Golgotham series

Right Hand Magic (Golgotham, -1) by Nancy A — Right Hand Magic (Golgotham, #1) by Nancy A. Collins

Golgotham series by Nancy A. Collins

Genres and Sub-Genres[]

Urban Fantasy

Series Description or Overview[]

BOOK ONE BLURB: Like most Manhattanites, aspiring artist Tate can't resist a good rental deal-even if it's in the city's strangest neighborhood, Golgotham, where for centuries werewolves, centaurs, and countless other creatures have roamed the streets.

Her new landlord is a sorcerer name Hexe, who is determined to build his reputation without using dark, left-hand magic. As Tate is drawn into Hexe's fascinating world, they both find that the right hand does not always know what the left hand is doing-and avoiding darkness is no easy trick. ~ FF ~ Right Hand Magic) and Goodreads

Lead's Species[]

human artist

Primary Supe[]

Witches — alien race of sorcerers

What Sets it Apart[]

Magical community inside NYC

Narrative Type and Narrators[]

First person narrative told by Tate.

Books in Series[]

Golgotham series:

Right Hand Magic (2010)
Left Hand Magic (2011)
Magic and Loss (2013)

World Building[]

Setting[]

New York City

Alternate Manhattan in a 6-block by 9-block section called Golgotham

Places:

Gate of Skulls: entrance to Golgotham

Supernatural Elements[]

✥ Witch King, witches, warlocks, sorcerers, centaurs, satyrs, leprechauns, nature spirits, Valkyries, Amazons, various shape shifters, were-cougar, magical mob boss, oracle, cryptic prophecy, mermaid, ,

Glossary[]

Kymerans—an alien race of sorcerers with technicolor body hair, cat-like eyes, and powerful magical talents.
Right hand magic: good magic
Left hand magic: dark magic
Numps: humans

Groups & Organizations:[]

Malandanti: Golgotham equivalent to the Mafia
Kymera, a race of witches who maintain an uneasy truce with NY City's humans; have 12 fingers, cat like eyes and freaky hair;
- Aristocrats: blue hair — the ones with the strongest magic
- Crafters: yellow hair — talented in the creation of talismans, scrying stones, tarot cards, etc.
- Servitors: redheaded — served the Aristocrats
Paranormal Threat Unit: supernatural police of Golgotham
Sons of Adam:
Kymeran Unification Party:
New York City Police Department

World[]

Urban fantasy series set in the heart of an alternate Manhattan in a 6-block by 9-block section called Golgotham. In this world, supernaturals are part of society, but they live in areas that are segregated from humans. Golgotham has existed since the days of the American Revolution, when the reigning Witch King made a deal with George Washington and Thomas Jefferson that in exchange for the witches' help against the British, the new American government would grant the supernaturals a sovereign country of their own within American borders. Currently, human tourists visit Golgotham to take advantage of magic (e.g., witches' curses) and buy souvenirs, but they treat the supernaturals mostly like a freak show (e.g., taking photographs, buying t-shirts).

✤ Golgotham, with its narrow, car-free streets and supernatural inhabitants is entered through the Gate of Skulls. A Manhattan cab driver will only drive you to the edge. From there, you either walk or hire a cab driven by a centaur or a satyr. (Be wary of those sly and dangerous satyrs!) The supernaturals also include leprechauns, nature spirits, Valkyries, Amazons, various shape shifters, and the Kymerans—an alien race of sorcerers with technicolor body hair, cat-like eyes, and powerful magical talents.

✤ History of the Kymerans: "Back in ye oldie [sic] days—before Kymera sank—there were three distinct castes: the Aristocrats, the Crafters, and the Servitors. The Aristocrats had blue hair and were the ones with the strongest magic. The Crafters had yellow hair and were talented in the creation of talismans, scrying stones, tarot cards, and the like. The Servitors were—well, they were redheaded and served the Aristocrats. And so it went for millennia. Then, fifteen thousand years ago, Kymera was drowned by a massive tsunami. Only a hundred Kymerans managed to escape the Deluge on their dragons. My ancestor, Lord Arum, led them to New Kymera, in what would become Eastern Europe. Because there were so few left, the castes were forced to mingle, and that's when green, orange, and purple hair began to appear among my people. Yet the royal family has always remained some shade of blue, at least until I came along." (p. 186) ~ Fang Fiction

Protagonist[]

The heroine, Timothea Alda Talmadge Eresby (aka Tate), has turned her back on her wealthy family so that she can concentrate on her art, but she still cashes her trust-fund checks every month. Tate is a metal sculptor, building human and animal figures out of recycled metal bits and pieces. When her condo kicks her out for making too much noise, she finds a room in Golgotham and becomes one of the very few humans living there. Tate's new landlord is Hexe, a purple-haired Kymeran prince (and heir to the throne) who has also broken away from his family. Hexe confines himself to good magic (aka right hand magic) and refuses to use dark magic (aka left hand-magic). ~ Fang Fiction

Sidekick[]

Name: Scratch — What: cat-like demon Sidekick-to: Hexe — About: familiar — Book First Seen In: Right Hand Magic (2010)

Characters Chart[]

Characters	What	About
'Tate', Timothea Alda Talmadge Eresby	metal sculptor	artist who rents a room in a magical community strictly segregated from humans;
Hexe	Kymeran, landlord	purple-haired Kymeran prince; confines himself to good, right-hand magic, uses it to heal; heir to the realm;
Scratch	cat-like demon	familiar: shapeshifts into a diminutive hairless cat with wings;
Lukas	teen were-cougar	Hexe & Tate rescue him from mob boss; plucky escape from the fighting pits of the Malandanti overlord Boss Marz, mob comes after them;
Uncle Esau	Left-Hand-practicer	lives in boarding house,
Quid	of Quid's Pro Quo	Tate to pay back a debt to Quid for a favor he granted last book;
Boss Marz	Malandanti mob boss

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

Author[]

Nancy A. Collins

Website: True Blue
Genres: Horror, Urban Fantasy, Sci-Fant, Fiction

Bio: Nancy A. Collins is a United States horror fiction writer best known for her series of vampire novels featuring her character Sonja Blue. Collins has also written for comic books, including the Swamp Thing series, Jason Vs. Leatherface, Predator: Hell Come A Walkin and her own one-shot Dhampire: Stillborn.

Collins was born in McGehee, Arkansas, United States. She lived in New Orleans, Louisiana in the 1980s; after time in New York City and Atlanta, Georgia she settled in Wilmington, North Carolina in the late 2000s. Collins has written twenty novels since 1989, many of which refer to and directly include races of creatures the author calls Pretenders, monsters from myth and legend passing as human to better hunt their prey. Collins has also written a number of highly acclaimed Southern Gothic short stories and novellas, most of which are set in Seven Devils, Arkansas, a highly fictionalized version of her hometown. Most recently, she has focused her attention onto the Golgotham urban fantasy series,published by Penguin. Golgotham is the 'supernatural' ghetto of New York City, where creatures from myth and folklore—including witches,shapeshifters,leprechauns and centaurs--live and work in uneasy alliance with mankind. ~ Goodreads | Nancy A. Collins (Author of Vamps)

Cover Artist[]

Artist: none listed

Publishing Information[]

Publisher: Roc
Author Page: Nancy A. Collins ~ HarperCollins
Bk-1: Paperback, 289 pages, Pub: Dec 7th 2010—ISBN: 0451463668
Bk-2: Paperback, 1st Edition, 293 pages, Pub: Dec 6th 2011—ISBN: 0451464303
Bk-3: Paperback, 290 pages, Pub: Nov 5th 2013—ISBN: 0451464923

Book Cover Blurbs[]

