Magnus Flyte is the male

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

used by writing duo Meg Howrey and Christina Lynch. As Magnus Flyte, they have written two novels, ''New York Times'' bestseller ''City of Dark Magic'' and ''City of Lost Dreams,'' both of which are published by

Penguin Books Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...

. The persona of Magnus Flyte is characterized by his obscurity and elusive nature regarding the public, as well as his conflicting biographical details.

Lives and careers

Meg Howrey, who lives in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, is the author of the novels ''The Cranes Dance'' and ''Blind Sight''. Some of her nonfiction writing has been featured in ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'' and ''The Los Angeles Review of Books''. Previously, Howrey was a professional dancer for the

Joffrey Ballet The Joffrey Ballet is an American dance company and training institution in Chicago, Illinois. The Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at the Civic Opera House, including its annual ...

and City Ballet of Los Angeles. Christina Lynch lives near

Sequoia National Park Sequoia National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and toda ...

and works as a

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and

television writer A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

. Previously a

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

correspondent for ''W'' magazine, now she teaches English at

College of the Sequoias College of the Sequoias (COS) is a public two-year community college in Visalia, California. The college is named for the Giant Sequoia trees native to the nearby Sierra Nevada mountain range. History College of the Sequoias was originally es ...

and is the faculty advisor for the school's literary magazine. She also teaches television writing for

UCLA Extension UCLA Extension is a public continuing education institution headquartered in Westwood, Los Angeles, on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles. Classes are held at UCLA, in Downtown Los Angeles, and other locations throughout Los ...

and works as an online book coach for Antioch University LA. Her writing has been featured in various magazines and other publications. According to her website, she is currently writing a novel set in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in 1956. Howrey and Lynch first met and became friends at a writers' retreat. The idea to collaborate on a novel came while Howrey was visiting Lynch at her home near Sequoia National Park. The setting for ''City of Dark Magic'' was initially inspired by Lynch's stepmother, who lives in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

and had recently taken a position at the Lobkowicz Palace Museum.

Books and reception

Carolyn Carlson at

described ''City of Dark Magic'' as a "Very Rare Find." ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' describes ''City of Dark Magic'' as an "exuberant, surprising gem" and a "fast-paced, funny, romantic mystery." ''City of Dark Magic'', which takes place in

, features

musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...

Sarah Weston who is hired to catalog

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

manuscripts at the

Lobkowicz Palace The Lobkowicz Palace () is a part of the Prague Castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the only privately owned building in the Prague Castle complex and houses the Lobkowicz Collections and Museum. The palace was built in the second h ...

following the on-site death of her mentor Professor Sherbatsky. While trying to investigate the real cause of her mentor's death, she becomes intrigued by Beethoven's "

Immortal Beloved The Immortal Beloved (German "Unsterbliche Geliebte") is the addressee of a love letter which composer Ludwig van Beethoven wrote on 6 or 7 July 1812 in Teplitz (then in the Austrian Empire, now in the Czech Republic). The unsent letter is writ ...

" as she unearths clues regarding the individual's identity throughout her employment at the palace. The

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

to ''City of Dark Magic'', titled ''City of Lost Dreams'', is set in

Vienna, Austria Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, and recounts Sarah Weston and friends' journey to find the Golden Fleece—not seeking

immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some species possess "biological immortality" due to an apparent lack of the Hayflick limit. From at least the time of the Ancient Mesopotamian religion, ancient Mesopotamians, there has been a con ...

but to find a cure for friend and

child prodigy A child prodigy is, technically, a child under the age of 10 who produces meaningful work in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to describe young people who are extraordinarily talented in some f ...

Pollina. Both of Magnus Flyte's books are novels of adventure that incorporate

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

magic Magic or magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces ** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic * Magic (illusion), also known as sta ...

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

, and

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

with a strong female lead.

Bibliography

As Magnus Flyte * ''City of Dark Magic'' (November 2012) * ''City of Lost Dreams'' (November 2013) By Meg Howrey * ''Blind Sight'' (March 2011) * ''The Cranes Dance'' (May 2012) * ''The Wanderers'' (March 2017) By Christina Lynch * ''Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History'' (May 2014 anthology)

References

External links

Magnus Flyte's website

Meg Howrey's website

Christina Lynch's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flyte, Magnus Living people 21st-century American women writers Pseudonymous women writers Collective pseudonyms American women novelists 21st-century American novelists Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century pseudonymous writers