Items related to The Tesseract
Synopsis
Set over three hours during one night in Manilla, this novel intertwines three stories: the shady dealings of gangsters; the emotional tale of a Phillipino family and the family lives of a gang of street kids.
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Review
In The Tesseract, set in muggy, scary Manila, Alex Garland again proves himself the past master of the youth paranoia novel. His first novel, The Beach--a tale of Western tourists on a druggy Thai isle--was dubbed a Gen-X Lord of the Flies. It made him Britain's richest 28-year-old writer even before Leonardo DiCaprio starred in the movie version. Now Garland ups the literary ante with an intricate three-part crime-story structure that several critics have compared to Pulp Fiction (only without the jokes). It's hard-boiled yet lyrical, subtle yet simple. Garland has three sets of characters collide, as if in a devilishly devised model-train wreck involving real trains, and his Manila is more grittily realistic than his Thailand. The first protagonist is Sean, an English seafaring lad who's about to meet the gangster Don Pepe, who's upset because Sean's boss recently missed a protection payment. It's not just the tarmac-melting heat that accounts for Sean's sweaty state of mind. As Don Pepe's posse's footsteps get louder outside his room, Sean glimpses his face in the mirror "in a state of flux. Unable to resolve itself, like a cheap hologram or a bucket of snakes, the lips curled while the jaw relaxed.... Fear, Sean thought distantly. Rare that one got to see what it actually looked like." Garland's great gift is conveying such mental states with the economy and grace of a Muhammad Ali punch. One feels that Don Pepe is about to reach up from the book and do violence to the reader.
Next comes the entire, tensely compressed life story of Rosa, a rural beach beauty turned big-city physician. Rosa is tormented by memories of her first love at 16, a man who comes crashing back into her life. In the last section, Sean and Don Pepe's thugs literally crash into her life, along with the book's third star duo, tough street kids Cente and Totoy. The Tesseract's vivid images and breakneck chases make it unsurprising to learn that Garland started out as a comic-book author, though his second novel really bears comparison with Robert Stone's Dog Soldiers. --Tim Appelo
About the Author
Alex Garland was born in London in 1970. The Beach, his first novel, received great critical acclaim. It was a national bestseller in the UK and hit many regional lists in the US. He lives in London. The Tesseract is also available from Brilliance Audio.
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- PublisherViking
- Publication date1998
- ISBN 10 0670870153
- ISBN 13 9780670870158
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages240
- Rating
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The Tesseract [SIGNED COPY, FIRST UK PRINTING]
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Viking, London, 1998
ISBN 10: 0670870153
ISBN 13: 9780670870158
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st UK edition. Very good in fine dust jacket. SIGNED by the author on the title page (signature only). 1st UK edition, 1st printing, complete number line. Dust jacket is fine. Pages have slight toning. 240 p. Audience: General/trade. The basis for the film starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, by the author of 'The Coma' and 'The Beach'. Where possible, all books come with dust jacket in a protective mylar sleeve, sealed in a ziplock bag, wrapped in bubble wrap, shipped in a box. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # Alibris.0006188
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The Tesseract
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ISBN 10: 0670870153
ISBN 13: 9780670870158
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Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First UK Edition/First Printing with the complete number line; A Fine book in a Fine dust jacket. SIGNED by the author on the title page. An outstanding copy of this author' s 2nd novel; also the author of "The Beach" and "28 Days Later". This copy is in fine condition with only light foxing to the top exterior text block and page edges; housed in a dust jacket that shows no significant flaws. Not remaindered, not price clipped, not ex-library; in archival protection. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 1603
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The Tesseract
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Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. FLAT SIGNED BY AUTHOR - 1ST EDITION 1ST IMPRESSION - NEAR FINE IN A FINE DUST JACKET : with the all important figure '1' within the full printing string tothe verso of the title page. bar some page edge tone, this is a fine clean example in a complete bright dust jacket. Authors second novel. Summary:Set over three hours during one night in Manilla, this novel intertwines three stories: the shady dealings of gangsters; the emotional tale of a Phillipino family and the family lives of a gang of street kids. 225 pages. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 032817
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The Tesseract
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THE TESSERACT
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ISBN 10: 0670870153
ISBN 13: 9780670870158
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The Tesseract
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ISBN 10: 0670870153
ISBN 13: 9780670870158
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Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First Edition. Signed by Author(s) First UK Edition/First Printing. A Fine book in a Fine dust jacket. SIGNED by the author on the title page. An outstanding copy of this author's 2nd novel; also the author of "The Beach". This copy is in fine condition; housed in a dust jacket that shows no significant flaws. ISigned by Author(s). Seller Inventory # ABE-1648630301813
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