Catchpenny
By Charlie Huston

This is a very strange book. It's the story of Syd Catchpenny, a thief who can travel from place to place through mirrors with the help of mojo (also known as magic). Syd suffers from depression and low self-esteem. He was once a wonderful singer with a great career ahead of him, but is now reduced to a voiceless wreck of a guy without a heart – literally.

The book deals with a video game that threatens, by directing the courses of magic, to cause mass suicides and destroy the world as we know it. Only a sixteen year old girl named Circe stands between the powers that be and changing the world as we know it into something better.

At first, I thought this was more of a Young Adult book. I wasn't sure that the gaming and internet parts of the story were going to hook me in. But I was wrong. Quirky as it is, I still found myself reading along right up to the conclusion. If you are looking for something different – maybe outside your comfort level a bit – I would recommend this book.

I thought I would hate this book ... I was so wrong. This one will go down as one of my favorite. Highly recommend it. There is magic in it. Just read it and enjoy!

This isn't a genre I'm normally drawn to, but the description, along with an author I've been wanting to read for years, attracted me. And I'm glad it did - I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Sidney Catchpenny is a man who's possessed some serious talents in his lifetime. But when we meet him, he's not in a good place. He's been suffering from serious depression for years, and hasn't been able to do what he once did best so is definitely down on his luck. He lives in a version of this world where magic abounds (though not everyone knows it) and his talent is his ability to move through the world using mirrors. And steal things, that's his other talent. But now he can barely drag himself out of bed, and he's barely hanging on. But a friend drags him into a case that rejuvenates him, and as he tells about the investigation, he also discloses his life story. Is he a reliable narrator? Well, he's a thief, so assume nothing.
This book kept me interested throughout - the descriptions of how magic operates in Sidney's world, the power of mojo, Sidney's backstory. It was always surprising, always engaging, and at times though-provoking. (As in "Man, if this were true, it would explain so much...") It definitely requires that "suspension of disbelief" that some readers just don't enjoy. But if you can get past that, you may just enjoy it as much as I did.
Thanks to Netgalley and Vintage for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

Ebook/Fantasy: I received this ebook from Netgalley in return for a review. To me, the book was 100 pages too long. I only finished it by skipping through some of the repetitiveness. I did like the mystery and Sidney's world. It reminded me a lot of Sandman Slim. I liked that the author had a sense of continuity and the settings were easy to follow. There are a lot of strange characters along the way either helping, warning, or hindering Sidney's search for the missing Circe. I did not like that the author/editor chose to repeat Sidney's thoughts instead of giving the reader more insight into what mojo is and or it's history. I really didn't get a sense of if the whole world knew about mojo or was mojo a secret.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased and honest opinion.

#NetGalley #Knopf,Pantheon,VintageandAnchor #CatchPenny #CharlieHuston

Title:Catchpenny
Author: Charlie Huston
Publisher: Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor
Publication Date: April 9, 2024

Themes: Science fiction, fantasy, mental illness, nostalgia, magic
Trigger Warnings: portrayals of depression, magic

This will be a quick one. It wasn’t for me. This story had good bones. Sid Catchpenny is a professional thief who suffers from debilitating depression. His unique abilities have given him the reputation of being one of the greatest thieves ever but his depression is threatening to destroy that. When a unique opportunity presents itself, Sid takes it and does his best. His job is to steal curiosities, or objects that contain mojo, or magic.
This is a very unique book. The author is creative and has a way with words. There are quite a few beautiful and compelling quotes in this book if one can wade through all of the word vomit to find it. The main protagonist is intriguing and likable in his way. Having said all that, the book was way too long for me. I had a lot of trouble caring about what was going on because of all the rambling. Sid was likable but he was also whiny. This was a definitive struggle to get through and I have to admit that I didn’t make it all the way through it. The science fiction/ fantasy mash-up just wasn’t for me. I do appreciate the ARC and will give this author another chance at one point or another.

This book has a very unique premise. It's a sci-fi detective story and was mostly interesting. The magic in the book was very different from anything I've read before.

It got off to a super fast start and immediately grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, as the story went on, it all became muddled and confusing. There was just so much going on, and so many characters to keep track of that I had a hard time staying invested all the way through.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

What a great story! I loved it. The plot is so unique and the magic system even more so. Mojo, sly, manikins, etc..all so cool. Sid Catchpenny is my new favorite character. he is smart, funny, and a heckuva trickster when need be. I wholeheartedly recommend this one. It is fantastic.

