Elegy Beach [Hardcover]

Steven R. Boyett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2009

A publishing event twenty-five years in the making: the long awaited sequel to the unforgettable post-apocalyptic fantasy, Ariel.

Thirty years ago the lights went out, the airplanes fell, the cars went still, the cities all went dark. The laws humanity had always known were replaced by new laws that could only be called magic. The world has changed forever. Or has it?

In a small community on the California coast are Fred Garey and his friend Yan, both born after the Change. Yan dreams of doing something so big his name will live on forever. He thinks he's found it-a way to reverse the Change. But Fred fears the repercussions of such drastic, irreversible steps.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ariel, a tough-talking unicorn, and her best friend, Peter Garey, reunite in this sporadically charming sequel to 1983's Ariel. Their colorful postapocalyptic world has experienced the Change, in which magic made science obsolete. Now young spellcaster Yanamandra Ramchandani wants to reverse the Change, and Ariel's unicorn mate, Joe, has been murdered. To stop Yan and find the killer, Ariel and Peter recruit Fred Garey, Peter's son and Yan's best friend, as well as Yan's father. Boyett enhances the adventure with tantalizing glimpses of forever-Changed sites like John Wayne Airport, the Goodyear Airship station and San Simeon, but it's marred by fuzzy details (why would magic users eat 30-year-old canned chili instead of conjuring food?) and lacks the original's sparkle. (Nov.)
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From Booklist

This fine sequel to Boyett’s Ariel (1983) plays out in the same post-holocaust world, where years ago what is called the Change suddenly destroyed technology and reduced survivors of the ensuing catastrophe to scavenging in the rubble. Two of those folk have gone beyond scavenging. Fred and Yan have developed spellware, a scientific approach to generating magic. But Yan is fanatical about bringing back the old world, while Fred is more cautious, and unknown menaces are lurking in the shadows of history. Boyett’s Change saga (well, at any rate, trilogy, given that spellware still has a lot of bugs) has a good deal in common with S. M. Stirling’s best-selling saga of the same name, including the basic premise of a sudden, disastrous decivilization event. The resemblance continues with superior characterization and world-building, and literate, sometimes even lyrical, prose. Fortunately, probably more than enough readers are and will be pleased by both Change series to keep both Stirling and Boyett fat and happy. --Roland Green

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ace Hardcover; First Edition edition (November 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441017959
• ISBN-13: 978-0441017959
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,048,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven R. Boyett was born in Atlanta, Georgia, grew up all over Florida, and attended the University of Tampa on a writing scholarship before quitting to write his first novel, ARIEL, when he was nineteen.

Soon after ARIEL was published he moved from Florida to Los Angeles, California, where he continued to write fiction and screenplays as well as teach college writing courses, seminars, and workshops. He has published stories in literary, science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies and magazines, as well as publishing articles and comic books. In the early Nineties his imprint Sneaker Press published chapbooks by the poets Carrie Etter and the late Nancy Lambert.

Steve has also been a martial arts instructor, professional paper marbler, advertising copywriter, proofreader, tyepsetter, writing teacher, and Website designer and editor.

In 2000 Steve took some time off from writing. He learned to play the didgeridoo and began composing and DJing electronic music.

As a DJ he has played clubs, conventions, parties, Burning Man, and sporting events. He produces three of the world's most popular music podcasts: Podrunner, Podrunner: Intervals, and Groovelectric.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A long awaited sequel, a treat for urban fantasy fans!, November 4, 2009

By 

KindlePad (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Elegy Beach (Hardcover)

Really enjoyable book, I thought it was a great follow up to Ariel. There was a talk about the author set of resetting the "tech" as to when the old world died, as Ariel was written in the 80's. Having only recently read Ariel, I honestly didn't find it dated at all. Maybe as due to growing up in the 80's?

The characters in this book are different from Ariel, but I think that's ok - its great to bring out new characters. They are the descendants from the first book and they are attempting to understand, control and I guess you would say... organize or bring structure to the new "magic" that inhabits the world now. Sort of like scientists have done with physics in our own past. Very clever. I don't want to say too much more or give spoilers. Suffice to say if you liked Ariel, you will enjoy this greatly.

The author's writing is fresh & enjoyable, a really great read!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars After the Change indeed, November 24, 2009

By 

J. Reed (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Elegy Beach (Hardcover)

I am a huge fan of Ariel and so I was really excited to hear about a sequel in the works. Elegy Beach takes place in the same world as Ariel, but it seems as different from the setting of Ariel as Ariel's world seemed from the pre-Change world.

Learning about this new world was a lot of fun, as was meeting the characters along the way, thanks to Boyett's dry wit. He is not satisfied with using standard fantasy elements, which would be fine with many readers; he breathes life into what could have been clichés by giving plausible explanations for why things are the way they are. It makes for a very rich and robust story.

A rich read that's a page-turner at the same time - I know that any lover of fantastic journeys would love this book.

I think this book could stand on its own, but I am such a huge fan of Ariel that I have to suggest reading that one first. Both are special in their own way.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Software meets magic, January 14, 2010

By 

R. Garcia "Gadget lover" (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elegy Beach (Hardcover)

Excellent follow-up to Ariel, a post-Apocalyptic novel where the Change has rendered modern devices obsolete and fantasy creatures roam the land. This takes place about 30 years later and the underlying Change has also changed. In Ariel the world Changed in the early 80s. Now the Change took place a few years in the future (there's a discussion of solar-powered iPods). But this ties up a lot of loose ends from Ariel and also has some fun with magic as a sort of software written on the operating system of the universe. The author admits this is what inspired him to write the book, but it's quickly lost as he catches up with the characters from Ariel. Still, a great follow-up from a much more mature author.