Books by author: Nicholas Christopher

Nicholas Christopher is one of my favorite literary fantasy authors, in large part because of his terrific novels A Trip to the Stars and Franklin Flyer. I rushed to the bookstore when I heard that The Bestiary had been released, and I promptly devoured it.

Although I didn't enjoy quite it as much as the aforementioned books, it was still worthwhile.

Nicholas Christopher is now on my must-read list. Franklin Flyer is a novel of magic realism with the magic dial turned down to one. In that way, it reminds me of Carter Beats the Devil. Here, we have a wonderful protagonist, a colorful cast of characters, an inventive pseudohistorical plot, and a short-story ending. Recommended.

Although A Trip to the Stars isn't likely to last centuries as a classic, it's a damn fine creation. The characters are interesting, the setting is creative, and the plot has much to recommend it.

Veronica is a novel filled with fantastic and magical elements. Christopher works within a very structured universe, and the novel gradually reveals its rules. To my taste, however, there are too many magical elements and not enough characterization. At the end of the novel, the title character is nearly as much a mystery as she is at the start. The protagonist is even more a mystery; we never learn more than a couple of trivial bits about his life prior to meeting Veronica. Still, Veronica is well written, and it maintained my interest from start to finish, though I frankly enjoyed A Trip to the Stars more.