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by Louis Sachar
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?
What are you reading this week? (4/17/2025)
The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar, which is a requested book from BookBrowse, thank you very much :wink:
-Ann_Beman
"[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 Reviews (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
This information about The Magician of Tiger Castle was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Copyright © 2002 Louis Sachar
Louis Sachar is the bestselling author of the award-winning novel Holes, as well as
Stanley Yelnats’ Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake, There’s a Boy in the Girls’
Bathroom, Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes, and the Marvin Redpost series, among many other books.
He was born March 20, 1954, in East Meadow, New York. His father worked on the
78th floor of the Empire State Building. When he was nine, his family moved to Tustin,
California.
He attended the University of California, at Berkeley. During his last
year there, he helped out at an elementary school–Hillside School, an experience that inspired his first book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School.
He attended Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco and graduated in 1980.
He worked part-time as a...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Louis Sachar's Website
Name Pronunciation
Louis Sachar: loo-is sack-er (rhymes with cracker)
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