Palimpsest
#11063.65 adjusted 3.70 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2009 Reading commitment Low Catherynne M. Valente Last reviewed 2026-11-01
Overview
Palimpsest is a standalone fantasy novel by Catherynne M. Valente, published by Bantam Spectra in 2009. It follows four people who have each lost something important: Oleg, a New York locksmith, November, a beekeeper, Ludovico, a rare-book binder, and Sei, a young woman from Japan. Each is drawn to Palimpsest, a city between life and death that can be visited only at night, in dreams. Visitors carry a tattoo of a piece of the city's map, and the four must find one another in the real world in order to return to it for good. The book has no sequels and is not part of Valente's Fairyland or Orphan's Tales series.
Urban fantasy, New Weird · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Palimpsest Catherynne M. Valente
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Palimpsest | 2009 | 1 | core | 3.65 (5,312 ratings) |
A standalone novel about a dream city reached through intimate contact.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Palimpsest? Palimpsest's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Palimpsest finished? Complete (2009).
- How much reading does Palimpsest take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is Palimpsest ranked? #1106 in this site's official ranking, based on 5,312 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #1106?
Ranked #1106 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.65 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (5,312 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.03 behind #1105, Lolly Willowes.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 1 book · Complete · 5k ratings · Ranks #1106 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Hugo Award (Novel), 2010: finalist: Palimpsest
- Lambda Literary Award (Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror), 2010: won: Palimpsest
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 2010: finalist: Palimpsest
- Mythopoeic Award (Adult Literature), 2010: finalist: Palimpsest
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Suggestions computed from what Palimpsest and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Pandemonium Urban fantasy / Dark fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.80
- The Heart of the Circle Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.80
- Apocalypse Now Now Urban fantasy · Unfinished · Low commitment · 3.80
- LaZelle Urban fantasy · Unfinished · Low commitment · 3.77
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.65 across 5,312 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 27 universes from the candidate register; 3 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-01
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Palimpsest (novel) Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Catherynne M. Valente Tier 2
- Penguin Random House Australia Tier 2
- Juushika review Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-01
Rule: Core Canon = Palimpsest (2009).