The beginning to the incredible Stravaganza series is a book that should not be missed. This astounding time skipping adventure may now be a nostalgic read but Mary Hoffman's creativity, talent and powerful character creation stay true two decades later.
From the blurb;
'In a room at the top of a tall house overlooking a canal, a man sat dealing cards on to a desk covered in black silk. He made a circle of twelve cards, face up, methodically moving widdersins, placed a thirteenth in the middle of the circle, then leaned back and contemplated the pattern. 'Strange,' he murmured.
'Imagine you are one moment ill in bed, and the next transported to a world that is awash with deception, intrigue, and glamour. In a spine-tingling discovery, Lucien discovers that he is in fact a 'Stravagante' and with the help of a talisman can transport himself to sixteenth century Bellezza , a city inspired by Venice, and filled with unexpected danger.'
This spellbinding novel swings swiftly into action, introducing out incredibly lovable main character Lucien, and the suffering he endures in our reality, before rushing us, and him, into the wonders of a parallel world, and a history that mirrors out own.
Transported into the complex past of this alternate Venice Lucien quickly learns that his transportation is not a dream, but a reality, and he must figure out how to survive in this strange world as quickly as possible. Running to keep up the reader jogs alongside Lucien as this other life, where he is not burdened by the sickness which plagues him in our reality, consumes him heart and soul.
As we jolt from the incredible world of Bellezza back into Lucien's reality in our world we are thrown with him into the pain of his existence. Longing with him for a chance and a way to return to the life in which he found himself set free.
This juxtaposition between the two worlds, and Lucien's life in each, is a heart pulling thread that Hoffman gently tugs throughout the duration of the novel, ending in a climatic and explosive final chapter that will shatter hearts.
City of Masks leaves readers longing for more, utterly in love with the characters so delicately crafted by Hoffman and enchanted by the world she has made. This novel lives rent free in the mind long after closing and is a book that soon grows tattered from re-reading for another taste of Bellezza.
We Give City of Masks Five Stars
ISBN - 0-7475-6219-9 Cover Price - £5.99 First published in Great Britain in 2002 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc