Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
Little, Brown and Company (2012), Edition: 1, 504 pages
Description
A high-ranking member of a secret organization that battles supernatural forces wakes up in a London park with no memory, no idea who she is, and with a letter that provides instructions to help her uncover a far-reaching conspiracy.
Media reviews
I became intrigued by Daniel O’Malley’s debut novel, The Rook, when Time book critic Lev Grossman raved, more than a month before the book’s release, that “this aging, jaded, attention-deficit-disordered critic was blown away.”
Indeed, The Rook is great, rattling fun, as if Neil Gaiman
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took Buffy the Vampire Slayer and crossed it with Torchwood.
It starts with a bang: Myfanwy Thomas awakens in a rainy London park, surrounded by a ring of dead bodies, all wearing latex gloves. She has no idea how she or the corpses got there. In fact, she doesn’t even know that she’s Myfanwy Thomas, because she is suffering from amnesia and remembers nothing about herself.
Myfanwy is a Rook, a junior-level member of the Court, an elite group of eight super-powered intelligence agents. The Court runs the Checquy Group, a British agency on Her Majesty’s Hyper-Secret Service, so powerful that it makes MI6 look lame. In fact, Myfanwy learns, “The Court answers to the highest individuals in the land only, and not always to them.”
Myfanwy discovers everything about herself from a dossier entrusted to her by “the original Myfanwy Thomas,” the person she was before she lost her memory. Her amnesia was no accident: One of her mysterious colleagues on the Court, she learns, is a traitor who wiped her memory and now wants her dead.
In the meantime, Myfanwy must step back into her own life and relearn everything about being Rook Thomas, all without anyone finding out what has happened to her. Her own life is anything but normal, because the Checquy Group is always on the lookout for monsters. One can never be too vigilant, since “Checquy statistics indicate that 15 percent of all men in hats are concealing horns.”
Thanks to the Checquy, Britons are blissfully unaware that supernatural forces constantly threaten the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. (The Checquy’s American counterpart is called the Croatoan, a little in-joke that is never explained but which students of American history will immediately get.) The worst of these threats to the U.K. are the Grafters, who come from Belgium, a mild-mannered nation that O’Malley manages to render extremely sinister.
Throughout a rip-roaring narrative, O’Malley off-handedly weaves deadpan humor. As a Rook, Myfanwy is more paper-pusher than field agent, and her job lacks glamour: “There’s a reason that there’s no TV show called CSI: Forensic Accounting.” She always gets stuck with tasks like “figuring out why the hell a two-door wardrobe in the spare room of a country house is considered to be a matter of national concern.”
But crises loom, duty calls, and Myfanwy soon finds herself using her own superpower to battle horrid Belgian monsters — at least whenever she isn’t “laboriously penning formal invitations to the members of the Court to come dine at the Rookery tonight before observing the unbelievably magical amazingness of the United Kingdom’s only oracular duck.
“Of course, I couched it all in slightly more impressive terms.”
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User reviews
LibraryThing member Meredy
Six-word review: Lively, imaginative yarn about supernatural adversaries.
Extended review:
Despite the flat ending, this first novel is an entertaining ride.
A young woman named Myfanwy comes to her senses in a bizarre situation, lacking all knowledge of who she is and where she's been. The device of
If this sounds like comic-book material, well, there is a little of that here, but this is not necessarily a shortcoming. There's a pervasive light-heartedness and a feeling that the author is enjoying himself--and maybe he is, but that's still a pretty good trick for a first-time novelist to pull off. Even while dealing with the larger questions of memory and identity, the indoctrination of children, and the ethics of sacrifice for the greater good, The Rook never takes itself too seriously.
Nevertheless, the author is working pretty hard. He didn't accomplish his results thoughtlessly or by accident.
The book's imaginative quality is one of its best features; in that respect it reminds me of early Orson Scott Card. The author delivers throwaway lines that just have a "wow!" effect as you pause for a second before rushing on. Many of these have to do with the special powers that seem to be widely distributed throughout what looks like a normal population. Here are a few illustrations:
Excerpt 1 (page 65)
"Caspar, we will need something to tell people, and an Argentine woman who coughs up ectoplasm that turns into animals that chase people--well, that falls into the category of things that we are very specifically supposed to prevent people from finding out about."
Excerpt 2 (page 264)
"Ingrid, are all of Gestalt's bodies coming to the reception tonight?" Myfanwy asked, holding the mobile phone with her chin as she paged through the purple binder. She and Shantay were flying back to London, and she was trying to find the section that described the penalties for treason. She'd browsed through the section at one point and vaguely recalled a long list of punishments culminating with the guilty party being ritually trampled to death by the population of the village of Avebury, which seemed unlikely, or at least somewhat difficult to arrange.
Excerpt 3 (page 357)
Once in a while, a group of kids would sneak out to the nearest village, or try to. I mean, we were on an island, so it wasn't easy. Plus, as you can imagine, our teachers were well trained in the art of surveillance.
But for those who wanted a little kick, there was that girl whose hair would get you high if you ate it.
Or that guy who could trip you out if you let him touch your eyeballs with his fingertips, which I was never willing to try.
End of excerpts.
So for writing a spunky novel that held my attention from first to last and made me wish it would last longer, I'm inclined to be pretty forgiving of flaws.
That doesn't mean, however, that I won't mention some of them. Here are four:
1. Misleading premise. (I don't consider this a spoiler because the initial representation is never really explained. There's no dawning realization for the character. Instead the notion just sort of fades away as if forgotten.) The idea that there's been some sort of body transplant--that the former occupant of the body is gone and now there's a new one--is promoted throughout the first part of the book. And given a world with supernatural entities and fantastic rules, this might have been quite possible. But in fact all that's happened is that the character's memory is irretrievably lost and so she must start over with a blank slate. Knowing that doesn't really change anything other than the dramatic but unresolved element of seemingly having one "self" replace another in the same body.
