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The Shadow Revolution (Crown & Key -1) by Clay Griffith

The Shadow Revolution (Crown & Key #1) by Clay Griffith

Crown & Key series — Authors: Clay and Susan Griffith

NEW SERIES!

FIRST 3 BOOK Releases:

  1. The Shadow Revolution — June 2, 2015
  2. The Undying Legion — June 30, 2015
  3. The Conquering Dark — July 28, 2015

Genres and Sub-Genres[]

Steampunk Urban Fantasy / Historical Urban Fantasy / Victorian steampunk paranormal / Alternate History

  • A crazy mix of urban fantasy, horror and steampunk.
  • Mainly Urban Fantasy with a pinch of Sherlock Holmes and a splash of Steampunk

Series Description or Overview[]

✥ This was a very fun Victorian steampunk paranormal read. It is described as a blend of the Iron Druid Chronicles, Sherlock Holmes, and Penny Dreadful (the TV series)…

✥ The Shadow Revolution is the exhilarating debut of the Crown and Key series by Clay and Susan Griffith. Magic, technology and alchemy combine with explosive results, drawing readers into an exciting new world where anything is possible. Simon Archer is a powerful scribe, possibly the last of his kind. With his friend and mentor Nick, he studies magic, but spends most of his time in recreational pursuits. Everything changes when he is summoned by a former lover and told that one of the aristocracy is a werewolf. Minutes later, she is killed. Her vicious murder brings Archer out from the shadows in search of the lycanthrope. In his search he uncovers that a danger far greater than a single werewolf looms on the horizon. Fortunately Simon is not alone. His allies include Kate Anstruther, a brave and gifted alchemist, the Scottish huntsman, Malcolm MacFarlane, and Simon's fire wielding mentor, Nick Barker. Together their talents may be just enough to defeat a foe both numerous and deadly. ~ Goodreads | Crittermom

Lead's Species[]

  • Magician-Scribe

Primary Supe[]

  • Mages, werewolves

What Sets it Apart[]

Narrative Type and Narrators[]

  • Third person narrative. 

Books in Series[]

Crown & Key series:

  1. The Shadow Revolution (June 2, 2015)
  2. The Undying Legion (June 30, 2015)
  3. The Conquering Dark (July 28, 2015)

Shorts, Novellas, Anthologies and Guides[]

none yet

Other Series by Author onsite[]

World Building[]

Setting[]

Victorian London

Places:

  • Hartley Hall:

Supernatural Elements[]

✥ Spell-casting scribe, Practitioners, werewolves, alchemist, fire wielder, monster-hunters, demons, demigods, lycanthrope, necromancers, zombies, mummy, magical tattoo, mechanical insects, elemental forces, black magic, Egyptian hieroglyphics, monstrous serpentine demons, mechanical inventions and weapons, apocalyptic force,

Glossary:[]

  • Scribe: a rare type of magician who is able to perform magic by inscribing ancient runes onto objects.
  • Werewolf: born, not made from a bite; can shift at any time with no correlation to the phase of the moon.
  • Stone of Scone:
  • Lampflies: mechanical bugs that light the many gas lamps throughout Hartley Hall

Groups & Organizations:[]

  • Crown & Key Society: secret league consisting of a magician, an alchemist, and a monster-hunter, is the realm’s only hope against supernatural foes.

World[]

✥ The Shadow Revolution is set in Victorian London and features a gritty, slightly steampunk landscape in which the worst of the worst have been unwittingly released from imprisonment in the Bastille when it was stormed and are now, apparently, looking to recreate their niches and dominance in the world. But these are no ordinary bad guys, these are magic practitioners and monsters so vile they were long secreted away in the Bastille, locked away for so long they had come to be considered myth by most. The monsters are decidedly nasty, the bad guys are exceptionally inventive, and the results are quintessentially macabre. Don’t be disheartened by all this nastiness, however, because the good guys are all slightly broken in their own unique ways, well-meaning, and very good at what they do. More, they are each endearing in their way and even the grumpiest of them will draw you in and make you their friend, rooting for their victory. There are a few who will leave you wondering what they are about, though, and a few that will break your heart such that you will keep turning the pages needing to know what will happen next. At first it seems that the fight will be against werewolves, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Kate’s younger sister is kidnapped and the process of trying to rescue her peels back a story that gets increasingly macabre and shudder-worthy as it is revealed.~ edensbookshelf.com – Review: The Shadow Revolution (Crown & Key #1) by Clay & Susan Griffith | Eden's Bookshelf

