The Conductors

Community dynamics mixed with a magical alternate Reconstruction era mystery. The Conductors has all the elements I was looking for in a good story.

- Mary Robinette Kowal, Hugo Award-winning author of The Calculating Stars

An Underground Railroad-but with magic. With compelling characters and wondrous worldbuilding, Glover weaves a tangled mystery of murder, spellwork, and freedom, amid the remnants of slavery's lingering memories.

- P. Djèlí Clark, Nebula Award–winning author of Ring Shout

The Conductors is a seamless blending of magic, mystery and history, creating power and wonder with its rarefied glimpse of Black life in the late-1800s. The Vigilance Society and the magic-wielding couple at the core of this story are a welcome addition to the growing chorus of voices in Black speculative fiction. Glover's worldbuilding, characters, and attention to historical detail create a delightfully genre-bending debut!

- Tananarive Due, American Book Award winner, author of Ghost Summer: Stories

Nicole Glover blends historical detail and magical elements into an unforgettable debut. The Conductors is a wholly original and thoroughly riveting story. This is no doubt the first of many brilliant books to come.

- Deanna Raybourn, New York Times best-selling author of A Murderous Relation

With The Conductors, Nicole Glover creates a fascinating world where even magic is segregated. She effortlessly weaves both the constellation based magical system and the real life struggles of being Black in post Civil War America. The characters lead by former Underground Railroad Conductors Hetty and Benjy Rhodes are as intriguing as the mystery. It's hard to believe this is Glover's first book. I found it as enchanting as one of Hetty's spells.

- Kellye Garrett, Anthony, Agatha and Lefty Award winning author of Hollywood Homicide and Hollywood Ending

The Conductors is a conjured novel. Re-imagining a past that helps us navigate our present. It weaves a rich tapestry of history and magic to create a story of resilience and resistance through the power of black girl magic. It's the perfect book for our times.

Maurice Broaddus, author of Pimp My Airship

The Conductors is a wildly inventive alternate history that combines compelling characters, a propulsive plot, and lots of intrigue. It is also radical as hell. Thought-provoking and powerful, Glover's novel is a must-read.

This novel is stuffed with juicy ideas- from subtle hints about Hetty's former life, to the lives she saved, to the clever way she uses astrological symbols to perform her magic.

NICOLE GLOVER works as a UX researcher. A bike commuter and running enthusiast, she enjoys baking and figuring out what book to read next. The Conductors is her debut novel.

FILM RIGHTS NOW OPTIONED BY QUEEN LATIFAH 
_________________________________ 
 
'An Underground Railroad - but with magic' P. Djeli Clark 
'...a delightfully genre-bending debut' Tananarive Due 
_________________________________ 
Meet Hetty Rhodes, a former conductor on the Underground Railroad who now uses her magic to solve crimes in her community in a post-Civil War world. 
 
As an escaped slave, Hetty Rhodes helped dozens of people find their own freedom north using her wits and her magic. Now that the Civil War is over, Hetty and her husband, Benjy, still fight for their people by solving the murders and mysteries that the white authorities won't touch. 
 
When they discover one of their friends brutally murdered in an alley, Hetty and Benjy mourn his loss by setting off to find answers. But the mystery of his death soon brings up more questions, more secrets, more hurt. To solve his death, they will have to not only face the ugly truths about the world but the ones about each other. 
 
 Perfect for fans of Victor LaValle and Zen Cho, The Conductors is a compelling debut by a fresh voice in fantasy fiction that will leave you longing for more. 
_________________________________ 
'... a wholly original and thoroughly riveting story... an unforgettable debut' DEANNA REYBOURN, New York Times best-selling author of A Murderous Relation

Nicole Glover

REVIEWS FOR THE CONDUCTORS 
___________________________

Mary Robinette Kowal, Hugo Award-winning author of The Calculating Stars

P. Djèlí Clark, Nebula Award–winning author of Ring Shout

Tananarive Due, American Book Award winner, author of Ghost Summer: Stories

Deanna Raybourn, New York Times best-selling author of A Murderous Relation

With The Conductors, Nicole Glover creates a fascinating world where even magic is segregated. She effortlessly weaves both the constellation based magical system and the real life struggles of being Black in post Civil War America. The characters lead by former Underground Railroad Conductors Hetty and Benjy Rhodes are as intriguing as the mystery. It's hard to believe this is Glover's first book. I found it as enchanting as one of Hetty's spells.

Kellye Garrett, Anthony, Agatha and Lefty Award winning author of Hollywood Homicide and Hollywood Ending

The Conductors is a conjured novel. Re-imagining a past that helps us navigate our present. It weaves a rich tapestry of history and magic to create a story of resilience and resistance through the power of black girl magic. It's the perfect book for our times.

The Conductors is a wildly inventive alternate history that combines compelling characters, a propulsive plot, and lots of intrigue. It is also radical as hell. Thought-provoking and powerful, Glover's novel is a must-read.

This novel is stuffed with juicy ideas- from subtle hints about Hetty's former life, to the lives she saved, to the clever way she uses astrological symbols to perform her magic.

