Galveston--Sean Stewart

The hurricane coverage reminded me of this book as I saw the rioting pictures and the flooded streets. It's a bit of a genre bender. I'd classify it as fantasy, but it doesn't fit neatly into any of the conventions. Right, so you've heard about the deadly Galveston hurricane of 1900 that killed 6,000 and nearly destroyed the city? This novel takes place after a second hurricane 100 years later that hits Galveston again, this time cutting it off from the rest of the world and opening a second dimension that is a magical Mardi Gras. Over time, people die off due to age or illness and lack of supplies or become corrupted by the magic and have to cross over to this other world. So it's a book that deals with the struggle to remain human in the face of a destroying influence and loss of culture and familiarity. It's a sad and beautiful book and I ought to reread it.