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.World Fantasy Awards 2019, at the World Fantasy Convention; retrieved November 4, 2019 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.
Series books
Reception
Awards YearAwardCategoryBookResultRef2018Nebula AwardBest NovelWitchmark2018Lambda Literary AwardScience Fiction, Fantasy and HorrorWitchmark2018Goodreads Choice AwardsDebut AuthorWitchmark2019Locus AwardBest First NovelWitchmark2019World Fantasy AwardNovelWitchmark2019Prix Aurora AwardBest Novel (English)Witchmark2022Prix Aurora AwardBest Novel (English)Soulstar2022Hugo AwardHugo Award for Best SeriesThe Kingston Cycle
Accolades +YearPublicationWorkCategoryRef2022Reader's DigestThe Kingston CycleTop 25 Best Fantasy Series Ever Written2020Time MagazineWitchmarkThe 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time2018Publishers WeeklyWitchmarkOne of the best books of 20182018BuzzFeedWitchmark2018Chicago ReviewWitchmark2018BookPageWitchmark
Adaptations 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.
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