The Queen of All Crows

The First Book in The Map of Unknown Things

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 02 Jan 2018 | Archive Date 14 Dec 2017

Talking about this book? Use #TheQueenOfAllCrows #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

Only one woman can stop the world from descending into endless war in this thrilling steampunk alternative history set in the world of the Gas-Lit Empire

The year is 2012. The nations of the world are bound together in an alliance of collective security, overseen by the International Patent Office, and its ruthless stranglehold on technology.

When airships start disappearing in the middle of the Atlantic, the Patent Office is desperate to discover what has happened. Forbidden to operate beyond the territorial waters of member nations, they send spies to investigate in secret.

One of those spies is Elizabeth Barnabus. She must overcome her dislike of the controlling Patent Office, disguise herself as a man, and take to the sea in search of the floating nation of pirates who threaten the world order.
Only one woman can stop the world from descending into endless war in this thrilling steampunk alternative history set in the world of the Gas-Lit Empire

The year is 2012. The nations of the world...

Advance Praise

PRAISE FOR THE FALL OF THE GAS-LIT EMPIRE

“Elizabeth Barnabus is a uniquely intriguing character who will take readers on a fascinating journey through the strange landscapes of the Gas Lit Empire. Rod Duncan’s storytelling skill brings his fictional world to a mysterious, vibrant life.”
–  Stephen Booth, bestselling author of the Cooper & Fry series

“Rod Duncan’s The Bullet Catcher’s Daughter 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.”
– Graham Joyce, author of Year of the Ladybird

“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.”
– Publishers Weekly

“Rod Duncan’s talent has combined inventive plot and characterisation to create a smart, amusing and fascinating tale that had me reading long into the night.”
– Fantasy Faction

“It’s all steampunk and circus wonder as we follow the adventures of Elizabeth Barnabas.The double crosses along the way keep the plot tight and fun, and the conclusion sets us up nicely for book two.”
– The Washington Post, Best New Science Fiction and Steampunk

“If I had a bowler hat, I’d take it off to the author of this beautifully crafted steampunk novel.”
– Chris D’Lacey, author of The Last Dragon Chronicles

“Looking for a good book?  Mystery, duplicity, secret societies, alchemy, romance, action … The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter by Rod Duncan has it all and promises to be the talked-about/must-read book for sci-fi/fantasy enthusiasts this year!”
– Looking For A Good Read

“I was immediately hooked by the world Duncan created. What would the world look like if the Industrial Revolution had been halted, even reverse? What really made this book for me was Elizabeth Barnabas. Her unusual upbringing in a traveling circus and her five years of forced independence have made her clever and strong. She’s a wonderful character and it was a treat to watch her work through the challenges the cropped up as she find out why everyone wants to get their hands on the Duchess’s missing brother. The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter is the opening book in a series and I will be eagerly waiting for the next installment of Elizabeth’s adventures.”
– Summer Reading Project

The Bullet Catcher’s Daughter is an entertaining book that has some genuine, original touches combined with a clever story and even cleverer characters.”
– SF Book Reviews

“Rod Duncan has successfully written an absorbing tale from the perspective of a woman in the early nineteenth century.  This is science-fiction with the sub genre of Steampunk, so technology is unorthodox and fascinating. A cracking read.”
– Fancy Pans Cafe

“Any writer who can, without infodumping, bring me directly into a fantastical and outrageously unlikely alternate steampunk world earned your scarce book-buying dollars. He gave such reality to the conundrum of how to simply exist as a woman in the world he’s made that I was wincing, squirming, and blushing for the privilege that being male has always brought. Please believe me…this is powerful storytelling talent working so smoothly you can’t feel the strain. ”

– Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud

The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter is a unique and immaculately crafted novel that everyone should read, whether they’re a fantasy novice or expert.”– The Writer’s Den

PRAISE FOR THE FALL OF THE GAS-LIT EMPIRE

“Elizabeth Barnabus is a uniquely intriguing character who will take readers on a fascinating journey through the strange landscapes of the Gas Lit Empire...


Marketing Plan

For all marketing and publicity, including blog tours, please contact penny.reeve@angryrobotbooks.com.

For all marketing and publicity, including blog tours, please contact penny.reeve@angryrobotbooks.com.


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780857667007
PRICE $9.99 (USD)
PAGES 370

Average rating from 13 members


Featured Reviews

Rod Duncan's earlier book, <em>The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter</em>, was one of the most powerful books I'd read in a long time. The follow-up books were just as strong and just like that Rod Duncan became one of my most eagerly-anticipated authors.

<em>The Queen of All Crows</em> continues with the same core set of characters as the Gas-Lit Empire series but moves away from the gritty steampunk London and takes adventure to the high seas. But we don't deviate far from the world where the Patent Office holds the most power. We're still in a world of fantastic machines and inventions but now we find our heroine, Elizabeth, stranded on an island of female pirates who have enslaved the men and put Elizabeth through a grueling challenge to determine whether she can live with the other women on the island or be put to death. The Queen of All Crows and her two daughters will determine Elizabeth's fate. But an attack on their secret land puts Elizabeth at the forefront in a battle she will lose no matter the outcome.

Duncan is an absolute master storyteller. In addition to a well-devised story with a plot that unfolds around us as we immerse ourselves in the story, we get a rich, detailed world that is just different enough from the world we think we know that it has an air of mystery around it.

As real and fantastic as this world and this setting is that Duncan has created, at the heart of the story are marvelous characters.

If you've read any of my reviews prior to this you probably know that I'm often focused on the characters and whether or not we buy in to their plight. All of Duncan's characters are unique, strong in their own way, and fully realized. Even the most minor characters feel like actual people and not just fodder for an author to use for slaughter or filler. This is a real relief as we don't often see this.

And because we have characters who are so real we find it easy to get invested in what they are doing. Elizabeth is such a marvelously complex character. I'm thrilled that her story didn't end with the Gas-Lit Empire series. Despite the steampunk sensibility of this story, Elizabeth is a most modern heroine and her adventure here is completely absorbing and well worth reading.

Put Rod Duncan on your Must-Read list.

Looking for a good book? <em>The Queen of All Crows</em> by Rod Duncan continues the adventures of Elizabeth Barnabus - and that's a very good thing if you like very well-written, character-driven science fiction/fantasy.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: