Under the Pendulum Sun

(Paperback)

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Description

Victorian missionaries travel into the heart of the newly discovered lands of the Fae, in a stunningly different fantasy that mixes Crimson Peak with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Catherine Helstone's brother, Laon, has disappeared in Arcadia, legendary land of the magical fae. Desperate for news of him, she makes the perilous journey, but once there, she finds herself alone and isolated in the sinister house of Gethsemane. At last there comes news- her beloved brother is riding to be reunited with her soon - but the Queen of the Fae and her insane court are hard on his heels. File Under- Fantasy In Arcadia | Seek and Hide | The Queen of Moths | Lands of the Damned

Reviews

An opulently atmospheric piece of neo-Victorian fantasy set in a 19th century in which the British are sending missionaries to Fairyland. Its a strange, brooding and occasionally perverse debut.
The Guardian, The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2017

An evocative, claustrophobic Gothic novel with strikingly creepy set-pieces, which repeatedly dislocates its readers and characters worldview in a forceful examination of faith and the power of stories.
Aliette de Bodard,Nebula, Locus and BSFA Award-winning author ofThe House of Shattered Wings

Under the Pendulum Sunis a weird, ingenious, and ravishing story of the Fae and the outsiders driven to discover their secrets, told with a heady melange of disturbing beauty and enticing dangers.
Kate Elliott,author ofCold Magic,Black Wolves, andCourt of Fives

Poetic, elegant, the writing feels filigreed and heavy with silk the most nonchalantly menacing thing Ive ever read.
Cassandra Khaw, author ofHammers on Bone

"Threads together the Bronts, Fae mythology and the Biblical Apocrypha into an intricate gothic tapestry, the sort that seems to shift slightly when you glance away, the sort that throws away imagery in every half-sentence that makes the shifting tapestry metaphor in the previous sentence wince at being a bit predictable."Kieron Gillen, co-creator ofThe Wicked + The Divine

An enchanting literary debut I couldnt put it down!
Lavie Tidhar, World Fantasy Award winning author ofA Man Lies DreamingandCentral Station

Jeanette Ng has no time for Victorian attempts to sanitise and prettify Faerie. A story as intriguing as it is eerily disturbing.
Juliet McKenna

"Extremely beautiful, entertaining, and emotionally compelling...read this excellent book."
Grimdark magazine

"Intriguing... fascinating."
Publishers Weekly

The world-building and atmosphere are just incredible. Its especially gripping because the normal rules dont apply, and nothing is as it seems.
Syfy Wire, The 10 Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books of 2017

This isThe Woman in Black, Heart of Darknessand fae all mixed up in a magical debut novel.
Morpheus Tales Reviews

Under the Pendulum Sunis without a shadow of doubt one of the best fantasy stories Ive read in 2017. I was engrossed in the mystery, delighted by the scope of the intertextuality, thrilled by the reversal of situations I hadnt seen coming, and amazed by the world building.Under the Pendulum Sunnot only has a fantastic cover, it also has a great story to tell that I would urge any fantasy reader, particularly if they are keen on gritty Victoriana, to try.
Black Girl Nerds

A brave and startling debut, one thats both sensual and sinister, a foundation for what should be a glowing career.
British Fantasy Society

Under the Pendulum Suncontains wonders and terrors, sweet love and brittle disgust.
Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

A brilliant fantasy that challenges the characters faith and hearts, and creates a world entirely of its own.
Scifi Now

Jeannette NgsUnder the Pendulum Sunis big and unruly and spills over in various directions in ways that genuinely excite.
Strange Horizons

Jeannette Ng weaves an incredible tale in the vein of a creepy Victorian novel that blends elements of fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, and more into a dark and captivating tale.
San Francisco Book Review

A perfectly twisted novel.
SFF World

"A stroke of pure brilliance."
the Guardian

Hauntingly beautiful and masterfully told. This looks like the start of a brilliant career.
Keith Yatsuhashi, author ofKokoro

Jeannette Ng's imagery is breathtaking, her setting dark and delightful, and her use of theology is pure genius. Like some sinister elf,Under the Pendulum Sunwill steal your imagination and never give it back.
N S Dolkart, author ofAmong the Fallen

Under the Pendulum Sundoes live up to its fabulous pitch. A richly woven fantasy from a brilliant imagination. Definitely one for readers interested in fairy lore and Gothic fantasy.
Rod Duncan, author ofThe Bullet-Catchers Daughter

