From the celebrated author of The Palace Thief and Emperor of the Air, comes this stunning novel about the relationship between two very different men. Orno Tarcher travels from a small town in Missouri to New York City to attend Columbia University, where he begins a new life feeling unsophisticated and insecure. He soon strikes up a friendship with Marshall Emerson, a seductive and brilliant New Yorker whose sophistication dazzles Orno. As time passes, Marshall is revealed to be bent on destruction, and Orno's involvment with Marshall's worldly sister further complicates their friendship. Carefully crafted and skillfully informed by the works of Fitzgerald and Waugh, For Kings and Planets is a remarkable novel. A New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, and Minneapolis StarTribune bestseller, and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 1998.
Ethan Canin is the author of Emperor of the Air, Blue River, and The Palace Thief. A physician, he is also on the faculty of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He divides his time between California and Iowa.
A Publishers Weekly Best Book
One of "Fresh Air's" Top Ten Books of the Year

From the celebrated author of The Palace Thief and Emperor of the Air comes this novel about the relationship between two very different men. Orno Tarcher travels from a small town in Missouri to New York City to attend Columbia University, where he begins a new life feeling unsophisticated and insecure. He soon strikes up a friendship with Marshall Emerson, a seductive and brilliant New Yorker whose sophistication dazzles Orno. As time passes, Marshall is revealed to be bent on destruction, and Orno's involvment with Marshall's worldly sister further complicates their friendship. Carefully crafted and skillfully informed by the works of Fitzgerald and Waugh, For Kings and Planets is a remarkable novel.
"Shimmering . . . luminous . . . For Kings and Planets leaves you wounded and healed."Â?Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times

"Breathtaking . . . Moves with a smooth, almost stately assurance . . . Never before has Canin been so sure-handed a storyteller."Â?Dan Cryer, Newsday

"A sympathetic, finely detailed novel evoking the perils of friendship and the necessary pain of self-discovery."Â?Greg Johnson, The Washington Post Book World

"Stands quite beautifully on its own, exploring Canin's provocative take on the themes of Fitzgerald and Wolfe with fully realized characters."Â?David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle

"Wide and deep, intelligent, subtle but clear, and profoundly satisfying. A wonderful book by a major American writer."Â?Beth Gutcheon, San Jose Mercury News

"[For Kings and Planets] is made substantial by Canin's gift for describing the secret wonderment of everyday experience, a quality that gives his writing strength and beauty."Â?Mary Gaitskill, Harper's Bazaar

"Classic . . . Ethan Canin is one of those amazing people who, with no apparent effort, turns out one thoughtful, well-crafted book after another."Â?Irene Rawlings, Rocky Mountain News

"Canin establishes his characters seductively and in rewarding depth, with layers of detail and compelling atmosphere."Â?Lindsay Heinsen, Houston Chronicle
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Book details

• Format Paperback
• Pages334 pages
• LanguageEnglish
• ISBN100312241259
• ISBN139780312241254