I adore Cat Valente's books, that's not news. This one - in which two monks find a tree where books grow like fruit, and in those books read the stories of Prester John, a priest traveling to a magical land; Hagia, a native of Pentexore who marries John; and Imtithal, a royal nursemaid and storyteller - is no different. The language is so beautiful and rich, and the interweaving stories touch on matters of faith, wonder, communication, love, all in an amazing medieval first-contact context.