ImagineNorthanger AbbeysCatherine Morland confined to a particularly mysterious corner of Gormenghast with the Faeries ofJonathan Strange and Mr Norrellfor company and you start to get an idea of how delightfully intricate and beautifully realised a novelUnder the Pendulum Sunis. A remarkable debut.
Jonathan L Howard, author of Johannes Cabal the Necromancer series

Under the Pendulum Sunis a delicious fusion of repressed Victorian missionary values and the horror of the Fae. A sumptuous account of the journey into the land of the Fae, and into the darkest recesses of the human soul, this book delighted and shocked in all the best ways.
Emma Newman

A novel whose big heart enables it to engage with big ideas. Read it carefully, and be rewarded.
Andrew Wallace, author ofSons of the Crystal Mind

"Jeannette Ng has written an utterly brilliant gothic novel, using all the tropes and cliches of the genre and rising above them in magnificent style. I highly recommend it."
Intellectus Speculativus

Ng draws us into the fantastic quickly, with gorgeously imaginative details.
Shoreline of Infinity

There is a wisdom, but also an exquisite beauty in her words that stun you...Under the Pendulum Sun is a gorgeous book.
Utopia State of Mind

An intricate distortion of myth and history A pre-Halloween puzzle box of a book.
Victorian Soul Critiques

A deep, rich and very definitely eerie gothic novel that asks some very hard, very interesting questions about god, faith, the nature of truth and what stories and storytelling have to do with all of it.
Kam Reads and Recs

Under the Pendulum Sun is a dark, psychological fantasy in a gothic vein, paying considerable literary homage to authors such as the Bronts. Impressively, Jeannette Ng manages to keep her debut novel grounded in historical reality despite its taking place entirely in the faelands.
The Fancy Hat Lady Reads

Holy wah. Holy wah! Holy WAH! This book was an amazing read!
Purple Owl Reviews

Jeannette NgsUnder the Pendulum Sunexpertly weaves fantasy, the Gothic, academia, and religion in this compelling novel about missionaries to Arcadia, the land of the Fae.
Fairy Book Mother

The writing and the world building are an absolute treat and the story is very original.
Helens Bookshelf

Under the Pendulum Sunis a towering work of imagination.
Alan Brenik

Jeannette Ng has subverted the Gothic novel and given it a fresh lease of life.
Strange Alliances

The writing is, in a word, beautiful.
YA On My Mind

Beautifully crafted and structured, but containing a deeper, hidden heart that takes patience to reach. 5 Stars: Excellent.
Occasionally Random Book Reviews

Under the Pendulum Sun is an amazing debut novel from an author to watch.
The Illustrated Page

A book that will pull you in about fourteen different directions and refresh your imagination.
Chain Interaction

Ngs writing is first rate and this is an enjoyable, immersive book that is able both to take seriously the perspective of its Victorian characters and to show their worldview under assault from a cultural encounter for which theyre wholly unfitted. Its a haunting, intricate book which is like nothing Id read before. Id strongly recommend it.
Blue Book Balloon

The author does an excellent job of building suspense and setting throughout, and gives us interesting characters.
JD DeHart

A stunningly different fantasy that mixesCrimson PeakwithJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.
Fine Print

Under the Pendulum Sun is a debut novel from a writer who knows her prose craft.
Pop-Verse

Really interesting and refreshing.
Bofinkins vlog

Under the Pendulum Sun is fantastic and I cant wait to see what Jeannette Ng writes next.
Pretty Terrible

Ngs writing is stunning. Its rich and lush, full of description and atmosphere. You can practically feel things moving in the shadows as youre reading. The language Ng has used fits perfectly with the story shes writing -- descriptions balancing on the edge of over-done, utilising old-fashioned styles of perhaps telling more than is common now. Its all beautifully done and Under the Pendulum Sun could easily sit next to any of the classic Gothic Romance novels.
Foxes & Fairytales

Utterly captivating and super weird. Loved it.
Way Too Fantasy

A rich, strange, increasingly nightmarish phantasmagoria of both horror and beauty. Its impressively erudite and sly. It draws the reader expertly in, builds steady tension, then lays shocking plot twist after plot twist. Its a novel that opens into landscapes of wonder, and becomes a moving, even rapturous, journey.
Its a Jumble