2. Insufficient editorial attention. As so many authors do, this one will get a run on certain words that should not be repeated often because they call attention to themselves. An editor should catch that and call them out. (You can also run a word-frequency counter on an entire manuscript and pick up on words that have been overused.) Yet here they remain. For one example, documents are described as "teetering stacks" twice within three pages. For another, a character is far too often seen to be doing something "gingerly" (as an adverb, not an adjective).
Speaking of adverbs, here we have an author who isn't shy about using them by the bushel, no matter what they might have said in writing class.
3. Dialogue tags. Smooth handling of he-said-she-said tags is one mark of a professional. In this novel, dialogue tags have a distinctly amateurish flavor. Many of them, for example, are modified by adverbs. A random selection: wryly, blankly, anxiously, reprovingly, defensively, tiredly, gently, helpfully, tightly. Please, Daniel, do that lesson over again.
And while you're at it, Daniel, get rid of the "came" dialogue tags altogether:
came the distracted reply
came the tense answer
came the composed answer
came a firm voice
came a diffident voice
came the contribution
etc. On one page (425), I counted four of them.
Amazon's "Search Inside" makes it easy for me to find such examples. Software technology should also make it easy for authors and editors to find and correct many kinds of lapses that once were very tedious to catch (but not impossible; I used to do that sort of thing as part of my job). A little more diligence is called for, always remembering that the reader is making a large commitment of time and attention to the work and is entitled to the most polished effort that the author is capable of providing.
4. Lame ending. It's a problem that's hardly unique to this book. I can't even estimate how many novels I've read in which the author had a great story going and then seemed to just stop because he or she had no idea how to end it. I've seen it happen even with experienced pros. Nonetheless, the conclusion of The Rook strikes me as a cop-out and nothing else. Since a great deal of the satisfaction in reading all those pages and following all those characters is in having it end right, I have to take off points for this. I'd be giving it four stars otherwise.
And finally: two aspects that I really wish the author had handled differently. They're not exactly flaws, but I would call them disappointments:
• The author introduces an interesting and appealing character named Shantay, and from the way that she engages with the focal character, Myfanwy, I expected her to have a much larger part in the story than she does. Her absence for most of the main action is a letdown.
• Similarly (and misleadingly), the author introduces a character named Alrich by intercutting a few lines from his point of view, in italics, with a scene between Myfanwy and another character, as if the simultaneity were significant. This is the only character he treats in this way, and I thought it meant something. It turns out that Alrich too has a much smaller role than I'd expected--and hoped for--from the way he was introduced and from his backstory. It's as if the author set off in one direction with him and then later changed his mind but didn't go back and clean up the setup.
Even though in general I'm rather low in charity toward authorial lapses, I still regard this as a worthwhile, enjoyable, and memorable read, and I will look for further work (a sequel perhaps?) by this author.
Extended review:
Despite the flat ending, this first novel is an entertaining ride.
A young woman named Myfanwy comes to her senses in a bizarre situation, lacking all knowledge of who she is and where she's been. The device of
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an amnesiac's being guided by written messages from her former self is nothing new, but the circumstances are fresh. Our character, who turns out to be a key figure in a clandestine security organization, must learn to inhabit an unfamiliar persona and navigate an extraordinary life without revealing her loss of memory to anyone. In the process she must understand and control her own supernatural abilities and match them against super-powered adversaries amidst political intrigue, deception and betrayal, and menacing manifestations of unnatural powers that threaten the nation and the world.If this sounds like comic-book material, well, there is a little of that here, but this is not necessarily a shortcoming. There's a pervasive light-heartedness and a feeling that the author is enjoying himself--and maybe he is, but that's still a pretty good trick for a first-time novelist to pull off. Even while dealing with the larger questions of memory and identity, the indoctrination of children, and the ethics of sacrifice for the greater good, The Rook never takes itself too seriously.
Nevertheless, the author is working pretty hard. He didn't accomplish his results thoughtlessly or by accident.
The book's imaginative quality is one of its best features; in that respect it reminds me of early Orson Scott Card. The author delivers throwaway lines that just have a "wow!" effect as you pause for a second before rushing on. Many of these have to do with the special powers that seem to be widely distributed throughout what looks like a normal population. Here are a few illustrations:
Excerpt 1 (page 65)
"Caspar, we will need something to tell people, and an Argentine woman who coughs up ectoplasm that turns into animals that chase people--well, that falls into the category of things that we are very specifically supposed to prevent people from finding out about."
Excerpt 2 (page 264)
"Ingrid, are all of Gestalt's bodies coming to the reception tonight?" Myfanwy asked, holding the mobile phone with her chin as she paged through the purple binder. She and Shantay were flying back to London, and she was trying to find the section that described the penalties for treason. She'd browsed through the section at one point and vaguely recalled a long list of punishments culminating with the guilty party being ritually trampled to death by the population of the village of Avebury, which seemed unlikely, or at least somewhat difficult to arrange.
Excerpt 3 (page 357)
Once in a while, a group of kids would sneak out to the nearest village, or try to. I mean, we were on an island, so it wasn't easy. Plus, as you can imagine, our teachers were well trained in the art of surveillance.
But for those who wanted a little kick, there was that girl whose hair would get you high if you ate it.
Or that guy who could trip you out if you let him touch your eyeballs with his fingertips, which I was never willing to try.
End of excerpts.
So for writing a spunky novel that held my attention from first to last and made me wish it would last longer, I'm inclined to be pretty forgiving of flaws.
That doesn't mean, however, that I won't mention some of them. Here are four:
1. Misleading premise. (I don't consider this a spoiler because the initial representation is never really explained. There's no dawning realization for the character. Instead the notion just sort of fades away as if forgotten.) The idea that there's been some sort of body transplant--that the former occupant of the body is gone and now there's a new one--is promoted throughout the first part of the book. And given a world with supernatural entities and fantastic rules, this might have been quite possible. But in fact all that's happened is that the character's memory is irretrievably lost and so she must start over with a blank slate. Knowing that doesn't really change anything other than the dramatic but unresolved element of seemingly having one "self" replace another in the same body.
