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The Kingston Cycle is a series of gaslamp fantasy novels by Canadian author C. L. Polk. The series includes three books, and takes place in a fantasy realm based on Edwardian England, in the context of a cruel war reminiscent of World War I. The first book in the series, Witchmark, received numerous accolades, rave reviews, and the 2019 World Fantasy Award—Novel. The series as a whole was positively received and was a finalist for the 2022 Hugo Award for Best Series.
Each of the novels in the series includes a self-contained romantic plot involving different LGBT couples who must solve a murder mystery, while a larger story arc spans all three novels in the series, which is a feminist, political, revolutionary fantasy tale about the uprising of the underclass and the importance of community and collective political resistance.
Miles Singer returned from the war between his native Aeland and the kingdom of Laneer a different man – literally. He has adopted a false identity to work as a doctor in a veteran's hospital and hide from his family, who would either force him to serve their political interests or commit him to a witch asylum. Miles' powers as a healer are exposed, however, when a he investigates a suspicious death of a patient, leading him to discover unimaginable atrocities committed by his country. He's in danger of being pulled back into his family's orbit, or else needing to trust in and rely on the kindness of the most gorgeous man he's ever met.
Having helped her brother Miles end the horrific practice of draining the strength of witches to power the realm, Dame Grace Hensley now finds herself entangled in the intrigues of a nation in both internal and external crisis. There's no easy replacement for the witches' power, the war is still raging with no end in sight, and court politics are potentially deadly. To make matters worse, the fae-like and powerful Amarithenes have arrived to hold the human realms accountable for their actions. And with the prospect of revolution in the air, Grace must also contend with the tenacious reporter, Avia Jessup, who is capturing her heart but whose interests sometimes conflict with her own.
Like many others with powers, Robin Thorpe has lived secretively, hiding her abilities from all but her clan in working-class Riverside. As the witches continue to be freed from enslavement, Robin is reunited with her long-absent spouse, Zelind. Together, they team up with Miles and Grace to end the regime's ravages upon the kingdom. Robin finds herself leading a revolution that will change Aeland forever, ensuring it becomes more free and just. While challenging the sexist, classist, and oppressive realities of the current system in the name of the people, Robin and Zelind must also contend with reintegrating their divergent lives as a couple, an endeavor with challenges of its own.
In August 2021 it was announced that the rights to The Kingston Cycle were acquired by 1212 Entertainment, and that the novels would be adapted into a television series by screenwriter Alyssa Clark.
