A back of the book summary is a powerful tool for any writer. Not only is it the first thing potential readers look at to gauge their interest in your novel, it can help the author consolidate their thoughts on what their book is about and provide an ice breaker when discussing their work with people face to face.

I thought I would take a crack at writing once such summary for my current project. The novel itself is still in first draft form, and does not yet have an ending, but I figured I would share this exercise and hopefully get some constructive feed back. Notes on clarity and whether or not the story presented piques your interest are most appreciated.

Where, No One Knows Book Summary:

The Blackwood Empire is facing a bit of an energy crisis. Everything runs on steam, and the fuel for the fires, an alchemical substance called Blackwood, is running out. Only one man knows the secret of Blackwood, the brilliant scientist  Sir Rigel Rinkenbach, and he’s gone missing!

The NorEastern Empire tracks him to the prison ship Where, No One Knows. There’s only one way onto Where, No One Knows, and only one way out. It’s a delicate job requiring finesse. In the Blackwood Empire, spies, saboteurs, and thieves are a dime a dozen, but only one woman excels at all of them: Pixie Sinclaire.

Pixie and Rigel have a rocky past, but the flame persists. When the NorEastern Nations hire her to infiltrate the impenetrable floating fortress, she takes it as a challenge.

Once on the ship, things quickly go south. Pixie must deal with a jail break led by a charismatic female political prisoner named Dougherty hoping to use Rigel in the creation of an independent nation state, a young air pirate named Klaudhopper looking for revenge on Rigel, and the assassins sent by the criminal mastermind Alejandro Julianos, a man with a lot to lose should the secret of Blackwood ever get out.

Oh, and did I mention the nine foot tall death machines roaming the ship?

Will the world know the secret of Blackwood? Or will it be lost to the waves forever? Join Pixie Sinclaire on her adventure through Where, No One Knows, the first novel in the Blackwood Empire series!