2. Insufficient editorial attention. As so many authors do, this one will get a run on certain words that should not be repeated often because they call attention to themselves. An editor should catch that and call them out. (You can also run a word-frequency counter on an entire manuscript and pick up on words that have been overused.) Yet here they remain. For one example, documents are described as "teetering stacks" twice within three pages. For another, a character is far too often seen to be doing something "gingerly" (as an adverb, not an adjective).
Speaking of adverbs, here we have an author who isn't shy about using them by the bushel, no matter what they might have said in writing class.
3. Dialogue tags. Smooth handling of he-said-she-said tags is one mark of a professional. In this novel, dialogue tags have a distinctly amateurish flavor. Many of them, for example, are modified by adverbs. A random selection: wryly, blankly, anxiously, reprovingly, defensively, tiredly, gently, helpfully, tightly. Please, Daniel, do that lesson over again.
And while you're at it, Daniel, get rid of the "came" dialogue tags altogether:
came the distracted reply
came the tense answer
came the composed answer
came a firm voice
came a diffident voice
came the contribution
etc. On one page (425), I counted four of them.
Amazon's "Search Inside" makes it easy for me to find such examples. Software technology should also make it easy for authors and editors to find and correct many kinds of lapses that once were very tedious to catch (but not impossible; I used to do that sort of thing as part of my job). A little more diligence is called for, always remembering that the reader is making a large commitment of time and attention to the work and is entitled to the most polished effort that the author is capable of providing.
4. Lame ending. It's a problem that's hardly unique to this book. I can't even estimate how many novels I've read in which the author had a great story going and then seemed to just stop because he or she had no idea how to end it. I've seen it happen even with experienced pros. Nonetheless, the conclusion of The Rook strikes me as a cop-out and nothing else. Since a great deal of the satisfaction in reading all those pages and following all those characters is in having it end right, I have to take off points for this. I'd be giving it four stars otherwise.
And finally: two aspects that I really wish the author had handled differently. They're not exactly flaws, but I would call them disappointments:
• The author introduces an interesting and appealing character named Shantay, and from the way that she engages with the focal character, Myfanwy, I expected her to have a much larger part in the story than she does. Her absence for most of the main action is a letdown.
• Similarly (and misleadingly), the author introduces a character named Alrich by intercutting a few lines from his point of view, in italics, with a scene between Myfanwy and another character, as if the simultaneity were significant. This is the only character he treats in this way, and I thought it meant something. It turns out that Alrich too has a much smaller role than I'd expected--and hoped for--from the way he was introduced and from his backstory. It's as if the author set off in one direction with him and then later changed his mind but didn't go back and clean up the setup.
Even though in general I'm rather low in charity toward authorial lapses, I still regard this as a worthwhile, enjoyable, and memorable read, and I will look for further work (a sequel perhaps?) by this author.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Narilka
Myfanwy (rhymes with Tiffany) Thomas awakens to find herself surrounded by several dead people wearing latex gloves and no idea who she is or how she got there. Not knowing what else to do she puts her hands in her pockets and pulls out a letter, which she begins to read.
"Dear You,
The body you are
The complicated answer could take a little more time."
The Rook is the first novel by Daniel O'Malley and I was immediately hooked. Set in modern day London the story is part Jason Bourn, part X-Men and quite the page turner!
The story gives a gradual reveal as we learn about both Myfanwys through a series of letters that the "old" Myfanwy writes to the "new" Myfanwy while "new" Myfanwy tries to figure out what exactly the old her has gotten herself into. It's a brilliant set up that works seamlessly to give us history about the Checquy and insight into other characters while not hindering the mystery or any of the action. We also get a great contrast between the two Myfanwy's and it's great to see her grow into this role she's found herself in.
The breadth of supernatural powers and events O'Malley has created is amazing. From a malevolent cube of flesh to one mind that inhabits multiple bodies there are no boring, run-of-the-mill powers here!
The mystery is well thought out and the action is engaging. There is even a heavy dose of dry humour that was a pleasant surprise. I found myself laughing out loud several times.
While The Rook is a great standalone book I'm so happy O'Malley decided to continue the series. I look forward to the next book!
"Dear You,
The body you are
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wearing used to be mine. The scar on the inner left thigh is there because I fell out of a tree and impaled my leg at the age of nine. The filling in the far left tooth on the top is a result of my avoiding the dentist for four years. But you probably care little about this body’s past. After all, I’m writing this letter for you to read in the future. Perhaps you are wondering why anyone would do such a thing. The answer is both simple and complicated. The simple answer is because I knew it would be necessary. The complicated answer could take a little more time."
The Rook is the first novel by Daniel O'Malley and I was immediately hooked. Set in modern day London the story is part Jason Bourn, part X-Men and quite the page turner!
The story gives a gradual reveal as we learn about both Myfanwys through a series of letters that the "old" Myfanwy writes to the "new" Myfanwy while "new" Myfanwy tries to figure out what exactly the old her has gotten herself into. It's a brilliant set up that works seamlessly to give us history about the Checquy and insight into other characters while not hindering the mystery or any of the action. We also get a great contrast between the two Myfanwy's and it's great to see her grow into this role she's found herself in.
The breadth of supernatural powers and events O'Malley has created is amazing. From a malevolent cube of flesh to one mind that inhabits multiple bodies there are no boring, run-of-the-mill powers here!
The mystery is well thought out and the action is engaging. There is even a heavy dose of dry humour that was a pleasant surprise. I found myself laughing out loud several times.
While The Rook is a great standalone book I'm so happy O'Malley decided to continue the series. I look forward to the next book!
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LibraryThing member ben_a
A page-turner, with a great premise, poor writing, and some lazy characterization.
LibraryThing member stellarexplorer
This is the kind of book that makes me feel extremely curmudgeonly. It's highly rated on LT, though I did not read the reviews before writing this. Promising premise: women wakes under mysterious circumstances, having lost all memory of her identity and previous life. But she finds a letter in her
This was the highlight, and it is unfortunate that the momentum and attention created were not maintained. This might have been an edgy story of sustained tension and an emerging battle for survival and identity-seeking. But it is not. It is something roughly in the "Urban Fantasy" realm or thereabouts, and things rapidly morph from a convincing thriller into a corny and jocular tale of the paranormal that does not seek to be taken seriously.
