Dive into a mesmerizing blend of fantasy, alternative history, and traditional Victorian romance!
This story will appeal to fans of books like “Gormenghast,” “Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell,” “The Lost Station” and Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations.”
Ian R. MacLeod has received two World Fantasy Awards, as well as Locus and the Arthur C. Clarke awards.
This is the first part of the “Ether Universe” series.
In 1678, Joshua Wagstaff made a discovery of ether—a breakthrough that became the catalyst for a magic-driven Industrial Revolution. Ether, whose mysteries are carefully guarded by the Guilds, became the foundation of a new society.
Many years later, changes start to stir in the air. Society speaks of the need for a new beginning, the fall of the Guilds’ power, and the existing order may soon collapse…
Robert Burroughs, who grew up in the small settlement of Bracebridge in Yorkshire, was supposed to follow in his father’s footsteps and work at an ether factory. But after his mother turns into something terrible because of magical technology, he confronts its dark side.
Fleeing to London, Robert begins an adventure in the huge city where fate brings him into contact with petty criminals and revolutionaries, draws him into fashionable salons and the homes of aristocrats. He uncovers secrets that threaten the foundations of society—secrets connected to the nature of ether, which could either destroy everything or create a completely new world.