✥ Werewolves have infiltrated the nobility of London and only those who have special powers and know of their existence are equipped to fight them. Enter Simon Archer, self proclaimed playboy who hides his abilities as a spell casting scribe and his sidekick of sorts Nick Baker (who can bash heads just as well as he can wield fire). During their hunt for werewolves they cross paths with Kate Anstruther, who is an alchemist who is as dangerous as she is beautiful. When Kate’s sister disappears Simon vows to help find her and solve the mystery behind the increase in werewolf activity once and for all. There were a lot of werewolves, mystery solving, druidic-type magic, and alchemy in this story. ~ Hidden in the Pages

✥ The villains were werewolves and there was no mistaking them for being anything other than the bad guys. Although, they were born weres and were not turned from a bite delivered by another werewolf and could shift at any time with no correlation to the phase of the moon. With the exception of Charlotte, a teen werewolf. ~ GR reader | Angie

Protagonist & Ensemble Cast[]

✥ Simon Archer is a powerful spell-casting scribe, possibly the last of his kind. With his friend and mentor Nick, he studies magic, but spends most of his time in recreational pursuits. His ability as a scribe goes further than simply writing runes on pieces of paper. He’s got both light and dark sides to him. ~ The Shadow Revolution is an exciting steampunk debut

✥ The primary protagonists, Simon Archer and Kate Anstruther, are both a bit unusual for the time period. Simon, a bit more typical of the times, poses as a rake to hide his magical abilities from society at large and from other magic practitioners. Kate, a “modern” woman that has found herself the matriarch of her family, is less concerned with the opinions of society than with caring for her family, doing the right thing, and facing whatever comes. The daughter of a renowned explorer she is not only an accomplished alchemist but also a surprisingly competent fighter. The two meet in this, the first installment of the trilogy, and after a bumpy start find that circumstance and their own attractions bring them together. The relationship does take a distant back seat to the rest of the story and is more alluded to than actualized, leaving one with the sense of more to come. ~ edensbookshelf.com – Review: The Shadow Revolution (Crown & Key #1) by Clay & Susan Griffith | Eden's Bookshelf


✥ Simon's Team:

  • Nick Baker: Simon Archer's sidekick of sorts—can bash heads just as well as he can wield fire.
  • Kate Anstruther: alchemist who is as dangerous as she is beautiful. Simon agrees to help find her sister who disappeared. Plucky, keeps her head in the midst of danger, and does what needs to be done.
  • Malcolm MacFarlane: Scottish monster-hunter; joins Archer, Nick & Kate in search of werewolves;
  • Penny Carter: gadget geek;

~ Sources: Various reviews, see links below.

Sidekick[]

  • Nick Baker / What: alchemist / Sidekick-to: Simon Archer / About: fire wielder, loves pubs; / Book First Seen: The Shadow Revolution #1

Characters Chart[]

Characters What About
Simon Archer powerful spell-casting scribe magic user who works his magic through spells and writing curses; conceals his powers behind the smooth veneer of a dashing playboy; still learning;
Nick Barker mentor, fire wielder prefers a good pub to thrilling heroics; curmudgeonly; who can shoot fire bolts from his hands, but also dabbles in necromancy;
Kate Anstruther alchemist tough and feminine; wonderful alchemy tricks;
Malcolm MacFarlane Scottish monster-hunter; joins Archer, Nick & Kate in search of werewolves;
Penny Carter gadget geek won't back down; mechanical inventions and weapons; ball-busting woman;
Charlotte werewolf adolescent 
Gaios deranged demigod hell-bent on summoning the elemental forces of the earth to destroy Britain;
Gretta werewolf crazed and dangerous, at heart of mystery; searching for an old and powerful object
Beatrice old flame Simon receives a plea for help from her; hiding from Lord Oakham;
Lord Oakham werewolf unpleasant man; Beatrice was trying to hide from; ambushed Simon and Nick;
Imogen Anstruther Kate's sister target of the werewolves; missing; Simon agrees to help Kate find her;
Hogarth Kate’s butler resourceful;
Dr. White
Imogen Anstruther Kate's younger sister;

To expand the table, in Edit–Visual mode, right-press on a Row of the table or Column (Control-press on a Mac)—choose add Row or Column. Or, Copy-Paste rows in Source mode. 