Let me put my bias up front: I don't care for parody and humor if done in a way that prevents me from buying into the reality of the book-world. Do you like razor-teethed henchmen? Skinless sacs of sentient fluids? Multi-spinal villains who cannot be stopped by the severing of a single vertebral column? Some of these inventions are creative, but in totality they are more in fun, and I found it quite impossible to maintain any suspension of disbelief at all.
Another insurmountable difficulty for me was the matter of the back story. This is a book in which the amnesiac protagonist needed to bone up on truckloads of history: her own, that of all her potential collaborators and enemies, and the intricacies of the centuries-old organization in which she was a major figure. Massive info-dumps in the form of letters from her previous self were frequent and tedious. Perhaps she might have discovered these things in some other way? The previous identity becomes in large part a vehicle for conveying information in a mechanical way that lacked subtlety, and further interrupted immersion in the ongoing narrative.
This is not to say that I didn't enjoy it at all. The central conceit, woman with partial self- and historical knowledge attempts to soldier on in the face of danger, still had some charm. But ultimately this was not enough to carry the story. The whole thing had jarring elements of parody and silliness that made it impossible to take seriously. Crediting the author, one can only assume this was the spirit in which it was written. But it didn't work for me, and the promising start made that a disappointment.
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pocket with emergency instructions. The previous inhabitant of her body knew she had an enemy, and that the result would be that she would awaken in this state of amnesia.This was the highlight, and it is unfortunate that the momentum and attention created were not maintained. This might have been an edgy story of sustained tension and an emerging battle for survival and identity-seeking. But it is not. It is something roughly in the "Urban Fantasy" realm or thereabouts, and things rapidly morph from a convincing thriller into a corny and jocular tale of the paranormal that does not seek to be taken seriously.
Let me put my bias up front: I don't care for parody and humor if done in a way that prevents me from buying into the reality of the book-world. Do you like razor-teethed henchmen? Skinless sacs of sentient fluids? Multi-spinal villains who cannot be stopped by the severing of a single vertebral column? Some of these inventions are creative, but in totality they are more in fun, and I found it quite impossible to maintain any suspension of disbelief at all.
Another insurmountable difficulty for me was the matter of the back story. This is a book in which the amnesiac protagonist needed to bone up on truckloads of history: her own, that of all her potential collaborators and enemies, and the intricacies of the centuries-old organization in which she was a major figure. Massive info-dumps in the form of letters from her previous self were frequent and tedious. Perhaps she might have discovered these things in some other way? The previous identity becomes in large part a vehicle for conveying information in a mechanical way that lacked subtlety, and further interrupted immersion in the ongoing narrative.
This is not to say that I didn't enjoy it at all. The central conceit, woman with partial self- and historical knowledge attempts to soldier on in the face of danger, still had some charm. But ultimately this was not enough to carry the story. The whole thing had jarring elements of parody and silliness that made it impossible to take seriously. Crediting the author, one can only assume this was the spirit in which it was written. But it didn't work for me, and the promising start made that a disappointment.
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LibraryThing member les121
What a delightful surprise! The blurb gave me the impression that The Rook was going to have a dark, gritty tone, but it's actually laugh-out-loud hilarious. Even though I guessed the culprit early on, I loved watching Myfanwy put the clues together. The old Myfanwy's letters to her new self really
On the downside, the plot line centering on Myfanwy’s long, lost sister felt kind of random and unnecessary to me (and led to a TSTL moment for our otherwise savvy heroine). It also seemed that some things came too easily to Myfanwy such as her insta-friendship with Shantay and the relative ease with which she navigated the office politics and supernatural dangers of her new job. Still, these flaws didn't significantly detract from my enjoyment of the story.
Finally, I can't end this review without mentioning the wonderfully creative, complex worldbuilding. If you're looking for an urban fantasy with a well-thought-out and unique premise, then I highly recommend this novel. In short, The Rook is an incredibly fun, entertaining read. I didn't expect it to be so funny, which caught me by surprise in the best possible way. I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!
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made her feel like a person to me, which made the loss of her identity acutely painful to read; it was like watching a favorite character die. But despite my sympathy for the old Myfanwy, I quickly came to love how the new Myfanwy makes a place for herself and establishes her own, distinct personality. It's extremely funny and satisfying to watch her shatter other people’s expectations by being everything the old Myfanwy was not - a bold, brash leader who isn't afraid to use her abilities to their full extent.On the downside, the plot line centering on Myfanwy’s long, lost sister felt kind of random and unnecessary to me (and led to a TSTL moment for our otherwise savvy heroine). It also seemed that some things came too easily to Myfanwy such as her insta-friendship with Shantay and the relative ease with which she navigated the office politics and supernatural dangers of her new job. Still, these flaws didn't significantly detract from my enjoyment of the story.
Finally, I can't end this review without mentioning the wonderfully creative, complex worldbuilding. If you're looking for an urban fantasy with a well-thought-out and unique premise, then I highly recommend this novel. In short, The Rook is an incredibly fun, entertaining read. I didn't expect it to be so funny, which caught me by surprise in the best possible way. I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!
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LibraryThing member msjessie
The Rook is an interesting and innovative novel, combining favorite aspects from various genres into one odd 500 page gem of weirdness. If you were to mix up the most prevalent aspects of some of the most popular books and movies out there today, The Rook is likely what your mixture would spit out
Sounds a bit mad, doesn't it? And to be quite honest, The Rook is quite mad to read, but in an absurd and absorbing way. The initial chapters will pose the most problems for readers and is the biggest hurdle to climb in the book; The Rook is basically the story about one woman, in two different time periods. Letters from Myfanwy's previous self to her current self comprise a lot of the bulk of the beginning and most of it is exposition and worldbuilding to reinforce the large framework O'Malley has envisioned for his alternate world full of unnatural things and an MI5 for supernaturals. The letters illuminate the complete, detailed secret history and lore of the Checquy more than cast light on the character of Myfanwy herself; the present-day portion of the novel reveals much more about Myfawy the person and less about Myfanwy the Rook of the Checquy Court. Much like there are two Myfanwys contained in the novel, there are two different main plots for each woman. The first Myfanwy is all about preparing and planning for what she knows is coming, and the second Myfanwy is all about kicking ass and taking names.
