{"product_id":"the-custodian-of-marvels-isbn-9780857665027","title":"The Custodian of Marvels","description":"\u003cb\u003eJoin undercover and patriarchy-bucking PI Elizabeth Baranabus on a third and final mystery adventure through a steampunk-flavored Victorian London\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e You’d have to be mad to steal from the feared International Patent Office. But that’s what Elizabeth Barnabus is about to try. A one-time enemy from the circus has persuaded her to attempt a heist that will be the ultimate conjuring trick.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Hidden in the vaults of the Patent Court in London lie secrets that could shake the very pillars of the Gas-Lit Empire. All that stands in Elizabeth’s way are the agents of the Patent Office, a Duke’s private army and the mysterious Custodian of Marvels.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Rod Duncan returns with the climactic volume of \u003ci\u003eThe Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire\u003c\/i\u003e, the breathtaking alternate history series that began with the Philip K. Dick Award-nominated \u003ci\u003eThe Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e.“A series that will amaze and delight.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLooking for a Good Book\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Rod Duncan’s writing is a joy because his pseudo late-Victorian narrative runs along the smooth rails of a framework powered by an invisible, but well-oiled word engine that hums away in the background making sure the reader gets all the thrills and spills while retaining a good sense of the story as it relentlessly barrels along.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eStrange Alliances\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire series:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Rod Duncan’s \u003ci\u003eThe Bullet Catcher’s Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e is a magic box pulsating with energy. Compulsive reading from the get-go, the blend of steampunk alternate history wrapped in the enigma of a chase makes for first-rate entertainment in this finely crafted novel.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Graham Joyce, author of\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eYear of the Ladybird\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Steeped in illusion and grounded in an alternative history of the Luddite Rebellion, Duncan’s strong supernatural mystery serves ably as both a standalone adventure and the start to a series…Strategically placed steampunk tropes inform but do not overwhelm Elizabeth’s headlong quest to find a missing aristocrat sought by the Patent Office, which is fixated on both achieving perfection and eliminating “unseemly science.” A hazardous border crossing into the permissively corrupt Kingdom of England and Southern Wales provides ample excitement, and a glossary at the novel’s conclusion hints enticingly at a much more involved story to come.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I was completely caught up in her adventure and her plight. I think steampunk readers and fantasy\/sci-fi readers will enjoy this one, so I’m recommending it for them even though (and to some extent because) its use of steampunk is a bit different. I found it to be a refreshing change from more formulaic steampunk novels.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePopcorn Reads\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Bullet Catcher’s Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e is an entertaining book that has some genuine, original touches combined with a clever story and even cleverer characters.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSF Book Reviews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eRod Duncan writes alternate history, fantasy and contemporary crime. His novels have been shortlisted for the Philip K. Dick Award, the East Midlands Book Award and the John Creasey Dagger of the Crime Writers’ Association. A dyslexic with a background in scientific research, he now lectures in creative writing at DeMontfort University.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSome might say that he is obsessed with boundary markers, naive 18th Century gravestones and forming friendships with crows. But he says he is interested in the way things change.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003egaslitempire.co.uk\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003etwitter.com\/rodduncan\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eAuthor hometown:\u003c\/i\u003e Leicester, UK","brand":"Angry Robot","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303367725285,"sku":"NP9780857665027","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780857665027.jpg?v=1767738900","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-custodian-of-marvels-isbn-9780857665027","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}