The Gift [Paperback]

The Giftis an exploration of the art of storytelling, a coming-of-age tale in a place and time when magic is not the ring to be grabbed but the poison to be shunned. This Gift is one that will be opened, read, and treasured for a long time to come.

???The Giftdeftly exploits the trappings of fanatsy without falling into the traps. Ever the alchemist, Patrick o'Leary has transformed his word processor into a kind of magic flute, using it to play haunting fictive melodies of strange frogs, numinousdragons, and the hidden mysteries of humanness. the final result is a hymn to the terrible and beautiful boon of storytelling, from one who knows how to give us that gift.??? ???James Morrow

???O'Leary's voice rarely wavers as he again displays his mastery of fantasy and social motifs, weaving familiar themes into a heartwarming, enchanting story.??? ???Publishers Weekly (starred review)

???A complex and moving meditation on the nature of storytelling. . . . Utterly unlikeDoor Number Threein style and substance, the new book acheives the same high level of accomplishment. It is beautifully written, elegantly structured, and highly perceptive in its observations about the importance of imagination.??? ???San Francisco Chronicle

???O'leary has his own gift with prose: teh words flow with the natural lilt and lift of a storyteller's voice of old, of true tales told around a camfire, or in a great hall at the end of the evening, when the feasting is done....The Giftturns out to be just as wonderful a reading experience as was the author's first novel.??? ???The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

Patrick O'Learylives in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.