Voyage of the Damned

June 24, 2024
White debuts with an equally campy and tender tale that answers the question: what happens when Agatha Christie meets queer fantasy? Ganymedes Piscero is among the Empire of Concordia’s 12 Blessed, wielders of magical powers said to stem from the Goddesses they worship who each rule one of the empire’s 12 provinces. Together, the Blessed set out on a 12-day team-building journey on an enchanted ship, with the aim of fostering friendship and connection between their lands. Instead, the Blessed start dying off, and as they are the only people on the ship, one of them must be the culprit. Ganymedes harbors a big secret: he’s not actually capable of magic, but has been forced to fake it by his father. Even so, he intends to get to the bottom of the mystery and find the killer. Notwithstanding some slightly farcical magical happenings, there’s real heart here, and Ganymedes—a fat bisexual man from the lowest and least respected province in Concordia—makes an indisputably lovable hero. Studded with puns and dad jokes, this is a fun romp with a wholesome message about believing in oneself and lending a helping hand to others.

Starred review from July 1, 2024
Ganymedes, or Dee for short, is dreading spending the next 12 days on a ship with the Blessed, the magically gifted heirs of Concordia. Not just because he finds them pompous and prejudiced, but because he's been holding onto a lifelong secret at his father's insistence, namely that he is not Blessed with a magical gift, and is not the heir to Fish Province. He's hoping to make enough enemies to get kicked off the ship before his secret can ever be exposed. Unluckily for him, the murders start with the princess herself, the very first night on board, and he's a prime suspect for her death. Dee, the sickly heir to Bear Province, and the six-year-old ball of energy from Grasshopper will need to solve the mystery before everyone is out of time. This queer fantasy-mystery is chaotic, fun, suspenseful, and surprising in turn. Dee is a self-destructive, sharp-tongued, irritating protagonist with a precious, nonsensical little girl sidekick, and readers will get a kick out of his wit, his cynical attitude, and his development across the narrative. This bold debut novel sparkles with delicious reveals, rich characters, and strong world building, and fans of both mystery and fantasy will be excited to get their hands on it.

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Starred review from April 1, 2025

The provinces of Concordia are each named after an animal from their founding legend and ruled over by an imperial family. Every province has a governing family that passes on a magical Blessing once per generation. Once this happens, the new Blessed all go on a pilgrimage together. Dee of Fish Province does not have a Blessing due to his father's infidelity but is pretending to while confined aboard a ship with all the Blessed of his generation. Then the murders begin. Now, trapped in the ultimate locked room mystery, Dee teams up with Bear and Grasshopper provinces to investigate. Readers know as much as the trio of Blessed do, making this an excellent narrative for those who prefer deductive mysteries over currently more common mystery/thrillers. Despite this information and an impressive lack of both plot holes and true red herrings, only dedicated sleuths will figure things out before Dee does. The story clips along at a genre-appropriate rate, which will retain readers initially caught up in a premise that combines the recently rebooted Fruits Basket anime/manga franchise with the 1985 cult classic film Clue. Characters come from diverse cultures and have a variety of skin tones, and there is an assumed queer default. One significant character is a wheelchair user and another copes with chronic illness. VERDICT A fantastical murder that will be a hit for both classic mystery lovers and true crime fans looking to explore new genres.-Austin Ferraro

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