In the Garden of Iden

So.

One of my favorite books of all time was given one of the stupidest covers of all time. Are we bitter about this? Yes.

This is not the cover you see on your left. That cover is the one that was on the book when I originally picked it up, the cover that actually gives some indication of what you're in store for - the one that drew me to pick it up in the first place (because really, while not judging books by their covers is great advice for people, in the capitalistic world we live in you need some sort of reason to think picking up a book is a good idea. Otherwise I wouldn't be writing this post, and you all would already be reading this book).

Anyway.

So In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker is one of my favorite books of all time. It is the start of a series, but can easily stand alone, if you don't want to get too terribly invested into something (the series is complete though, so don't worry about a Martin or Rothfuss or Jordan situation - especially the Jordan).

Though it goes against typical book-review protocol, I don't want to give away too much of what the actual premise and plot of this book is - part of the magic is of discovering what it's all about. I will say this book is set pretty solidly in a scifi world, though the majority of it takes place in Tudor England, during the reign of Mary I, "Bloody" Mary. There may be time travel involved. There may be some sex. There may be theological and temporal debates. There is chocolate.

If you like Christopher Moore, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Robin McKinley - if you like strong, intelligent, slightly bitchy heroines with a vulnerable core, sarcastic, smooth-talking con men, arrogant and wounded tall dark strangers, history and botany, theatre, classic cinema, and debates of free will and self-determination: do me, and yourself, a favor, go to your local bookstore or library, pick up this book, DON'T LOOK AT THE COVER, read and discover a new favorite book (possibly even author). And then you can look at the cover. And then come talk to me about it.