Some books don’t even need to try that hard to hook the readers. Secret societies. Magical artefacts. Bookshops with basements. You had us at "hello."
We’re counting down the days until the release of The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown. If the title alone doesn’t send your curiosity into overdrive, just wait until you hear the premise.
There’s a hidden world threaded through our own. A world of objects with strange, inexplicable powers: unknowable, untraceable, and very much not for public use at all. Only three members of a long-standing secret society keep the archive safe, meeting every six months under a London bookshop to keep the world safe from the items... and vice versa.
Then, of course, something goes wrong. Because it always does.
When word reaches the Society that a new object has surfaced in Hong Kong, Magda Sparks, a writer, and the newest (and perhaps the most reluctant) member, is sent to investigate. What follows sounds like a thrill ride through shadowy streets, buried family secrets, and dangerous truths, as Magda uncovers far more than she has bargained for.
This book ticks every box for us:
- Hidden corners in London? Check.
- Magic that lives in the margins of ordinary life? Yep.
- A bookish protagonist with secrets of her own? Just take my money!
- A plot that moves from foggy cities to the deep American South? We’re lighting the candles already.
Talking of candles, we’ll be pairing this one with Witchwood Tales, our fantasy-themed, musky-berry blend that smells like enchanted archives and forgotten spells. Or maybe Noir Mystery, for those cloak-and-dagger moments in Hong Kong. Either way, this feels like the perfect read for candlelight and a big, creeping sense of wonder.
Magic is dangerous. Secrets are dangerous. But stories? They’re how we survive both.
The Society of Unknowable Objects will be released in the UK on the 7th of August.
We can’t wait.
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