Synopses & Reviews
In 1949, eight years after the Peace with Honor” was negotiated between Great Britain and Nazi Germany by the Farthing Set, England has completed its slide into fascist dicatorship. Then a bomb explodes in a London suburb.
The brilliant but politically compromised Inspector Carmichael of Scotland Yard is assigned the case. What he finds leads him to a conspiracy of peers and communists, of staunch King-and- Country patriots and hardened IRA gunmen, to murder Britains Prime Minister and his new ally, Adolf Hitler.
Against a background of increasing domestic espionage and the suppression of Jews and homosexuals, an ad-hoc band of idealists and conservatives blackmail the one person they need to complete their plot, an actress who lives for her art and holds the key to the Fuhrers death. From the hapenny seats in the theatre to the hapennies that cover dead mens eyes, the conspiracy and the investigation swirl around one another, spinning beyond anyones control.
In this brilliant companion to Farthing, Welsh-born World Fantasy Award winner Jo Walton continues her alternate history of an England that could have been, with a novel that is both an homage of the classic detective novels of the thirties and forties, and an allegory of the world we live in today.
Jo Walton is the author of several novels including the World Fantasy Awardwinning Tooth and Claw. A native of Wales, she lives in Montreal.
In 1949, eight years after the Peace with Honor” was negotiated between Great Britain and Nazi Germany by the Farthing Set, England has completed its slide into fascist dicatorship. Then a bomb explodes in a London suburb.
The brilliant but politically compromised Inspector Carmichael of Scotland Yard is assigned the case. What he finds leads him to a conspiracy of peers and communists, of staunch King-and-Country patriots and hardened IRA gunmen, to murder Britains Prime Minister and his new ally, Adolf Hitler.
Against a background of increasing domestic espionage and the suppression of Jews and homosexuals, an ad-hoc band of idealists and conservatives blackmail the one person they need to complete their plot, an actress who lives for her art and holds the key to the Fuhrers death. From the hapenny seats in the theatre to the hapennies that cover dead mens eyes, the conspiracy and the investigation swirl around one another, spinning beyond anyones control.
In this companion to Farthing, Welsh-born World Fantasy Award winner Jo Walton continues her alternate history of an England that could have been, with a novel that is both an homage of the classic detective novels of the thirties and forties, and an allegory of the world we live in today.
A stiff-upper-lip whodunit boasting political intrigue and uncomfortable truths about anti-Semitism.”Entertainment Weekly
Amazing. One of the most compelling and chilling books of the year.”Romantic Times Book Reviews
"In this alternative history where Great Britain and Nazi Germany have reached an uneasy alliance, Viola Larkin, an aspiring actress, responds to her sister Siddy's urgent summons. Siddy has joined a terrorist group bent on blowing up England's Prime Minister, Mark Normanby, and Adolf Hitler at Viola's opening night at a London theater. At first, Viola refuses to participate, but faced with her subsequent execution, she agrees to help, hoping that she can escape later. In alternating chapters, Inspector Carmichael of Scotland Yard investigates a London bombing that leads him ever closer to Siddy's terrorist group. Seconds before the bomb's detonation, Carmichael evacuates the theater box saving both Hitler and Normanby. Viola's conflicted emotions make her very genuine. She falls in love with Irish terrorist, Devlin Connelly, who wins her over to his cause. Even realizing that the plot may kill Viola's third sister, Celia, the wife of a high-ranking Nazi, Viola never attempts to notify the authorities. In the end, Siddy flees the country and Devlin is killed by a Nazi as he detonates the bomb, leaving Viola alone to face charges of treason. The book's first sentence, 'They don't hang people like me,' echoes with haunting clarity. Carmichael does not escape unscathed, finding himself honored as a hero for saving two men he despises. Well-drawn, believable characters mark this chilling sequel to Farthing. A tight narrative pulls the reader inexorably toward the grim finale and provides an excellent choice for young adult book discussion groups."Nancy K. Wallace, VOYA
"This provocative sequel to acclaimed alternate history Farthing delves deeper into the intrigue and paranoia of 1940s fascist Great Britain. Denied help from the United States, England negotiated the Farthing Peace with the Nazis to end WWII, surrendering freedom for a narrow kind of safety. Eight years later, Scotland Yard investigators like Inspector Carmichael spend as much time monitoring the activities of gays, Jews and foreigners as they do hunting criminals. Carmichael, outed to his superiors as a homosexual and blackmailed into keeping deadly political secrets, plans to retire after his current case, a bombing at the country house of respected actress Lauria Gilmore. Meanwhile, Viola Lark is preparing for the role of her life as a female Hamlet when she's coerced into a plot to kill the prime minister and Hitler on opening night. World Fantasy Award-winner Walton masterfully illustrates how fear can overwhelm common sense, while leaving hope for a resurgence of popular bravery and an end to dictatorial rule."Publishers Weekly
Review
“Like meticulously nested Matroyshka dolls, both Farthing and Ha'Penny reveal complex arguments layered in their elegantly structured narratives.” —Sarah Weinman, Los Angeles Times
“A literary Guernica—a top-notch thriller set in a terrified Britain that is all too willing to trade freedom for security, and which gets neither.” —Cory Doctorow on HaPenny
Review
"Stunningly powerful.While the whodunit plot is compelling, it's the convincing portrait of a country's incremental slide into fascism that makes this novel a standout. Mainstream readers should be enthralled as well." --
Publishers Weekly (starred review) on
Farthing
"If le Carré scares you, try Jo Walton." --Ursula K. Le Guin on Farthing
"A stiff-upper-lip whodunit boasting political intrigue and uncomfortable truths about anti-Semitism." --Entertainment Weekly
"Packs a considerable wallop." --Kirkus Reviews
"Amazing. One of the most compelling and chilling books of the year." --Romantic Times BookReviews
Review
“Stellar… Horrifying and all-too-possible.”