Let me start this review by saying this is my first Charlie Huston book, and it was a fascinating read. I have never read a book where you have a magic system based on mojo, you can travel through mirrors, and that mojo magic can be coursed to one person. I also like to point out that there are rules to this mojo magic but no rules, which I take to mean things are constantly in flux, and you learn how mojo works as the world involves. A huge crux that the characters have an ax to grind is how much mojo the internet is sucking, and there is no way to access yourself or is there. This author took a concept and ran with it, and though at times I was baffled about where things were going, I was expecting a hunt for a missing child, which we got, but how she went missing and why I did not. Catchpenny is just one of those novels you must pick up, allowing you to see how you feel when you come out the other side. Also, don't try to make it make sense. As I said, there are no rules but rules, and what you expect to happen probably won't happen.

"Madness is just another word for magic."

This is an interesting scifi/fantasy. Sidney Catchpenny is a downtrodden thief in LA who has the gift of being able to move through mirrors. With this skill he csnn steal objects that contain mojo, basically a form of magic that comes from powerful emotions. Sid is given an opportunity to get involved with mojo in a way he never had before.

This story had a lot of interesting elements. It's also not what I was expecting and maybe that affected by overall enjoyment. this is not an urban fantasy, this is more of a slow character study. The way it is written is also confusing, jumping around in time. I also had a hard time taking the word mojo seriously.

Overall it's a decent read. Thank you Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved the story this book told. The characters and magic system were interesting, and I needed to know where it went and how it ended. However, the writing was denser than I typically read so it took me longer to read it and that got frustrating at times because it wasn't always necessary! The twists surprised me and overall story is one I'll be thinking about!

free eARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher for reviewing purposes! 3.75 stars rounded up.

The basics: we follow Sid Catchpenny, a thief who can travel through mirrors, as he attempts to find a teenager who has disappeared. Along the way, he runs into a wild cast of characters as he figures out how the disappearance is connected to a doomsday videogame, a suicide cult, and possibly the death of his wife 20 years ago,

Ok, this is a weird book. I enjoyed reading it, and I wanted to know what was going to happen next, but I just kept putting it down. Maybe it's the pacing (there are some action bits but a lot of downtime in between, it seems like a lot of dead ends, the dialogue at times feels unrealistic, like, this is what this person has to say to move the plot forward rather than what someone would actually say in this circumstance. The magic (mojo) system is pretty convoluted and sometimes inconsistent- they admit this in the text, saying there are rules but no rules.
That said, this book has a good heart. There is solid development of the main character, strong building of side characters and real explanations and reasoning behind their actions (except for the villains, actually, now that I think about it). I really liked the writing style, the humor, how human Sid felt (it worked for me that we were in his head so much, though he could be unlikeable to some readers). I see other reviewers saying that things take a turn after the halfway point. I would agree with that. So much of the Gyre plot seems unnecessary and overly detailed. I'm sure the author put a lot into it to make it work with the worldbuilding, but I was not that interested and I do feel like it fell flat at the end.
Speaking of the end, I got to 10 minutes left in the book and I was worried it was going to lead into a sequel because there was so much to be wrapped up and (it seemed) not enough pages. Luckily, it was all done by the end, but the resolution did feel rushed.
I would recommend this book to fans of Poker Face, Murderbot, and Agatha Christie books- it does feel sometimes like an old-fashioned private eye mystery in modern times, with a sci-fi ish bend to it. I do think I'll be thinking about this book for a long while.

I had high hopes for this book and perhaps that is what caused such a meh reaction from me. Seeing the genres it is put in mystery/thriller and sci-fi/fantasy, I was nearly screaming when I got the approval for this read. It fell short. Not so much a disappointment as the writing is there and truly magnificent. But more of just an overall let down because the writing is there and overall magnificent but the plot and story just don’t excite

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc read!

This novel began with a lot of promise but ultimately felt incongruous and underdeveloped. It spun out in many directions and felt untethered.

Catchpenny
by Charlie Huston
Science Fiction
NetGalley ARC
Pub Date: Apr. 9, 2024
Knoph, Pantheon, Vintage, Anchor
Ages: 16+

Controlled by severe depression, Sidney Catchpenny is down on his luck, his depression keeping him from living, and because of this his reputation as a talented thief is gone, and now those he owes are coming for payment.

