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Title details for Saturnalia by Stephanie Feldman - Available

Saturnalia

A Novel

by Stephanie Feldman
Courtney Patterson
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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The Saturnalia carnival marks three years since Nina walked away from Philadelphia's elite Saturn Club-with its genteel debauchery, arcane pecking order, and winking interest in alchemy and the occult. In doing so, she abandoned her closest friends and her chance to climb the social ladder. Since then, she's eked out a living by telling fortunes with her Saturn Club tarot deck, a solemn initiation gift that Nina always considered a gag but has turned out to be more useful than she could have ever imagined. For most, the Saturnalia carnival marks a brief winter reprieve for the beleaguered people of the historic city, which is being eroded by extreme weather, a collapsing economy, and feverish summers-whose disease carrying mosquitos are perhaps the only thing one can count on. Like Thanksgiving or Halloween, Saturnalia has become a purely American holiday despite its pagan roots; and nearly everyone, rich or poor, forgets their troubles for a moment. For Nina, Saturnalia is simply a cruel reminder of the night that changed everything for her. But when she gets a chance call from Max, one of the Saturn Club's best-connected members and her last remaining friend, the favor he asks will plunge her back into the Club's wild solstice masquerade, on a mysterious errand she cannot say no to.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    December 27, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781696610292
      • File size: 185438 KB
      • Duration: 06:26:19

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 25, 2022
      The bacchanalian festival of Saturnalia—one of the most celebrated holidays in a near-future, climate change–ravaged world—provides the backdrop for this grim, bewitching fantasy thriller from Feldman (The Angel of Losses). Nina lives in an alternate Philadelphia studded with historic social clubs honoring ancient gods from around the world. She was a rising star in the exclusive, alchemy-obsessed Saturn Club, until a devastating incident during Saturnalia three years before the start of the novel spurred her to abandon the life. Now, strapped for cash, she agrees to do a job for an old friend who’s still a member: under cover of the festival’s chaos, she’ll sneak into the club’s building and steal a mysterious box from the library. This heist sets off a chain of increasingly disturbing events that lead Nina to reckon with the trauma inflicted upon her three years ago as she works desperately to save several other lives along with her own. The story features moments of bizarre, distressing cruelty and occasional gore, but it’s grounded in themes of belonging, friendship, and the potential costs of ambition. Feldman brings impressive richness and depth to both Nina’s emotional evolution and the masterful worldbuilding. This is sure to win the author many fans. Agent: Stacia Decker, Dunow, Carlson, and Lerner.

    • Library Journal

      March 1, 2023

      Nina was once part of Philadelphia's elite occultist Saturn Club, but she walked away three years earlier. Now, on the night of the club's annual Saturnalia gala, Nina returns. This time, however, she is not coming as a member, but as a thief, since she has agreed to steal a package during the extravagant bacchanalian celebration. Set in a near-future Philadelphia, economically depressed and wracked by climate change, Feldman's (The Angel of Losses) latest reveals the underside to the Saturn Club--full of old rules, older pecking orders, and occult terrors. As Nina is swept up into Saturnalia's dizzying magic and opulence, she discovers a precarious world on the brink of disaster. Courtney Patterson provides a stunning narration of this engrossing and unsettling novel, channeling both the thrilling tension and the glittering wonders of its sumptuous yet depraved world. Themes of climate disaster, rampant disease, and economic collapse are unnervingly prescient. VERDICT Fans of intricate worldbuilding, urban fantasy, and apocalyptic stories will be hooked. An excellent addition to any audio fantasy collection.--Elyssa Everling

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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