Alchemised: A Novel, page 105
Acknowledgements
The list of people I’d like to thank for supporting me in this journey is too long for this already incredibly long book, but allow me to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every person who discovered my writing and has so enthusiastically supported me in every step of this unexpected journey. Your joy and excitement on my behalf have meant more than I can ever express.
To Caitlin Mahony and Rikki Bergman, my agents, thank you for your incredible patience, care, and protectiveness in this whirlwind experience, and for always taking the time to explain in text message the convoluted questions I should have sent you as emails. Suzy Ball, for wrangling the UK side of things. And Frankie Yackel for all your incredible work behind the scenes.
Emily Archbold, my dear editor, thank you for all your rambly emails that gave me an excuse to stop writing, for how thoughtfully you’d consider all my belated and harebrained ideas, and for your patient feedback and steadfast faith in my work. Jordan Pace, for dealing so expertly with all my preemptive panicking every time I was expected to promote my book in spoken rather than written words. To the incredible Del Rey team: Scott Shannon, Keith Clayton, Tricia Narwani, Julie Leung, Alex Larned, Marcelle Iten Busto, David Moench, Ashleigh Heaton, Tori Henson, Kay Popple, Maya Fenter, and Madi Margolis, thank you all so much for your vision, support, and enthusiasm at every step of the way.
I am forever grateful to the utterly delightful Rebecca Hilsdon, and the Michael Joseph team: Stella Newing, Riana Dixon, Sriya Varadharajan, Clare Parker, Jessie Beswick, Jack Hallam, Vicky Photiou, Bronwen Davies, Kelly Mason, Akua Akowuah, Richard Rowlands, Jessica Meredeen, Helen Eka, Dan Prescott, Jill Cole, and Hayley Shepherd.
My deepest thanks to everyone involved in the foreign editions. It is such an incredible honour to have my story translated.
To Jame, for sticking with me for these years through the thickest and thinnest despite my chronic abuse of commas; I wouldn’t be here without you. Rei, thank you for all your etymological research while navigating the convoluted lore I threw at you with zero context.
Avendell, your ability to take the thoughts in my head and somehow turn them into the most stunning art I have ever seen will never cease to amaze me.
To my extended family, thank you for all your excitement, support, and understanding when I’ve had to miss events in order to meet deadlines. Wren, for having a spare room for me to crash in when I needed somewhere to pull all-nighters, and for always ensuring that I was eating even if I wasn’t sleeping. Kimi, who waited so patiently for years for me to finally tell anyone else in the entire family about my writing endeavours.
Andrew, thanks for stepping so gamely into the role of primary parent with all of zero warning. And to T and E most especially, thank you for being so proud of me and keeping me company by coming in quietly and reading fantasy books in my bed while I was writing fantasy books at my desk. I love you more than words can say.
THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING
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First published in the United States of America by Del Rey, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC 2025
First published in Great Britain by Penguin Michael Joseph 2025
Copyright © SenLinYu, 2025
The moral right of the author has been asserted
Cover design: Regina Flath
Cover illustration © Eva Eller
Book design by Elizabeth A. D. Eno
Illustration on page 1024 by Avendell
Part title sun crest illustration by Alex Hovey
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ISBN: 978-1-405-96968-0
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Table of Contents
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TITLE PAGE
DEDICATION
PART ONE PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
PART TWO CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59
CHAPTER 60
CHAPTER 61
CHAPTER 62
CHAPTER 63
CHAPTER 64
CHAPTER 65
PART THREE CHAPTER 66
CHAPTER 67
CHAPTER 68
CHAPTER 69
CHAPTER 70
CHAPTER 71
CHAPTER 72
CHAPTER 73
CHAPTER 74
CHAPTER 75
CHAPTER 76
CHAPTER 77
CHAPTER 78
EPILOGUE
CONTENT NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
COPYRIGHT
Senlinyu, Alchemised: A Novel
