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Title details for The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings - Available

The Ballad of Perilous Graves

by Alex Jennings
Gralen Bryant Banks
Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
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2 of 2 copies available

"Funny, wild, witty, and profound."―Victor LaValle
"A wild and wonderful debut, teeming with music, family and art."—New York Times
"Magical, lyrical, gritty, otherworldly...hype like Bayou Classic in the 90s."—P. Djèlí Clark

New York Times Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of 2022! Oprah Daily Top 25 Fantasy Book of 2022! Apple Best Audiobook of 2022!
A fun and fantastical love letter to New Orleans unfolds when a battle for the city's soul brews between two young mages, a vengeful wraith, and one powerful song in this wildly imaginative debut.

Nola is a city full of wonders. A place of sky trolleys and dead cabs, where haints dance the night away and Wise Women help keep the order. To those from Away, Nola might seem strange. To Perilous Graves, it's simply home.
Perry knows Nola's rhythm as intimately as his own heartbeat. So when the city's Great Magician starts appearing in odd places and essential songs are forgotten, Perry knows trouble is afoot.
Nine songs of power have escaped from the piano that maintains the city's beat, and without them, Nola will fail. Unwilling to watch his home be destroyed, Perry will sacrifice everything to save it. But a storm is brewing, and the Haint of All Haints is awake. Nola's time might be coming to an end.
Audiobook features an Original score written and performed by Andrew McGowan

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 21, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781668605332
      • File size: 496957 KB
      • Duration: 17:15:19

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from March 28, 2022
      Magic and music—here “one and the same”—bring to life a vibrant alternate New Orleans in Jennings’s stunning urban fantasy debut. When Perilous “Perry” Graves encounters the city’s famed undead pianist Doctor Professor, he knows something’s wrong. Nine of the powerful songs that “keep Nola humming” have been stolen, and the city starts to break down: its sky trolleys stop running, and the magic that maintains the city’s music fizzles. From there, the jazzy tale alternates timelines and perspectives between Perry; his younger sister, Brendy; his best friend, Peaches; and Casey Ravel, a trans man who’s moved back to town years after fleeing Hurricane Katrina. As Casey reconnects with his cousin, Jaylon, now a celebrated artist, they look back on their teenage graffiti and the uncanny ways their paintings have changed. And, after Perry and Brendy’s grandfather goes missing, it appears his disappearance may be linked to the music thief, leading the pair to offer to help Doctor Professor investigate. Jennings develops a rich, enveloping world brimming with mesmerizing art, music, and fantasy, and sets within it a rich discussion of community and culture. The unmistakable love for New Orleans that emanates from these pages will stick in readers’ heads—and hearts—like the catchiest of tunes. Agent: Shawna McCarthy, McCarthy Agency.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Gralen Bryant Banks brings great storytelling and animated dialogue to this debut audiobook. The story takes place in New Orleans and in an alternate version of New Orleans, known as NOLA, where music is magic. But something is awry. Perry, his younger sister, and her friend have been charged with finding several songs that have gone missing from NOLA, disrupting the city's rhythm and threatening its very existence. This plot alternates with a story told by Casey, a young, trans graffiti artist who has just returned to New Orleans. There are a lot of characters who speak in dialect, and Banks makes it come alive. He deals ably with the undead cab drivers, as well. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
    • Booklist

      Starred review from May 15, 2022
      In this tale of two cities--New Orleans and its magical mirror, Nola--Perilous "Perry" Graves lives with his sister, Brendy, his parents, and his grandfather Daddy Deke. With his best friend, Peaches, Perry and Brendy enjoy navigating the streets and sky trolleys of Nola, where music is magic. Then Daddy Deke is abducted and nine of the songs that make up the fabric of Nola are released from Doctor Professor's enchanted piano. As the songs are hunted down and killed by a twisted spirit and its partner, the storm that threatens both Nola and New Orleans grows in destructive power. Jennings weaves a brilliant tapestry with many viewpoint characters in addition to the youngsters, including Casey, a graffiti artist back in New Orleans after leaving in the wake of Katrina, and Stagger Lee, a seemingly remorseless killer with memories of life before becoming a song. With wonderful imagery--living graffiti and personified songs and zombie nutria--and an emphasis on the importance of family, history, and music, The Ballad of Perilous Graves is a remarkable debut. Offer this to fans of N. K. Jemisin's The City We Became (2020) or other stories where the setting is a vitally important character, as well as to urban fantasy enthusiasts.

      COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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