The Twyning

The novel follows two primary storylines set in the smoke and grime of Victorian London. The first centers on Efren, a timid young rat from the London sewers who ventures into the human world following the king’s death and discovers a doctor’s plot to eradicate London’s rat population. The second follows Peter (nicknamed “Dogboy”), a runaway orphan who works for both the doctor and a local rat-catcher. Peter possesses a rare gift for understanding animals, which forces him to choose his ultimate loyalties as the paths of humans and rats inevitably collide.