Myfanwy is a distinct and well-rounded character, with the added bonus of a truly original name (she pronounces it "Mif-un-ee", rhymes with 'Tiffany') to set her out immediately from the crowd. I have to admit that for about 90% of the novel I was completely confused as to who she was in the present-tense. Was Myfanwy II the same person as Myfanwy I, but with no memories? Or was she an entirely new person shuttled into Myfanwy's skin? While that may seem like a loaded question, it's well within the frame of abilities of this book. The original Myfanwy was timid in personn, but strong with her policies - an interesting combination of contrasting behaviors. The newer, betrayed Rook isn't afraid of her powers and is bold both personally and professionally. I liked Myfanwy in both versions, but the latter's sense of dry, very British-esque humor ("Gentlemen, please try not to jostle my interrogational gynecologist.") was what sealed the deal and kept me going past chapter one. And how rewarding that decision was - the book evolves into a humorous, creative and unique vein, as does Myfanwy herself. I don't want to spoil her character arc or development since the mystery at the heart of her problems is hard to guess, but this is one of those characters - the ones you remember long after reading the book. I also really appreciated how romance-free ths book was - the strongest relationships shown here are friendships. Between women. In fact, in a happy surprise for me, outside of main character Myfanwy, my two favorite secondary characters were strong, intelligent and capable women (Shantay the sassy black envoy from America's Checquy, the Croatoan and Ingrid - who "possessed no inhuman powers apart from an abundance of common sense and an ability to keep this organized". Think a female Alfred, but a secretary and AWESOME).
The Checquy is the highly regimented government organization that Myfanwy runs - or the one that ran her, back before the events of The Rook. The Checquy is a large, sprawling and hidden organization that protects the UK from all manner of unnatural threat - like I said, it's an MI5 for the paranormal. While the idea of a secret government paranormal protection agency isn't exactly revolutionary for the UF/PNR genre, how O'Malley utilizes his Court of Pawns, Rooks, Chevaliers and Bishops is. From the design of the Court on, it's obvious that O'Malley's version of government-sponsored paranormal entity is both unique and mysterious. As is immediately obvious from the sheer amount of detail provided on the Checquy and its modus operandi, O'Malley has certainly planned out intricately how this 'part school, army, prison, research facility and arm of the government' will operate and affect his characters and novel. The beginning suffers the most from the info-dumps used to introduce the hidden agency, but once the reader has a grip on what they are reading about, the info-dumps don't seem as bad and progress to interesting on their own merit. O'Malley's version of an England with the Checquy in power since Cromwell's day is neither beyond the scope of imagination nor reminiscent of any other I've read.
The mystery at the heart of the novel (What exactly happened to Myfanwy? Who is behind it? Why was she targeted? Who knows her secret?) is complex and not easily guessed. Luckily for me, the overall BigBad wasn't obvious from the outset, or telegraphed to the reader long before the end and thus, I had the privilege of being shocked by the reveal and the author's impressive narrative sleight-of-hand. This book has a healthy dose of the absurd to make the gore more palatable but I wasn't surprised for how.... violent... parts of this was. While it's not true movie-type gore with bodies and parts flying about wildly, there are disquieting scenes with faces ripped off, people being eaten and general deadly, gross mayhem.
While it's been coming up all roses this far into the review, but I did have some slight issues with The Rook. The Big Bad falls victim to what I am calling the Syndrome Syndrome - the inexplicable need that a winning/succeeding villain feels to explain every last action and decision on the road to the final conflict/proselytize their own ideas to their victims for lengthy amounts of time. I also had issues with the family plotline introduced late into the novel; though it gives Myfanwy an additional layer of depth and a reason to accelerate the 'panic' she feels, it feels unneceasy and superfluous. It could be easily excised and the pace that began to flag would bounce back easily. Bronwyn, though likeable if not very defined, doesn't do much or add much to the overall story, besides slowing the speed at which everything happens.
I was both impressed and somewhat surprised at how tidily everything herein was wrapped up. There were so many various threads and plotlines throughout the novel, I had sincerely wondered if O'Malley could possibly pull it off with any degree of satisfaction, or I was going to left holding the bag, so the speak, as a reader. Against my fearful and increasingly worried expectations, since the resolution is left until the very last 25 pages of 500, he did so, and with humor and aplomb. O'Malley is a very gifted storyteller that gets caught up perhaps a bit much in his own creativity but finds a way back to the compelling story at the heart of his monsters and magic run amok in England.
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as an end result. Take, for instance, the school for only British magically/supernaturally gifted kids - much like Harry Potter's Hogwarts with a dash of UK-only X-MEN thrown in. Add to that potent mix a female Jason Bourne-type with amnesia but the added ability to kick some serious ass when provoked and this novel is the result. Sounds a bit mad, doesn't it? And to be quite honest, The Rook is quite mad to read, but in an absurd and absorbing way. The initial chapters will pose the most problems for readers and is the biggest hurdle to climb in the book; The Rook is basically the story about one woman, in two different time periods. Letters from Myfanwy's previous self to her current self comprise a lot of the bulk of the beginning and most of it is exposition and worldbuilding to reinforce the large framework O'Malley has envisioned for his alternate world full of unnatural things and an MI5 for supernaturals. The letters illuminate the complete, detailed secret history and lore of the Checquy more than cast light on the character of Myfanwy herself; the present-day portion of the novel reveals much more about Myfawy the person and less about Myfanwy the Rook of the Checquy Court. Much like there are two Myfanwys contained in the novel, there are two different main plots for each woman. The first Myfanwy is all about preparing and planning for what she knows is coming, and the second Myfanwy is all about kicking ass and taking names.
