"A gripping dystopia wickedly extrapolated from
our present. Boston brings to bear his narrative
genius on this noir tale of a love triangle in a
society gone mad, probing the way technology
and science alter our reality. Transcending genre,
The Guardener's Tale combines suspense and
breathtaking plot twists with macabre humor.
Involving, compelling, a masterwork." --Mary
Turzillo, author of An Old-Fashioned Martian
Girl
"Those who enjoyed Harlan Ellison's famed short
story, "'Repent Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman,"
will love The Guardener's Tale. Both are stories
of alienation, an individual struggling to affirm his
identity against a repressive city state. But
Boston's book is even more compelling in its story
arc and complexity, its parallels to our society
revealing and striking, the prose exceptionally
vivid and muscular. This is Boston at his best."
--Gene O'Neill, author of Collected Tales of the
Baja Express
"Brave New World. Fahrenheit 451. THX 1138. A
Scanner Darkly. Bruce Boston's new novel, The
Guardener's Tale, assumes its rightful place in
this noble lineage of anti-authoritarian fables. His
twisted love story between Rick Thorne and Josie
Jimson is the perfect suspenseful armature on
which to display some eternally perplexing ethical
quandaries. As inexorable as fate and twice as
surprising, Boston's novel will resonate long after
its final sentence carries the reader down the
memory hole." --Paul Di Filippo, author of
Shuteye for the Timebroker
"The Guardener’s Tale ranks as one of my top
five books of the past decade." --Joe McKinney,
author of Quarantined
"Bruce Boston’s The Guardener’s Tale is an
enchanting read. It has the mind-bending twists
and turns of cutting-edge speculative fiction fitted
nicely into a lyrical character-driven cautionary
novel that always goes where you can’t predict.
Boston opens gateways in the imagination."
--Jonathan Maberry, author of Ghost Road Blues
"Not since Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 have I
read such a beautifully wrought and realistic
cautionary tale of what society might become
without our constant vigilance of those who
govern us....This disturbing novel is a glimpse
into a possible future where shiny objects and a
false sense of freedom become mankind's
ultimate prison. Already recommended for a
Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel, this is
visionary work from a writer of fierce conviction
and a mighty talent." --J. L. Comeau, Creature
Feature Reviews, Top Ten Books of 2007
"...a heavyweight mixture of plot and action that
will keep you hooked until the end....an
engrossing and solid piece of work. Like any
good dystopian story, it’s the subtleties of The
Guardener’s Tale that gives it its strength and
depth. Boston has taken a good look at Western
society, and used what he has seen to great
effect." --Edward Cox, Aoife's Kiss
"...this stimulating, dark, creative and intense read
is much more than an exploration of socio-political
issues...it is an engaging and inventive journey
with satisfying action set in an all too believable
future world. A world populated by intriguing
characters who change and surprise, again and
again....raises crucial questions for our times
about the incredible and creative complexity of
being human." --Patricia Kelly, Roswila's Dream
and Poetry Realm
"The Guardener’s Tale is one of the most
absorbing reads I’ve had in a long time. The
novel is beautifully crafted and the story haunting,
charged with images and conflicts that linger
strongly in the mind. Boston’s prose is so rich,
with a wonderful, elegiac undertone.
Outstanding!" --Mary E. Choo, author of Dream
Tribes
"...Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Ayn Rand’s
Anthem, Ira Levin’s This Perfect Day, or Yevgeny
Zamiatin’s We. These novels are among the pre-
eminent classics of dystopian fiction....The
Guardener’s Tale stands firmly in the same
company as the classics mentioned above....
