Widely acclaimed, hugely successful speculative fiction author Orson
Scott Card takes another step into the mainstream with an extremely
chilling, vastly engaging novel that sets the notion of family values
on its head and chronicles a man's transformation from hermit to hero.
When Quentin Fears was ten, his sister left this world, the
victim of a car accident. Her death made him withdraw from this world
too – into books, away from people. By the time he reaches adulthood.
Quentin has become a certifiable recluse, moving restlessly from town
to town, investing the millions he's made as a software creator and
avoiding companionship.
It's odd but maybe inevitable that on a rare
outing to a party he should meet his dream woman, Madeleine. She's
witty and beautiful and as naive to the world's ways as he is, and they
marry in a matter of weeks. Their relationship seems idyllic but for
one thing – Madeleine's multigenerational, cantankerous, eccentric
family who all live in a rambling riverside mansion in upstate New
York.
But poor family dynamics isn't all that's wrong with them. Beyond
the squabbling, there's an ancient, dirty family secret to which
Madeleine holds the key. Only Quentin can stop her from unleashing an
ageless malevolence that will rule the world. But to do so, he must do
what seems impossible – step outside himself into the world he has
avoided. He must learn friendship, trust, forgiveness, and the courage
to face down the ultimate evil.
Joining Quentin in this epic
confrontation is a splendidly quirky cast of heroes, villains, and
witches – from a no-nonsense nurse with a dash of the romantic in her
to a small-town sheriff whose affable exterior conceals a dangerous
past to a ten-year-old girl named Roz whose malign powers are rivaled
only by her smart mouth.
Treasure Box introduces the most spectacularly dysfunctional
family in recent fiction and a singular hero whose only weapons against
them are his mind and his heart. How Quentin defuses this volatile
mixture of comedy and horror makes for a viscerally unsettling,
poignant, and appealing take that's sure to draw the legions of fans
Card has won in other genres and new fans as well.