But being a sly, having the ability to move through mirrors, gives him a little forgiveness from payment, (after a good beating), because he is good at finding curiosities, items filled with magical essences called mojo.

Then a friend comes for help, giving Sidney a chance to pay off some of his debts, but combining mirror traveling, a video game, a doomsday cult, a missing girl, and those who hoard mojo, creates a more complicated mystery.


Traveling through mirrors, a video game, and a doomsday cult grabbed my attention when I read the blurb so of course I had to request this book.

There wasn't much traveling through mirrors or video game action, and the magic of this world wasn't really explained in enough detail to make it believable.

I like the idea of mojo, magic created in items that are special to someone. Your favorite shirt, your childhood teddy bear that you passed on to your kid, things like that, and some people can use that mojo for their own uses, like traveling through mirrors. How the mojo was created is explained, but how others used it was not. I get that those who knew how to do it didn't want the secret to get out, but for a reader, knowing is fun, interesting, and a way to want to find out more. But I got bored.

There was a lot of rambling, repetitive internal monologue, and skimming on details of the magic. The dialogue was major rambling. When the video game was being explained, I stopped caring because the character blabbered on and on, as did the creator of said video game when it was his turn. It got boring and I stopped caring. (See how irritating that is. It's boring and you stop caring.)

I loved the idea, but the presentation, rambling, and repetitiveness made it a hard read, and I ended up skimming instead of DNFing only because I was curious about what was going to happen, (which was a little disappointing because it was mostly a summary). There's nothing too graphic, so it's suitable for readers 16 and older.

2 Stars

Sidney Catchpenny has depression and squandered his reputation as one of the best thieves in LA. Sid is a sly, with the uncanny ability to move through mirrors. He steals imbued and magical items, which are the currency of the criminal underground and the secret source of magic. A friend from Sid's past comes looking for help, and offers a chance to repay old debts. This is a much more complicated case than he thought it would be. As his depression lifts, Sid sees connections everywhere he looks, and everything starts coming together.

As a sly and thief, anything imbued with strong emotions and purpose enough to create mojo, the magic of the underground trade, will catch Sid's eye. A missing teen's room is full of mojo for some reason, and he's got multiple debts to pay crippling depression, and a murderous reflection on the loose. It doesn't seem like a situation he can dig himself out of, but Sid has been in the game for a long time. As he moves through it, we learn not only about the girl he's looking for, but the world he lives in and the threats it faces with modern-day problems. The internet takes up so much more time and energy and doesn't generate mojo the way physical objects do.

The world of Catchpenny is a world within a world, where those in the know move alongside the average person, who will never realize something weird is happening. It reminds me a bit of Rabbits and similar books, where the other hidden world can still affect the regular one. And like those books, the influence of magic on the Real World can still change its trajectory and harm many. Sid thinks he understands the connections that tie him to Circe and what she's doing, his long-dead wife and the man with his face that killed her. The conclusion of the novel is where it all comes together: the truth, the magic, the plans that everyone had all along that Sid never truly understood. It drew me in, just like the magic of the large spell in the book, and then it all made perfect sense. Sid isn't going to make or break the world, exactly, but even the ones planning to do so need people like him to make their plans work. The epilogue especially made me smile because it really did pull everything together. Sid spent the entire book saying it was all connected, and by the end it really was.

I have to tell you, I’m not really sure how to describe this one. I know I can’t do a better job describing the book than the blurb already does, so I won’t bother trying. And yet I also feel the description only hints at what you’ll find. The world and Sidney Catchpenny himself are utterly fascinating. The concept of traveling through mirrors isn’t all that original and yet Charlie Huston has made it feel fresh, and it’s such a great skill to have as thief. Reading Catchpenny I was struck with the feeling that for many this will be a book they either love or hate. While not perfect, this is such a wild story filled with some incredible characters. I definitely fall into the love category. As for who this one might appeal to? Well this book touches on and combines so many genres I can see appealing to those that like mysteries, supernatural thriller, fantasy, noir, sci-fi. I’d like to thank Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Catchpenny.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2CU58CSRWXYB7/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Catchpenny by Charlie Huston is a really great and compelling sci-fi thriller!
To be honest I thought this story was weird but so interesting.
The twist and characters are done so well here. I was hooked once I started and didn’t want to put my Kindle down.
The pacing, plotting and characterization is so well done.
With meticulous attention to detail and a riveting plot, Black keeps readers guessing until the final pages, making for a thrilling read.

Thank You NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Magical realism in a criminal underworld. This novel is an odd one and it goes in a lot of directions, with fisticuffs one moment and philosophy the next. It was engrossing and I did want to keep reading to find out what was really going on.

***ARC received from knopf Doubleday and NetGalley, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

Catchpenny is a modern day urban fantasy with magic or mojo, a protagonist that just wants to wallow in his own misery and a missing girl. This book hit all the right notes for me.

Sidney Catchpenny is a reluctant protagonist who has lost his spark and just wants to be left alone. Lingering in misery after the murder of his wife, selling his heart and voice to gain access to the ability to sly. A type of thief that can move within the mirrors. I really liked Sid, he is in no way a hero. He wants to just be left alone but his history is catching up with him and fast. He puts everything together and I think a lot of it comes down to no one really believes in him. Nothing more than an afterthought so why not spill everything to the guy you think can’t do anything. Even Sid doesn’t have much faith in himself. I really enjoyed watching his arc, slowly coming to the truth of his past and the roll he both did and didn’t play. The rest of the characters are a mix of old school and new age in how their use and utilize magic or mojo.

The magic system in this universe has so much potential. The old rules are slowly giving way to the new rules and its an interesting mix of how things are changing within the world. I really liked the way people move through the mirror but more importantly how peoples images are pulled from the mirrors. Its so interesting in how people use this ability from the old way it was used to the new way we see if used. The manikans are really fascinating in how each it used.

The writing it great, fast paced that keeps the story moving along. Things tie back into other things, the album and the shirt, everything finally comes full circle. When it does it is delivered in a satisfying way that all makes sense. Every small piece fits together, why they came to Sid, why he is so important. Everyone has a piece of the puzzle, you learn about it throughout the book until the end and it works. Yes, its a little out there but for me it does work as its all laid out. Its very much about the old guard playing by a set of rules and the new guard that finds that its easier to make their own rules. Its just a generational clash and we have so far been only given the knowledge from Sid who is old guard. I really wish the book had explored this more since it was such a fascinating piece of the story but I get that this was more about Sid and his arc, fascinating as it was there was enough left that doesn’t ever get really filled it.

I’m not sure if this will be just a stand alone story or if it will be continued in some way. There is a lot of potential for a follow up book to see how things have changed after the end of the book. If there is I would definitely be back to read another book.

If you love an urban fantasy with a reluctant protagonist and a world filled with a unique magic system I highly recommend Catchpenny.

This review will be posted on the Fanbase Press website later.

Add one aging singer turned magical thief, a missing girl, a sudden worldwide obsession with death cults, and a dash of intensely lifechanging MMORPG; shake furiously while focusing all your willpower on the final concoction; and serve. You might have something that begins to resemble the chaotic whirlwind of Charlie Huston’s new novel, Catchpenny. In a universe where devotion and attachment to physical objects gives them power that anyone can access (for a small personal price), and reflections can be portals or take lives of their own, Sid Catchpenny was at the top of the mojo pilfering food chain. Debilitating chronic depression nearly destroyed his career, but when an old acquaintance asks Sid for help finding a missing girl it might be a chance to fix everything.
Catchpenny took several chapters to suck me in simply because the plot starts small and seems random while it lays the foundations for the brilliant finish. Nothing (or at least very little) enters the pages without a reason, even if it’s not obvious immediately. For me it was likely reading a piece of knitting where the individual strands of yarn eventually came together to create a whole. I enjoyed the conclusion, but some aspects of the journey were more tedious that I had anticipated.
Sid Catchpenny acts as reader focal, but I realized quickly that his severe chronic depression made him a somewhat unreliable narrator. I’ve had my own battle with recurrent depression, and I recognized quickly that Sid’s perception did not always match reality. Since Sid played my guide in this unfamiliar world though I had to take his observations as fact. Huston plays with this skillfully, especially when Sid’s core belief about his wife’s death is shattered.
Unfortunately, Catchpenny is again one of those stories that works best if you don’t know too much about the plot going in. Sid’s emotional and physical journey lies against a wild backdrop of characters and circumstances that seem impossible to combine without self-combustion. Remember the key saving the world is destroying it first; it just may not be clear how to demolish things without erasing them completely.
4 Daring Uses of Compact Mirrors out of 5