Everyone in Leone Ross' novel "Popisho" possesses literal magic. One man can tell if you're lying as you speak. Another can change the color of any object that he touches. The main character, Xavier Redchoose, can season food through the palms of his hands. He is the macaenus (maw-see-nus) -- "a person anointed by the gods to make each resident one perfect meal." As the governor of the island tries to force him to prepare a wedding feast for his daughter, the gods have plans to punish the people of the archipelago for failing to create unity among themselves, all while Xavier's one true love tries to make her way back to him.