Myfanwy is a distinct and well-rounded character, with the added bonus of a truly original name (she pronounces it "Mif-un-ee", rhymes with 'Tiffany') to set her out immediately from the crowd. I have to admit that for about 90% of the novel I was completely confused as to who she was in the present-tense. Was Myfanwy II the same person as Myfanwy I, but with no memories? Or was she an entirely new person shuttled into Myfanwy's skin? While that may seem like a loaded question, it's well within the frame of abilities of this book. The original Myfanwy was timid in personn, but strong with her policies - an interesting combination of contrasting behaviors. The newer, betrayed Rook isn't afraid of her powers and is bold both personally and professionally. I liked Myfanwy in both versions, but the latter's sense of dry, very British-esque humor ("Gentlemen, please try not to jostle my interrogational gynecologist.") was what sealed the deal and kept me going past chapter one. And how rewarding that decision was - the book evolves into a humorous, creative and unique vein, as does Myfanwy herself. I don't want to spoil her character arc or development since the mystery at the heart of her problems is hard to guess, but this is one of those characters - the ones you remember long after reading the book. I also really appreciated how romance-free ths book was - the strongest relationships shown here are friendships. Between women. In fact, in a happy surprise for me, outside of main character Myfanwy, my two favorite secondary characters were strong, intelligent and capable women (Shantay the sassy black envoy from America's Checquy, the Croatoan and Ingrid - who "possessed no inhuman powers apart from an abundance of common sense and an ability to keep this organized". Think a female Alfred, but a secretary and AWESOME).
The Checquy is the highly regimented government organization that Myfanwy runs - or the one that ran her, back before the events of The Rook. The Checquy is a large, sprawling and hidden organization that protects the UK from all manner of unnatural threat - like I said, it's an MI5 for the paranormal. While the idea of a secret government paranormal protection agency isn't exactly revolutionary for the UF/PNR genre, how O'Malley utilizes his Court of Pawns, Rooks, Chevaliers and Bishops is. From the design of the Court on, it's obvious that O'Malley's version of government-sponsored paranormal entity is both unique and mysterious. As is immediately obvious from the sheer amount of detail provided on the Checquy and its modus operandi, O'Malley has certainly planned out intricately how this 'part school, army, prison, research facility and arm of the government' will operate and affect his characters and novel. The beginning suffers the most from the info-dumps used to introduce the hidden agency, but once the reader has a grip on what they are reading about, the info-dumps don't seem as bad and progress to interesting on their own merit. O'Malley's version of an England with the Checquy in power since Cromwell's day is neither beyond the scope of imagination nor reminiscent of any other I've read.
The mystery at the heart of the novel (What exactly happened to Myfanwy? Who is behind it? Why was she targeted? Who knows her secret?) is complex and not easily guessed. Luckily for me, the overall BigBad wasn't obvious from the outset, or telegraphed to the reader long before the end and thus, I had the privilege of being shocked by the reveal and the author's impressive narrative sleight-of-hand. This book has a healthy dose of the absurd to make the gore more palatable but I wasn't surprised for how.... violent... parts of this was. While it's not true movie-type gore with bodies and parts flying about wildly, there are disquieting scenes with faces ripped off, people being eaten and general deadly, gross mayhem.
While it's been coming up all roses this far into the review, but I did have some slight issues with The Rook. The Big Bad falls victim to what I am calling the Syndrome Syndrome - the inexplicable need that a winning/succeeding villain feels to explain every last action and decision on the road to the final conflict/proselytize their own ideas to their victims for lengthy amounts of time. I also had issues with the family plotline introduced late into the novel; though it gives Myfanwy an additional layer of depth and a reason to accelerate the 'panic' she feels, it feels unneceasy and superfluous. It could be easily excised and the pace that began to flag would bounce back easily. Bronwyn, though likeable if not very defined, doesn't do much or add much to the overall story, besides slowing the speed at which everything happens.
I was both impressed and somewhat surprised at how tidily everything herein was wrapped up. There were so many various threads and plotlines throughout the novel, I had sincerely wondered if O'Malley could possibly pull it off with any degree of satisfaction, or I was going to left holding the bag, so the speak, as a reader. Against my fearful and increasingly worried expectations, since the resolution is left until the very last 25 pages of 500, he did so, and with humor and aplomb. O'Malley is a very gifted storyteller that gets caught up perhaps a bit much in his own creativity but finds a way back to the compelling story at the heart of his monsters and magic run amok in England.
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LibraryThing member lycomayflower
Myfanwy Thomas wakes up with no memory of who she is and a letter in her pocket instructing her to choose to take a bunch of money and run or stay put and try to take over the job she had before the attack of amnesia. The job? Administrator in a secret society that polices the supernatural
The resulting novel is humorous, inventive, and fast-paced, and focuses on Myfanwy's growth into a new person and the concept of memory just as much as on the plotty supernatural stuff. The story is also remarkable for focusing on multiple female characters and their interactions with one another, something that is often lacking in books of this genre.
Several members of my book club loved this, and a few of the women who usually don't like sci-fi/fantasy/speculative fiction said they enjoyed this much more than other things of this genre they've read. I feel like I should have enjoyed the book more than I did. I had nothing against it, no particular complaints, or bugaboos, or dislikes. I dunno. It just didn't roll my socks.
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population in Britain. She opts to stay put.The resulting novel is humorous, inventive, and fast-paced, and focuses on Myfanwy's growth into a new person and the concept of memory just as much as on the plotty supernatural stuff. The story is also remarkable for focusing on multiple female characters and their interactions with one another, something that is often lacking in books of this genre.
Several members of my book club loved this, and a few of the women who usually don't like sci-fi/fantasy/speculative fiction said they enjoyed this much more than other things of this genre they've read. I feel like I should have enjoyed the book more than I did. I had nothing against it, no particular complaints, or bugaboos, or dislikes. I dunno. It just didn't roll my socks.
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LibraryThing member bwhitner
I really liked this book and was disappointed that the next one wasn't coming out til next year. I like fantasy that is believable, not that it could happen in real life, but that it's not totally outrageous. This was what I thought to be an excellent fantasy book. It was well written. The fantasy
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part was like yeah ok. They kept it consistent throughout the whole book. It's about a woman's body Rook Thomas who gets her memory taken and someone else takes over her body. She works for The Chequey (sp). They are a group of people with special abilities. Someone within that group is a double agent and they need to figure out who. The special powers make it exciting. This was an enjoyable read but, not a light read. There is a lot of information to take in about all of the characters and the organization. Even if you think you don't like fantasy you might like this. Show Less
LibraryThing member krau0098
This is the first book in the Checquy Files series by O’Malley. The second book in this series, Stiletto, is supposed to release in Jan 2016. I enjoyed this book; is was a fun blend of secret government conspiracy and urban fantasy.
