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    The Map of Moments: A Novel of the Hidden Cities
    Unavailable
    The Map of Moments: A Novel of the Hidden Cities
    Unavailable
    The Map of Moments: A Novel of the Hidden Cities
    Ebook347 pages7 hours

    The Map of Moments: A Novel of the Hidden Cities

    By Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    To what lengths would you go to undo the pain of the past?

    "Golden and Lebbon have far outstripped their past efforts with this wonderfully creepy thriller of a ghost story." —Publishers Weekly starred review

    "Golden and Lebbon vividly evoke the rich, enduring character of New Orleans, as well as spinning a compelling fantasy yarn that builds momentum as Max works his way through the city's history." —Booklist

    Max Corbett has returned to New Orleans for the funeral of his former girlfriend, Gabrielle Doucette, but between the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina and the devastation of his ruined relationship, the city feels alien.

    At Gabrielle's graveside, Max meets Ray. Over a bottle of bourbon in a dive bar, the two discuss Gabrielle's unique connection to the city. Ray suggests that this connection might mean her tragic death is not truly her end. And he happens to know a real magic practitioner—not some Bourbon Street phony—who could open a window to the past and send a warning to Gabrielle. Maybe Max can even deliver the warning in person? Ray offers him a cheap map and says the process is simple. Follow the charted moments to build up a little bit of magical clout and then find the man with the gift.

    Surging with liquid courage, Max takes the ludicrous tourist map and sets off. But it turns out this quest is not so easy. When Max enters the First Moment, he is drawn into the fabric of history to witness dark and violent periods, and with each passing step, a grim conspiracy is revealed. Suddenly in too deep, there is nowhere for Max to go but through. But trudge through a swamp, you're going to get muddy.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDiversion Books
    Release dateJun 26, 2018
    ISBN9781635761894
    Unavailable
    The Map of Moments: A Novel of the Hidden Cities
    Author

    Christopher Golden

    Christopher Golden is the New York Times bestselling author of such novels as Of Saints and Shadows, The Myth Hunters, Snowblind, Ararat, and Strangewood. With Mike Mignola, he cocreated the comic book series Baltimore and Joe Golem: Occult Detective. He lives in Bradford, Massachusetts. 

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    Reviews for The Map of Moments

