'The Duke in His Castle' by Vera Nazarian is a novella set in a world where dukes are cursed to never leave their castles, each with a secret power. The story follows Rossian, the Duke of Violet, who is approached by an emissary with a mysterious request, leading to unexpected twists and revelations. The plot is filled with magical elements, complex characters like Lady Izelle, and explores themes of power, curses, and self-discovery. The writing style is described as rich, dark, and symbolic, reminiscent of authors like Catherynne Valente and Tanith Lee.
From The Publisher:
THE DUKE IN HIS CASTLE by Nebula Award-nominated author and award-winning artist Vera Nazarian is a dark, lush, erotic fantasy novella in the vein of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast, with interior illustrations by the author.
Rossian, the young Duke of Violet, wastes away in mad solitude, unable to leave the confines of his decadent castle grounds because of a mysterious invisible barrier...until a strange female intruder arrives at the castle bearing a box of bones.
"Vera Nazarian combines the wry and poignant charm of Hans Christian Andersen with the subversive wallop of Angela Carter in crafting this gem of a fairy tale. No longer merely a promising writer, Nazarian has arrived."
-Paul Witcover
"Vera Nazarian is a writer seemingly so full of story that it just comes bubbling uncontrollably out of her... The Duke in his Castle shows her at the peak of her form in a deceptively simple tale that probes the nature of life and death, of power and succumbing, and ultimately of good and both the evils-active evil and the evil born from apathy."
-John Grant, Co-Editor of The Encyclopedia of Fantasy
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