The Conductors

Author Nicole Glover
Narrator Bahni Turpin
Publisher Random House
Publish Date 4 March 2021
Run Time 14 hours and 3 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Dark fantasy, Historical fantasy, Magical realism.

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Meet Hetty Rhodes, a former conductor on the Underground Railroad who now uses her magic to solve crimes in her community in a post-Civil War world.

As an escaped slave, Hetty Rhodes helped dozens of people find their own freedom north using her wits and her magic. Now that the Civil War is over, Hetty and her husband, Benjy, still fight for their people by solving the murders and mysteries that the white authorities won't touch.

When they discover one of their friends brutally murdered in an alley, Hetty and Benjy mourn his loss by setting off to find answers. But the mystery of his death soon brings up more questions, more secrets, more hurt. To solve his death, they will have to not only face the ugly truths about the world but the ones about each other.

Perfect for fans of Victor LaValle and Zen Cho, The Conductors is a compelling debut by a fresh voice in fantasy fiction that will leave you longing for more.

'An Underground Railroad - but with magic' P. Djeli Clark

'...a delightfully genre-bending debut' Tananarive Due

'... a wholly original and thoroughly riveting story... an unforgettable debut' DEANNA REYBOURN, New York Times best-selling author of A Murderous Relation

© Nicole Glover 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Critics Review

Community dynamics mixed with a magical alternate Reconstruction era mystery. The Conductors has all the elements I was looking for in a good story.

- Mary Robinette Kowal, Hugo Award-winning author of The Calculating Stars

An Underground Railroad-but with magic. With compelling characters and wondrous worldbuilding, Glover weaves a tangled mystery of murder, spellwork, and freedom, amid the remnants of slavery’s lingering memories.

- P. Djèlí Clark, Nebula Award–winning author of Ring Shout

The Conductors is a seamless blending of magic, mystery and history, creating power and wonder with its rarefied glimpse of Black life in the late-1800s. The Vigilance Society and the magic-wielding couple at the core of this story are a welcome addition to the growing chorus of voices in Black speculative fiction. Glover’s worldbuilding, characters, and attention to historical detail create a delightfully genre-bending debut!

- Tananarive Due, American Book Award winner, author of Ghost Summer: Stories

Nicole Glover blends historical detail and magical elements into an unforgettable debut. The Conductors is a wholly original and thoroughly riveting story. This is no doubt the first of many brilliant books to come.

- Deanna Raybourn, New York Times best-selling author of A Murderous Relation

With The Conductors, Nicole Glover creates a fascinating world where even magic is segregated. She effortlessly weaves both the constellation based magical system and the real life struggles of being Black in post Civil War America. The characters lead by former Underground Railroad Conductors Hetty and Benjy Rhodes are as intriguing as the mystery. It’s hard to believe this is Glover’s first book. I found it as enchanting as one of Hetty’s spells.

- Kellye Garrett, Anthony, Agatha and Lefty Award winning author of Hollywood Homicide and Hollywood Ending

The Conductors is a conjured novel. Re-imagining a past that helps us navigate our present. It weaves a rich tapestry of history and magic to create a story of resilience and resistance through the power of black girl magic. It’s the perfect book for our times.

Maurice Broaddus, author of Pimp My Airship

The Conductors is a wildly inventive alternate history that combines compelling characters, a propulsive plot, and lots of intrigue. It is also radical as hell. Thought-provoking and powerful, Glover’s novel is a must-read.

Cadwell Turnbull, author of The Lesson

This novel is stuffed with juicy ideas- from subtle hints about Hetty’s former life, to the lives she saved, to the clever way she uses astrological symbols to perform her magic.

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