The Order of Duval

by Ef Deal

COMING SOON

Part of the The Twins of Bellesfées series:

Esprit de Corpse
The Order of Duval

A Family, Bound by Blood, Though Not Borne of Blood

Lost souls abound at Bellesfées, some found, and others only just discovered. But when Jacqueline Duval goes missing, along with a beast of a locomotive built through the sweat and blood of innocents, the foundlings she has taken under her wing must rally to bring her home again.To rescue their future, the self-styled Order of Duval must conquer the specters of the past or risk all being lost to the aether.

Available on: May 1, 2025
Publisher: eSpec Books
Imprint: NeoParadoxa
Editors:

Danielle Ackley-McPhail

Cover Artists:

Mike McPhail

Genres:

Sci Fi, Sci Fi - Steampunk

Tags:
Tropes: Band of Brothers/Sisters, Beyond the Grave Communication, Found Family, Superpowers, Time Loop, Time Travel, Uploaded Consciousness
Word Count: 80000
Setting: France 1843
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Same Universe / Various Characters
Tropes: Band of Brothers/Sisters, Beyond the Grave Communication, Found Family, Superpowers, Time Loop, Time Travel, Uploaded Consciousness
Word Count: 80000
Setting: France 1843
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Same Universe / Various Characters

About the Author

Ef Deal’s short fiction has been published in numerous online zines and anthologies as well as in F&SF. Her short story Czesko was given honorable mention in Gardner Dozois' Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy. Ef has been freelance line-editing and copy-editing for over thirty years. She is currently assistant fiction editor at Abyss&Apex magazine, and video editor for Strong Women ~ Strange Worlds. Her first novel Esprit de Corpse is forthcoming from eSpec Books, the first in a steampunk paranormal romance series involving the Twins of Bellefées. Most recently, her poem Elsinboro: The Delaware, 1965 was published in the NJ Bards Review 2022. When she's not writing, Ef marches old-school alumni drum and bugle corps on soprano bugle; she also composes, arranges and directs music. She lives in Haddonfield, NJ, with her husband and two chows. She is an associate member of SFWA and an affiliate member of HWA. Follow her blog Talespinner at efdeal.blogspot.com.

Check This Out

Word Count: Information not available

Summary: Every night the monsters hunt. A city that is the whole world: Theosophy and her companions in the City militia do their best to protect the civilians from the monsters, but they keep crawling from the Rift and there’s nowhere to run. Theosophy knows she’ll die fighting. It’s the best kind of death she’s seen, and at least she can save lives in the meantime. They say the Scarred carve you up while you’re still alive. A village in the shadow of a forest: Refugees from the border whisper about the oncoming Scarred, but Briony can’t convince her brother to relocate his children to safety. Briony will do anything to protect them. She owes them that much, even if it means turning to forbidden magic. When Theosophy and Briony accidentally make contact across the boundaries of their worlds, they realize that solutions might finally be within reach. A world beyond the City would give Theosophy’s people an escape, and the City’s warriors could help Briony protect her family from the Scarred. Each woman sees in the other a strength she lacks—and maybe something more. All they need to do is find a way across the dimensions to each other before their enemies close in.