The Queen of All Crows

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Only one woman can stop the world from descending into endless war in this thrilling steampunk alternative history set in the world of the Gas-Lit Empire The year is 2012. The nations of the world are bound together in an alliance of collective security, overseen by the International Patent Office, and its ruthless stranglehold on technology. When airships start disappearing in the middle of the Atlantic, the Patent Office is desperate to discover what has happened. Forbidden to operate beyond the territorial waters of member nations, they send spies to investigate in secret. One of those spies is Elizabeth Barnabus. She must overcome her dislike of the controlling Patent Office, disguise herself as a man, and take to the sea in search of the floating nation of pirates who threaten the world order.

Reviews

I absolutely loved The Queen of All Crows. Its a gripping alternative history adventure set in an intriguing world. Among the fast-paced plot twists the novel also provides keen insights into power structures, particularly when it comes to gender roles as social constructs. Elizabeth Barnabus is possibly my favourite steampunk main character ever: resourceful, fearless, unusually observant and emotionally intelligent. I was thrilled to follow her to the ends of the world as a reader.
Emmi Itranta, award-winning author of Memory of Water

The Queen of all Crows is a smart and entertaining read, among the best of the steampunk subgenre Ive read. It continues the story of Elizabeth Barnabus in an alternative history where they take intellectual property protection a little too seriously.
Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist and Craigconnects

Lets get this out of the way: The Queen of All Crows is an excellent book, full stop. Duncan has managed to infuse the world of the Gas-Lit Empire, and the character of Elizabeth Barnabus herself, with a new jolt of life, color, and depth. Clear your schedule, because you wont want to stop reading this until youve finished, and then youll want more.
Eric Scott Fischl, author of The Trials of Solomon Parker

Some authors really find a groove in their series where each new book is more enjoyable than the last. But Rod Duncan has done even better with The Queen Of All Crows: hes taken the Gas Lit Empire series into a completely new direction that is both wonderful and wondrous.
Surreal Tavi

It has all the makings of a classic read that will endure for centuries.
Adjunct Thoughts

Everything has been built into the story to ramp up the tension (and the page turning), creating a delicious anxiety in the reader who needs a stiff drink at the end of it all.
Strange Alliances

I found the story fascinating.
Journey of a Bookseller

I liked this novel even more than I liked the previous series Theres adventure, pirates, lots of women, great characters and a smart main character. What else do I need to say I recommend this novel highly!
Natys Bookshelf

It seems an odd mix of steampunk, supernatural mystery, and intellectual property thriller, but I like it.
Black Gate

Author Bio

Rod Duncan writes alternate history, fantasy and contemporary crime. His novels have been shortlisted for the Philip K. Dick Award, the East Midlands Book Award and the John Creasey Dagger of the Crime Writers' Association. A dyslexic with a background in scientific research, he now lectures in creative writing at DeMontfort University. Some might say that he is obsessed with boundary markers, naive 18th Century gravestones and forming friendships with crows. But he says he is interested in the way things change. gaslitempire.co.uk twitter.com/rodduncan Author hometown- Leicester, UK