The Etched City by KJ Bishop

I've heard praises about KJ Bishop and I must say she lives up to her reputation. The Etched City begins in a seemingly-modern setting revolving around two central characters. Midway through the novel, however, the book's true colors show as smatterings of the imaginary, the unreal start popping up. By the end of the book, you have this truly speculative tale with stories-within-stories. The descriptions are vivid without getting dragging (a problem with Anne Rice) and imaginative as she constantly mixes the mystical with the mundane. I didn't expect I'd be captivated by a book that was set in the real world but apparently it did. Her characters are equally interesting, especially the two protagonists, one an optimistic physician, the other an anti-hero of sorts. The Etched City isn't your pop-fare type of book, but it's not too high-brow as well, but it does challenge your imagination. For the right mix of fiction and entertainment, you might want to give Bishop a chance.