A review by crowyhead
Galveston by Sean Stewart

4.0

A highly original, gritty fantasy. In the year 2004, there was a Flood -- not of water, but of magic, which has destroyed most of civilization and left twisted magical beings in its wake. The Flood hit Galveston, TX in the middle of the Mardi Gras celebration, but thanks to the work of the witch woman Odessa, the island survived. Now, half the island struggles to survive with failing technology and ever-decreasing supplies of modern medicine, eking subsistence out of the sea. In the other half of the island, it is perpetual Mardi Gras, perpetually 2004, and there is cold beer and music and magic, but once you enter Mardi Gras, you can never leave. When Sloane Gardner enters Mardi Gras to make a deal with its master and protector, Momus, it transpires that she is one of the few who can pass freely between the two worlds, and this will mean great changes for Galveston...

The world of Galveston is populated with fascinating characters, all of them flawed. This isn't a feel-good novel; people are cynical, and petty, and cruel. But there is still a sense of hope and wonder. Great stuff.