#Mary hoffman city of secrets series

The origin of the name ‘Venice’ is thought to have a relation to the meaning of the Latin word ‘venetus’ that is ‘sea-blue’. Mary Hoffman has played on these very titles and named the first of her books, set in an ‘alternate’ version of Venice, as ‘City of Masks’. Venice – that beautiful, romantic city in northern Italy has been called by many names – The City of Water, The City of Bridges and The City of Light among others. Maybe for a simple reassurance that good does triumph over evil, or that there is something called as karma or for the simple reason of escaping a troubled and confused world into one where everything works out in the end, however bad things may seem at first. It is followed by ‘City of Stars’ (set in an alternate version of Siena), ‘City of Flowers’ (set in an alternate version of Florence), ‘City of Secrets’ (set in an alternate version of Padua) and Mary Hoffman has just confirmed that the fifth book ‘City of Ships’ (set in an alternate version of Ravenna) will be available in 2010.įantasy has always been a very popular genre through the ages, but it is now in the modern 21 st century with so many problems and evils, that people seem to be gravitating towards it more than ever.

#Mary hoffman city of secrets series

‘City of Masks’ (set in an alternate version of Venice) is the first book in the Stravaganza series that started out with the intention of being a trilogy. She is a true ‘Italy’ enthusiast and this shows deeply in her Stravaganza series.

Mary Hoffman is a British author and critic (born in 1945) who has written over 90 books for all age-groups.