When
Abe and his long-time partner Joanna befriend the mysterious, hypnotically
beautiful young woman they find waitressing at their local diner, they cannot
be prepared for what happens next. No sooner has Lioness Lazos taken up
residence in Abe’s garage than the Puget Sound island on which they live begins
to enjoy unseasonably glorious weather. And Lioness’s arrival doesn’t just
affect the seasons – Abe, a resolutely private man who plays his harmonica just
to annoy the neighbours, suddenly finds himself drawn into a Blues Band and
enjoying a lease on life he never thought possible, whereas Joanna – who has
always had a deep fear of the water – inexplicably discovers a passion for
kayaking. And Joanna’s grown-up daughter Lily has also fallen under Lioness’s
spell, harder and more dangerously than Abe or her mother. But when Lioness’s
terrible secret is revealed, life will never be the same again, not for any of
them.
Peter S. Beagle’s latest novel is a
bewitching, impossible-to-categorise masterpiece. Is it a romance, a fairytale,
or a fantasy that straddles reality and mythology, with (especially in the
scenes involving Joanna and a strangely out-of-time old man called Mr.
Mardikian) the slightest hint of wonderful supernatural romcoms like ‘Bell Book
and Candle’ and ‘I Married a Witch’? Or is it suggesting that we are never too
old to chase our dreams, even if our dreams come at a price, so maybe we should
be careful what we wish for? It is probably all of these and more, and even if
you find yourself half-guessing Lioness’s secret long before it is actually
revealed, the climax will still take you by surprise and may even break your
heart a little. With prose that is more akin to poetry, Beagle’s storytelling
casts a spell as potent as Lioness’s magic – if magic is what it is – and his
characters, especially Abe and Joanna, are exquisite creations. It’s so good to
read a story wherein older people are allowed to be the ‘heroes’ of the
adventure, and not relegated to the supporting cast. As a fantasy, this might
not have enough darkness for many readers, but as a work of fantastical art it
is flawless.
SUMMERLONG / AUTHOR: PETER S. BEAGLE /
PUBLISHER: TACHYON PUBLICATIONS / RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 29TH
