"This absolutely cracking LoveReading Star Book is packed full of adventures in Hong Kong, the US, and UK, as a secret society strives to keep magical objects from falling into dangerous hands.
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What an adventure! Magical realism hits with intense energy as a society sworn to protect powerful items finds themselves in a battle against a murderous enemy. Magda Sparks begins to unravel secrets as she investigates the report of a newly discovered unknowable object. While delving into magic, this is not a ‘wave the wand’ to make everything better type of story. What we have here is dark, dangerous, and wild; mix that with friendship and courage, and you have the most thrilling quest on your hands. With a this-worldly setting, the UK, Kong Kong, and US are recognisably of the here and now. The characters feel authentic, the society members have positive and negative qualities ensuring they feel well-rounded. I questioned some decisions, wondered who I could trust, and was completed invested in the plot. The magical side of the story is just fabulous, the ultimate power of the objects lies in the hands of the wielder. I thoroughly enjoyed the sections that slipped into the mind of the enemy, it allowed intricate layers to build, encouraging you to see beyond the obvious. My word, what an ending! I was left with thoughts shooting around my head which is why as well as a Liz Pick of the Month this also joins our LoveReading Star Books. Rewarding and exciting, The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown crackles with vibrancy and power as it leads to its oh-so satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended.
The world of unknowable objects - magical items that most people have no idea possess powers - has been quiet for decades . . .
But three current members of a secret society have remained watchful, meeting every six months in the basement of a bookshop in London. They are pledged to protect their archive of magical items hidden away, safe from the outside world - and keep the world safe from them. But when Frank Simpson, the longest-standing member of the Society of Unknowable Objects, hears of a new artefact coming to light in Hong Kong, he sends the Society's newest member, author Magda Sparks, to investigate.
Within hours of arriving in Hong Kong, Magda is facing death and danger, confronted by a professional killer who seems to know all about unknowable objects, specifically one that was stolen from him a decade before. Magda is forced to flee, using an artefact that not even the rest of the Society knows about.
Returning to London, Magda learns hers is not the only secret being kept from the other two members. And that the most pernicious secret is about the nature of the Society's mission. Her discoveries will lead her on a perilous journey, across the Atlantic to the deep south of the United States - not in pursuit of an unknowable object, but an unknowable person: the killer she first faced in Hong Kong. In doing so, Magda begins to understand that there are even more in the world who are chasing these magical items, and that her own family's legacy is tied up in keeping all these secrets under wraps.
Magic has always been too powerful to reveal to the world. But Magda will learn there might be something even more powerful: the truth.
'Joyful, exuberant, and crackling with adventure. This book is as magical as those it celebrates.' STUART TURTON, author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
'A stunning fever dream of a story that feels completely real - don't miss this fantastic thriller debut.' LEE CHILD
'A real page-turner - incredibly ambitious and inventive, The Book of Doors is a great read.' ROSIE ANDREWS, author of The Leviathan
Author
About Gareth Brown
Gareth Brown is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book of Doors. He spent many years working in the UK Civil Service and is currently Director of Screening for NHS Scotland. He lives with his wife and their two Skye terriers near Edinburgh, but as an avid traveller he can often be found in different cities around the world, poking about in curiosity shops in search of unknowable objects.
You can follow him on Bluesky @garethjohnbrown.bsky.social, on Instagram garethjbrown13, and his website www.garethbrownbooks.com
