The Habitation of the Blessed

October 25, 2010
In 1165, a letter ostensibly written by the distant Christian king Prester John describing a kingdom of wonders rocked medieval Europe. In this enchanting retelling of the legend, the first volume in a projected trilogy, Hugo nominee Valente (Palimpsest) imagines what might have been discovered by Rome's ambassadors if the letter had not been a hoax. Nothing is quite as fabulous as the pious priests had hoped. Prester John and St. Thomas the Twin married nonhuman women; the Fountain of Youth does not sparkle, but instead "oozes thick and oily, globbed with algae and the eggs of improbable mayflies." Three very different personalities narrate: the brooding Prester John himself; his carefree and openhearted wife, the blemmye Hagia; and maternal Imtithal of the elephant-eared panotii. Filled with lyrical prose and fabled creatures, this languorous fairy tale is as captivating as Prester John's original letter.

November 15, 2010

In 1699, Brother Hiob of Luzern travels to the East as a missionary and comes upon proof of the existence of the legendary holy man Prester John and his fabled kingdom. From a tree that produces books rather than fruit, Hiob harvests three volumes, one penned by John himself. As Hiob uncovers more details of the holy man's life, he learns disturbing truths about both Prester John and himself. The award-winning author of Palimpset and "The Orphan's Tales" series begins a new series depicting the extraordinary lives of two men, separated by centuries but united by their ability to experience the wonder of the world. VERDICT Valente's latest novel contains the richness and inscrutability of fable and allegory, infusing her storytelling with a lyrical intensity reminiscent of the literature of India and the Middle East. For select audiences.

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