New Fiction: Other Frequencies
The Black Swan originally comes to life under the hands of an uncannily talented Renaissance weaver haunted by his mother’s burning as a witch. The magical tapestry remains sheltered in its Loire castle for centuries as the Swan becomes legendary to its devoted acolytes for the protective powers and inspirations it can bestow despite the fickleness of its affections. With its survival in doubt the “Cygne Noir” brings together, across time, two of its most faithful disciples in a Faustian bargain to protect its own existence.
In World War I, HC, an idealistic volunteer ambulance driver, comes under its spell when housed at the Loire Castle with the rest of his unit. As shrapnel rains and illusions of glory shatter, HC falls in love with a rugged mechanic, Clay. The Swan offers supernatural protection as they make brash promises to each other of immortal love. HC survives the war’s horror, but Clay is lost. Inspired by the Swan, he invents a tuner of “other frequencies,” tapping into the universal energy field in hopes of finding Clay somewhere in the stars.
A hundred years later, Amelia, a highly intuitive young woman is hiding out in a trailer park after stealing the Black Swan tapestry, hoping for news of her missing lover and collaborator, Tre. In a moment of weakness, she picks up a wraith-like hitchhiker, who in a chilling psychic assault tries to force her into revealing the tapestry’s location. To save herself, the Swan, and reunite with Tre, Amelia must confront beings traveling on HC’s “other frequencies” determined to steal the last of the world’s magic.
Other Frequencies, a propulsive character-driven adventure is an upmarket historical/speculative fantasy for readers who adore dancing with the devil across history of V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, the uplifting interwoven fascination of Anthony Doerr’s Cloud Cuckoo Land and the exhilarating science/magic of Deborah Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy.