Catherine Helstone’s brother, Laon, has disappeared in Arcadia, legendary land of the magical fae. Desperate for news of him, she makes the perilous journey, but once there, she finds herself alone and isolated in the sinister house of Gethsemane. At last there comes news: her beloved brother is riding to be reunited with her soon – but the Queen of the Fae and her maniacal court are hard on his heels.
An unusually gripping Victorian-tinged fantasy set in a richly imagined High Gothic world.
About the Author
Jeannette Ng is originally from Hong Kong but now lives in Durham, UK. Her MA in Medieval and Renaissance Studies fed into an interest in medieval and missionary theology. She runs live roleplay games and used to sell costumes for a living. Under the Pendulum Sun is her debut novel.
Industry Reviews
"Poetic, elegant, the writing feels filigreed and heavy with silk... the most nonchalantly menacing thing I've ever read."
"An evocative, claustrophobic Gothic novel with strikingly creepy set-pieces, which repeatedly dislocates its reader's and characters' worldview in a forceful examination of faith and the power of stories."
"Under the Pendulum Sun is a weird, ingenious, and ravishing story of the Fae and the outsiders driven to discover their secrets, told with a heady melange of disturbing beauty and enticing dangers."
"Threads together the Brontes, Fae mythology and the Biblical Apocrypha into an intricate gothic tapestry, the sort that seems to shift slightly when you glance away, the sort that throws away imagery in every half-sentence that makes the "shifting tapestry" metaphor in the previous sentence wince at being a bit predictable."
"An enchanting literary debut - I couldn't put it down!"
"Jeanette Ng has no time for Victorian attempts to sanitise and prettify Faerie. A story as intriguing as it is eerily disturbing."
"Extremely beautiful, entertaining, and emotionally compelling...read this excellent book."
"Intriguing... fascinating."
"An opulently atmospheric piece of neo-Victorian fantasy set in a 19th century in which the British are sending missionaries to Fairyland. It's a strange, brooding and occasionally perverse debut."
"The world-building and atmosphere are just incredible. It's especially gripping because the normal rules don't apply, and nothing is as it seems."
"This is The Woman in Black, Heart of Darkness and fae all mixed up in a magical debut novel."
"without a shadow of doubt one of the best fantasy stories I've read in 2017"
"A brave and startling debut, one that's both sensual and sinister, a foundation for what should be a glowing career."
"Under the Pendulum Sun contains wonders and terrors, sweet love and brittle disgust. "
"A brilliant fantasy that challenges the characters' faith and hearts, and creates a world entirely of its own."
"Jeannette Ng's Under the Pendulum Sun is big and unruly and spills over in various directions in ways that genuinely excite."
"Jeannette Ng weaves an incredible tale in the vein of a creepy Victorian novel that blends elements of fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, and more into a dark and captivating tale."
"A perfectly twisted novel."
