The Necessary Beggar
core novel 2005 The Necessary Beggar
Record
| First published | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.92 (606 ratings, collected 2026-11-02) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780765310972 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
In Lemabantunk, a magical city built on shared responsibility, a man named Darroti is accused of killing a holy beggar and is sent away through a magic gate. His family follows him into exile and arrives in a refugee camp in the Nevada desert in a near-future United States. There they have no map to show where they came from, and they must learn a new language and deal with suspicion, bureaucracy and the offer of citizenship through marriage. Their old customs and their old magic do not work the same way in the new country, and the younger generation drifts from the ways of home. Memories, ghosts and an unresolved question about the beggar's death follow the family into their new life.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Necessary Beggar
- Series: The Necessary Beggar core; position 1 of 1 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Susan Palwick
Awards (verified)
- Alex Award, 2006: won
- Mythopoeic Award (Adult Literature), 2007: nominated
Notes
- From the series record (The Necessary Beggar): A standalone novel about an exiled family from a magical city living in a refugee camp in near-future Nevada.
Sources
- Wikipedia: The Necessary Beggar
- Bookwire (Tor hardcover, October 2005)
- Reactor review: Immigrant Fantasy
- Wikipedia: Susan Palwick
← The Necessary Beggar dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.