Magic Street - Paperback

by Orson Scott Card (Author)

"A modern suburban fantasy . . . There are quests and complications, conflicts and charms. . . . Card's back in top form, doing as well as or better than any of his fantasy work so far."--The San Diego Union-Tribune

In a prosperous African American neighborhood in Los Angeles, infant Mack Street is found abandoned in an overgrown park and taken in by a blunt-speaking single woman. Growing up, Mack senses that he is different from most, and knows that he has strange powers. Yet he cannot possibly understand how unusual he is until the day he discovers, beyond a mysterious narrow house no one else can see, an entryway into a magical world. Passing through, Mack is plunged into a realm where time and reality are skewed, a place where his actions seem to have disturbing effects in the "real world." Whether he likes it or not, Mack has become a player in an epic drama. His reward, if he can survive the trip, is discovering not only who he really is . . . but why he exists.

Praise for Magic Street

"A great read . . . Card's take on his characters [is] as sure as ever, his narrative rock solid, his dialogue crackling and authentic."--Los Angeles Times Book Review

"[Card] is a master at creating a sense of urgency that keeps you turning pages."--The Charlotte Observer

"Mind-bending . . . Card's clever tale comes with sharp writing and crisp dialogue."--The Tampa Tribune

"Compelling . . . By the time the ultimate conflict comes into focus, the novel is propelling the reader forward like a bullet."--Deseret Morning News

"A suspenseful fantasy thriller that, during the race to the last page, has one mulling over myth, morals, salvation, and will."--Booklist

Front Jacket

Orson Scott Card has the distinction of having swept both the Hugo and Nebula awards in two consecutive years with his amazing novels Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. For a body of work that ranges from science fiction to nonfiction to plays, Card has been recognized as an author who provides vivid, colorful glimpses between the world we know and worlds we can only imagine.
In a peaceful, prosperous African American neighborhood in Los Angeles, Mack Street is a mystery child who has somehow found a home. Discovered abandoned in an overgrown park, raised by a blunt-speaking single woman, Mack comes and goes from family to family-a boy who is at once surrounded by boisterous characters and deeply alone. But while Mack senses that he is different from most, and knows that he has strange powers, he cannot possibly understand how unusual he is until the day he sees, in a thin slice of space, a narrow house. Beyond it is a backyard-and an entryway into an extraordinary world stretching off into an exotic distance of geography, history, and magic.
Passing through the skinny house that no one else can see, Mack is plunged into a realm where time and reality are skewed, a place where what Mack does and sees seem to have strange affects in the "real world" of concrete, cars, commerce, and conflict. Growing into a tall, powerful young man, pursuing a forbidden relationship, and using Shakespeare's Midsummer's Night Dream as a guide into the vast, timeless fantasy world, Mack becomes a player in an epic drama. Understanding this drama is Mack's challenge. His reward, if he can survive the trip, is discovering not only who he really is . . . but why he exists.
Both a novel ofconstantly surprising entertainment and a tale of breathtaking literary power, Magic Street is a masterwork from a supremely gifted, utterly original American writer-a novel that uses realism and fantasy to delight, challenge, and satisfy on the most profound levels.

Author Biography

Orson Scott Card burst on the scene in the early 1980s as a short-story writer, whose highly praised work appeared frequently in Omni and other magazines. He is the award-winning author of Enchantment, Ender's Game, and the Alvin Maker series, among other novels. Card lives with his family in Greensboro, North Carolina.