Market Arcanum (Bookburners Season 1 Episode 5‪)‬

The first rule of the Market is you do not talk about the Market.

When a mysterious invite arrives in the mail and Father Menchu responds by whisking Sal off to Lichtenstein, the former cop is left on very new ground as she gets more than a glimpse at the broader world of magic users. Unfortunately, they are immediately confronted by a wealthy business man who is less upset about them blowing up his boat two episodes ago, as he is about them stealing his (sludge-demon releasing) book. When the three remaining Team members back in Rome suddenly find themselves under attack, Sal and Menchu are left scrambling for how to help and have to turn to the peculiar techno-cultists whose computers run on seahorses and have a pointed interest in the cop sister of their acquaintance Perry. Welcome to the Market Arcanum.

This episode is brought to you by team-writer Margaret Dunlap who shows us that the Society is far from the only fish in the magic-hunting sea—and certainly isn’t the biggest.


"Bookburners is sheer enormous fun! Energetic, intense, vivid prose. More soon please."


--Naomi Novik, author of Uprooted and the New York Times bestselling Temeraire series


"Bookburners is the breathless, hallucinogenic love child of Torchwood, the Librarians, and the Laundry Files.  More soon, please."


--Ian Tregillis, author of The Mechanical and Bitter Seeds


"Bookburners is an exciting new take on urban fantasy. Love the premise, love the characters, love the unique (and sometimes wonderfully disturbing) spin on the dangers of magic!"


--Cassandra Rose Clarke, author of The Assassins Curse



"Bookburners has everything I want from episodic storytelling - strong writing, a rich premise, and memorable characters that will keep me coming back week after week." 


--Mike Underwood, author of the Ree Reyes Geekomancy series


"Bookburners satisfies my craving for pulpy, demonic chaos with sharp writing, deliciously sinister magic, stellar black humor, and a kick-ass cast. The serialized story perfectly suits a sorcerer’s codex of baddies while the plucky Sal digs for deeper truths in her work with the Black Archives squad."


--Lindsay Smith, author of the Sekret Series