Beyond the Stone, page 21
Cait Gordon, author of Life in the ‘Cosm and The Stealth Lovers.
The Cypher by Matti McLean
Penner had always considered his life ordinary-but when his lover Chess receives a divine revelation that can’t be explained, he finds himself on the run from mysterious forces. Upending their idyllic life in a small town, Chess propels them on a journey to find answers to deep questions that plague his thoughts and his sanity. Partnering with Fred, a boisterous sky pirate with an enigmatic past, they head out to find the answers they need on her airship. But the closer they get to their mysterious destination, the more danger they find themselves in. Facing betrayals, battles and a malevolent being that seems to be hunting them, soon they find themselves deep into conspiracies that threaten the very fabric of their reality. With their wits, their ship and a spot of tea, their quest for answers will make them confront the forces that created the universe. With only each other, will their love be enough to save them?
Murder at the World’s Fair by MJ Lyons
The year is 1893, and airships cloud the skies over the bustling metropolis of Toronto. The city is set to host the world’s fair thanks in no small part to the work of two fantastical inventors. The New World Exhibition is to be a celebration of cultural and technological marvels; roving automatons, clockwork contraptions, the world’s biggest steam-powered paddle boat, all to be fully lit by the wonder of electricity!On the day of the grand opening, young Norwood Quigley, aspiring journalist, photographer and scion of a world-famous airship magnate, stumbles onto the scene of a murder; the victim: a Prussian Ambassador; the perpetrator: a Chinese assassin, or so the powers-that-be say. In truth, the suspect is Jing, a roguish but amiable youthful delinquent. Concerned by Jing’s claim of innocence and his assumed guilt by higher powers, including the British Empire’s military, Norwood is thrown into a grand intrigue that hinges on Toronto’s world fair. As chaos consumes the celebrations, he fears that his influential family is being manipulated in a plot to create an international incident that will lead to a war that spans the world.
“A nimble, inventive steampunk romp — complete with clockwork cats, daring escapes, beguiling romance and shadowy mysteries — that you’ll rip through in one sitting and beg for the next.”
Matthew Bright, author of The Library of Lost Things
“I lost track of the boxes this novel checked for me. Alternate reality? Set at the turn of the 19th century? During a World’s Fair? With a murder mystery; clockwork monsters; a wonderfully genuine and familiar family dynamic; and romance? Pair all that with beautiful and evocative writing, and you’ve got a stunning debut. I cannot wait to see what MJ Lyons dreams up next.”
KD Edwards, author of the The Last Sun and The Hanged Man
Jamieson Wolf, Beyond the Stone
