Passing Strange

San Francisco in 1940 is a refuge for people who do not fit conventional life. Visitors crowd into the city's separate worlds. One is the World's Fair on its man-made island, built from artifice and illusion. Another is Chinatown, with nightclubs that sell "authentic" experiences lifted from pulp magazines. A third is a hidden world where women who love women can find one another.

Six women live in that city, and their lives knot together as tightly as they are bound to the place they call home. Love and danger wait for them at the borders where magic, science and art meet.

The book is historical fiction with a fantastical edge. It draws on the pulps, film noir and screwball comedy, so expect period atmosphere and a mix of moods rather than a single tone.

The cast is an ensemble, and the city itself is as much a character as any of the six. The book is as odd and layered as San Francisco. It was written by Ellen Klages, a World Fantasy Award winner.