The Ballad of Perilous Graves
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3.6 • 34 Ratings
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
"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
One of the Best Fantasy Books of 2022: New York Times; Oprah Daily; Vulture; Gizmodo; Boston Public Library
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Magic and music blend in Alex Jennings’ dazzling first novel. Perry Graves is a boy growing up in New Orleans, where good and evil spirits are always at work…and often at odds. When the songs of Doctor Professor—a legendary musician whose spirit is woven into the very soul of the city—are stolen by sinister forces, Perry, his sister Brendy, and their mysterious friend Peaches are drawn into a battle to get them back. Steeped in Black culture, The Ballad of Perilous Graves draws us into a glorious, magical-realism vision of New Orleans where jazz is a spiritual force and visual art has a life of its own. This witty, suspenseful story celebrates the bonds of family and friendship, with fresh surprises on every page.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
Customer Reviews
See AllMagic
The story is saturated with imagination and some of the best storytelling I have ever read. The man knows how to create a world, or in this case, a city or or cities, or…?! More, pleeease!!!
Incredible
I couldn’t put it down. Trust me, you want to read this.
A wonderfully fantastic tale of magic, death, bravery and the power of love.
What a great book!
The Ballad sneaks up on you, twisting and revealing. Children lead this story, and they do act their ages, yet this is an adult novel. Not as in “adult” but in the sense that the story has layers, depths beyond a straight adventure. Hop on for the ride in an Air Car or a Dead Taxi. Meet a Nola you’ve only suspected might exist.