The Hexologists

Josiah Bancroft

Book cover for The Hexologists
Book cover for The Hexologists

The Hexologists

The Hexologists

Josiah Bancroft

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Description

The first book in a wildly inventive and mesmerizing new fantasy series from acclaimed author Josiah Bancroft where magical mysteries abound and only one team can solve them: The Hexologists. "Bancroft is a magician." -- Madeline Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Circe

"Fantastic! The Hexologists fizzes eloquently with wit and elegance, but also has marvelous worldbuilding and an excellent plot - and a central pair of characters who I quite simply love. A cocktail of a book made with the very best champagne." -- Genevieve Cogman, author of The Invisible Library

The Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, are quite accustomed to helping desperate clients with the bugbears of city life. Aided by hexes and a bag of charmed relics, the Wilbies have recovered children abducted by chimney-wraiths, removed infestations of barb-nosed incubi, and ventured into the Gray Plains of the Unmade to soothe a troubled ghost. Well-acquainted with the weird, they never shy away from a challenging case.

But when they are approached by the royal secretary and told the king pleads to be baked into a cake--going so far as to wedge himself inside a lit oven--the Wilbies soon find themselves embroiled in a mystery that could very well see the nation turned on its head. Their effort to expose a royal secret buried under forty years of lies brings them nose to nose with a violent anti-royalist gang, avaricious ghouls, alchemists who draw their power from a hell-like dimension, and a bookish dragon who only occasionally eats people.

Armed with a love toughened by adversity and a stick of chalk that can conjure light from the darkness, hope from the hopeless, Iz and Warren Wilby are ready for a case that will test every spell, skill, and odd magical artifact in their considerable bag of tricks.

"Bancroft is a wonder as ever! The Hexologists was a joyous delight on every page-- buoyantly inventive, witty, poignant, gripping, and deeply satisfying." -- Madeline Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Circe

"Josiah Bancroft's imagination will astound you. One of the most inventive fantasy authors out there." -- Fonda Lee, author of the Green Bone Saga

"Bancroft has returned to the page in force, deploying his crystal prose and razored wit around a tale that mixes whimsy and threat in equal measure. He's a gift to the genre." -- Mark Lawrence, author of The Book That Wouldn't Burn

About the Author

Josiah Bancroft is the author of five novels, a collection of short fiction, and numerous poems. His books have been translated into eight languages. Before settling down to write fantasy full-time, he was a college instructor, rock musician, and aspiring comic book artist. When he's not writing, he enjoys strumming a variety of stringed instruments, drawing with a growing cache of imperfect pens, and cooking without a recipe. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Sharon, their daughter, Maddie, and their two rabbits, Mabel and Chaplin.

Critical Reviews

"It's rare to find a modern book that feels like a timeless classic. I'm wildly in love with this book."--Pierce Brown, author of Red Rising on Senlin Ascends

"The Hod King is a compelling and original novel; the "Books of Babel" are something you hope to see perhaps once a decade - future classics, which may be remembered long after the series concludes."--Los Angeles Times on The Hod King

"Senlin Ascends is one of the best reads I've had in ages . . . I was dragged in and didn't escape until I'd finished two or three days later."
--Mark Lawrence, author of Prince of Thorns on Senlin Ascends

"Deeply compelling . . . A classic in the making."--B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

"Wonderfully unique and superbly well written. I loved every page."--Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld on Senlin Ascends

"Senlin is a man worth rooting for, and his strengthening resolve and character is as marvelous and sprawling as the tower he climbs."--The Washington Post on Senlin Ascends

"What is remarkable about this novel, quite apart from its rich, allusive prose, is Bancroft's portrayal of Senlin, a good man in a desperate situation, and the way he changes in response to his experiences in his ascent."--The Guardian on Senlin Ascends

"Senlin Ascends crosses the everyday strangeness and lyrical prose of Borges and Gogol with all the action and adventure of high fantasy. I loved it, and grabbed the next one as soon as I turned the last page."
--Django Wexler, author of The Thousand Names on Senlin Ascends

"Brilliant debut fantasy . . . This novel goes off like a firework and suggests even greater things in the author's future."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review on Senlin Ascends

"Bancroft has returned to the page in force, deploying his crystal prose and razored wit around a tale that mixes whimsy and threat in equal measure. He's a gift to the genre and we should support his work."--Mark Lawrence, author of The Book That Wouldn't Burn

"Fantastic! The Hexologists fizzes eloquently with wit and elegance, but also has marvelous worldbuilding and an excellent plot - and a central pair of characters who I quite simply love. A cocktail of a book made with the very best champagne."--Genevieve Cogman, author of The Invisible Library

"Josiah Bancroft's imagination will astound you. One of the most inventive fantasy authors out there." --Fonda Lee, author of the Green Bone Saga

"Bancroft is a wonder as ever! The Hexologists was a joyous delight on every page--buoyantly inventive, witty, poignant, gripping, and deeply satisfying."--Madeline Miller, New York Times Bestselling author of Circe

"Bancroft brilliantly inaugurates a new fantasy series with this suspenseful and humorous introduction to "private investigators of the paranormal." This light and charming tale encompasses a twisty mystery, detailed Victorian-esque worldbuilding, and nuanced protagonists who love each other dearly, all relayed in Bancroft's superior prose. Readers will be eager to see how the series evolves."--Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"Characters and humor make this magic-meets-steampunk novel worth checking out."--Kirkus

"This madcap thriller is recommended for readers who can't resist the rising wave of fantasy mystery series."--Library Journal

"An entertaining investigative romp."--Booklist

Publishing Information

Publisher: Orbit
Pub date: 2023-09-26
Length: 336 pages

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