Gareth Brown's second book 'The Society of Unknowable Objects' belongs to the same magical world as his debut 'The book of Doors.' In this novel, Magda Sparks, a writer herself, inherits a place in the eponymous society: finding simple objects that turn out to have extreme powers to safeguard them from nefarious use. Told many different versions of how the items came to exist by her long term friend and the leader of the society Frank Simpson, Magda initially has a childlike acceptance of the magic behind the items. However, as the story progresses, this naivety is severely challenged when a professional killer is on her tail, and she is confronted by a man who can not die.

Initially I wondered if Brown's two books were two similar and as a result, formulaic. But as the book progressed I really enjoyed the story. Brown's world building is strong, the magical elements are believable, and I particularly enjoyed the friendships between the main characters. At the end of it Brown notes that whilst this book was harder to write, it had a simpler structure than the debut, and I think it is this that makes it more propulsive than the first. There was the odd reference that suggests the two books might come together one day, and it will be interesting to see how Brown does this.

In this book, we follow a small group that is responsible for guarding magical artefacts in the basement of a London bookshop. When rumours of a new magical item come through from Hong Kong, the Society's newest member, author Magda Sparks, is sent to investigate.

This story is set in the same universe as the author's previous novel, The Book of Doors. There are a few Easter eggs and hints of a potential sequel bringing both books together, but it can easily be read as a standalone.

I found the characters complex and relatable. The writing was fluid and conveyed the pace of the story, picking up during adventure scenes and slowing down for more philosophical or emotional moments.

A recommended read for fans of secret societies and magical realism.

Thank you to NetGalley and TransWorld Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I eagerly sat down to read this book after reading The book of Doors, I found it immersive but not to the extent of Gareth Browns previous book.

In places it seemed as if too much detail was added for no apparent reason, was the author trying to pad out the book?

The trip that the three of them went on seemed to go on forever. But it was still a pretty good read.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

With thanks to Gareth Brown, Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

A spellbinding blend of mystery, magic, and secret societies, The Society of Unknowable Objects is the kind of novel that pulls you into its hidden world and makes you want to stay there.

Gareth Brown crafts a clever and compelling story, centred around a quiet group guarding magical artefacts in the basement of a London bookshop. When a dangerous item surfaces in Hong Kong, newly recruited author Magda Sparks is sent to investigate—and quickly discovers she’s in far deeper than she imagined. Her journey leads from backstreet danger to transatlantic secrets, with twists that reveal not just hidden objects, but the truth about the Society itself.

The writing is fluid and immersive, balancing whimsy with suspense. Magda is a wonderful protagonist: curious, resourceful, and refreshingly human amid all the chaos. There’s a subtle tension throughout—magic feels thrilling but risky, and the idea of unknowable objects makes everything deliciously unpredictable.

A great pick for fans of modern fantasy with an old-world feel. It’s smart, imaginative, and leaves just enough unsaid to keep you wondering long after you finish.

After loving Gareth Brown’s The Book of Doors last year, this easily became one of my most anticipated reads. And let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint.

Two times a year, a secret society meets in a cellar under a bookshop. They are the protectors of an archive of secret magical objects, which can be misused in the hands of a wrong person. When Magda is sent to Hong Kong to retrieve a magical object, she comes across an assassin who’s also hunting the objects. Being back in London, Magda realises there are secrets surrounding the society and the magical objects they’re protecting.

This was another great magical realism novel. While I didn’t like it as much as it’s predecessor, it was still a great story to read. Like the author said, it is hard to write a second novel, especially since the first one was so great.

The characters are all well developed. I really liked that most of them were relatable yet frustrating at the same time. The magic system was quite simple, yet also effective and believable. I really hope Brown will write another book in the same universe.

Thank you to Transworld Publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

As soon as I heard that Gareth Brown had released a new book following The Book of Doors (not a sequel but, in the same world,) of course I had to get my hands on it. The Society of Unknowable Objects is founded on the precept of a society made up of four members whose duty is to protect the world from magical objects. Its senior member and chair Frank Simpson leads them in taking action when news of an item appearing in Hong Kong, sending Magda Sparks to retrieve it, and subsequently triggering a magical game of cat and mouse that could have terrible consequences for the world.

Brown doesn’t fail in launching straight into the mystery and magical action, throwing Magda straight into the deep end, especially as all is not what it seems. Brown has woven a complex and twisty plot that will leave you guessing right until the end.

I absolutely love the core members of the society and other key characters that Brown draws into the story, from Magda’s relatability, steadfastness and faith to Henry’s absolute don’t give a damn attitude if it doesn’t concern those she lives and cares for. Frank, Im not so sure about, he’s very stuck on his path and distrusting of others but, as a group, they are formidable!

I’m also not going to complain about the references to TBOD and can truly say I devoured this romp of an adventure in one afternoon on my floaty chair in the pool!

Thank-you to NetGalley, Random House UK and Transworld Publishing for this arc in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

3.5 up to 4 for its potential.

I enjoyed this book but not quite as much as I expected. It is a great idea and I liked the characters but I did feel that there was too much description of mundane, everyday things, just for padding, and sometimes it felt a bit flat.

There was no real feeling of menace or danger or the need to prevent evil doers from using the magic for impressively nefarious means. Owen was not that menacing and was obviously only in it for himself rather than with some plan for world domination or enslavement or whatever. And poor Lukasz, I felt very sorry for him. I would rather Magda had done what he wanted, surely without artefacts he could have done very little harm?

I have been meaning to read The Book of Doors and this book has encouraged me to move it closer to the top of the TBR list and I would read other books set in the same world.

The Society has been quiet for decades with no new objects found.
There are three members who all meet every six months with Frank in charge. then Frank gets word that a new object has been found in Hong Kong and sends Magda off to retrieve it. She arrives but is soon faced with a killer wanting the object. She escapes with the artefact by using special magic powers which no-one else knows about.
She then goes on a journey through the Atlantic and America to find the killer and realises she is not the only one hunting the artefacts and that she is seeking the truth .

This is an absolutely stunning read if you like magic mixed with the ordinary. I was expecting this to be great as I loved the author’s previous book, but I think this one is even better. The characters leap off the page and into your mind because they are so well described. Total magic!

Thank you for allowing me to access this on Netgalley.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, so much so I am going to read the book before this.
I will give no spoilers but there are many twists and turns, and adventures.
A great holiday read, or a winters day read.
Thank you again

The Society of Unknowable Objects takes its duty to safeguard the world from magical artifacts with grave seriousness—even in the absence of notable activity for decades. When veteran member Frank Simpson hears of a new item surfacing in Hong Kong, he dispatches his colleague Magda Sparks to retrieve it, unintentionally launching the Society into a globe-spanning game of cat and mouse.

I was stoked to realise that Gareth Brown had a second book due for realease, and immediately requested an arc. I loved his first novel, The Book of Doors, so had high expectations for this. I can safely say it was exactly what I was hoping for.

From the first page we are imersed in the magic and wonder, with us following Magda's mother Imelda as she searches for magical objects. There's no drawn out discover arc here, instead Brown weaves the history of the society with the present day action, creating a cohesive and immersive story.

The plot whisks us through multiple international locations, slowly revealing more about each magical object along the way. Even with Magda and her allies possessing mystical tools, I wasn't sure they would prevail — Brown kept me guessing right to the end.

Magda is a relatable protagonist, and seeing navigate friendship, loss, terror and realisation that the world isn't quite as she knew it, was something that I appreciated. I wasn't sure what to make of Frank. I found him incredibly frustrating, and felt his lack of trust ultimately damaged his relationships and put his friends at risk. I've never been a fan of people not being open and honest though so that's not surprising.

Finally one of the biggest higlights for me was references and links to Brown's previous books. Dare I hope from the epilogue that there could be more to come, perhaps even something that will link the two books together?

A must read for anyone who is a fan of modern fantasy.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House UK and Transworld Publishing for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Gareth Brown, Random House and Netgalley for a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was a big fan of Gareth Brown's debut book last year, 'The Book of Doors.' It started off with a fairly simple premise of a girl who finds a magic book and rapidly takes various twists and turns to end in an enjoyable high concept way I wasn't expecting. I actually received an arc copy of that book too and really enjoyed getting to meet Gareth himself at Cymera and talk to him about his book. I was of course, very excited for his next book, particularly as it was set within the same universe as The Book of Doors.
The Society of Unknowable Objects shares a lot of things with Gareth's debut work - a plucky young woman mentored by an older man is thrust into a world of magic and sees its wonder and beauty, before then being faced with the dangers of said magic being placed in the wrong hands. For me unfortunately though, this book lacked some of the surprise and great characterisation I found in The Book of Doors. The cast were quite surface level in terms of their depth and I never really got a good sense of their personalities or felt any real warmth for any of them - one guy is literally just described constantly as the 'perfect man' and it got irritating quite fast. The plot too felt somewhat lacking and whilst Gareth does say in the acknowledgement that this is a simpler book compared to his debut, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that, it also just didn't grip me enough and it did some of the same twists and turns as his first book which didn't have the same sense of surprise the second time around.
There were some great ideas here and Gareth's writing is still very readable with some great turns of phrase but this one just didn't work for me. I appreciated the cameo at the end though which hinted at further possible stories set in this world but if it's following these specific cast of characters I'll probably give it a miss.

I will preface this by saying that I didn't read the authors first book, which seems to have been recommended by a lot of other readers.

The plot to me was very slow and a little boring. The characters weren't hugely interesting and the dialogue seemed clunky.

I'm sure there are people who loved this but it just wasn't for me.

I received this ARC on NetGalley. Thank you so much Netgalley and the publisher!

Is magic evil or good? Do we have the right to own and use it?

Immediately, I was hooked by the description. A secret society that collects magical items and with a mystery on top is brilliant!

Straight away I was attached to our main characters, I love how normal their lives are at the start as an object hasn't been found in a long time so they were just living a normal life.

I enjoyed this book, it's my first read by Gareth Brown ( Book Doors is on my TBR). The world-building was excellent, with the characters well written and the progress throughout the story was very nicely paced.

Looking forward to a sequel!


I will be posting on instagram as well.

It took me a while to get round to reading this author's debut ‘The Book of Doors’ despite having an advanced proof. I eventually devoured it – so when the proof of the follow up (not sequel) came knocking, I was quick off the mark.

There’s very little I can say about ‘The Society of Unknowable Objects’ for fear of major spoilers but I’ll try – mostly by plagiarising the blurb.

Magda Sparks (like her mother Imelda, before her) belongs to a secret society whose sole purpose is to gather magical items with extraordinary powers. How these items exist in the world is not known (at this time – spoilers) and the society is run by Frank (superseding his father’s role).

However the society isn’t as secret as first thought and the group are told of a new object that has been found in Hong Kong. Magda volunteers to travel to retrieve the item but… well, things don’t go exactly as planned and let’s just say that other secrets are uncovered on her journey.

Like ‘The Book of Doors’ there are some magical scenes as well as particularly distressing ones. And the author has come up with not one, but two baddies – or has he?

‘The Society of Unknowable Objects’ travels along at a fair pace as the history of the society and the objects they seek is slowly peeled away and its true origins revealed. All of which leads to a ‘Good versus Evil’ showdown.

I finished this in just a few days – which is testament to how well Gareth writes. There wasn’t an instance where I didn’t want to not pick it up!

There’s a lovely little easter egg halfway through ‘Society’ which I patted myself on the back for discovering (well done me). And those final few pages are just… delightful.

All in all ‘The Society of Unknowable Objects’ is a fine second novel with a few surprises thrown in – it all bodes well for the next one.

Magical.

Fantasy adventure novel - engaging and exciting.

Magda is a member of the Society of Unknowable Objects, the mission of which is to safeguard against the use of magical objects. However all is not as it seems as she becomes involved in the hunt for such objects and her whole world turns topsy-turvey. Action moves around the world and many odd and interesting characters become involved. It's all a bit frenetic at times but it's very much and adventure story with frequent and unexpected use of magic. It's an enjoyable tale, engaging and entertaining. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed how this author writes about magic, the idea of what appear to be every day items that can do extraordinary things is fascinating to me. I liked how the range of characters reacted to magic is such a realistic way and how the plot of this book sucked you in and kept you there until the very end of the book.

Another tale of fantasy and magic from Gareth Brown.

In this book, a small secret society guards magical objects with unknowable powers from getting into the wrong hands.

There were definitely aspects to enjoy in this book. The suspense, the light romance, the magic and I did like the BoD easter eggs. All the threads of the story built to a satisfying conclusion too.

However I didn’t get the same connection with this as with the Book of Doors, which I adored. I found Unknowable Objects to be a bit too similar at times but without the charm of originality. It also reads a bit YA for me in places.

Still an entertaining read though and perhaps my expectations were just too high after the first book. I’m still looking forward to reading what comes next.

I hadn’t read the author’s previous book but the premise of this caught my attention, and I was excited to receive an eARC. The main character, Magda, becomes a member of the Society of Unknowable Objects after the death of her mother. For years the role of the society has been an uneventful one, guarding magical objects from the world. That is until a new object is discovered. From the start, the story draws you into the world of these objects and the secret society determined to keep them out of the wrong hands. Blending mystery with magical realism, the book is a suspenseful and imaginative tale. The writing style is engaging, the author vividly describing the extraordinary objects and their powers. The twists were genuinely surprising, keeping me hooked and eager to see what happened next. It’s a compelling, fast paced read. I would recommend this book and I’ll definitely be reading the author’s debut.

Was pleased to get an ARC of this having enjoyed the author's last book, The Book of Doors, and it's much of the same: a diverting magical tale with likeable characters and a decent plot. I found it took a while to get started, but as it progressed it felt a little darker - and perhaps a little more grown up - than its predecessor. It feels like there's a bit of depth missing for me, a something I can't quite put my finger on, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely return for more.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.