''Ha'penny'' is an alternative history novel written by

Jo Walton Jo Walton (born 1964) is a Welsh-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 w ...

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. History Tor was founded by Tom Doherty, ...

. 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 alternative history 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

made peace with

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

in 1941. In 1949, Britain has slid into

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

dictatorship. When a bomb explodes in a

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

suburb,

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...

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 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

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) 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'', 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'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' 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 Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...

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 his ...

's '' The Gladiator'' for the 2008 Prometheus Award.Prometheus Winners
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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 Crime and thriller fiction set in alternate histories Novels by Jo Walton Novels about World War II alternate histories 2007 science fiction novels Fiction set in 1949 Tor Books books Novels about sisters British alternative history novels Canadian alternative history novels Detective novels 2007 Canadian novels

Plot summary

Awards and nominations

Publication history

See also

References

External links