THE CONDUCTOR'S FILM RIGHTS NOW OPTIONED BY QUEEN LATIFAH 
 
In the exciting sequel to The Conductors, and the second book in the Murder &amp; Magic series of historical fantasy novels set in post-Civil war Philadelphia, Hetty Rhodes and her husband, Benjy face a case bigger and more dangerous than anything they've handled before. 
___________________________________ 
Freedom comes at a cost... 
 
Hetty and Benjy have another death on their hands: Raimond Duval, a victim of one of the many fires consuming Philadelphia. His death is officially declared an accident, but Hetty and Benjy smell something more than just ash in the air. Their investigations point to a powerful Fire Company, known to let homes in the Black community burn to the ground, but before they can investigate further, Raimond's son, Valentine, is also found dead. 
 
It quickly becomes clear that there is something more here, something that connects Raimond and Valentine to the recent fires plaguing the city, and Hetty and Benjy have never been the kind to step aside. 
 
But this feels larger than the cases that have come before and now their lives hang in the balance. 
 
After all, even the most powerful magic can't hold back the ghosts of the past.

The Undertakers

About us

About Us (Header 4)

Best-Jane-Austen-quotes_Online-Desktop_Penguin

James-Baldwin

Marian-Keyes

haruki-murakami-320×320-1

Richard-Osman

Malorie Blackman

Lisa-Jewell

Charlie-Mackesy

Authors (Header 3)

Children&#039;s

Company

Discover

Fiction

Non-fiction

Penguin Classics

Penguin Shop (Header 5)

Useful links

Work with us

sectionTitle

isEnabled

anchor

anchorLabel

prhuk/featured-book

prhuk/praise-section

maxBooks

showViewMore

prhuk/books-section

hideAuthorAlert

formName

iterableDivision

iterableBrand

buttonText

description

heading

legalText

successHeading

successText

image

alignment

variation

prhuk/email-section

prhuk/series-section

prhuk/biography-section

prhuk/articles-section

prhuk-authors

The perfect gift? A Penguin Shop gift card

Nicole Glover

Praise for The Undertakers

REVIEWS FOR THE CONDUCTORS
___________________________

**Community dynamics mixed with a magical alternate Reconstruction era mystery. The Conductors has all the elements I was looking for in a good story.**

An Underground Railroad-but with magic. With compelling characters and wondrous worldbuilding, Glover weaves a tangled mystery of murder, spellwork, and freedom, amid the remnants of slavery's lingering memori ...

REVIEWS FOR THE CONDUCTORS
___________________________

**Community dynamics mixed with a magical alternate Reconstruction era mystery. The Conductors has all the elements I was looking for in a good story.**

An Underground Railroad-but with magic. With compelling characters and wondrous worldbuilding, Glover weaves a tangled mystery of murder, spellwork, and freedom, amid the remnants of slavery's lingering memori ...

REVIEWS FOR THE CONDUCTORS
___________________________

**Community dynamics mixed with a magical alternate Reconstruction era mystery. The Conductors has all the elements I was looking for in a good story.**

An Underground Railroad-but with magic. With compelling characters and wondrous worldbuilding, Glover weaves a tangled mystery of murder, spellwork, and freedom, amid the remnants of slavery's lingering memori ...

Books by Nicole Glover

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter

Praise for The Undertakers

REVIEWS FOR THE CONDUCTORS ___________________________

Community dynamics mixed with a magical alternate Reconstruction era mystery. The Conductors has all the elements I was looking for in a good story.

An Underground Railroad-but with magic. With compelling characters and wondrous worldbuilding, Glover weaves a tangled mystery of murder, spellwork, and freedom, amid the remnants of slavery's lingering memori ...

REVIEWS FOR THE CONDUCTORS ___________________________

Community dynamics mixed with a magical alternate Reconstruction era mystery. The Conductors has all the elements I was looking for in a good story.

An Underground Railroad-but with magic. With compelling characters and wondrous worldbuilding, Glover weaves a tangled mystery of murder, spellwork, and freedom, amid the remnants of slavery's lingering memori ...

REVIEWS FOR THE CONDUCTORS ___________________________

Community dynamics mixed with a magical alternate Reconstruction era mystery. The Conductors has all the elements I was looking for in a good story.

An Underground Railroad-but with magic. With compelling characters and wondrous worldbuilding, Glover weaves a tangled mystery of murder, spellwork, and freedom, amid the remnants of slavery's lingering memori ...

Books by Nicole Glover

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter

REVIEWS FOR THE CONDUCTORS
___________________________

**Community dynamics mixed with a magical alternate Reconstruction era mystery. The Conductors has all the elements I was looking for in a good story.**

REVIEWS FOR THE CONDUCTORS
___________________________

**Community dynamics mixed with a magical alternate Reconstruction era mystery. The Conductors has all the elements I was looking for in a good story.**

REVIEWS FOR THE CONDUCTORS
___________________________

**Community dynamics mixed with a magical alternate Reconstruction era mystery. The Conductors has all the elements I was looking for in a good story.**