The Escapement

Book excerpt: In this dazzling new novel evoking Westerns, surrealism, epic fantasy, and circus extravaganzas, World Fantasy Award winner Lavie Tidhar (Central Station) has created an evocative dreamscape of dark comedy, heartbreak, hope, and adventure. Chronicling a lone man's quest in parallel worlds, The Escapement recalls the epic darkness of Stephen King's The Gunslinger via the unpredictable whimsy of The Phantom Tollbooth. "Lavie Tidhar is a genius at conjuring realities that are just two steps to the left of our own." --NPR Books Into the reality called the Escapement rides the Stranger, a lone gunman on a quest to rescue his son. But it is too easy to get lost on a shifting landscape full of dangerous versions of favorite things: lawless cowboys, giants made of stone, oppressed clowns, and even more sinister forces at play. The Stranger always finds new enemies in every godforsaken town. He reluctantly defends the not-always-helpless, while avoiding the deadly symbol storms of petulant gods. As the Stranger has learned, the Escapement is a dreamscape of deep mysteries, unpredictable geography, unlikely allies, and unwinnable battles. But the flower the Stranger seeks still lies beyond the Mountains of Darkness. Time is running out, as he journeys deeper and deeper into the secret heart of an unknown world.