High Vaultage - by Chris Sugden & Jen Sugden

About the Book

"1887. London, but not as you know it. The Industrial Revolution went further than anyone could have imagined, and the sprawling, chaotic metropolis of Even Greater London spreads across the southern half of England. The immense Tower casts electricity through the sky, powering the mind-boggling mechanisms of the city. The engineer-army of Isambard Kingdom Brunel swarms across the capital, building, demolishing, and rebuilding whatever they see fit. Queen Victoria is recovering nicely from her eleventh assassination, ruling with the dignity that comes from striking terror into anyone who sees the unholy union of human and machine that one has become. And at the heart of all this sits the country's first Private Investigation Agency. Archibald Fleet (formerly of Scotland Yard, currently administratively deceased) and Clara Entwhistle (formerly of Harrogate, currently intermittent crime journalist) 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. With no trace left of the thieves, and nothing to connect each break-in to the next, their resources are 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 e more than happy to oblige! But why would this man be a target for kidnappers? As Clara and Fleet dig into the mystery, things go deeper than they could ever have anticipated"--

Book Synopsis

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'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

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

CHRIS AND JEN SUGDEN are the creators of the audio drama podcast Victoriocity. Originally from Yorkshire, they met as undergraduates at the University of Oxford and hold PhDs in Science and Technology Studies and Victorian Literature respectively. They were part of the writing team behind Murmurs (BBC Sounds) 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.