✤ BOOK ONE BLURB—Right Hand Magic (2010): Like most Manhattanites, aspiring artist Tate can't resist a good rental deal-even if it's in the city's strangest neighborhood, Golgotham, where for centuries werewolves, centaurs, and countless other creatures have roamed the streets. Her new landlord is a sorcerer name Hexe, who is determined to build his reputation without using dark, left-hand magic. As Tate is drawn into Hexe's fascinating world, they both find that the right hand does not always know what the left hand is doing-and avoiding darkness is no easy trick. ~ Goodreads | Right Hand Magic (Golgotham, #1)

✤ BOOK TWO BLURB—Left Hand Magic (2011): Located on Manhattan's Lower East Side, Golgotham has been the city's supernatural neighborhood for centuries. Populated by countless creatures from myth and legend, the neighborhood's most prominent citizens are the Kymera, a race of witches who maintain an uneasy truce with New York City's humans… Tate Eresby has accepted the unusual sights and sounds of Golgotham and made it her home. Unfortunately, a magazine has alerted trendsetting hipsters to its existence and they've descended upon the community-along with an anti-Kymera faction known as The Sons of Adam. The sudden influx of tourists escalates racial tensions to a boiling point when two Kymerans are murdered and rioting fills the streets. ~ Goodreads | Left Hand Magic (Golgotham, #2)

✤ BOOK THREE BLURB—Magic and Loss (2013): Located on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Golgotham has been the city’s supernatural district for centuries. Populated by creatures from myth and legend, the neighborhood’s most prominent citizens are the Kymera, a race of witches who maintain an uneasy truce with the city’s humans... It has been several months since Tate Eresby developed her new magical ability to bring whatever she creates to life, but she is still learning to control her power. Struggling to make a living as an artist, she and Hexe can barely make ends meet, but they are happy.

That is until Golgotham’s criminal overlord Boss Marz is released from prison, bent on revenge against the couple responsible for putting him there. Hexe’s right hand is destroyed, leaving him unable to conjure his benign magic. Attempts to repair the hand only succeed in plunging Hexe into a darkness that can’t be lifted—even by news that Tate is carrying his child. Now, with her pregnancy seeming to progress at an astonishing rate, Tate realizes that carrying a possible heir to the Kymeran throne will attract danger from all corners, even beyond the grave. ~ Goodreads | Magic and Loss (Golgotham #3)

First Sentences[]

Right Hand Magic (2010) — The flyer on the bulletin board at Strega Nona's Pizza Oven read "Room for Rent: $750 per Month."
Left Hand Magic (2011) — I woke up to find a dragon hovering over me.
Magic and Loss (2013) — I woke up as usual, to the sound of the alarm clock, the smell of bacon, and the sight of a winged hairless car curled up beside me.

Quotes[]

Nancy A. Collins Quotes (Author of Vamps) ~ GR
Golgotham Series ~ Shelfari

“... you cannot shake hands with the Devil and not get sulphur on your sleeve.” ― Nancy A. Collins

Trivia[]

Awards[]

Read Alikes (similar elements)[]

Nightside series — has segment of London designated for supes
Edge Series

Witches & Sorcerers:

Magical creatures, Dragons:

Other:

See Category links at bottom of page

Notes[]

External References[]

Books:

Golgotham series by Nancy A. Collins ~ GR
Golgotham - Series Bibliography ~ ISFdb
Nancy A Collins ~ FF
Golgotham Series ~ Shelfari
Golgotham - Series Bibliography ~ ISFdb
Golgotham series by Nancy A Collins ~ FictFact
Golgotham | Series ~ LibraryThing
Nancy A. Collins - Summary Bibliography ~ ISFdb (author)

Other Series Pages:

Sonja Blue series by Nancy A. Collins ~ Goodreads

Summaries, Articles:

The World, Characters, etc:

Fang-tastic Fiction: Nancy A. Collins: GOLGOTHAM
Golgotham Series ~ Shelfari