Even Though I Knew the End
#7183.79 adjusted 3.80 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2022 Reading commitment Low C.L. Polk Last reviewed 2026-08-18
Overview
A private detective in 1940s Chicago, who sold her soul for a spell years ago and has three days left before the devil collects, takes one last case that could change everything. A standalone noir fantasy novella, C.L. Polk's Even Though I Knew the End (2022) is the author's second, unrelated universe in this canon, alongside the Kingston Cycle. The novella leans directly into hardboiled detective conventions, transplanting the genre's familiar rain-soaked streets and morally compromised protagonist into a world where literal demonic contracts and supernatural investigation are part of the everyday case load. It was a finalist for both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novella, recognition that placed it among the most acclaimed shorter fantasy works published that year and helped establish Polk's range beyond the longer Kingston Cycle novels.
Dark fantasy, Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Even Though I Knew the End C. L. Polk
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Even Though I Knew the End | 2022 | 1 | core | 3.79 (21,845 ratings) |
Standalone novella; a 1940s Chicago noir in which a woman who sold her soul for a spell decades earlier is offered one last case that could save her from the deal's grim price. C.L. Polk's 2nd, unrelated universe in this canon, alongside the Kingston Cycle.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Even Though I Knew the End? Even Though I Knew the End's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Even Though I Knew the End finished? Complete (2022).
- How much reading does Even Though I Knew the End take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~136 pages).
- How is Even Though I Knew the End ranked? #718 in this site's official ranking, based on 21,845 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #718?
Ranked #718 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.79 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (21,845 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #717, The Secret Market of the Dead (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 1 book · Complete · 22k ratings · Ranks #718 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment dark fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Nebula Award (Best Novella), 2022: won: Even Though I Knew the End; SFWA's own site files this under the 2022 award year (eligibility year); the award was presented at the 58th Annual Nebula Awards ceremony in 2023.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.79 across 21,845 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Even Though I Knew the End admitted accepted 2026-08-18
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-18
Rule: Core = the single standalone novella; unrelated to the author's Kingston Cycle.