Boston addresses the issues of individuality in a
seemingly perfect world, a world that in actuality
is rife with problems....this book certainly belongs
as a great anti-authoritarian novel for the ages." --
Anders Monsen, Prometheus
"The retro feel to the setting, with its sanitized
suburbia and sterility, contrasts with the act of
shocking brutality with which Boston emotionally
climaxes the novel: the darkness at the
Guardener’s heart....at a time when many SF
novels are becoming increasingly similar in
setting and style...one of the most memorable
books of the year." --Colin Harvey, Suite 101
"Boston writes with a concise style here, making
for easy reading and vivid clarity. He mixes in
only enough lavishness to bring shape and color
to his vision. The Guardener's Tale is a smartly
crafted, thought-provoking yarn, laced with wry
humor and rife with sinister mind-control tech."
--Anthony Bernstein, Helium
"An entertaining, thought-provoking novel.
Although Boston is very much his own writer with
his own style, there are elements here that
remind me of P. K. Dick. The story works on
several levels for readers who wish to probe its
deeper meanings. I also very much enjoyed the
ironic double-edged sentences planted along the
way." --Kendall Evans, author of Poetry Red-
Shifted in the Eyes of a Dragon
"The Guardener’s Tale is the sort of story that
becomes more significant and powerful in
retrospect, as its various ideas seep into the
reader. It is a tale of violation and redemption,
truth and falsehood. For those who enjoy tales of
dystopia, The Guardener’s Tale is a must-read."
--Jennifer Crow, Flashquake
"Now, for those who haven't read it - this is a
book to get. It's astounding in its simple
complexity (read it and see what I mean), it's
inventive, incredibly smart and builds great
empathy with the protagonist. It's sci-fi horror
fiction at its most interesting" --Rocky Wood,
author of Stephen King, A Literary
Companion
"There are many books that you read and
even enjoy that kind of go in one ear and out
the other. This isn't one of them. The
Guardener's Tale is intriguing from start to
finish and completely unforgettable. If you like
your SciFi with a darker edge, you have to
check it out." --Benjamin Kane Ethridge,
author of Black and Orange
"The buildings, monuments, streets and
homes of his City come to vivid life: slums and
glittering towers alike are drawn with subtlety
and intensity. Through a lattice of interwoven
scenes, the complex nature of the outward
world is reflected in a dance of psychology
among the book's characters. As a reader I
was drawn into this dance with a strength that
soon felt like obsession; I could not stop
reading, as I became more and more deeply
enmeshed in the lives unfolding from page to
page." --Malcolm Deeley, Gromagon
Reviews
from Amazon.com Reviews
"This tale is a real page turner, and I was
quite taken by the ending, which absolutely
soars. Boston is a masterful storyteller on all
levels--clean and compelling prose, genuine
characters, meaningful themes, and creating
a satisfying and believable science fiction
setting." --Gwen Veazey (North Carolina USA)
"All the elements are here for a thought
provoking read, with enough action to keep
one turning the pages. The Guardener's Tale
is character driven, poetic at times, and
stylistically friendly, and, a very satisfying way
to spend a few evenings." --Gary O. Clark
(Davis, CA)
"Boston takes us on a compelling ride into a
frightening yet utterly believable city-state of
the future, with multifaceted characters, plot
twists galore, and thought-provoking social,
philosophical and psychological reflections
upon our lives now as well as upon future
possibilities." --Dennis H. Healy (San
Francisco)
"Boston's prose in TGT is an extension of his
poetry; painting rich visuals for one's mind
with an economy, though not a sparseness of
words that can still be read at speed ....pays
great, interesting detail to building a
believable world for his engrossing story. It's
an exhilarating ride." --Jon Poley (Miami)
"I enjoyed this read. Marvelous
world/character building and verbal brush
strokes. I love the way Boston wove this tale
together with its parallels and reversals. And
the places where I broke into a grin." --Elissa
Malcohn, author of Covenant
"...an inventive and insightful storyteller...a
detailed narrative of a dystopian future
populated by believable and nuanced
characters...carefully and cleverly plotted...."
--A. Baruch (Tokyo, Japan)
"...a fantastically fun quick read that I
guarantee will interest you from the first few
pages to the very nice payoff of the ending.
What it will leave you is thinking about the
deeper significance of what you just read."
--D. Bailey (Seattle)