The Geomagician

DEBUT Mandula’s debut novel blends political machinations, paleontology, faith, magic, and a bit of romance in a richly drawn Victorian setting. Mary Anning ekes out a living in Lyme Regis collecting fossils to sell in her shop and dreaming of joining the Geomagical Society of London, though women have not yet been admitted. She’s months behind on her rent, so when she’s told that a part of the cliffs has collapsed, she rushes to the location, knowing that there may be bigger and more valuable fossils to find. Mary not only finds the fossil of a pterodactyl, something geomagicans across the land will pay good money for, but an egg that somehow transforms from being fossilized to hatching in her lap. Now in possession of the bones of the adult and an actual baby pterodactyl, Mary knows she has a great chance for an invitation of admittance to the Society. The discovery brings not only her mentor back into her life, but also Henry Stanton, the man who once broke her heart. Now Mary must navigate intrigue and power games in order to achieve her goals.