Malacia Tapestry, Brian W. Aldiss
Malacia Tapestry, Brian W. Aldiss
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Malacia Tapestry

Author: Brian W. Aldiss

Narrator: J.S. Arquin

Unabridged: 12 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/10/2024


Synopsis

In a grand medieval city where all change has been outlawed, a roguish young actor tempts fate and dinosaurs, all in the name of love

By law, nothing can change in Malacia—a teeming, eternal city of dukes, players, wizards, merchants, beggars, ape-men, lizard-boys, and courtesans—but that is of no great consequence to Perian de Chirolo. An out-of-work actor and unabashed rogue, he is well satisfied with his lot as long as there's coin, eager young women to bed, and the occasional adventure. Perhaps it is this thrill-seeking spirit—or simply the lure of noble beauty—that makes Perian imprudently agree to take part in a mad inventor's illegal experiments, since such foolishness will never be tolerated in Malacia. But Perian's rash actions will only lead him on to further indiscretions, winning him first fame and then notoriety, causing him to be hunted, hounded, martyred, and trapped in a fight to the death with a razor-toothed Ancestral Beast on the outskirts of the city. And perhaps most frightening of all, Perian de Chirolo will find himself in love.

Grand Master Brian W. Aldiss performs a truly astonishing feat of alternate-world building, immersing the listener in an unforgettable medieval fantasy realm rich in color, incident, invention, and peril—and of course, giant lizards. Welcome to Malacia.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Terry on June 04, 2013

This book shouldn’t work. And sometimes it doesn’t. It has issues with bloat and pacing and the plot on occasion meanders, though this latter is mainly due to the picaresque nature of the tale itself, so is perhaps not really a fault. I’m generally not a fan of the picaresque, but this novel has so......more

Goodreads review by mark on December 30, 2015

read during my Social Work Years I Remember: an elaborate little trifle set in some kind of alternate Renaissance Italy... a lively city, a fading city, a city on the rise?... ornate writing style, beautiful details, it's all quite luscious... an extremely shallow hero within an extremely shallow nar......more

Goodreads review by Neale on June 11, 2014

Aldiss’s baroque Italianate fantasia, ‘The Malacia Tapestry’, overflows with invention and strangeness. It creates a unique world based on Renaissance culture and politics, minus the Catholic Church, incorporating magic and the supernatural, fantastical creatures and even an appearance by the Gods t......more

Goodreads review by J.J. on July 17, 2016

No suelo poner medias estrellas, pero para propósitos de El Tapiz de Malacia, ésta es un 3.5. Hay ciertos nichos en fantasía que son poco explorados. Uno de ellos (y uno de mis favoritos) es el que cambia la ya no tan usual ambientación en la Inglaterra medieval por la Italia medieval o renacentist......more

Goodreads review by Austin Bruce on October 17, 2011

Well, I persisted through more than half this book and finally gave up because no real plot seemed to be emerging and I just lost interest. I would have quit sooner, but I've always been impressed with Brian Aldiss's writing, and the quality of the writing was evident here. Nevertheless I can only c......more