The Society of Unknowable Objects || Review

Title: The Society of Unknowable Objects

Author: Gareth Brown

Release Date: Aug. 12, 2025

Format: Hardcover

Where to Buy: Amazon | Bookshop

My Rating: 4.0/5.0

Synopsis

The world of unknowable objects—magical items that most people have no idea possess powers—has been quiet for decades, but the three current members of a secret society have remained watchful, meeting every six months in the basement of a bookshop in London. They are pledged to protect their archive of magical items hidden away, safe from the outside world—and the world safe from them. But when Frank Simpson, the longest-standing member of the Society of Unknowable Objects, hears of a new artifact coming to light in Hong Kong, he sends Magda Sparks—author by day and newest member—to investigate.

Within hours of arriving in Hong Kong, Magda is facing death and danger, confronted by a professional killer who seems to know all about unknowable objects, specifically one that was stolen from him a decade before. Magda is forced to flee, using an artifact that not even the rest of the Society knows about.

Returning to London, Magda learns hers is not the only secret being kept from the other two members. And that the most pernicious secret is about the nature of the Society’s mission. Her discoveries will lead her on a perilous journey, across the Atlantic to the deep south of the United States, now in pursuit of not an unknowable object, but an unknowable person: the professional killer she first faced in Hong Kong. In doing so, Magda begins to understand that there are even more in the world who are chasing these magical items, and that her own family’s legacy is tied up in keeping all these secrets under wraps.

Magic has always been too powerful to reveal to the world. But Magda will learn there might be something even more powerful:

The truth.

My Review

The Society of Unknowable Objects was both exactly what I wanted and not at all what I was expecting. I really enjoyed this standalone novel set in current day. The basic concept is that Magda, our main character, is a member of this secret society. The secret society collects and protects these 'unknowable objects.' The objects are magic, but no one quite knows how the objects are created.

Very quickly in the story, we realize that not everything is quite as it seems. Allegedly all of the magical objects that members of the society have ever found are in a cabinet, but we quickly learn that Magda has a magical object that has never been turned over. Then Magda must go on a an adventure to find and collect a new magical artifact that has popped up. The first in over 40 years. Magda meets an amazing young man that she is entranced by, but things quickly go awry and Magda must flee using her magical object.

Now Frank knows that Magda has possession of a magical object that hasn't been turned over. Magda also learns from another society member that Frank may be lying about the magical objects and his knowledge of the society.

Gareth Brown does a fantastic job creating a magical universe within our current one. This is the kind of magic that could very well be happening in the world around us without us suspecting a thing. Brown also writes a beautiful story about the consequences of the privileges that people of wealth experience. He tells the story of privilege, colonialism and the consequences of that hubris.

There is a bit of a dark twist at the tale end of the book that I was not expecting. I don't quite know how to explain it without revealing what that twist was. I would just note that if you have abandonment issues there may be a section that makes you uncomfortable.

I haven't read Brown's The Book of Doors, yet. It is now on my list though because there is a slight tie in at the end of this novel. I really appreciated the magic system that Brown created and would love to see him explore it's depths in future interlinked novels. This really isn't a story about magic. It is the story of doing what is right, the consequences of re-writing history, and acknowledging that pursuit of power and greed are inherent in so many aspects of our lives. It also acknowledges that honesty and love are the only true ways to correct history.

If you are looking to read a mystery with some small magical elements, this may be the right book for you. The magic does not permeate all parts of the story. It is a light dusting to keep you wondering what might happen next. And remind you that power can corrupt.