Book Description

Tales from the Archives are short stories set in the world of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. They explore events mentioned in the novels, characters seen and unseen and may include novel teasers of things to come. This volume includes: Hanuman's Gift by Helen Madden Deep in the Archives, Augustus Whitby toils through his duties in the Archives, dreaming up romantic stories far more plausible than the supposed “investigations” of the field agents. A story from Agent Harrison Thorne and an unassuming artifact from his recent case, however, proves much to Whitby’s chagrin that there are some truths that are far stranger than fiction. The Sun Never Sets by Val Griswold-Ford Agent Isaac Martin receives a note, imploring him to investigate the nearly completed clock tower at the Palace at Westminster. He and his partner, Agent Andrew Kensington, start looking into the construction and uncover unanswered questions concerning this new landmark’s creators. Women of the Empire by J R Blackwell Wellington Thornhill Books and Doctor Josepha Raven Blackwell share ‘an encounter’ after-hours at the Ministry, all part of Dr. Blackwell’s research into hysteria. Brief as the encounter, one of them will not come out quite the same from it. The Emperor's Fist by J R Murdock Agent Reginald Coffey and Special Liaison Meiying Ling are deep within the jungles of China, setting technology against the oldest of dark Chinese magic. The two are set on a rendezvous with the most sinister of sorcerers and a plot to plunge the world into darkness. A Trick of Strong Imagination by Alyson Grauer Althea Galway, a gifted statistician for the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, follows her tedious pursuits for Doctor Sound to a Winter carnival and a strange mystery at its heart. With a dashing illusionist and the memories of her own secretive past with the Traveling Galloway Circus clouding her judgment, she dares to reach beyond her station and discover what is behind the tricks of a trade she knew better than any active field agent. The Wrong Camera by Catherine Ford Blythe is very excited to receive a camera for her birthday, but finds that gifts can have their price. What she sees through the lens offers a chilling insight into the future that people will kill for.