I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook is very well
Myfanwy Thomas’s first recollection is standing in the rain with a bunch of dead men in a circle around her and all the men are wearing latex gloves. Then she finds the note in her pocket which starts out “The body you are wearing used to be mine.” Myfanwy is in a body and has no memory of how she got there. The letter she finds gives her two choices: go to a safe deposit box, take the money there and run...or assume the life of Myfanwy Thomas as it was before her memory loss. After killing a bunch of people with a wave of her hand Myfanwy decides to try to find out more about her abilities and assumes Myfanwy’s old life.
Shortly after making that choice Myfanwy finds out that she holds the position of Rook (a position of top authority) in a secret government agency known as the Checquy. The Checquy polices supernatural and paranormal creatures throughout England protecting the population from things better left unknown.
As Myfanwy stumbles her way through daily duties (and enjoys her ultimate power) she is struggling to answer the top question in her mind; who tried to kill the original Myfanwy Thomas? Then when a group called the Grafters (who have long opposed the Checquy) start to threaten both life as humanity knows it and the Royal Court of the Checquy Myfanwy has to turn her attention to why the Grafters are after them and who in the Court of the Checquy is linked to the Grafters.
There are a lot of politics, administration, espionage, mystery solving and general craziness in this book as Myfanwy tries to unravel this web of deceit and lies. I love Myfanwy’s no nonsense attitude to everything; she takes the strangest of circumstances in stride and does an excellent job of mitigating the damage. She is also a bit snarky and witty as well.
I loved all the crazy characters in the story and their rather bizarre powers. The book was a lot of fun to read and you just never knew what the next page was going to hold.
The story wraps up well, although there are some loose ends that will most likely be addressed in subsequent novels. This is a different sort of urban fantasy. Think of it as urban fantasy where battles are fought with superb administration abilities and crazy personal super powers.
Overall this was a fun and different type of urban fantasy read. I enjoyed the quirky characters and witty dialogue. I also enjoyed all the strange powers our characters have and the very different anatomies of the Grafters. Myfanwy Thomas is a very unique sort of urban fantasy heroine and I found her to be refreshing and interesting to read about. I look forward to further adventures with Myfanwy and the Checquy. I recommend to those who enjoy mystery and urban fantasy stories.
I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook is very well
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done. The narrator did an excellent job of giving all of the characters unique voices and portraying emotion and urgency in the narration.Myfanwy Thomas’s first recollection is standing in the rain with a bunch of dead men in a circle around her and all the men are wearing latex gloves. Then she finds the note in her pocket which starts out “The body you are wearing used to be mine.” Myfanwy is in a body and has no memory of how she got there. The letter she finds gives her two choices: go to a safe deposit box, take the money there and run...or assume the life of Myfanwy Thomas as it was before her memory loss. After killing a bunch of people with a wave of her hand Myfanwy decides to try to find out more about her abilities and assumes Myfanwy’s old life.
Shortly after making that choice Myfanwy finds out that she holds the position of Rook (a position of top authority) in a secret government agency known as the Checquy. The Checquy polices supernatural and paranormal creatures throughout England protecting the population from things better left unknown.
As Myfanwy stumbles her way through daily duties (and enjoys her ultimate power) she is struggling to answer the top question in her mind; who tried to kill the original Myfanwy Thomas? Then when a group called the Grafters (who have long opposed the Checquy) start to threaten both life as humanity knows it and the Royal Court of the Checquy Myfanwy has to turn her attention to why the Grafters are after them and who in the Court of the Checquy is linked to the Grafters.
There are a lot of politics, administration, espionage, mystery solving and general craziness in this book as Myfanwy tries to unravel this web of deceit and lies. I love Myfanwy’s no nonsense attitude to everything; she takes the strangest of circumstances in stride and does an excellent job of mitigating the damage. She is also a bit snarky and witty as well.
I loved all the crazy characters in the story and their rather bizarre powers. The book was a lot of fun to read and you just never knew what the next page was going to hold.
The story wraps up well, although there are some loose ends that will most likely be addressed in subsequent novels. This is a different sort of urban fantasy. Think of it as urban fantasy where battles are fought with superb administration abilities and crazy personal super powers.
Overall this was a fun and different type of urban fantasy read. I enjoyed the quirky characters and witty dialogue. I also enjoyed all the strange powers our characters have and the very different anatomies of the Grafters. Myfanwy Thomas is a very unique sort of urban fantasy heroine and I found her to be refreshing and interesting to read about. I look forward to further adventures with Myfanwy and the Checquy. I recommend to those who enjoy mystery and urban fantasy stories.
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LibraryThing member cyafer
Honest to god, I'm both confused that I'm still reading this book and appalled at how highly rated it seems to be everywhere. The praise this book has been getting got me interested in reading it, and within a few chapters I had to wonder if there was some massive conspiracy...
To put it quite
The main character is not even remotely likeable. When she's not being a high school prom queen (regularly calling technical people "nerds"; repeatedly criticizing the dress sense of the former occupant of her body), she's delivering "oh snap" wisecracks. She's just strong enough to take command of a situation when a story needs it, but also nicely "feminine" enough to need to be rescued. She confronts the leader of the enemy forces and her primary concern is the gross goop getting on her clothes. She appears commanding and independent, and in the next scene is naked in front of a stranger for laughs and then subjected to intrusive and demeaning physical exams for more comedy. She's strong-willed enough to be attractive, but not so much that she's truly an independent character. Her sexuality is regularly, and offensively, used as a tool to humiliate her for laughs, and that makes her non-threatening. In short, she's not a character so much as she's a collection of tropes designed to make her the perfect female character for the male audience.
