"Terrific fun." — Publishers Weekly "Eerie, enthralling, [and] flavorsome." — Kirkus Reviews "Fantasy novels don't get much better than Galveston. " — Washington Post Book World Twenty years ago, a flood of magic swept over the island of Galveston. Isolated from the rest of the world, deprived of electricity and outside resources, the residents carry on in two separate worlds: the "normal" half; and Carnival, an endless Mardi Gras celebration populated by minotaurs and other monsters, where the music never stops and miracles abound. But now the community leaders who saved the island from chaos and guard the gates between the two halves are aging and their system is faltering. Sloan Gardner, the daughter of one of the gatekeepers, discovers how to cross between the two Galvestons and becomes a link between a father and son whose destinies hold the key to the survival of both worlds. Can a generation with no knowledge of the world before the flood maintain the barrier between the realms of magic and reality, or will the island descend into anarchy? A dramatic exploration of such themes as love, friendship, and honesty, Galveston offers a compelling view of life as a game of chance. Library Journal praised the author of this gripping novel as possessing a "brand of magical realism [that] combines psychological drama with otherworldly images to create a rich tapestry that lingers long after the end of the tale." Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author Sean Stewart has written several novels and is Creative Director at Microsoft's Xbox Studios. Galveston By Sean Stewart Dover Publications, Inc. Copyright © 2000 Sean Stewart All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-486-81684-5 Contents Chapter One: Luck, 1, Part One, Chapter Two: Sloane, 21, Chapter Three: Momus, 41, Chapter Four: The Apothecary, 51, Chapter Five: The Recluse, 63, Chapter Six: The Mask, 83, Chapter Seven: Third Street, 99, Part Two, Chapter Eight: Insulin, 117, Chapter Nine: Sheriff Denton, 141, Chapter Ten: The Trial, 155, Part Three, Chapter Eleven: Asylum, 175, Chapter Twelve: Scarlet, 195, Chapter Thirteen: Hurricane, 213, Part Four, Chapter Fourteen: Venom, 233, Chapter Fifteen: Maggots, 247, Chapter Sixteen: Cannibals, 261, Chapter Seventeen: Martial Law, 279, Chapter Eighteen: Baptism, 299, Part Five, Chapter Nineteen: Going Under, 317, Chapter Twenty: Treatment, 335, Chapter Twenty-one: Offerings, 357, Chapter Twenty-two: Krewe of Rags, 369, Chapter Twenty-three: The River, 389, Acknowledgments, 415, CHAPTER 1 LUCK "Poker is a man's game," Josh's daddy used to say, "because it isn't fair." He played every Saturday afternoon on the verandah behind the Ford mansion. Most Saturdays, when the sun began to fall into the Gulf of Mexico, Joshua Cane got the job of fetching his father home for supper. He liked going to the Ford place. Sometimes Sloane Gardner would be over, playing with the Ford twins. Mrs. Ford said Josh was sweet on Sloane, but really it was just that she was curious and gave him a chance to explain things. Everyone agreed Josh was a smart boy. Even when Sloane and the Ford kids weren't there, Mrs. Ford always let him in and asked him how his mother was doing, and whether business at the pharmacy was good. When he had answered to her satisfaction, she sent him back to the cavernous kitchen, where Gloria the black cook would give him a treat. When his mother found out about the treats, she started sending along three red ibuprofen for Gloria's arthritis. Gloria said she didn't want to be paid, and Josh explained it was a gift. Gloria said his momma just didn't want to feel in debt. Josh figured she pretty much had the right of it. April 12, 2015, was the hottest day of the spring yet. Josh waved to the Mexican gardener working in the flower bed beside the porch. He knocked on the door and a housemaid let him in. "Master Cane," she said, her curtsey lost under an armful of purple drapes. "I'm just taking these up to be mended. Your dad's on the back porch. Can you find your way?" Josh nodded and she headed upstairs. As Josh stepped into the cool air-conditioned hallway, sweat started up on his skin like water beading on a cold glass. A pair of housemaids sat at the dining room table polishing silver. They paused and bobbed their heads as he went by. No sign of any kids today. Back in the kitchen, Gloria had a pot of crawdads boiling on the gas range. Clouds of mud-scented steam rose from it, blown apart by the slow chop of the ceiling fan overhead. Gloria was cutting garlic into a skillet full of hissing butter, and there was a chess pie in the oven. Josh was almost too old to lick the beaters, but not quite. Gloria frowned into the Fords' massive refrigerator. It had been eleven years since the Flood of 2004 had ended the industrial world, and with no spare parts available, refrigerators were becoming more precious — but of course the Fords had a giant