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The Adventures of Mary Darling
Pat Murphy
A rip-roaring tale of magic and mystery!”
—Andrea Hairston, author of Archangels of Funk
Who is Mary Darling? In this subversive take on both Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes, a daring mother is the populist hero the Victorian era never knew it needed. In a witty and adventurous romp, The Adventures of Mary Darling draws on the histories of women and people indigenous to lands that Britain claimed, telling the stories of those who were ignored or misrepresented along the way.
Mary Darling is a pretty wife whose boring husband is befuddled by her independent ways. But one fateful night, Mary becomes the distraught mother whose three children have gone missing from their beds.
After her well-meaning uncle John Watson contacts the greatest detective of his era (but perhaps not that great), Mary is Sherlock Holmes’s prime suspect in her children’s disappearance. To save her family, Mary must escape London—and an attempt to have her locked away as mad—to travel halfway around the world.
Despite the interference of Holmes, Mary gathers allies in her quest: Sam, a Solomon Islander whose village was destroyed by contact with Western civilization; Ruby, a Malagasy woman on an island that everyone thinks is run by pirates (though it’s actually run by women); Captain Hook and the crew of the Jolly Roger; and of course, Nana, the faithful dog and nursemaid.
In a witty and adventurous romp, The Adventures of Mary Darling draws on the histories of women and people indigenous to lands that Britain claimed, telling the stories of those who were ignored or misrepresented along the way.
“I loved The Adventures of Mary Darling. I didn’t want it to end. And now that I’ve read the final page, I want The Further Adventures of Mary Darling! The bounty and wit of Pat Murphy’s generous imagination kept me reading through the night—just one more page, one more delightful reversal, revelation, surprise. Pat Murphy illuminates the heroes we think we know and the stories we’re ready to swallow whole. She reveals powerful characters who’ve had to hide in plain sight while saving their world. The result is a rip-roaring tale of magic and mystery!”
—Andrea Hairston, author of Archangels of Funk
“A dashing adventure featuring a swashbuckling heroine, a fascinating exploration of the voices we never get to hear in JM Barrie’s version of the Peter Pan story, and a wicked take-down of the Sherlock Holmes mystique. Murphy does a masterful job of subverting Victorian tropes while delivering all the fairies, mermaids, and pirates anyone could desire. This book creates—or discovers—its own Neverland, both darker and richer than any we’ve previously seen.”
—Susan Palwick, author of The Fate of Mice
“Pat Murphy rips off the cloak of 19th-century patriarchy that makes Peter Pan a difficult read in the 21st-century, and reveals the realities that the past held for feisty women, lusty pirates, and indigenous people living under the governance of the British Empire. If you think you have outgrown Neverland, maybe you have. But you don’t have to believe in Tinkerbelle to love this book.”
—Eileen Gunn, author of Stable Strategies and Others
Pat Murphy is an acclaimed author of science fiction, fantasy, and science books for adults, teens, and children. She has received the Nebula Award for The Falling Woman; the World Fantasy Award for Bones; and the Christopher Award for The Wild Girls. Murphy has worked as a writer at the Exploratorium and Klutz Press (the Complete Klutz series). She was the Activity Guru for the ed-tech startup Mystery Science and the Marketing Director for the Crucible, a school of fire arts. Murphy lives in Boulder City, Nevada where she is frequently visited by rabbits, quail, and the occasional coyote.
Praise for Pat Murphy
“Murphy’s [blend] of fantasy and reality honorably recalls the novels of Margaret Atwood.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Murphy manages to instill a real sense of wonder into her consideration of the many ways in which we consider both the reality of our world and the nature of fiction itself.”
—Strange Horizons
“Murphy has a flair for description that brings every aspect of the setting vividly into focus.”
—SF Site
Praise for The Falling Woman
“Murphy’s convincing modern setting is a marvelous foil for her frighteningly alien Mayan ghost, and the archeological material, besides being fascinating in its own right, is put to excellent use in the plot.”
—Newsday
“I loved Pat Murphy’s novel The Falling Woman. It’s a good story with a beautifully realized background and strong characters. What more can anyone want?”
—Kate Wilhelm
“The Falling Woman is a wonderful, subtle, and thoughtful book. Its understated yet precise prose, its nuances of structure and theme, exemplify what is best in the New Fantasy, and with this book, Pat Murphy establishes herself as one of the field’s most accomplished practitioners.”
—Lucius Shepard, author of Green Eyes
“A lovely and literate exploration of the dark moment where myth and science meet.”
—Samuel R. Delany
The Adventures of Mary Darling
Pat Murphy
A rip-roaring tale of magic and mystery!”
