High Vaultage - by Chris Sugden & Jen Sugden

Book Synopsis

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
⭐ ⭐ SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE FOR COMIC FICTION ⭐ ⭐

'A joyously funny and absurd steampunk frolic that satirises both the era in which it is set and our own age'
FINANCIAL TIMES

From the creators of the acclaimed audio drama podcast Victoriocity comes a cozy scifi mystery set in the chaotic metropolis of Even Greater London - unmissable for fans of Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series and Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

EVEN GREATER LONDON, 1887: a vast, uninterrupted urban plane encompassing the entire lower half of England and, for complex reasons, only the upper third of the Isle of Wight... The immense Tower casts electricity across the sky itself, powering the mind-boggling mechanisms of the city below; the notorious engineer-army swarms through its very veins, building, demolishing, and rebuilding whatever they see fit; and - at the heart of it all - sits the country's first ever private detective agency.

Archibald Fleet and Clara Entwhistle hoped things would pick up quickly for their new enterprise. No one is taking them seriously, but their break will come soon. Definitely... Probably.

Meanwhile, police are baffled by a series of impossible bank robberies, their resources wholly absorbed by the case. Which means that when a woman witnesses a kidnapping, Fleet-Entwhistle Private Investigations is the only place she can turn for help. Luckily they're more than happy to oblige.

But what's the motive behind the kidnap? As Clara and Fleet investigate, they find more than they could ever have imagined...

READERS ARE LOVING HIGH VAULTAGE:

'One of the most original stories I've read' NetGalley review
'Clever, original, funny, sharp, satirical and incredibly entertaining' NetGalley review
'My favourite steampunk/humorous alt history novel' NetGalley review
'A wonderful escape from real life' NetGalley review
'Great fun and endlessly inventive. This was a riotously imaginative read' NetGalley review
'Reminds me of the Discworld books, which is NOT a comparison I use lightly' NetGalley review
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Chris and Jen Sugden's book 'High Vaultage' was a No. 5 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 18-03-2024.

Review Quotes

HIGH VAULTAGE is a joyous, delightful romp through the streets (and omnibuses and frozen, glacial rivers) of Even Greater London. There is no corner of this book that isn't richly imagined, beautifully rendered, and filled to the brim with clever jokes -- perfect for anyone looking for a Pratchett fix!--Caitlin Schneiderhan

It is everything I hoped it would be (everything the radio show led me to think it would be) and more: a masterly comic writing and a superb piece of worldbuilding, as perfect a piece of neo-Victoriania as I remember since ... well, since the actual Victorian epoch, which I remember well. You will laugh, you will cry (with laughter), and most of all you will frantically turn the pages. Unlike Queen Victoria, we are most assuredly amused

Prepare for an electrifying ride through Even Greater London in this delightfully twisted mash-up of Douglas Adams and Charles Dickens. High Vaultage positively crackles with invention and intrigue and I loved every page. Mark my words: Fleet and Clara are destined to join the waxwork hall of fame for all-time great literary detective duos

Wickedly funny, deliriously inventive, delightfully weird. The Sugdens' Even Greater London is one of the best-realised fantasy playgrounds since Great A'Tuin ambled across the stars with The Discworld on their back

If you put Sherlock Holmes in a blender with Dickens, and then filtered it through a Terry Pratchett filter - the result is a whole lot of fun--Front Row, BBC Radio 4

If Douglas Adams . . . were still alive and wanted to get into podcasting, VICTORIOCITY might likely be something he'd have written--Vulture

The sheer inventiveness keeps you sleuthing on--The Financial Times

About the Author

Both originally from Yorkshire, Chris and Jen Sugden hold PhDs in Science and Technology Studies and Victorian Literature respectively, which goes some way to explaining Victoriocity. They were part of the writing team behind the BBC Sounds anthology series Murmurs, and have spent many years writing and performing scripted and improvised comedy around the UK. They live in Oxford with their son and two intermittently obedient terriers.