''Ha'penny'' is an

alternative history Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, alte ...

novel written by

Jo Walton Jo Walton (born 1964) is a Welsh and Canadian fantasy and science fiction writer and poet. She is best known for the fantasy novel ''Among Others'', which won the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 2012, and '' Tooth and Claw'', a Victorian era novel ...

and published by

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese sci ...

. First published on October 2, 2007, it is the second novel of the Small Change series.

Plot summary

The book is a mystery thriller set inside an

in which the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

made peace with

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

in 1941. In 1949, Britain has slid into fascist dictatorship. When a bomb explodes in a

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

suburb, Scotland Yard Inspector Peter Carmichael is assigned to the case. He finds a web of conspiracy and a plot to murder both Britain's new

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

and

during the latter's Friendship visit to London. Carmichael's professional ethics became compromised during a previous case involving the aristocratic and political establishment, which may affect his ability to handle the case at hand. Life is complicated for Viola Lark as well; she abandoned the upper-class environment of her family and lost touch with her five very different sisters (who are inspired by the real-life

Mitford sisters The Mitford family is an aristocratic English family, whose principal line had its seats at Mitford, Northumberland. Several heads of the family served as High Sheriff of Northumberland. A junior line, with seats at Newton Park, Northumberlan ...

) when she chose to become an actress. Viola is given the role of a lifetime and has hard decisions to make since she becomes caught up in family politics. The first "Small Change" novel, ''

Farthing Farthing or farthings may refer to: Coinage *Farthing (British coin), an old British coin valued one quarter of a penny ** Half farthing (British coin) ** Third farthing (British coin) ** Quarter farthing (British coin) * Farthing (English ...

'', was released in August 2006 by Tor Books. A third novel in the series, '' Half a Crown'', came out in September 2008, also from Tor.

Awards and nominations

The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' named ''Ha'penny'' one of their ten Favorite Mystery Books of 2007. The novel was nominated for a

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted i ...

for LGBT-themed fiction. ''Ha'penny'' tied with

Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed hi ...

's ''

The Gladiator ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' for the 2008

Prometheus Award The Prometheus Award is an award for libertarian science fiction novels given annually by the Libertarian Futurist Society. American author and activist L. Neil Smith established the award in 1979, but it was not awarded regularly until the newl ...

.Prometheus Winners
/ref>

Publication history

*2007, USA,

, Pub date 2 October 2007, Hardback *2008, USA, Tor Books , Pub date 1 July 2008, Mass Market Paperback *2010, Spain, La Factoria de la Ideas , Pub date 1 October 2010, Paperback, as ''La Conspiración de Coltham'' ''(The Conspiracy of Coltham)'' *2015, France, Denoël , Pub date 1 October 2015, Paperback, as ''Hamlet au paradis'' ''(Hamlet in paradise)''

References

* * * *

External links

*
''Ha'penny'' at Tor-Forge BooksEssay about story behind ''Ha'penny'' at Upcoming4.me
{{Jo Walton 2007 British novels Novels by Jo Walton Novels about World War II alternate histories 2007 science fiction novels Fiction set in 1949 Tor Books books Works about sisters British alternative history novels Canadian alternative history novels 2007 Canadian novels

Plot summary

Awards and nominations

Publication history

See also

References

External links