    3.5/5

    20 ratings6 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Six months before, history professor Max Corbett had left his position at Tulane and left New Orleans. Now, only ten weeks after the devastation of Katrina, he reluctantly returns for the funeral of Gabrielle, his former lover, who perished in the flooding. That most haunted of cities is even more dark and tragic and full of horror than ever, post-Katrina, with its vacant buildings, darkened streets, untamed lawlessness and the new ghosts of the storm victims, witnessed by spray-painted legends on the houses indicating where bodies were found.Max has not got over Gabrielle, death or no, so when a mysterious old man named Ray tells him there is a way he may be able to contact Gabrielle once more, he listens. All he has to do is drink a "harmless" potion and follow a map to various historic sites to gather the city's magic to him, then find the Conjure-man Matrisse who will get a message to Gabrielle in exchange for the magic. Max does not believe in this madness, of course, but it doesn't help that he drinks after the funeral and also is curious about hints of aspects of Gabrielle he never knew. He ends up on a trek through New Orleans, the Katrina-blasted present and also to points in the past, following the Map of Moments and also strange clues to Gabrielle's past--both of which lead him into dark magic and extreme danger.Max is an immediately sympathetic protagonist, a simple professor who is thrown into a world of magic and death and violence. The plot is fast-paced and full of action. The historic moments create a new mythology which actually blends well with and seems right for the city's grim and exotic past. The descriptions of New Orleans right after the hurricane are very convincing and add to the darkness and the horror Max finds himself confronting while chasing his own ghosts--and being chased by others who seek his violent death. It was a quick, exciting and absorbing read.
    • 4/5
      Okay. Here's the deal: You get to go back in time to fix the worst, awfulest thing you've ever experienced. You have to go through some rancid goo to get there, and it will stick to you. But you get to change something that's shredding your insides every day of your life.Do you do it? Who could resist, right?After reading this book, I'd say you'd hesitate a good long while before answering. Change comes only at a price. Prices have a way of changing, even though you think you know what they are. Ever bid on something at an auction? Do you honestly think for an instant about the commission, the taxes, the shipping, the added insurance, that winning the auction will entail?No you don't, and don't lie, it's not nice.Max the forty-year-old falls in love with Gabrielle the nineteen-year-old. (Ewww, right?) She loves him right back, passionately and completely. Right up until she screws another man and Max walks in on it.Oh, poor duped oldster. Sniff boo hoo, at least you got some nineteen-year-old...uhhh, well. So what do you do? Run away, go home, leave your job in New Orleans to go back to (grim, unpleasantly stuffy) Boston.Four months before Katrina. Which kills Gabrielle.And back comes Max to bury the woman he loves, the woman he'd do anything at all to save, to rescue, to ask "why?" of (and the answer is never, ever one you want to hear, why do people insist on asking it?). He meets Ray, a old man with a proposition: Follow this map of moments, this guided tour of New Orleans's magical history, and you'll land up at a Moment where you can save Gabrielle's life! She'll be alive! Isn't that what you want, Max?Oh, be careful what you ask for lest the answer be yes...for getting what we ask for isn't always (ever, in my actual experience) for the (personal) best. Max gets a chance to see the hidden magic that sustains New Orleans, and he gets to put right some very basic wrongs, and the price he pays is breathtakingly high.And I will bet you large sums of money that he'd do it all again. He's that kind of a guy. It's the reason I liked spending my rainy, gloomy Friday with him, and I'll bet you would too.
    • 4/5
      Synopsis: Max feels at home in Boston, but he misses Gabrielle, but he still isn't over her betrayal. Then he receives a phone call from her sister; Gabrielle died during Katrina. He returns to New Orleans and finds that he and her sister are almost the only ones at the funeral. The other attendee, Ray, gives Max a 'Map of Moments' that leads him through the magic history of New Orleans and almost costs him his life. Max realizes that he's become involved in the struggle between good and evil and may be able to save Gabrielle's life.Review: Weird and eerie, this book reminds me of Black Orpheus and his descent into hell. Reflecting the underbelly of New Orleans, this book seems to reflect the reality of reconstruction after Katrina.
    • 5/5
      I don't want to say "The Map of Moments" gave me nightmares, but I had a doozy this week and since I haven't had one in decades and I've been devouring Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon's novel before bed this week, it's as good a reason as any. Set in post Katrina New Orleans, the story effectively weaved the loss of a once great city, with a genuinely frightening tale of a dark underbelly that's as old as the city itself, without the usual, Hoodoo, Voodoo, Vampires and the like. Totally original, professor, Max Corbett, comes back to New Orleans for the funeral of the woman he loved, and learns there may be a way to save her, still,.But, to get there he must put together pieces from the City's past, found in the Map of Moments.
    • 4/5
      A very interesting book, and I enjoyed the premise. I'm interested in reading the first in the series now and seeing where they take this idea in the future.It was dark but not overwhelming so and while magic was a huge part of the story, it was used quite subtly and was never overwhelming, it felt quite practical and believable.However, for a story set in New Orleans, the city itself never felt real, it could almost have been set ANYWHERE and was just labeled New Orleans.Also the characters were never quite fleshed out, though that isn't necessarily a detraction. They served the story quite well as is and to me it felt as if that was what they were there for, not to be fully fleshed out people, but to simply propel the story forward and give a reason for it to be told.I'm reading the first of the Hidden City books next, and look forward to future editions. It will be interesting to see what cities they focus on.
    • 4/5
      The Map of Moments is a beautifully rendered journey through the city of New Orleans. The storytelling captures the mystery of the city, as well as provides a unique historical perspective. The main character returns to New Orleans to attend a funeral post-Katrina. The aftermath of the ‘bitch,’ as Katrina is called, is chilling but the spirit is enduring. The reader must trust in the magic of the city in order to believe the adventure that occurs to the main character. Through a series of moments, the life of New Orleans is revealed. History and magic are intertwined and the past is a hue, rather than a defined black or white. The language, flow and descriptions opened my eyes and I was able to feel like I was transporting back and forth in time. Even though the story borders on fantasy and paranormal, the author keeps the tale grounded in concrete reality by connecting the impossible with actual events. It is fantastical, but given the unique setting, very believable. And, like the main character, I wanted to believe.The tiniest thing caused a slight distraction. It came down to money. The main character is a teacher/professor. During his visit to New Orleans he is shelling out a lot of cash and tipping generously from place to place. It wouldn’t have mattered if the amount wasn’t mentioned every time he paid. I couldn’t help but start doing the mental math and wondering how a teacher could afford it. This could be rectified by simply stating that Max paid the bill etc. It was a distracting detail and I couldn’t figure out why it was necessary or important. Secondly, the last line/paragraph was rather lame. I hate the type of implied ‘dream’ inferences that were used on the last page. I don’t want to say more, because it might spoil. It doesn’t change the outcome or overall enjoyment of the story, but it was a bit weak.