Agatha H and the Voice of the Castle

Critical Acclaim for Phil and Kaja Foglio’s Girl Genius

“Filled with folgian touches—Borscht-belt comedy accents, things that go sproing, adorkable sentient machines, and laugh-a-minute slapstick—Agatha H. is a tremendously fun addition to the Girl Genius canon.”

—Cory Doctorow, award-winning author of Little Brother and Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

“The Hugo Award-winning Foglios present their popular gaslight fantasy comic in novelized form, maintaining the zany energy, witty repartee, creative characterization, and innovative world-building of the original.”

—Publisher’s Weekly

“This volume by the creators of the Eisner Award-nominated webcomic Girl Genius (Volumes 1-9) is a fantastic reintroduction to the Girl Genius world and will definitely capture new fans. It will appeal to fans of the steampunk genre who like their books riddled with mad science and adventure, along with a liberal dash of humor.”

—Library Journal

“Simply said, Girl Genius has everything I look for in a story.”

—Patrick Rothfuss, bestselling author of The Name of the Wind

“!…the Foglios appear to have been liberated by the [webcomics] format—and that sense of buoyant imagination and unbridled fun runs through every page.”

—The Onion A.V. Club

“…ridiculous, and funny, and a little bit sexy.”

—Portland Book Review

“Phil and Kaja Foglio’s awesome new fantasy … pushes the boundaries of steampunk past the polite boundaries of pseudo-Victorian and into full-on techo-madness!”

—Matt Staggs, Suvudu.com

Fans of the series will enjoy another trip into Agatha’s world, and it is not too late for new readers to jump aboard.”

—City Book Reviews

“I will confess to being a big fan of Phil and Kaja Foglio’s Girl Genius”

—Charles Stross, author of Halting State and Rule 34

“…a madcap comic adventure combined with steampunk and some well-used fantasy tropes.”

—EscapePod

“… bursting at the seams with creativity, humor, and outright weirdness … an infectious and incredibly fun read.”

—Sarah Kuhn, ign.com

“If Jules Verne had written comics, he wouldn’t have written Girl Genius. He would have been jealous of it, though.”

—Comics Buyer’s Guide

“Girl Genius is brilliant. It really is. It’s fun and funky and unlike almost anything else, and it’s Phil and Kaja Foglio doing what they do best.”

—Eric Burns, Websnark.com

Other Books by Phil and Kaja Foglio:

Agatha H. and the Clockwork Princess

Agatha H. and the Airship City

Girl Genius Graphic Novels:

Volume 1: Agatha Heterodyne and the Beetleburg Clank

Volume 2: Agatha Heterodyne and the Airship City

Volume 3: Agatha Heterodyne and the Monster Engine

Volume 4: Agatha Heterodyne and the Circus of Dreams

Volume 5: Agatha Heterodyne and the Clockwork Princess

Volume 6: Agatha Heterodyne and the Golden Trilobite

Volume 7: Agatha Heterodyne and the Voice of the Castle

Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones

Volume 9: Agatha Heterodyne and the Heirs of the Storm

Volume 10: Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse

Volume 11: Agatha Heterodyne and the Hammerless Bell

Volume 12: Agatha Heterodyne and the Siege of Mechanicsburg

Volume 13: Agatha Heterodyne and the Sleeping City

Other books and graphic novels by Phil Foglio:

Buck Godot: Zap Gun for Hire

Buck Godot: Psmith

Illegal Aliens (with Nick Pollotta)

NIGHT SHADE BOOKS

NEW YORK

Copyright © 2014 by Phil and Kaja Foglio.

The ongoing adventures of Agatha Heterodyne can be found online, where they are updated every Monday, Wednesday & Friday at www.girlgeniusonline.com.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Start Publishing LLC, 609 Greenwich Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10014.

Night Shade Books is an imprint of Start Publishing LLC

Visit our website at www.start-publishing.com.

Cover art by Tom Kidd

Cover design by Owen Corrigan

Print ISBN: 978-1-59780-524-7

To Our Dear Mothers, Ottillie & Rose, whom we often drove to despair, and no doubt, still do.

PRELUDE