S P Somtow

"the finest new series of the 90s thus far... fantasy novels don't come any better than this the makings of a classic " - Edward Bryant"Somtow himself, with a poet's cunning, arranges it all into what could be described as, like, Dante for the next millenium" - Faren Miller in LOCUS"an object lesson in the potential of fantasy - erudition and post-modern pop awareness spice the narrative - adventurous, stirring writing, and Somtow's powerful, lucid prose glows with internal energy and intensity." - The London TimesAn ordinary American family gets caught up in a cosmic battle for control of the fate of the universe in S. P. Somtow's Riverrun Trilogy. Young Theo Etchison is a truthsayer - one with the ability to navigate the great river that connects all the parallel universes. His mother, Mary, is dying of cancer, but she may also be the mother goddess, the nurturer of the world. His father, Phil, is a second-rate poet; his brother, Joshua, has been seduced by a dragon-succubus. On a journey through America to a Mexican alternative medicine clinic, the Etchison family is sucked into the world of the Darklings, superhuman creatures who are battling for domination of the cosmos, who need Theo's special gift..

At twelve years old, Little Frog has a richly fantastic and sustaining innerlife. It is 1963, his parents have disappeared, and he lives with his maiden aunts, known affectionately as the Three Fates, on the family estate in Bangkok. But, fed by a stream ofbooks and accompanied by his pet chameleon, Little Frogrefuses to accept thathe is Thai, eats English food, speaks only English, and answers to the name of Justin. Into Justin's eclectically fashioned, whirlingfantasy world steps Virgil, a black American boy, and together they embark on a glorious spree of magic and growing up - in which sex, adult confusions, comedy, farce, politics and the voices of East and West are fused into a voyage of astonishing discovery." Fragrant and very funny ... like childhood, one finds that Jasmine Nights is hard to leave behind" - The Guardian"Charming, elegant and funny ... a novel like no other and a joy to read" - Cosmopolitan"A vibrant coming of age novel" - Sunday Times"A funny and memorable book, light-heartedly taking on big themes" - Daily Telegraph

S. P. Somtow's novel The Stone Buddha's Tears was inspired by a real-life incident in 1991 in which the city of Bangkok, about to host an international conference, decided to throw up a corrugated iron fence around a slum in order to conceal it from the passing delegates. In this fantasy novel of innocence and hope, the lives of two boys from opposite ends of the social spectrum intersect because of the wall. The protagonist, a beggar known only as "Boy", meets a novice monk whose father, a corrupt politician, has sent him to a monastery in order to provide a picture-perfect photo-op for his election campaign. Between them the two boys concoct a team of street kids, tazi drivers and elephant herders in a wild plan to bring down the adult world's dark alliance between organized crime and politics. The Stone Buddha's Tears is a powerful story about friendship, class and society, and the power of children of speak the truth in a world in which adults have forgotten how.