A darkly fantastical spin on the machinations, betrayals and backstabbing of Succession, this satirical, page-turning gem from the author of the bestselling Atlas Six trilogy finds the magical heirs to a tech fortune jostle for position with ruthless determination.
From the international bestselling Olivie Blake, author of The Atlas Six - Gifted & Talented is a dark, contemporary fantasy of power and privilege.
For fans of Succession, this features magic and dysfunctional family - rich in secrets and betrayals.
The children of Thayer Wren have been remarkable since the day they were born. Unsurprisingly, since Thayer was the brilliant CEO of Wrenfare Magitech and so-called father of modern technology. Telepathically and telekinetically gifted, his offspring - Meredith, Arthur and Eilidh Wren - are publicly admired and privately capable of extraordinary feats. Any of the Wren prodigies would be a plausible inheritor to the Wrenfare throne. Or at least, so they like to think.
On the day of Thayer Wren's unexpected demise, the lives of the three Wren siblings are in various states of chaos and disrepair. Meredith, now CEO of her own profitable company, is knee-deep in a dystopian capitalist nightmare, haunted by the ghost of a childhood friend. She’s also facing imminent exposure for corporate malfeasance by a journalist ex-boyfriend. Congressman Arthur Wren is wrestling with his disgruntled constituency and a strange, magical malady that can only be called the yips. Eilidh, former prima ballerina whose spinal injury ended her career, now finds herself triggering accidental, uncontrolled apocalypse events.
In the wake of Thayer's loss, the Wrens return to their childhood home. Here they will face their contentious relationships with their father, and each other. On the journey of gifted kid to clinical depression, nobody wins — but which Wren will rise to the top? Can one of them seize the prize of their father’s crown?
This is a compulsive tale of family, twisted love and dangerous secrets from a writer at the height of her powers.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781035011377
Number of pages: 512
Dimensions: 234 x 153 mm
Told with Blake’s signature wit and driven by a cast of morally gray characters you will hate to love and love to hate, Gifted & Talented is equal parts black comedy, sharp indictment of privilege and power, and soaring, vicious drama. Addictively entertaining, this is Blake at the height of her abilities - Ava Reid, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Lady Macbeth
Incisive, unsparing, and utterly brilliant. Gifted & Talented is a remarkable character study meditating on the consequences of dynasty and power. Olivie Blake’s storytelling has risen to empyrean heights - Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of Immortal Longings
Take the love-to-hate-'em siblings of Succession, add a dash of The Magicians' real-world magic, and put it together with Olivie Blake's stellar sense of humor, and you have Gifted & Talented, a refreshing tale of spoiled-sibling woe, mysterious curses, and family complexity that will absolutely delight you - Veronica Roth, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of When Among Crows
Olivie Blake's singular narrative voice sparkles in Gifted & Talented – a timely tale of greed, ambition and rivalry which eviscerates the world of wealth and privilege in nimble and terrific style - M. L. Rio, bestselling author of If We Were Villains
Gifted & Talented is a wickedly funny book about perfectly horrible people – and some of them even get what they deserve. Blake's sly prose and vivid character work bring the dreadful siblings to life, but also give us moments of heart-clenching tenderness. A delight - Emily Tesh, Hugo Award-winning author of Some Desperate Glory
This book is half mystery, half puzzle and wholly a delight - Holly Black, author of Book of Night on The Atlas Six
Compelling, entertaining and addictive. The Atlas Six is academic Darwinism: survival of the smartest with a healthy dose of magic - T. L. Huchu, author of The Library of the Dead
Coolly horrific, brilliantly brainy and utterly compelling - Daily Mail on The Atlas Six
Sign me up for anything she writes - Cosmopolitan
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