An exceptional and unforgettable tale of magic, courage and the boundless possibilities of the imagination, from the bestselling and award-winning author of MALAMANDER. When Tom follows the trail of a mysterious lantern down a dim alleyway, he discovers a secret. He has stumbled on the place where the Everyday meets Faery - a dangerous magical world full of trolls, ghosts, dragons, and things from the darkest corners of the imagination. Tom is apprenticed to a secret society called the Esotericals, which claims to protect the Everyday from the dark creatures of Faery. But, venturing into Faery for himself, Tom meets a young witch named Persistence and her familiar, a starling named Mortimer, who insist that there's more to the Esotericals than meets the eye. Then Faery's most horrifying creature begins to hunt Tom down: The Smothering Dark. She wants something, and she'll stop at nothing to get it - even if that means breaking down the barrier between Faery and the Everyday once and for all . Rich, epic, immersive and exciting, this bewitching story is set to be a modern classic.