The Glass Slide World - (The Naturalist Society) by Carrie Vaughn (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Award-winning author Carrie Vaughn's sequel to The Naturalist Society follows a young scientist unlocking her magical abilities amid a high-seas adventure filled with international intrigue.

The year is 1902, and the world is changing with the new century. Twenty-one-year-old Ava Stanley, the daughter of two celebrated Arcane Taxonomists, has much to live up to--however scarce her magical abilities may be.

While her parents draw power from spectacular birds and megafauna, Ava's connection to the natural world is much smaller, stemming from the microscopic. This is useful in her quest to become a doctor, as she studies the burgeoning links between bacteria and disease, but it means Ava's power itself is also smaller. Even so, she plans to make the most of it when she boards a ship to Nassau, where she'll continue her research.

But those plans change when pirates take over the ship, bringing with them danger, mystery, and the stirrings of war. Amid the chaos, Ava forges connections with her fellow travelers. And in them, she begins to find that every tiny piece of the world has the power to strengthen it...or shatter it completely.

Review Quotes

"The sequel to The Naturalist Society continues the lineage of a delightful magical polycule family as it explores the power of nature. Vaughn's worldbuilding expands on the series' intersection of science and magic, while strictures of gender and class pose obstacles that reflect the novel's historical setting." --Library Journal (starred review)