Clay and Susan Griffith

Clay and Susan Griffith

Author[]

Clay and Susan Griffith

Bio: Clay and Susan Griffith are a married couple who have written and published together for more than a decade. Their credits not only include two novels for Bantam Doubleday Dell in the mid-1990s and another novel for Pinnacle Entertainment Group in 2002 but also numerous short stories published in many anthologies, some featuring noted genre characters like Kolchak the Night Stalker and The Phantom. They've also written scripts for television and published graphic novels. The authors have attended many cons multiple times over the years, including World Fantasy, WorldCon Science Fiction, ComicCon (San Diego), DragonCon (Atlanta), HeroesCon (Charlotte), and other smaller conventions. They are committed to doing every con they can find for Vampire Empire. ~ Clay Griffith - FF

Contributors[]

Cover Artists[]

Other Contributors:[]

  • Audio Book Narrator: — Source:
  • Editor: — Source:

Publishing Information[]

  1. The Shadow Revolution: Paperback, 320 pages, Pub: June 2nd 2015—ISBN 0345539508
  2. The Undying Legion: Paperback, 336 pages, Pub: June 30th 2015—ISBN 0345540484
  3. The Conquering Dark: Paperback, 352 pages, Pub: July 28th 2015—ISBN 0345540506

Book Cover Blurbs[]

✤ BOOK ONE—(June 2, 2015): They are the realm’s last, best defense against supernatural evil. But they’re going to need a lot more silver. As fog descends, obscuring the gas lamps of Victorian London, werewolves prowl the shadows of back alleys. But they have infiltrated the inner circles of upper-crust society as well. Only a handful of specially gifted practitioners are equipped to battle the beasts. Among them are the roguish Simon Archer, who conceals his powers as a spell-casting scribe behind the smooth veneer of a dashing playboy; his layabout mentor, Nick Barker, who prefers a good pub to thrilling heroics; and the self-possessed alchemist Kate Anstruther, who is equally at home in a ballroom as she is on a battlefield. After a lycanthrope targets Kate’s vulnerable younger sister, the three join forces with fierce Scottish monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane—but quickly discover they’re dealing with a threat far greater than anything they ever imagined. ~ Goodreads | The Shadow Revolution (Crown & Key, #1) by Clay Griffith

✤ BOOK TWO—(June 30, 2015): With a flood of dark magic about to engulf Victorian London, can a handful of heroes vanquish a legion of the undead? When monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane comes across the gruesome aftermath of a ritual murder in a London church, he enlists the help of magician-scribe Simon Archer and alchemist extraordinaire Kate Anstruther. Studying the macabre scene, they struggle to understand obscure clues in the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics carved into the victim’s heart—as well as bizarre mystical allusions to the romantic poetry of William Blake. One thing is clear: Some very potent black magic is at work. But this human sacrifice is only the first in a series of ritualized slayings. Desperate to save lives while there is still time, Simon, Kate, and Malcolm—along with gadget geek Penny Carter and Charlotte, an adolescent werewolf—track down a necromancer who is reanimating the deceased. As the team battles an unrelenting army of undead, a powerful Egyptian mummy, and monstrous serpentine demons, the necromancer proves an elusive quarry. And when the true purpose of the ritual is revealed, the gifted allies must confront a destructive force that is positively apocalyptic. From the Paperback edition. ~ Goodreads | The Undying Legion (Crown & Key, #2) by Clay Griffith

✤ BOOK THREE—The Conquering Dark (July 28, 2015): The Crown and Key Society face their most terrifying villain yet: Gaios, a deranged demigod with the power to destroy Britain. To avenge a centuries-old betrayal, Gaios is hell-bent on summoning the elemental forces of the earth to level London and bury Britain. The Crown and Key Society, a secret league consisting of a magician, an alchemist, and a monster-hunter, is the realm’s only hope—and to stop Gaios, they must gather their full strength and come together as a team, or the world will fall apart. But Simon Archer, the Crown and Key’s leader and the last living magician-scribe, has lost his powers. As Gaios searches for the Stone of Scone, which will give him destructive dominion over the land, monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane, alchemist extraordinaire Kate Anstruther, gadget geek Penny Carter, and Charlotte the werewolf scramble to reconnect Simon to his magic before the world as they know it is left forever in ruins. ~ Goodreads | The Conquering Dark (Crown & Key, #3) by Clay Griffith

First Sentences[]

  1. The Shadow Revolution (June 2, 2015) — A bold moon hung over the dark London cityscape.
  2. The Undying Legion (June 30, 2015) — 
  3. The Conquering Dark (July 28, 2015) — 

Quotes[]

Trivia[]

Awards[]

Read Alikes (similar elements)[]

Steampunk & Clockwork:

General:

See Category links at bottom of page

Notes[]

See Also[]

See Category links at bottom of this page

External References[]

Books:

Excerpts:

Summaries:

World, Characters, etc:

Reviews:

Interviews, Guest Posts, Author Commentary:

Articles:

Cover Reveals:

Artist:

Author:

Community, Fan Sites:

Gallery of Book Covers[]

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