The War of the Flowers

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Readers may notice a certain uncomfortable resonance in parts of this book to events around the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., of September 11, 2001. The part of the story that most closely parallels things that happened on that horrible day was actually part of the planned book since the beginning — while preparing to write this note I found it mentioned prominently in an outline written in January of 2000.

I have modified those sections slightly so that they echo the real events a little less closely, but it was too central an event in the story to take out entirely. I hope anyone disturbed by the similarity will accept my apology for discomfort caused, and understand that this was a case of leaving in something already planned and important to the story rather than adding something after the fact to try to gain some cheap thrills out of a tragedy that was international in scope but also personal for very many people.

CONTENTS

Prologue

Part One

GOODNIGHT NOBODY

Clouds

2 The Silent Primrose Maiden

3 Descent

4 The Hungry Thing

5 Book

6 A Corruption of Moonlight

7 Woods

8 Runaway Capacitor

9 Visitors

Part Two

LAST EXIT TO FAIRYLAND

Larkspur's Land

11 A Disturbance in The Forcing Shed

12 The Hollyhock Chest

13 A Change in the Weather

14 Penumbra Station

15 The Plains of Great Rowan

16 Poppy

17 The Hothouse

18 Sidewalks of New Erewhon

19 A Holiday Visit

20 Among the Creepers

21 In Thornapple House

22 Status Quo Ante

23 The Shadow on the Tower

Part Three

FLOWER WAR

The Bus Stop on Pentacle Street

25 A Million Sparks

26 Losing a Friend

27 Button's Bridge

28 Goblin Jazz Bandwagon

29 The Hole in the Story

30 Family Matters

31 In the Bloom Years

32 Trendy Fungus

33 The Last Breath They Took

Part Four

THE LOST CHILD

Interlude with Van Gogh Stars

35 A Sort of Reunion

36 Changelings

37 The Ebony Box

38 The Broken Stick

39 Stepchild

40 Strawflower Square

41 The Cathedral

Part Five

FAIRYTALE ENDING

Farewell Feast

43 The Limits of Magic

Index of People, Places, and Things