A City Dreaming: A Novel

A powerful magician returns to New York City and reluctantly finds himself in the middle of a war between the citys two most powerful witches. It would help if you did not think of it as magic. M certainly had long ceased to do so. M is an ageless drifter with a sharp tongue few scruples and the ability to bend reality to his will ever so slightly. Hes come back to New York City after a long absence and though hed much rather spend his days drinking artisanal beer in his favorite local bar his old friendsand his enemieshave other plans for him. One night M might find himself squaring off against the pirates who cruise the Gowanus Canal; another night sees him at a fashionable uptown charity auction where the waitstaff are all zombies. A subway ride through the inner circles of hell? In Ms world thats practically a pleasant diversion. Before too long M realizes hes landed in the middle of a power struggle between Celise the elegant White Queen of Manhattan and Abilene Brooklyns hip free-spirited Red Queen a rivalry that threatens to make New York go the way of Atlantis. To stop it M will have to call in every favor waste every charm and blow every spell hes ever acquiredhe might even have to get out of bed before noon. Enter a world of Wall Street wolves slumming scenesters desperate artists drug-induced divinities pocket steampunk universes and demonic coffee shops. Ms New York the infinite nexus of the universe really is a city that never sleepsbut is always dreaming.