The Whatnot

Twelve-year-old Pikey Thomas is missing an eye, a family, and friends of any sort. One day, running from bigger boys set on bullying him, Pikey finds himself in front of a grand, beautiful house. There he meets and helps a black-winged faery who is injured. It's a small gesture of kindness and bravery in steam-powered Victorian London, where faeries, now banned, are on the run or imprisoned; where the human armies are preparing for war; and where the changeling Bartholomew Kettle, aided by Arthur Jelliby, still searches for his missing sister, Hettie. This is the epic, dark, imaginative, unforgettable, and ultimately hopeful sequel to Stefan Bachmann's acclaimed debut novel, The Peculiar.

"An enthralling read . . . Bachmann combines the pleasures of a Dickensian cast of characters with the eldritch qualities of British faerie lore and adds a touch of steampunk to entice readers into an alternate universe in which the English are on the verge of war with the fay. The breathtaking beauty of his prose is coupled with a plot that also leaves his audience breathless."—School Library Journal

In a city on the brink of chaos, can one boy’s quest and another’s kindness change the course of the coming war?

• Middle Grade Steampunk: Explore a steam-powered Victorian London where clockwork servants glide through ballrooms and conflict is brewing in the sooty streets.
• British Faerie Lore: Meet black-winged faeries, desperate changelings, and other magical creatures on the run in a world that has outlawed them.
• Dark Fantasy Adventure: Follow two unforgettable heroes—Pikey, the one-eyed orphan, and Bartholomew, the boy searching for his sister—on their separate, dangerous journeys.
• A Sequel to The Peculiar: Return to the rich, imaginative world of Stefan Bachmann’s acclaimed debut in this unforgettable next chapter.