Cover of A Darker Shade of Magic

A Darker Shade of Magic

  • 2015 first published
  • 400 pages
  • ★ 3.8 (51 ratings)
  • 17 editions

V. E. Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic (2015) is a gaslamp fantasy and urban fantasy novel. Much of the action takes place in London, England. It features George III of Britain and Ireland, Kell Maresh and Rhy Maresh. It deals with quantum theory, magic, smugglers and pickpockets.

Open Library readers give it an average of 3.8 out of 5 from 51 ratings, and 231 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 17 editions across 4 languages.

It runs to roughly 400 pages — 7–8 hours of reading at an average pace.

About A Darker Shade of Magic

STEP INTO A UNIVERSE OF DARING ADVENTURE, THRILLING POWER, AND MULTIPLE LONDONS. Kell is one of the last travelers--magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes connected by one magic city. There's Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, and with one mad king--George III. Red London, where life and magic are revered--and where Kell was raised alongside Rhy Maresh, the roguish heir to a flourishing empire. White London--a place where people fight to control magic and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London. But no one speaks of that now. Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, ambassador of the Maresh Empire, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs into Delilah Bard, a cutpurse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive. This description comes from the publisher. *A Darker Shade of Magic* is the first book of the Shades of Magic trilogy.
Description from Open Library

Themes, setting & tropes

Genres

Setting

Characters

  • George III of Britain and Ireland
  • Kell Maresh
  • Rhy Maresh
  • Holland Vosijk
  • Maxim Maresh
  • Emira Maresh
  • Astrid Dane
  • Athos Dane
  • Tieren Serense
  • Delilah "Lila" Bard

Subjects

  • Quantum theory
  • Magic
  • FICTION / Fantasy / Historical
  • Fantasy
  • London, England - Fiction
  • Magic - Fiction
  • Witches and warlocks - Fiction
  • Quantum theory - Fiction
  • London, England
  • Smugglers
  • Pickpockets
  • Space and time
  • Contrebandiers, Romans, nouvelles, etc
  • Pickpockets, Romans, nouvelles, etc
  • Théorie quantique, Romans, nouvelles, etc
  • FICTION / Fantasy / Action & Adventure

Publisher

Quick answers

Who wrote A Darker Shade of Magic?

A Darker Shade of Magic was written by V. E. Schwab and first published in 2015.

What genre is A Darker Shade of Magic?

It is usually shelved as Gaslamp & Victorian Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Romantasy and Science Fiction Romance.

How long is A Darker Shade of Magic?

The median edition has 400 pages, about 7–8 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.

What books are similar to A Darker Shade of Magic?

Readers who like it often enjoy Splendors and Glooms, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and House of Sky and Breath.

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