Books by James Odell

This is an Urban fantasy story, set on contemporary Britain and the Middle East. It is a thriller, with the main female character filling a key role. She is a magic user and works in secret.Mary is one of the Royal Telepaths work in secret. That name does not appear in any official document. Mary uses her talent to send secret reports between London and Britain''s embassies. The messages cannot be intercepted by the enemy security services - the Guild of Magicians is sure of that. Sent to the Middle East, Mary is surrounded by hostile crowds, revolutionaries, and pirates. But her work is boring, and she escapes from it by taking up high-octane sports.A magician, an acquaintance of Mary, is murdered - by magic. The Guild is shocked. Who did it? And why? Then Mary is nearly killed by an Arab refugee. The police think he was a terrorist. But Mary suspects the attack could be a personal vendetta. When she asks who might want to kill her, the list of suspects keeps growing.Oliver trained as a magic user. But he wasn''t quite good enough. Now he just wants to live his playboy lifestyle. But the Guild keeps asking him to do chores for them. Like visiting thirteen year olds, who have harmed themselves by magic, and explaining how their lives have been ruined by this ''gift''. Or telling self-taught magicians to stop practising magic - before it kills them.Then Oliver is nearly killed in a bizarre traffic incident. It is a coincidence - or is it? . 

This is a steampunk novel set in 1848. Revolutionaries have tried to overthrow monarchies in countries all across Europe. In Britain, the Chartists demanded the right to vote. They claimed their mass rallies were peaceable, but the Government feared the worst. The new police force cannot cope. The Government called out the army and put the aged Duke of Welington in charge. Agitators within the Chartist movement conspired to subvert their rallies to their own ends.In London, the Chatelaine of the Guild of Magicians has died in mysterious circumstances. Her niece Samantha is told that she must leave school and inherit her aunt’s role. Her duties are mainly honorary. But, as the male leaders of the Guild bicker, she is able to arbitrate between them. Nervous politicians want the Guild to protect them. Samantha hopes to use her limited authority in an attempt to thwart the reactionaries. But she suspects that her predecessor was murdered. Those around her fear that she is the next target.

In 1851, the United States and the British Empire have stumbled into a war. The veterans of the US Army brushed aside the untried Canadians and advanced towards the St. Lawrence. Their advance was stopped only by the grim earthworks defending Montreal. Casualties have been high on both sides. A peace conference offered hope but it was wrecked by mutual suspicion. The harsh winter has kept the US Army from delivering a knockout blow. But everyone fears they will attack as soon as spring returns. This is a vicious war of raid and counter-raid. The frontier is a long one and the enemy could attack anywhere. The British are desperate enough to recruit Blacks, refugees who escaped north along the Underground Railroad. But these men are untrained and uncertain of themselves. They ask themselves whether they can stand against the seasoned professionals of the US Army. The men and women of Montreal can hear the enemy cannons but can only guess how the battle is going. This is a new sort of war where telegraph operators, men and women, know more about the battle than the generals. Grace is an Abenaki Indian, sent to a convent school in Quebec by ambitious parents. She ran away, hoping to find employment in the big city. She trained as a telegraphist, but was then given a more challenging task - preparing punched cards for the Analytical Engine. The airships of the Royal Mail Service are slow and fragile. They need reliable weather forecasts if they are to operate safely. Everyone expects the men operating the Analytical Engine to get it right every time. The industrial revolution has given Britain superior technology, but the government is reluctant to spend money on this war. Ships of the Royal Navy, operating from their impregnable base in Bermuda, are blockading US ports. They too depend upon weather forecasts. The US Army of Maine is led by the famous General, Winfield Scott, clever and popular. The British have the equally famous Colonel Lord Cardigan. He thinks that his aristocratic breeding is all that he needs to lead troops. Martin Wycombe made his way north from Alabama, hoping to gain freedom and self-respect. He expected to meet a heroic death in his first battle. Instead, he survived a series of squalid skirmishes. He has begun to ask what he is fighting for. The answer, when he found it, surprised him.

This is a steampunk story set in 1850. A dangerous revolutionary has been arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London. He boasts that no conventional prison can hold him. He threatens to use magic to escape. The Guild of Magicians must use their own magic in attempt to restrain him. In another factory accident, workers have been killed. The government seems to be indifferent to the deaths. Can the authorities prevent another riot? The British government, confident the country's engineering skills, has sent an airship across the Atlantic. In New York, conspiracy theorists warn that the airship is a threat. In New York, too, riots are frequent. City politicians think they can benefit from violence, Anyone who appears to have British sympathies is under threat. The British consul and his daughter try to prevent the violence from escalating. 

Texan adventurers have invaded Cuba. Lord Palmerston, the British Foreign Minister, is outraged and sends in the Royal Navy. President Fillmore is dismayed at the news of hostile warships so close to US shores. He threatens to invade Canada unless the Brirish withdraw. Lord Palmerston thinks he is bluffing and ignores him - but Congress will not let the president back down. It was a war that nobody wanted but which no-one knows how to stop. The United States has a battle-hardened army, daring commanders and an excellent railroad network. The British have the best navy in the world, but only a few army regiments in Canada. They have not fought a major war since they defeated Napoleon. The president, hoping for a quick victory, orders the army to attack without any preparations. They are repulsed and both sides settle down for the long haul. The Canadians build a fortress on the south bank of the St. Lawrence, to protect Montreal. Charles Lloyd is sent out from Britain to improve communications between the governor and the general. He had expected to serve the governor in Quebec and is disgusted when he is sent to Montreal, the target for the American attacks. George Eastman is a half-breed Abenaki Indian. He is a drifter who has joined the army to prove that he can achieve something in his life. He had expected to be sent to the fort but instead his company is sent behind enemy lines to attack the railroads. Most of his companions are countrymen but George grew up in the city. He doubts that he can cope. Miss Grace was educated in a convent. She is recruited by Mr. Lloyd to write despatches. It seems boring, but she soon realises that the task has unexpected dangers.  Harry Newbegin was a dilettante in Germany until he chose the wrong side in the revolution of 1848. Now he scratches a living as a journalist in New York. He can see that the war is unpopular. Unscrupulous politicians are encouraging impoverished immigrants to defy the authorities. Is Harry going to see barricades on the streets of New York?