—RT Book Reviews, Top Pick! on Hapenny
“Waltons use of a common genre template—this time the race-against-time thriller—allows her to develop the eerily contemporary underpinnings of her alternate history…. Gives us much to think about regarding her world and our own.”
—Sarah Weinman, The Los Angeles Times on Hapenny
“[Farthing and Hapenny] are compulsively readable for their characters and plots. But its [Walton's] observations about power that make them hard to put down.”
—Baltimore City Paper
“Masterful work…. This is political suspense at its best and brightest.”
—Bookslut.com
Synopsis
In 1949, eight years after the "Peace with Honor" was negotiated between Great Britain and Nazi Germany by the Farthing Set, England has completed its slide into fascist dicatorship. Then a bomb explodes in a London suburb.
The brilliant but politically compromised Inspector Carmichael of Scotland Yard is assigned the case. What he finds leads him to a conspiracy of peers and communists, of staunch King-and- Country patriots and hardened IRA gunmen, to murder Britain's Prime Minister and his new ally, Adolf Hitler.
Against a background of increasing domestic espionage and the suppression of Jews and homosexuals, an ad-hoc band of idealists and conservatives blackmail the one person they need to complete their plot, an actress who lives for her art and holds the key to the Fuhrer's death. From the ha'penny seats in the theatre to the ha'pennies that cover dead men's eyes, the conspiracy and the investigation swirl around one another, spinning beyond anyone's control.
In this brilliant companion to Farthing, Welsh-born World Fantasy Award winner Jo Walton continues her alternate history of an England that could have been, with a novel that is both an homage of the classic detective novels of the thirties and forties, and an allegory of the world we live in today.
Synopsis
Following Farthing, another thriller of resistance in a world darkened by triumphant Fascism
Synopsis
World Fantasy Award winner Jo Walton continues her alternate history of resistance in an England darkened by triumphant Fascism
Synopsis
Before Jo Walton won the Hugo and Nebula Awards for her stunning Among Others, she published a trilogy set in a dark alternate postwar England that had negotiated “Peace with Honor” with Nazi Germany in 1941. These novels—Farthing, Hapenny, and Half a Crown—are connected by common threads, but can be read in any order.
In Hapenny, England has completed its slide into fascist dicatorship. The last hopes of democracy seem extinguished. Then a bomb explodes in a London suburb.
The brilliant but compromised Inspector Carmichael of Scotland Yard is assigned the case. What he finds leads him to a conspiracy of peers and communists—of staunch King-and-Country patriots and hardened IRA gunmen—to murder the Prime Minister and his ally, Adolf Hitler.
Against a background of domestic espionage and suppression, a band of idealists blackmails an actress who holds the key to the Fuhrer's death. From the ha'penny seats in the theatre to the ha'pennys that cover dead men's eyes, the conspiracy and the investigation swirl inexorably to a stunning conclusion.
Synopsis
In 1949, eight years after the "Peace with Honor" was negotiated between Great Britain and Nazi Germany by the Farthing Set, England has completed its slide into fascist dicatorship. Then a bomb explodes in a London suburb.
The brilliant but politically compromised Inspector Carmichael of Scotland Yard is assigned the case. What he finds leads him to a conspiracy of peers and communists, of staunch King-and- Country patriots and hardened IRA gunmen, to murder Britain's Prime Minister and his new ally, Adolf Hitler.
Against a background of increasing domestic espionage and the suppression of Jews and homosexuals, an ad-hoc band of idealists and conservatives blackmail the one person they need to complete their plot, an actress who lives for her art and holds the key to the Fuhrer's death. From the ha'penny seats in the theatre to the ha'pennies that cover dead men's eyes, the conspiracy and the investigation swirl around one another, spinning beyond anyone's control.
In this brilliant companion to Farthing, Welsh-born World Fantasy Award winner Jo Walton continues her alternate history of an England that could have been, with a novel that is both an homage of the classic detective novels of the thirties and forties, and an allegory of the world we live in today.
About the Author
JO WALTON won the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 2012 for her novel Among Others. Before that, she won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and her novel Tooth and Claw won the World Fantasy Award in 2004. The novels of her Small Change sequence—Farthing, Ha'penny, and Half a Crown—have won acclaim ranging from national newspapers to the Romantic Times Critics' Choice Award. A native of Wales, she lives in Montreal.