Even Though I Knew the End

C. L. Polk

Hardcover

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Reader Score

80%

80% of readers

recommend this book

Critic Reviews

Great

Based on 5 reviews on

Winner:Nebula Award -Novella (2023)

Nominee:Hugo Award -Novella (2023)

A USA Today Bestseller!

Winner of the Nebula Award!

Finalist for the Hugo Award!

Finalist for the World Fantasy Award!

A New York Times Best Romance of 2022!

C. L. Polk turns their considerable powers to a fantastical noir with Even Though I Knew the End.

"Eerie, sharp, and fiercely bittersweet." --The New York Times

A magical detective dives into the affairs of Chicago's divine monsters to secure a future with the love of her life. This sapphic period piece will dazzle anyone looking for mystery, intrigue, romance, magic, or all of the above.

An exiled augur who sold her soul to save her brother's life is offered one last job before serving an eternity in hell. When she turns it down, her client sweetens the pot by offering up the one payment she can't resist--the chance to have a future where she grows old with the woman she loves.

To succeed, she is given three days to track down the White City Vampire, Chicago's most notorious serial killer. If she fails, only hell and heartbreak await.

Book Details

Publisher: Tordotcom
Publish Date: Nov 8th, 2022
Pages: 144
Language: English
Edition: undefined - undefined
Dimensions: 8.47in - 5.59in - 0.66in - 0.54lb
EAN: 9781250849458
Categories: • Fantasy - Historical• Noir• LGBTQ+ - Lesbian

About the Author

Polk, C. L.: -

C. L. Polk wrote the Hugo-nominated Kingston Cycle, including the World Fantasy Award-winning Witchmark. They are also the author of the CBC Canada Reads finalist The Midnight Bargain and the Nebula-winning, USA Today bestseller Even Though I Knew The End.

Before writing fantasy novels, they worked as a film extra, a costermonger, and also identified lepidoptera by eye. Mx. Polk lives in Calgary, on the territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Tsuut'ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, and the Métis Nation (Region 3).

Critics’ reviews

Praise for this book

Winner of the Nebula Award!

A World Fantasy Award Finalist!

A Locus Award Finalist!

An Ignyte Award Finalist!

A New York Times Best Romance!

An NPR Best Speculative Fiction Book!

"Eerie, sharp and fiercely bittersweet." --The New York Times

"Noir and fantasy often seem to go together, but those two elements seldom uplift each other quite as well as they do in Even Though I Knew the End" --The Washington Post

"Stylish supernatural noir with a heart and a thrumming pulse. I devoured it." --Laini Taylor

"This is a must-read for those who like their queer fantasy with a little grit and a lot of soul (pun intended)." --Booklist, starred review

"Even Though I Knew the End rockets along from the very first page, with the details of author C.L. Polk's alternate Chicago revealing themselves exactly when required." --BookPage, starred review

"Powerful, emotional, stylish and smart, Polk proves themself yet again to be a talent not to be ignored." --Locus

"Even Though I Knew the End is Polk at the height of their considerable powers: romance, enchantment, tragedy, and courage to the bitter end." --Elizabeth Bear

"Readers who fell into recent Jazz Age urban fantasies...will love Polk's latest." --Library Journal, starred review

"Bracing as a slug of bourbon, with a twist of pain on the drop--or is that hope? Polk's back with a cold-eyed winner." --Max Gladstone

"C.L. Polk twists the hardboiled detective subgenre into something new and fresh and enticingly queer. ...[Even Though I Knew the End is] a thrilling, charming novella." --Tor.com

"Vivid and charming with a touch of noir edge, but way more heart." --Rebecca Roanhorse

"A layered exploration of love and power with genuine emotional stakes and a soaring, perfectly bittersweet payoff. It's another winner." --Publishers Weekly