The world of unknowable objects – magical items that most people have no idea possess powers – has been quiet for decades . . .
But three current members of a secret society have remained watchful, meeting every six months in the basement of a bookshop in London. They are pledged to protect their archive of magical items hidden away, safe from the outside world – and keep the world safe from them. But when Frank Simpson, the longest-standing member of the Society of Unknowable Objects, hears of a new artefact coming to light in Hong Kong, he sends the Society’s newest member, author Magda Sparks, to investigate.
Within hours of arriving in Hong Kong, Magda is facing death and danger, confronted by a professional killer who seems to know all about unknowable objects, specifically one that was stolen from him a decade before. Magda is forced to flee, using an artefact that not even the rest of the Society knows about.
Returning to London, Magda learns hers is not the only secret being kept from the other two members. And that the most pernicious secret is about the nature of the Society’s mission. Her discoveries will lead her on a perilous journey, across the Atlantic to the deep south of the United States – not in pursuit of an unknowable object, but an unknowable person: the killer she first faced in Hong Kong. In doing so, Magda begins to understand that there are even more in the world who are chasing these magical items, and that her own family’s legacy is tied up in keeping all these secrets under wraps.
Magic has always been too powerful to reveal to the world. But Magda will learn there might be something even more powerful: the truth.
I had heard buzz around this author’s first book, The Book of Doors, but never got around to reading it. Then I stumbled across this one, set in the same universe (and kind of an indirect sequel? Seems like there’s a third book coming that may tie them together) and decided to read it on a whim.
First off, I will absolutely be reading The Book of Doors and whatever else this author puts out because I really enjoyed this one. The concepts are interesting and the characters are well written. You get some different perspectives and time jumps that keep you guessing all the way through, and you definitely grow to really care about the characters involved. The magic system is also very interesting, I’m not going to go into too much detail because spoilers, but it goes beyond simply “here is a magic thing we can use.”
This was a solid fantasy novel that kept me entertained the entire way through. Reading it was an excellent use of my time and has turned me on to a new author to watch.
