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The Quincunx #1
The Quincunx: The Huffams
An unnamed menace, an ancient document� five families torn apart. An unputdownable and bestselling historical mystery
The Quincunx
The Huffams
The Mompessons
The Clothiers
The Palphramonds
The Maliphants
John Mellamphy’s life is under threat. In the remote countryside, his mother, Mary, has been burgled in mysterious circumstances. Then her protector, Mr Fortisquince, is suddenly murdered in London.
Mysterious forces are at work looking for an old document, the key to an enormous fortune. Already having experienced a life of toil and hardship, it may change John’s life.
But this is a document that provokes avarice, hatred, murder and madness, that determines the fates of five families and sets the pattern of John’s own life. A pattern woven around, and unravelled within, that most mysterious symbol � the Quincunx!
An extraordinary historical mystery and cult classic, The Quincunx is perfect for readers of M.J. Carter, C.J. Sansom and Oscar de Muriel.
Praise for The Quincunx
�Grips like steel� it’s a book to make you miss your stop on the bus or the train, keep you up at night and wake you early� a formidable achievement� Kaleidoscope, BBC Radio 4
‘H¾±²õ brilliant and entertaining pastiche of the mid-nineteenth-century novelâ€� The Times
‘A brilliant and deeply eccentric attempt to reproduce an early Victorian novel…it combines massive scope with minute detail � there is a cast of thousands, but every figure is lovingly painted. The plot is so thick the spoon stands up in it, and by the end, the reader has toured the whole of late Regency society� Magnificent � gripping and beautifully written; the sort of book that sends you into a trance of pleasure� Independent
‘Charles Palliser has realised a world that can almost be smelt and tasted as it pours off the page of this gripping, extraordinary novel� Daily Telegraph
‘H¾±²õ plot is of an intricacy that Wilkie Collins himself might have enviedâ€� an astonishing achievementâ€� Scotsman
277 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1989
112 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
About the author
Charles Palliser
31Ìýbooks199ÌýfollowersCharles Palliser (born December 11, 1947) is an American-born, British-based novelist. He is the elder brother of the late author and freelance journalist Marcus Palliser.
Born in New England, Palliser is an American citizen, but has lived in the United Kingdom since the age of three. He attended Oxford University in 1967 to read English Language and Literature, and took a First in June 1970. He was awarded the B. Litt. in 1975 for a dissertation on Modernist fiction.
From 1974 until 1990, Palliser was a Lecturer in the Department of English at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. He was the first Deputy Editor of The Literary Review when it was founded in 1979. He taught creative writing during the Spring semester of 1986 at Rutgers University in New Jersey. In 1990 he gave up his university post to become a full-time writer when his first novel, The Quincunx, became an international best-seller. He has published four novels which have been translated into a dozen languages.
Palliser has also written for the theatre, radio, and television. His stage play, Week Nothing, toured Scotland in 1980. His 90 minute radio play, The Journal of Simon Owen, was commissioned by the BBC and twice broadcast on Radio 4 in June, 1982. His short TV film, Obsessions: Writing, was broadcast by the BBC and published by BBC Publications in 1991. Most recently, his short radio play, Artist with Designs, was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 21 February 2004.
He teaches occasionally for the Arvon Foundation, the Skyros Institute, London University, the London Metropolitan University, and Middlesex University. He was Writer in Residence at Poitiers University in 1997.
In 1991, The Quincunx was awarded the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction by the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters which is given for the best first novel published in North America. The Unburied was nominated for the 2001 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
Since 1990 he has written the Introduction to a Penguin Classics edition of the Sherlock Holmes stories, the Foreword to a new French translation of Wilkie Collins� The Moonstone published by Editions Phebus, and other articles on 19th century and contemporary fiction. He is a past member of the long-running North London Writers circle.
Born in New England, Palliser is an American citizen, but has lived in the United Kingdom since the age of three. He attended Oxford University in 1967 to read English Language and Literature, and took a First in June 1970. He was awarded the B. Litt. in 1975 for a dissertation on Modernist fiction.
From 1974 until 1990, Palliser was a Lecturer in the Department of English at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. He was the first Deputy Editor of The Literary Review when it was founded in 1979. He taught creative writing during the Spring semester of 1986 at Rutgers University in New Jersey. In 1990 he gave up his university post to become a full-time writer when his first novel, The Quincunx, became an international best-seller. He has published four novels which have been translated into a dozen languages.
Palliser has also written for the theatre, radio, and television. His stage play, Week Nothing, toured Scotland in 1980. His 90 minute radio play, The Journal of Simon Owen, was commissioned by the BBC and twice broadcast on Radio 4 in June, 1982. His short TV film, Obsessions: Writing, was broadcast by the BBC and published by BBC Publications in 1991. Most recently, his short radio play, Artist with Designs, was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 21 February 2004.