—Andrea Hairston, author of Archangels of Funk
Who is Mary Darling? In this subversive take on both Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes, a daring mother is the populist hero the Victorian era never knew it needed. In a witty and adventurous romp, The Adventures of Mary Darling draws on the histories of women and people indigenous to lands that Britain claimed, telling the stories of those who were ignored or misrepresented along the way.
The Adventures of Mary Darling
by Pat Murphy
ISBN: 978-1-61696-438-2 (print); 978-1-61696-439-9 (digital)
Published: 6 May 2025
Available Format(s): digital, trade paperback
Mary Darling is a pretty wife whose boring husband is befuddled by her independent ways. But one fateful night, Mary becomes the distraught mother whose three children have gone missing from their beds.
After her well-meaning uncle John Watson contacts the greatest detective of his era (but perhaps not that great), Mary is Sherlock Holmes’s prime suspect in her children’s disappearance. To save her family, Mary must escape London—and an attempt to have her locked away as mad—to travel halfway around the world.
Despite the interference of Holmes, Mary gathers allies in her quest: Sam, a Solomon Islander whose village was destroyed by contact with Western civilization; Ruby, a Malagasy woman on an island that everyone thinks is run by pirates (though it’s actually run by women); Captain Hook and the crew of the Jolly Roger; and of course, Nana, the faithful dog and nursemaid.
In a witty and adventurous romp, The Adventures of Mary Darling draws on the histories of women and people indigenous to lands that Britain claimed, telling the stories of those who were ignored or misrepresented along the way.
“I loved The Adventures of Mary Darling. I didn’t want it to end. And now that I’ve read the final page, I want The Further Adventures of Mary Darling! The bounty and wit of Pat Murphy’s generous imagination kept me reading through the night—just one more page, one more delightful reversal, revelation, surprise. Pat Murphy illuminates the heroes we think we know and the stories we’re ready to swallow whole. She reveals powerful characters who’ve had to hide in plain sight while saving their world. The result is a rip-roaring tale of magic and mystery!”
—Andrea Hairston, author of Archangels of Funk
“A dashing adventure featuring a swashbuckling heroine, a fascinating exploration of the voices we never get to hear in JM Barrie’s version of the Peter Pan story, and a wicked take-down of the Sherlock Holmes mystique. Murphy does a masterful job of subverting Victorian tropes while delivering all the fairies, mermaids, and pirates anyone could desire. This book creates—or discovers—its own Neverland, both darker and richer than any we’ve previously seen.”
—Susan Palwick, author of The Fate of Mice
“Pat Murphy rips off the cloak of 19th-century patriarchy that makes Peter Pan a difficult read in the 21st-century, and reveals the realities that the past held for feisty women, lusty pirates, and indigenous people living under the governance of the British Empire. If you think you have outgrown Neverland, maybe you have. But you don’t have to believe in Tinkerbelle to love this book.”
—Eileen Gunn, author of Stable Strategies and Others
Pat Murphy is an acclaimed author of science fiction, fantasy, and science books for adults, teens, and children. She has received the Nebula Award for The Falling Woman; the World Fantasy Award for Bones; and the Christopher Award for The Wild Girls. Murphy has worked as a writer at the Exploratorium and Klutz Press (the Complete Klutz series). She was the Activity Guru for the ed-tech startup Mystery Science and the Marketing Director for the Crucible, a school of fire arts. Murphy lives in Boulder City, Nevada where she is frequently visited by rabbits, quail, and the occasional coyote.
Praise for Pat Murphy
“Murphy’s [blend] of fantasy and reality honorably recalls the novels of Margaret Atwood.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Murphy manages to instill a real sense of wonder into her consideration of the many ways in which we consider both the reality of our world and the nature of fiction itself.”
—Strange Horizons
“Murphy has a flair for description that brings every aspect of the setting vividly into focus.”
—SF Site
Praise for The Falling Woman
“Murphy’s convincing modern setting is a marvelous foil for her frighteningly alien Mayan ghost, and the archeological material, besides being fascinating in its own right, is put to excellent use in the plot.”
—Newsday
“I loved Pat Murphy’s novel The Falling Woman. It’s a good story with a beautifully realized background and strong characters. What more can anyone want?”
—Kate Wilhelm
“The Falling Woman is a wonderful, subtle, and thoughtful book. Its understated yet precise prose, its nuances of structure and theme, exemplify what is best in the New Fantasy, and with this book, Pat Murphy establishes herself as one of the field’s most accomplished practitioners.”
—Lucius Shepard, author of Green Eyes
“A lovely and literate exploration of the dark moment where myth and science meet.”
—Samuel R. Delany
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