The Treasure Box

From Publishers WeeklyWhen naive computer-nerd and millionaire Quentin Fears meets the woman of his dreams at a posh Washington, D.C., party and then marries her, he thinks his life is complete. But in this low-key horror novel, appearances can't be trusted and people aren't always in control of their actions. Although Madeleine seems quite sophisticated, there are deficits in her memory and her background is vague. She claims a large, well-to-do family but invites no relatives to the wedding. When Quentin finally meets his in-laws at their palatial Upstate New York mansion, they strike him as eccentric, almost as cartoons of real people. The domineering grandmother, whom Madeleine hates, sits in a trance, eyes closed, refusing to speak. There are hints of past child abuse?and of the possibility that a young boy may have been murdered. Why do so many of Madeleine's relatives have names identical to those buried in the family cemetery? And why doesn't Madeleine leave any footprints in the snow? Although the story moves toward a powerful climax, its primary pleasures are more subtle: strong character development and complex motivations, a mystery to solve, the discovery of wheels within wheels. It's rare that Card, renowned for his science fiction (see the review of his Children of the Mind, below), switches genres. But when he does, here as in his Lost Boys (1992), there's little lost and a rare pleasure gained. $50,000 ad/promo; author tour; U.K., translation, first serial and dramatic rights: Barbara Bova. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalAt age 11, Quentin Fears is devastated by his older sister Lizzy's death. Subsequently, he grows up to be a lonely man, obsessed with memories of Lizzy. He becomes extremely wealthy, yet everything he does centers around Lizzy. He even picks a wife who reminds him of her. Madeleine, the woman with whom he falls in love and marries in a matter of weeks, turns out to be an apparition invented by an evil witch. Once the story turns to Quentin's wife and her family, the plot degenerates into the script of a B-movie, with wild explanations for the comings and goings of ghosts and the mysterious treasure box that Madeleine wants her new husband to open. Card, the author of many highly acclaimed works (e.g., Children of the Mind, Tor, 1996) is more handy with quick and witty dialog than story content. There is not enough humor here it to be funny and not enough horror or fantasy for it to be either. Recommended only for large collections.?Shirley Gibson Coleman, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib, Mich.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A shattering childhood tragedy left Quentin Fears devastated and unable to cope with the world and its citizens. It didn't, however, prevent him from making millions through brilliant investments. And now the enigmatic recluse has experienced the extraordinarily unexpected: love at first sight.

But a whirlwind courtship and marriage to Madeleine — beautiful, witty, and equally ill-at-ease with reality — is bringing Quentin something other than the bliss he anticipated, for now he must meet his new wife's family.

A bizarre, dysfunctional collection of extreme characters, they are guarding a secret both shocking and terrifying — as is Madeleine herself. And suddenly Quentin Fears must prevent his dream woman from unleashing an ageless malevolence intent on ruling the world.

BookList

Card's second departure from science fiction, the genre in which he's a perennial best-seller, is, like the very successful Lost Boys (1992), essentially a ghost story and a better one than its predecessor because Card doesn't weigh it down with Mormon family values preaching. Instead, he inserts a smidgen of his religion by making his protagonist, bachelor millionaire Quentin Fears, a 34-year-old virgin. Actually, Quentin's chastity, credible and sympathetically portrayed, is rather refreshing. Card also makes it the vehicle for subtle satire of the American obsession with sex as well as the Achilles' heel whereby Quentin is bowled over when he meets the mysterious blond stunner Madeleine Cryer at a Washington, D.C., society party. Not the least of Madeleine's attractions for Quentin is her resemblance to his sister, who died when Quentin was 11 and to whom he was devoted. It turns out that Madeleine is not what she seems, or rather, is only seeming, as Quentin discovers after he meets her family in a creepy old Hudson River mansion--a haunted house, perhaps? Yes, but not merely haunted. Many readers will hear echoes of Robert Marasco's superb haunted-house thriller, Burnt Offerings (1973), and of Hitchcock's classic film about romantic obsession, Vertigo, in Card's effort, which, although not as good as either, is enthrallingly entertaining, nevertheless.

A reclusive millionaire's hasty marriage leads to chilling revelations in the renowned author's “enthrallingly entertaining” supernatural horror novel (Booklist).Software engineer Quentin Fears was only 10 when his beloved sister died in a car accident. Since then, he withdrew from the world into books and machines. Though he's made millions with his software, he avoids companionship at all cost—until a rare outing to a party brings him face to face with his dream woman, Madeleine. She's smart, beautiful, and as naive to the world's ways as he is. They marry in a matter of weeks. Their relationship seems perfect—until Quentin meets Madeleine's cantankerous, eccentric family. At their rambling mansion in upstate New York, Quentin learns of an ancient family secret to which Madeleine holds the key. Only Quentin can stop her from unleashing an ageless malevolence that will rule the world. But to do so, he must do what seems impossible -- step outside himself into the world he has avoided. A shattering childhood tragedy left Quentin Fears devastated and unable to cope with the world and its citizens. It didn't, however, prevent him from making millions through brilliant investments. And now the enigmatic recluse has experienced the extraordinarily unexpected: love at first sight. But a whirlwind courtship and marriage to Madeleine -- beautiful, witty, and equally ill-at-ease with reality -- is bringing Quentin something other than the bliss he anticipated, for now he must meet his new wife's family. A bizarre, dysfunctional collection of extreme characters, they are guarding a secret both shocking and terrifying -- as is Madeleine herself. And suddenly Quentin Fears must prevent his dream woman from unleashing an ageless malevolence intent on ruling the world. Wealthy recluse Quentin Fears meets the woman of his dreams on a rare outing to a party and the relationship seems perfect until he learns she holds the key to a dirty family secret and only he can stop her from unleashing an ageless malevolence upon the world. The naive bachelor makes the discovery when his bride, a Washington society woman, takes him to her family estate, where he comes upon her grave Quentin Fears never told his parents the last thing his sister Lizzy said to him before they pulled the plug on her and let her die.