The novel, a paranormal thriller, is
set in Hungary and Romania (1893-1894) and revolves around Imre, a half-gypsy
horse trader, whose family is set upon by a powerful Romany choovahanee, or
sorceress, named Anyeta. On the verge of death and cursed by Anyeta
with glanders--a hideously disfiguring disease which afflicts both horses
and humans--Imre narrates the tale that has led up to the realization that
in order to save his wife and daughter and the other members of the gypsy
troupe he has come to know and love, he must confront and overcome his
worst childhood memory--watching his father use the device which Imre
himself, now a horseman, has sworn he will never use: the gentling box.
“A keenly conceived and richly executed
cornucopia of the blackest magic. Mannetti’s prowess as a
writer hauls the reader into a shimmering, phantasmagoric demesne of
relentless suspense and high-creep-factor chills, and doesn’t let go until
the final page. This story is a dark work of art.”
–Edward Lee, author of CITY INFERNAL and
BRIDES OF THE IMPALER.
