Magic Street
Encyclopedia
Magic Street is an urban fantasy
novel by Orson Scott Card
. This book follows the magical events in the Baldwin Hills section of contemporary Los Angeles
, including the life of protagonist
Mack Street, his foster brother Cecil Tucker, a trickster identified variously as Bag Man, Puck
, Mr. Christmas, and numerous other members of this upscale community of African-Americans.
The storyline frequently refers to Shakespeare's
A Midsummer Night's Dream
and elements of Western and European folklore
. In the author's note, Card credits friend Roland Bernard Brown with goading him into writing a novel featuring a black hero, and "thanks to Queen Latifah
for putting (the Yolanda White character) on a motorcycle."
Urban fantasy
Urban fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times and contain supernatural elements. However, the stories can take place in historical, modern, or futuristic periods...
novel by Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the...
. This book follows the magical events in the Baldwin Hills section of contemporary Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, including the life of protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
Mack Street, his foster brother Cecil Tucker, a trickster identified variously as Bag Man, Puck
Puck (Shakespeare)
Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow, is a character in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream that was based on the ancient figure in English mythology, also called Puck. Puck is a clever and mischievous elf and personifies the trickster or the wise knave...
, Mr. Christmas, and numerous other members of this upscale community of African-Americans.
The storyline frequently refers to Shakespeare's
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
and elements of Western and European folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
. In the author's note, Card credits friend Roland Bernard Brown with goading him into writing a novel featuring a black hero, and "thanks to Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
for putting (the Yolanda White character) on a motorcycle."