The more lurid newspapers published stories of vampires and werewolves, of women giving birth to rabbits, and houses rendered uninhabitable by ghosts. Thomas has seen this, but there are other horrors he’s only read about: Violent fogs that slither like giant, amorphous reptiles bludgeon people to death. He’s allowed no will or character of his own, and you can see the effects.

Further, Walter demands that he marry a young woman he’s never seen - a Jewess, no less, an idea that repels him.īut Thomas finds it hard to feel sorry for himself, or to feel much of anything, because Walter has manipulated him all his life and discarded him as worthless - except to do his bidding, as with the strange marriage, for no reason Thomas can fathom. His cruel, tyrannical brother, Walter, the bank’s governor, insists that Thomas serve as a clerk, performing pointless tasks, from which he learns nothing, nor is he meant to, a Dickensian touch. But Thomas feels no hope for anything, present or future. Thomas Thresher, twenty-three, nominal scion of the noted banking family of that name, should consider himself fortunate, with a bright future to look forward to. Desperate for counsel, he seeks the advice of a lycanthropic medium and London's unacceptable occult society, including a strange fellow named Aleister Crowley.London, 1899. If Thomas is going to save the family business-and stop turning into a tree-he'll need help from some rather improper companions. Proper society scoffs at the notion of magic, even as it seeps into their buildings, transfiguring the rich and poor alike. Perhaps it is all the fault of the long-rumored 'Peculiarities' lurking in London's grey fog? Far worse, leaves are sprouting on Thomas's skin. His childhood friend has died under mysterious circumstances. His elder brother may be sabotaging the family's bank. Thomas's problems are more serious than those of a typical young Victorian gentleman. 'Intricate plotting, exquisite pacing, crackling suspense, and fascinating historical rabbit hole revelations.' Rooted in strange conspiracies and secret societies, this absurdist comedic romp combines strange bedfellows with murderous creatures, resulting in an unexpectedly delightful consequences.

From popular historical fiction author David Liss (A Conspiracy of Paper) comes the tale of a clueless young man embroiled in a deadly supernatural mystery in Victorian London.

The peculiarities david liss