He teaches occasionally for the Arvon Foundation, the Skyros Institute, London University, the London Metropolitan University, and Middlesex University. He was Writer in Residence at Poitiers University in 1997.
In 1991, The Quincunx was awarded the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction by the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters which is given for the best first novel published in North America. The Unburied was nominated for the 2001 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
Since 1990 he has written the Introduction to a Penguin Classics edition of the Sherlock Holmes stories, the Foreword to a new French translation of Wilkie Collins� The Moonstone published by Editions Phebus, and other articles on 19th century and contemporary fiction. He is a past member of the long-running North London Writers circle.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 5, 2023
Oh la la je veux la suite !!!
January 25, 2019
Odd in a good way.
The ghosts of Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens are hovering. This is confusing and complicated; when a book has pages of character mini-bios, complicated is to be assumed.
BUT it is proving addictive. When I lose the thread I just keep going, and the thread reappears.
Slip in this mega-novel like you would a hot bath - it's a slow-burning saga that manages to blossom into a page-turner. (This book version is part 1 of 5. There is a door-stopper of a 5-volume all-in-one alternative. I'm reading the 5 volumes as separate e-books from Kobo and Kindle.)
The ghosts of Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens are hovering. This is confusing and complicated; when a book has pages of character mini-bios, complicated is to be assumed.
BUT it is proving addictive. When I lose the thread I just keep going, and the thread reappears.
Slip in this mega-novel like you would a hot bath - it's a slow-burning saga that manages to blossom into a page-turner. (This book version is part 1 of 5. There is a door-stopper of a 5-volume all-in-one alternative. I'm reading the 5 volumes as separate e-books from Kobo and Kindle.)
June 8, 2021
The stage is set for the novel. I read this book years ago and was transported to 19th Century England. I couldn't comprehend the life of John Mellamphy - shut up in a house with only his mother and the servants (whose number reduces on a regular basis). It struck me as the saddest childhood and I find myself still of the same opinion. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the quintet. It took me no time at all to read the first.
January 24, 2024
Dans l’Angleterre victorienne la vie d’un jeune homme à l’origine mystérieuse � ce pourrait être un feuilleton d’époque, mais c’est surtout une plongée dans la vie anglaise avec une écriture riche et des détails historiques saisissants � un autre monde dans lequel on entre comme passant la porte d’un jardin secret � quelle chance d’avoir trouvé ce livre et de pouvoir m’y perdre encore pendant 4 tomes !
June 23, 2021
It does a good job of pastiching Wilkie Collins and Dickens as others have mentioned, but like them, it is very detailed and long-winded and I'm not sure I enjoyed it enough to dive straight into the next section/book. It might be one to come back to at a later date.
June 22, 2024
Me voilà encore embarquée dans une saga mais celle-ci je sais qu’elle a une fin!
Bien écrit. Époque très bien décrite. Relations sociales intéressantes.
Enfance du narrateur donc pas encore passionnant mais bonne mise en situation.
Ambiance telle que je l’imagine pour la période.
Bien
Bien écrit. Époque très bien décrite. Relations sociales intéressantes.
Enfance du narrateur donc pas encore passionnant mais bonne mise en situation.
Ambiance telle que je l’imagine pour la période.
Bien
January 15, 2019
Loved the classical style
Fun romp through Victorian English countryside. Great characters, a literary triumph. Word word word word word word word word word
Fun romp through Victorian English countryside. Great characters, a literary triumph. Word word word word word word word word word
September 29, 2022
The child was spoilt Victorian. Spoilt Victorian child.
February 19, 2015
Dans l’Angleterre du début du 20ème siècle, John nous raconte son enfance avec sa mère dans un petit village où il vit chichement et découvre peu à peu qu’on lui cache beaucoup de choses. Au fur et à mesure du livre, on découvre qu’un secret entoure le père de John et que sa mère refuse de lui en dire plus. Dès qu’un pan du voile se lève sur ce secret, on se rend compte qu’il y a encore beaucoup à découvrir.
J’ai bien aimé le suspens et le rythme du livre mais ce n’est pas non plus le gros coup de coeur. J’ai malgré tout envie de lire la suite et je la tenterai bien en anglais (même si j’ai peur que ce soit un peu compliqué car la traduction utilise un français quelque peu désuet).
En bref : pas mal.
J’ai bien aimé le suspens et le rythme du livre mais ce n’est pas non plus le gros coup de coeur. J’ai malgré tout envie de lire la suite et je la tenterai bien en anglais (même si j’ai peur que ce soit un peu compliqué car la traduction utilise un français quelque peu désuet).
En bref : pas mal.
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March 31, 2020well written and an enjoyable read ... on to book 2
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
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