Kent Davis is the author of A Riddle in Ruby, a middle-grade fantasy series set in an alternate-history version of the American colonies — one where alchemy works, clockwork creatures roam the streets, and a young thief named Ruby Teach must navigate a world of intrigue and danger.
In conversation with the Greenwillow Books team, Davis shared insights into the craft of building a world that feels both familiar and strange. The series draws on the texture of eighteenth-century Philadelphia — cobblestones, trade guilds, political ferment — and layers in a fully realized system of alchemical magic. Ruby Teach, the protagonist, is the daughter of a notorious privateer, and her journey begins when she is thrust into a conspiracy that could reshape the colonies.
Davis spoke about the challenges of balancing historical detail with fantastical invention. "You want the reader to feel the grit of the period," he explained, "but also to believe that a transmutation circle might be etched into the floor of a counting house." The magic system in A Riddle in Ruby is governed by strict rules — reagents, symbols, and the skill of the practitioner — which Davis developed through extensive research into early modern alchemical texts.
Key elements of the series' worldbuilding include:
- Alternate Colonial America: The setting reimagines the mid-Atlantic colonies as a landscape where alchemy and clockwork technology have reshaped society, trade, and warfare.
- Alchemical Magic: Practitioners called "chymists" manipulate matter through precise combinations of reagents and sigils — a system grounded in historical alchemical traditions but expanded into a full fantasy framework.
- Clockwork Automata: Mechanical beings, from messenger birds to formidable guardians, populate the world, blending Enlightenment-era engineering with imaginative design.
- Ruby Teach: The resourceful young heroine brings a thief's cunning and a privateer's daring to every encounter, anchoring the fantastical elements in a deeply human story of loyalty and self-discovery.
Davis also reflected on the importance of maps and visual references in his process. He sketched the streets of his alternate Philadelphia, plotted the routes of Ruby's adventures, and kept a notebook of alchemical diagrams to ensure consistency across the series. The result is a world that rewards close reading — and one that young fantasy fans have embraced for its richness and originality.
A Riddle in Ruby is published by Greenwillow Books. Explore more author spotlights in the Archives.