Caitlin Kittredge
Encyclopedia
Caitlin Kittredge is an American novelist of dark fantasy
and urban fantasy
noir living in Olympia, Washington
. She is known for her Nocturne City series of adult novels, and for The Iron Codex, a series of young-adult books.
, Neil Gaiman
, and H.P. Lovecraft as inspirations. Kittredge is a fan of film noir
, classic pulp
novels, and comic books. She describes herself as "a skeptical believer in the Something Else. There's too much strange in this world for me to totally discount the possibility of Something Else being out there. But at the same time, I'm the first person to try and debunk any supernatural stuff that people claim is going on around them. I, personally, had one completely terrifying encounter with something supernatural that I still can’t explain…hence my lack of 100% skepticism."
story set in a Victorian
-themed America. The novel's main setting, Lovecraft, was named after author H.P. Lovecraft. The book follows a girl named Aoife, who embarks on a journey to save herself from a hereditary madness, and ends up on a paranormal adventure alongside two allies. A review from Booklist applauded the novel's romance and plot twists, and stated that "Kittredge’s richly descriptive narrative captures all the details of clockwork, inventive machinery, foggy mists, ghastly ghouls, and creative landscapes." The review also called Aoife "a caustic-tongued, feisty, and independent young woman, with plenty of nerve and courage." A review from Publishers Weekly
stated, "Though the material borrowed from H.P. Lovecraft occasionally calls too much attention to itself, Kittredge generates significant thrills and chills in this fast-moving tale".
Dark fantasy
Dark fantasy is a term used to describe a fantasy story with a pronounced horror element.-Overview:A strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. Gertrude Barrows Bennett has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy". Both Charles L...
and urban fantasy
Urban fantasy
Urban fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times and contain supernatural elements. However, the stories can take place in historical, modern, or futuristic periods...
noir living in Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
. She is known for her Nocturne City series of adult novels, and for The Iron Codex, a series of young-adult books.
Personal life
Caitlin Kittredge graduated from college with a degree in English. She has cited Raymond ChandlerRaymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
, Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
, and H.P. Lovecraft as inspirations. Kittredge is a fan of film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
, classic pulp
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
novels, and comic books. She describes herself as "a skeptical believer in the Something Else. There's too much strange in this world for me to totally discount the possibility of Something Else being out there. But at the same time, I'm the first person to try and debunk any supernatural stuff that people claim is going on around them. I, personally, had one completely terrifying encounter with something supernatural that I still can’t explain…hence my lack of 100% skepticism."
Young-adult fiction
Kittredge's debut young-adult novel, The Iron Thorn, was released in February 2011. It is the first novel in the Iron Codex series, an alternate history steampunkSteampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
story set in a Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
-themed America. The novel's main setting, Lovecraft, was named after author H.P. Lovecraft. The book follows a girl named Aoife, who embarks on a journey to save herself from a hereditary madness, and ends up on a paranormal adventure alongside two allies. A review from Booklist applauded the novel's romance and plot twists, and stated that "Kittredge’s richly descriptive narrative captures all the details of clockwork, inventive machinery, foggy mists, ghastly ghouls, and creative landscapes." The review also called Aoife "a caustic-tongued, feisty, and independent young woman, with plenty of nerve and courage." A review from Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
stated, "Though the material borrowed from H.P. Lovecraft occasionally calls too much attention to itself, Kittredge generates significant thrills and chills in this fast-moving tale".
Nocturne City
- Night Life (March 2008)
- Pure Blood (August 2008)
- Second Skin (March 2009)
- Witch Craft (September 2009)
- Daemon's Mark (May 2010)
Black London
- Street Magic (June 2009)
- Demon Bound (December 2009)
- Bone Gods (November 2010)
- Devil's Business (Late 2011)
Icarus Project
- Black & White (2009), with Jackie KesslerJackie KesslerJackie Kessler is the American author of the Hell on Earth urban fantasy paranormal romance series published by Kensington/Zebra...
- Shades of Gray (2010), with Jackie KesslerJackie KesslerJackie Kessler is the American author of the Hell on Earth urban fantasy paranormal romance series published by Kensington/Zebra...
Short Stories
- "Ginger: A Nocturne City Story", in Strange BrewStrange Brew (book)Strange Brew is an urban fantasy short story anthology, edited by P.N. Elrod. It reached the NYTimes extended bestseller list in July 2009.-Stories:#"Seeing Eye", by Patricia Briggs#"Last Call", by Jim Butcher#"Death Warmed Over", by Rachel Caine...
- "Newlydeads" (Black London), in "My Big Fat Supernatural HoneymoonMy Big Fat Supernatural HoneymoonMy Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon, edited by P.N. Elrod, is the 2007 sequel to the 2006 book My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding. Honeymoon is an anthology of honeymoon stories contributed by several authors such as the author of the Otherworld series Kelley Armstrong, the author of The Morganville...
"