PENTACLE

Berlin, the Hotel Adlon, midnight. When the copper frog in the Elephant Fountain spits a secret message into Maro Vaux's hand, the strangest night of her life begins - and with it the discovery of a world that really ought not to exist. Beneath the asphalt of Europe breathes a realm of brass, steam and airships: the PEPN, a network of pneumatic post and living technology - older than the internet, cleverer than any AI, and considerably better dressed. Guarded by copper frogs, borne by butterflies of broom pollen and silicon that drift through catacombs and greenhouses. A future that never stopped being green, analogue and alive - solarpunk with style. But a tech billionaire with the charm of a fascist and an ego with its own orbit wants to own all of it. And Europe's soul into the bargain. Against him: Alexander Lynx, a gentleman-nerd with an umbrella and the firm conviction that you don't blow your problems away. Maro Vaux, who isn't waiting to be rescued. And an ensemble as diverse and queer as Europe itself. Their chase runs through five cities and across a volcanic island - Berlin, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Tenerife, London - and in black-and-white films a hundred years old, messages wait for the ones they were meant for. One trail even leads to the Moon. And Mars? Mars is already sending word. Five adversaries. Zero explosions. But champagne, Deep Purple and a flying car called Votey Votey Vroom Vroom. Which leaves only one question: what does one actually do with a broligarch? Not what you'd think - and a great deal more elegantly. Elegance instead of explosions. A punky spy-fantasy adventure for fans of Good Omens, Ben Aaronovitch, Jasper Fforde and Doctor Who - and anyone who thinks Monty Python had a point.