An excellent eerie trip If you would like a chance from fantasy that constantly looks for a quest or quasi-detective story then I think this would be a perfect novel to take you away but you may not be quite the same person afterwards. Pass the salt
Runalong the Shelves

So much its own thing that I dont hesitate to recommend it, and am extremely curious to see what Ng does next.
Asking the Wrong Questions

Under the Pendulum Sun is without a shadow of doubt one of the best fantasy stories Ive read in 2017. I was engrossed in the mystery, delighted by the scope of the intertextuality, thrilled by the reversal of situations I hadnt seen coming and amazed by the world building. Under the Pendulum Sun not only has a fantastic cover, it also has a great story to tell that I would urge any fantasy reader, particularly if they are keen on gritty Victoriana, to try.
The Middle Shelf

Under the Pendulum Sun is a fascinating story.
Earl Grey

Ngs novel is a dream that does not disappoint. Its a rich, strange, increasingly nightmarish phantasmagoria of both horror and beauty. Its impressively erudite and sly. It draws the reader expertly in, builds steady tension, then lays shocking plot twist after plot twist. Its a novel that opens into landscapes of wonder, and becomes a moving, even rapturous, journey.
Its a Jumble

I loved this book A genuinely delightful and thought provoking read.
Fox Spirit

Under the Pendulum Sun is no fairytale; its ancestors are Jane Eyre and Ann Radcliffe, not the faerie-tinged historical fantasies of Susanna Clarke and Zen Cho.
The English Student

Under the Pendulum Sun is more than a simple novel of the Fae (to quote its subtitle) but instead is quite a rather clever morality tale that shows what can happen to those who believe their culture is far superior to everyone elses. Its a great novel and ... I enjoyed it alot.
Resolute Reader

Id be lying if I said this book hadnt utterly blown me away. As debut novels go, I think this is a damned hard one to beat, and Ive read some really great ones. In fairness, both to it and to others, though, Ive never read anything quite like this. As an example of SFF at its finest, it shines like a faerie moon hanging before an angler fish. Just watch out for those teeth.
Over The Effing Rainbow

Beautifully written.
Fantasy Book Review

Ms Ngs rendering of the Fae world is a must-read. Such vast imagination that takes authors years to build. Weird, quirky, and intricate details that are so subtle yet immensely powerfullike a well-added spice.
Moore Fantasy

Geat prose, effectively told story, utterly captivating and super weird. Loved it.
Way Too Fantasy

Stanislaw Lem meets George MacDonald meets VC Andrews meets Sylvia Townsend Warner. If having your expectations swung back and forth sounds like fun give this a go.
10 Bad Habits

Captivating, thoroughly recommended.
Novel Gazing Redux

This is a masterful debut, although it wont be for everyone its slow, often ambiguous, as religious as it is profane, and takes great joy in its broken edges. Bravo.
One More

Vibrant, complex, and engrossing... a sorrowful, heartfelt masterpiece.
Literary Nocturne Review

This tale weaves folklore, history, and the gothic tradition into a tapestry of horror, unease and suspense that I just couldnt put down, this combines with a beautiful insta-worthy cover meant it was definitely a big favourite of my year.
The Trouble with Tribbles

An interesting read and a beautiful one and definitely worth the effort.
Fangs for the Fantasy

The premise is irresistible and strange, and Ngs crisp and luminous prose is ideal for navigating faeland, a gloomy world, full of secrets and mysteries, and casual cruelty.
Head Shoulders Knees & Toes

The writing in this book was phenomenal, and the way the world was designed and built was so intricately done, so extraordinary and just a pleasure to read.
Ayundabhuwanas Blog

"There are times when the 'real' crosses over into delightful absurdism that reminds readers of the work of Lewis Carol or Hayao Miyazaki. But above all one of the most captivating elements of this book is its novel and alluring premise:Victorian missonairies travel to the Faelands to convert the fae folk to Christianity."
The Writer's Corner

"Basically, I really love this book and would highly recommend it!"
Brenhines Books

Author Bio

Jeannette Ng is originally from Hong Kong but now lives in Durham, UK. Her MA in Medieval and Renaissance Studies fed into an interest in medieval and missionary theology, which in turn spawned her love for writing gothic fantasy with a theological twist. She runs live roleplay games and is active within the costuming community, running a popular blog. Jeannette has been a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the Sydney J Bounds Award (Best Newcomer) in the British Fantasy Awards 2018. medium.com/@nettlefish twitter.com/jeannette_ng Author hometown- Durham, UK