A girl's quest to find her father leads her to an extended family of magical fighting booksellers who police the mythical Old World of England when it intrudes on the modern world. From the bestselling master of fantasy, Garth Nix.
In a slightly alternate London in 1983, Susan Arkshaw is looking for her father, a man she has never met. Crime boss Frank Thringley might be able to help her, but Susan doesn't get time to ask Frank any questions before he is turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin.
Merlin is a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones), who with the right-handed booksellers (the intellectual ones), are an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world, in addition to running several bookshops.
Susan's search for her father begins with her mother's possibly misremembered or misspelt surnames, a reading room ticket, and a silver cigarette case engraved with something that might be a coat of arms.
Merlin has a quest of his own, to find the Old World entity who used ordinary criminals to kill his mother. As he and his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, tread in the path of a botched or covered-up police investigation from years past, they find this quest strangely overlaps with Susan's. Who or what was her father? Susan, Merlin, and Vivien must find out, as the Old World erupts dangerously into the New.
The series
In a London where the mundane and the mystical collide, the Left-Handed Booksellers of London series takes readers on a whirlwind adventure through a city steeped in hidden magic and ancient lore. This isn’t your typical urban fantasy—here, magical booksellers are not just librarians, but fierce protectors of reality, guarding against the wild forces of the Old World that constantly threaten to spill into the present.
Read full series description
At the heart of the story is Susan Arkshaw, an art student whose search for her mysterious father plunges her into this secretive world. What begins as a personal quest quickly becomes something much more dangerous as she finds herself entangled with a family of magical beings, each with their own role in keeping the balance between the supernatural and the everyday. But the booksellers have their own agendas, and not everyone can be trusted.
Enter Merlin, the charming and unpredictable left-handed bookseller, who uses both his considerable fighting skills and his magical prowess to protect the city from lurking threats. Together with his intellectual and savvy sister Vivien, Merlin helps Susan navigate a landscape where magical creatures, ancient prophecies, and hidden truths are just a few of the dangers that await.
This series expertly blends fast-paced action, quirky humor, and an immersive alternate history of London where myths and legends live just around the corner. It’s a world where knowledge is power, and the very bookshelves are a battleground. With a rich, detailed world that feels both familiar and entirely new, the Left-Handed Booksellers of London series offers a fresh take on magical realism, grounded in sharp character dynamics and a growing sense of wonder.
If you’re drawn to stories where the hidden world is just beneath the surface, and where every book might hold a secret that could change everything, this series invites you to open its pages and discover a magical world you never knew existed.
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