south of France) lies the kingdom of Esquaveta. There, Princess Tullia is in nearly as much peril as her struggling kingdom. Esquaveta desperately needs to forge an alliance, and to that end, Tullia's father has arranged a marriage between her and an odious prince. However, one month before the "wedding of the century," Tullia falls in love with a lowly apprentice scribe.

The king turns to Anatole, his much-maligned magician. Seventeen years earlier, when Anatole first came to the castle, he was regarded as something of a prodigy. But after a long series of failures—the latest being an attempt to transform sand into gold—he has become the object of contempt and ridicule. The only one who still believes in him is the princess.

When the king orders Anatole to brew a potion that will ensure Tullia agrees to the wedding, Anatole is faced with an impossible choice. With one chance to save the marriage, the kingdom, and, of most importance to him, his reputation, will he betray the princess—or risk ruin?

Zusammenfassung
"After decades of children's stories with adult intelligence, Sachar has given us an adult novel with a child's heart. The Magician of Tiger Castle is a medieval fable for the modern age: wise and whimsical, tragic and comic, familiar and strange. I loved it." Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House

"Louis Sachar weaves a tale that's both timeless and brand-new. Clever, wistful, and lovely in equal measure, this is the kind of book that lodges itself in your heart!" Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of *The Spellshop

"Whether you re an adult who loved Holes as a child, or the parent of teenagers, or a teenager yourself, this charming novel will entertain and delight you." Locus

• There s a feeling you have as a reader when you step into the hands of a master. Every Sachar book has this a sense of competency and certainty. Trust me, this is going to all make sense soon. Well, I trusted, and the story of The Magician of Tiger Castle came together so beautifully, I wept at the end. It was everything I wanted and more. I laughed, I cried, I clapped with joy and wonderment in the middle of a coffee shop. I could not put the pages down, and now that I m finished, I am heartbroken the journey is over. I adored this book. It is undoubtedly a new favorite, perfect for fans of Holes or for any reader who wants to go on a grand, magical adventure for the sake of true love. Susan Dennard, New York Times bestselling author of The Witchlands series

  "Fans of Holes will devour Sachar's first adult novel, a richly imagined history in which a princess falls for a scribe, and a magician must try to save the day." *People

• While keeping the heart and humanity of Holes, Louis Sachar blazes into the adult space with The Magician of Tiger Castle. In a tale centuries old, the reader stands beside Anatole, a court magician, as he is swept into kingdom politics and moral decisions. Sachar paints a stunning story from the perspective of an immortal destined to observe and the consequences when he decides to intervene. Rebecca Thorne, USA Today bestselling author of *Can t Spell Treason without Tea

  "[A] melancholy, heartfelt, and utterly immersive Renaissance-esque fantasy. . . .There s a lovely sparsity to Sachar s fairy tale esque prose that belies the careful scaffolding underneath, which sketches out a gentle love story and offers fascinating commentary about the fallibility of received wisdom, the nature of memory, and the lost histories of common people among the more publicized narratives of monarchs. Readers who grew up with Sachar will be especially thrilled, but even those new to his work won t be able to put this down." Publishers Weekly* (starred review)

  "A heartfelt fable about courage and love. . . .Sachar s wry, distinctive voice will remind grown-ups what made him such a success as a children's book author. . . . A sensitive and sincere tale told with Sachar s inimitable wit." Kirkus (starred review)*

• "Sachar writes an engaging story from a magician s perspective that feels adjacent to a fairy tale." *Library Journal

  "Readers will be entertained and enchanted." Booklist

• Leseprobe
  1

  Homecoming

  So here I sit, dressed like a typical American tourist, sipping a cappuccino at an outdoor table in an authentic medieval village. I can see the turrets of Tiger Castle in the distance, silhouetted against the red morning sky. I break off a piece of my almond croissant and place it inside the front pouch of my hoodie.

  My hands are bruised, and I think I may have sprained my left wrist. The street here is paved with cobblestones, all of different shapes and sizes. In places, there are significant gaps between the stones. I doubt I was the first person to stumble and fall. My dignity suffered the greatest harm.

  I suppose the street is kept like this for authenticity, but five hundred years ago there wouldn't have been coffee, or chocolate. Only the popolo grasso, or "fat people," could afford such luxuries. The popolo minuto-"little people"-ate mostly bread, ale, and whatever greens they managed to grow.

  Also, a shop wasn't a separate entity then, but part of the craftsman's home. A craftsman worked in the front room, and the family slept together in the back room. (Only the popolo grasso could afford privacy.) The craftsman would lower his shutter outward toward the street to create a display table for his wares.

  These cobblestones could well be the original stones, but five hundred years ago, the spaces between the stones were regularly refilled with a claylike dirt. After a heavy rain, we'd have to strap wooden planks to the bottoms of our shoes to keep the mud off.

  I took a tour of Tiger Castle yesterday. According to our tour guide, the tigers are well cared for and are fed a scientific blend of meat and nutritional supplements. In 1523, the tigers ate live animals, including goats, pigs, sheep, horses, and, of course, the occasional human.

  It wasn't called Tiger Castle then, but simply the Castle, or perhaps the Esquavetian Castle. The kingdom of Esquaveta no longer exists.

  As our tour guide led us along the winding corridors and up and down the stairs, she told tales of some of the people who had lived there. There was the Whispering King, a man so powerful he only needed to whisper. She also spoke o…