Description

‘A Japan that never was, a future lost, ghosts that are not dead … not even a partial list of ingredients can do justice to this wonderful cake of a book … A time-defying thriller’ ROBIN HOBB

Strange things are happening in Tokyo. As war with Russia looms, the city is plagued by strange electricity storms, while the staff at the British Legation have gone on strike, claiming that the building is haunted.

Thaniel Steepleton is sent over from London to act as interpreter, bringing with him his partner, Keita Mori the watchmaker, their adopted daughter, Six, and Mori’s clockwork octopus, Katsu. Thaniel is dazzled by life in Tokyo, but he feels increasingly out of his depth – especially when he meets Takiko Pepperharrow, and learns of her connection to Mori.

But then Mori disappears, and Thaniel and Takiko’s paths diverge as they desperately try to find him. As their searches lead them to snow-steeped prisons and mountainside shrines, Thaniel is faced with the terrifying revelation that Mori’s powers are no longer enough to save them – and that the watchmaker’s time may have run out.

Natasha Pulley’s extraordinary new novel, The Kingdoms, will be available in Spring 2021.

Publisher Review

Inventive, immersive and entirely unputdownable -- Eithne Farry * Daily Mail * Wildly inventive, full of eeriness and magic, and fiendishly intricate plots * The Times * Pulley combines H Rider Haggard-style historical adventure with bizarre fantasy, but also excels at portraying the emotionally charged interplay of her charming cast * Guardian * A romantic, inventive, wonderfully immersive read * Sunday Express * As intricate as an origami sculpture * Spectator * With Pepperharrow, I think Natasha has outdone herself. The characters have reached iconic status already, and it's so rare to find an author who marries such a sparkling imagination with the storytelling flair of a maestro thriller writer - this was her most unputdownable novel yet and I loved it -- Claire Evans, author of The Fourteenth Letter A Japan that never was, a future lost, ghosts that are not dead, random numbers, clairvoyant Samurai ... not even a partial list of ingredients can do justice to this wonderful cake of a book. Mori may know what to expect, but the reader will not! A lovely blending of steam punk ether science, Japanese historical figures, and a time-defying thriller. -- Robin Hobb Pulley's intricate plot, vibrant setting, entrancing magic, and dynamic ensemble of characters make for an un-put-downable historical fantasy. New readers will be pulled in and series fans will be delighted by this tour de force * Publisher's Weekly * Plotted as intricately as clockwork, this weaves together historical political warfare with electromagnetic science research and magical clairvoyance. The characters are what really makes this sing, though ... I love them all, and would happily read a whole series of their adventures -- Lauren James Praise for The Watchmaker of Filigree Street: 'Ten out of ten * Spectator * Charming ... Elegant plotting, lashings of invention and jump-off-the-page characterisation * Guardian * Intricate, charming and altogether surprising * New York Times * Excellent * Independent on Sunday * Historical fiction, magic realism and elements of gothic fiction combine in this ambitious debut * Irish Times * Delightful, relentlessly charming and deeply moving ... Remarkable * Los Angeles Times *