The Mercury Waltz
"We’re pursued by no one, now."
Having fled their comfortably dangerous brothel-and-theater known as the Poppy, Rupert and Istvan have traveled far to land in a city of sepia and silver, where they make new allies and settle old grudges. Ancient families clash with municipal thugs outside and insidethe doors of the Mercury Theatre: the home Rupert has always longed for, with a stage created for Istvan’s wildest tales.
Kathe Koja’s compelling sequel to Under the Poppy continues the timeless love and passionate play of its heroes, who can never truly escape their past. As their lives intertwine with a young blue-eyed fortuneteller, a foxy street sharpster, and a poet from the provinces come to this city on the brink of combustion, the promise of the Poppy is played out to the tune of The Mercury Waltz.
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Kathe Koja
Kathe Koja (born 1960) is an American writer. She was initially known for her intense speculative fiction for adults, but over the past few years has turned to writing young adult novels.
Koja is also a prolific author of short stories, including many in collaboration with Barry N. Malzberg. Most of her short fiction remains uncollected. Koja's novels and short stories frequently concern characters who have been in some way marginalized by society, often focusing on the transcendence and/or disintegration which proceeds this social isolation (as in The Cipher, Bad Brain, "Teratisms," The Blue Mirror, etc.). Koja won the Bram Stoker Award and the Locus Award for her first novel The Cipher, and a Deathrealm Award for Strange Angels. Her prose has been described as "stunning".
Under the Poppy trilogy
Under the Poppy trilogy consists of three books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
