And the reason Connie became my editor in the first place is thanks to Mark Siegel, who believed she would champion me like crazy. Mark, you were right!
I’m confident my book and I are in very good hands with publisher Simon Boughton and the passionate team at Roaring Brook and Macmillan. Thanks to Gina Gagliano, Ashley Woodfolk, Katie Cicatelli-Kuc, and book designer Andrew Arnold for being exceedingly collaborative and considerate. Copy editor Chandra Wohleber asked all the right questions and helped fix more than a few clunky sentences.
It was a bit nerve-racking to share an early draft of this manuscript, but my readers were nothing but supportive. Brandon Huang, Kurt Mattila, Bryan Konietzko, Marie Lu, and Leigh Bardugo—thanks for your extremely perceptive and constructive feedback. I owe all of you! Bryan, Marie, and Leigh also provided very kind blurbs. Marie’s and Leigh’s advice was invaluable in helping me navigate the unfamiliar world of publishing as I was getting my feet wet.
Over the years, I worked on early versions of this story during workshops and retreats at Writing Pad in Los Angeles. I’m thankful to Marilyn Friedman for creating an inspiring haven for writers, and to my fellow students, who offered their feedback when I was deep in my lumpy phase.
Thanks to Lisa Wahlander for photographing me to look like a respectable author. To Nicolas Delort for his beautiful cover art. And to Jeremy Zuckerman for shedding some light on musical terms and techniques.
To my lawyer, Leon Gladstone, for making this deal and for being so enthusiastic about my work. And to Ernest Johns for keeping my business affairs in order while I focused on writing.
To Bernard Billik for our talks about consciousness and creativity and for sharing your wisdom.
To my parents, who have always supported and encouraged my creativity and artistic pursuits.
And finally, to my wife, Shoshana; I’m eternally grateful for your unwavering support and understanding, especially on those days I wasn’t so supportive of myself. Living a creative life with you continues to be an honor.
About the Author
Michael Dante DiMartino is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and the co-creator of the award-winning animated Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel, The Legend of Korra. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife. The Rebel Genius series is his debut prose work. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraph
1 Lost Souls
2 The Tulpa
3 The Genius
4 The Blind Artist
5 Sacred Geometry
6 Duke Oberto
7 The Wellspring
8 The Chasm
9 Master and Apprentice
10 The Castle’s Secret
11 A Trick of the Eye
12 The Camera Obscura
13 A New Ally
14 Terra della Morte
15 Awakening
16 The Singing Grotto
17 On the Trail
18 The Creator’s Hand
19 Tabula Rasa
20 The Heart of Virenzia
21 Battle in the Piazza
22 Ugalino’s Offer
23 The Creator’s Compass
24 Constellations
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Text copyright © 2016 by Michael Dante DiMartino
Published by Roaring Brook Press
Roaring Brook Press is a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
mackids.com
All rights reserved
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: DiMartino, Michael Dante, author.
Title: Rebel genius / Michael Dante DiMartino.
Description: First edition. | New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2016. | Series: Rebel genius | Summary: “In twelve-year-old Giacomo’s Renaissance-inspired world, art is powerful, dangerous, and outlawed. Every artist possesses a Genius, a birdlike creature that is the living embodiment of an artist’s creative spirit. Those caught with one face severe punishment, so when Giacomo discovers he has a Genius, he knows he’s in big trouble”—Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016004881 (print) | LCCN 2016031116 (ebook) | ISBN 9781626723368 (hardback) | ISBN 9781626725393 (ebook)
Subjects: | CYAC: Creative ability—Fiction. | Magic—Fiction. | Art—Fiction. | Fantasy. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / General. | JUVENILE FICTION / Fantasy & Magic. | JUVENILE FICTION / Art & Architecture.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.D564 Re 2016 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.D564 (ebook) | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016004881
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eISBN 9781626725393
First hardcover edition, 2016
eBook edition, October 2016
Rebel Genius Page 28