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Summary
Summary
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY SLATE
For fans of Anne Rice, The Historian, and The Night Circus, an astonishing debut, a novel of epic scope and suspense that conjures up all the magic and menace of Victorian London
1892: James Norbury, a shy would-be poet newly down from Oxford, finds lodging with a charming young aristocrat. Through this new friendship, he is introduced to the drawing-rooms of high society and finds love in an unexpected quarter. Then, suddenly, he vanishes without a trace. Alarmed, his sister, Charlotte, sets out from their crumbling country estate determined to find him. In the sinister, labyrinthine London that greets her, she uncovers a hidden, supernatural city populated by unforgettable characters: a female rope walker turned vigilante, a street urchin with a deadly secret, and the chilling "Doctor Knife." But the answer to her brother's disappearance ultimately lies within the doors of the exclusive, secretive Aegolius Club, whose predatory members include the most ambitious, and most bloodthirsty, men in England.
In her first novel, Lauren Owen has created a fantastical world that is both beguiling and terrifying. The Quick will establish her as one of fiction's most dazzling talents.
Praise for The Quick
"A suspenseful, gloriously atmospheric first novel, and a feast of gothic storytelling that is impossible to resist." --Kate Atkinson
"A cracking good read . . . Owen takes the gothic conventions of the vampire novel in a refreshing new direction." --Deborah Harkness, author of A Discovery of Witches and The Book of Life
"A good old-fashioned vampire novel . . . What fun." -- The New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice)
" The Quick is that rare book that reviewers and readers live for: both plot- and character-driven, a stay-up-all-night reading romp. . . . This is elegant, witty, force-of-nature writing." --The Dallas Morning News
"The book's energy, its wide reach and rich detail make it a confident example of the 'unputdownable' novel." --The Economist
"A seamless blend of Victorian London and rich imagination." --Tana French, author of In the Woods
"A thrilling tale . . . This book will give you chills even on a hot day." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Stylishly sinister . . . will have you sleeping with the lights on." --O: The Oprah Magazine
"A sly and glittering addition to the literature of the macabre." --Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall
"A big, sly bucketful of the most tremendous fun . . . [Owen] weaves what's here with what's beyond as easily as J. K. Rowling does." -- Slate
"[An author of] prodigious gifts . . . Owen captures Dickens's London with glee and produces a number of characters Dickens would be happy to call his own." --Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Reviews (1)
Kirkus Review
An elegantly written gothic epic that begins with children isolated in a lonely manor house; takes a spin through the velvet-draped salons of late-Victorian literary London; then settles in to the bloody business of an outbreak of evil magic.The novel draws from several genres and benefits from innumerable literary influences. Indeed, its many elements are so familiar that one feelsnot unpleasantlyas if one has read and loved it already, years ago, but can't remember exactly how it ends. The year is 1892, and James Norbury, a poet fresh from Oxford, has taken rooms with an intriguing young nobleman. Alas, the joys of youthful gay abandon don't last long. James disappears, and his sister Charlotte takes it upon herself to come to London to find him. The ominous city that awaits her will please readers who love magical creatures of the elegant, bloodthirsty variety, and the vast cast of more or less creepy characters that populates the cobblestoned streets will satisfy admirers of ensemble novels. As in Dracula, an obvious influence, the supernatural mystery must be solved by a motley crew of avengers. And although the book is not as lushly described as The Night Circus, Owen's soaring imagination and her light-handed take on magic save this story from being either obvious or boring. Eventually, Charlotte discovers that her brother's disappearance can be traced to a secret organization of gentlemenand no sparkling Beau Brummell or amiable Bertie Wooster is to be found among the terrifying and powerful inner circle of The Aegolius Club.A book that seems to begin as a children's story ends in blood-soaked mayhem; the journey from one genre to another is satisfying and surprisingly fresh considering that it's set in a familiar version of gothic London among equally familiar monsters. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
