Every now and then, you read a book that just blows you away. That was my experience with Katie Waitman’s The Merro Tree. It’s about a performance artist and his troupe, and the troubles they get into. It’s also a moving story about genius, set in a thoroughly conceived and intensely interesting universe. I came across this in a bookstore, and was thrilled to find it. Unfortunately, Ms. Waitman has produced little other work. There was The Divided a couple of years later, and then nothing. Ms. Waitman’s writing is a clear, exciting mix (somehow) of Jack Vance and John Varley, and I sincerely hope that she’s busy producing more great work and piling it up, Salinger-style, in a closet, to be released soon. In the meantime, I strongly recommend that you pick up a copy of The Merro Tree.
Bug your favorite publisher about it.