To make matters worse, none of the secondary characters are anything more than one to two word tropes. Ingrid: motherly secretary, Shantay: sassy friend, Alrich: mysterious vampire, etc. None of these characters develop from these descriptions into anything memorable.
Setting aside the issue with characters is the issue with plot: Myfanwy goes from knowing absolutely nothing to be a confident and controlled leader of a powerful government organization? How much time has passed between her waking up and her turning into this bombshell in a suit? We're told it's been several weeks and it's here that we arrive at the crux of the problem with the narrative: we're told too much. We're told everything. We're not left to learn anything. Practically overnight, she turns from this terrified mouse whose every third thought is "DO THEY KNOW MY SECRET?!" to this confident administrator. When her sister appears, we're told, suddenly, that she is lonely and wants friends and family. There's no buildup. There's no sense of this given to the reader through dialogue and emotional description. I had no idea this was coming. We're told that she suddenly wants to be with friends and family, just as we're told that she becomes confident in her new role. These are just two examples of many.
This goes further than just the author hamfistedly handing us important facts about the characters as though we're moving our way down a checklist. The book redefines what it means to infodump. Nearly every chapter is interrupted by what is essentially an encyclopedia entry giving us the history of the character Myfanwy just met or the term she just encountered. When it's not an infodump about a character, it's a letter written by the pre-amnesia Myfanwy telling the current Myfanwy some story that is rarely connected with the plot at hand, and it's usually written in such exacting, narrative detail that violates the nature of the epistolary format that these sections are written in.
Finally, there are just so many parts of the plot that make ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE: you're hunted by the same person who made you lose your memory and just killed a bunch of your friends and you decide to go out clubbing? (and then the author spends four pages talking about how ruined her clothes were and her struggles to get her car back from a hotel garage). In what world would this be even slightly logical?
I'm really not sure why I'm still reading it, to be honest. I'm less than a hundred pages away from the end and I really don't think it'll improve much. I've given the book two stars instead of one because some of the powers are interesting (the Gestalt character comes immediately to mind). I highly doubt I'll give it much more when I'm done.
To put it quite
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simply, the book has an intriguing premise that's destroyed by a hackneyed writing style, a juvenile approach to character, and a narrative that is grossly overshadowed by the writer's apparently high opinion of his own talents. The main character is not even remotely likeable. When she's not being a high school prom queen (regularly calling technical people "nerds"; repeatedly criticizing the dress sense of the former occupant of her body), she's delivering "oh snap" wisecracks. She's just strong enough to take command of a situation when a story needs it, but also nicely "feminine" enough to need to be rescued. She confronts the leader of the enemy forces and her primary concern is the gross goop getting on her clothes. She appears commanding and independent, and in the next scene is naked in front of a stranger for laughs and then subjected to intrusive and demeaning physical exams for more comedy. She's strong-willed enough to be attractive, but not so much that she's truly an independent character. Her sexuality is regularly, and offensively, used as a tool to humiliate her for laughs, and that makes her non-threatening. In short, she's not a character so much as she's a collection of tropes designed to make her the perfect female character for the male audience.
To make matters worse, none of the secondary characters are anything more than one to two word tropes. Ingrid: motherly secretary, Shantay: sassy friend, Alrich: mysterious vampire, etc. None of these characters develop from these descriptions into anything memorable.
Setting aside the issue with characters is the issue with plot: Myfanwy goes from knowing absolutely nothing to be a confident and controlled leader of a powerful government organization? How much time has passed between her waking up and her turning into this bombshell in a suit? We're told it's been several weeks and it's here that we arrive at the crux of the problem with the narrative: we're told too much. We're told everything. We're not left to learn anything. Practically overnight, she turns from this terrified mouse whose every third thought is "DO THEY KNOW MY SECRET?!" to this confident administrator. When her sister appears, we're told, suddenly, that she is lonely and wants friends and family. There's no buildup. There's no sense of this given to the reader through dialogue and emotional description. I had no idea this was coming. We're told that she suddenly wants to be with friends and family, just as we're told that she becomes confident in her new role. These are just two examples of many.
This goes further than just the author hamfistedly handing us important facts about the characters as though we're moving our way down a checklist. The book redefines what it means to infodump. Nearly every chapter is interrupted by what is essentially an encyclopedia entry giving us the history of the character Myfanwy just met or the term she just encountered. When it's not an infodump about a character, it's a letter written by the pre-amnesia Myfanwy telling the current Myfanwy some story that is rarely connected with the plot at hand, and it's usually written in such exacting, narrative detail that violates the nature of the epistolary format that these sections are written in.
Finally, there are just so many parts of the plot that make ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE: you're hunted by the same person who made you lose your memory and just killed a bunch of your friends and you decide to go out clubbing? (and then the author spends four pages talking about how ruined her clothes were and her struggles to get her car back from a hotel garage). In what world would this be even slightly logical?
I'm really not sure why I'm still reading it, to be honest. I'm less than a hundred pages away from the end and I really don't think it'll improve much. I've given the book two stars instead of one because some of the powers are interesting (the Gestalt character comes immediately to mind). I highly doubt I'll give it much more when I'm done.
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LibraryThing member freddlerabbit
So, I have one complaint about The Rook, which is that I started reading it on vacation, and I had such a hard time putting it down that I was really torn between doing things I wanted to do outside of my hotel room and reading just one. . . more chapter. But it was such a thoroughly enjoyable and
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well-written book, I can forgive it. ;) The Rook is clever, and funny - I actually snorted out loud a few times while reading it - and you enjoy the characters.For all the fun and cleverness (i.e., a lot) - and whether he means to or not - I think that he poses interesting questions about our identity and our prior experiences. I think there is a suggestion that perhaps the protagonist's life is better, happier, without the memories she lost - and the corresponding personality - and that is an interesting, sobering thought indeed. Riddled with supernatural events and occurrences, O'Malley does a very Le-Carre-like job of presenting such things as just part of the job, and shows you how it might actually be to have to do all the paperwork surrounding those things. But that clever insight is only the background to a strong mystery that began with a really clever idea. I bought the book mainly because I wanted to see how the author did with his clever idea (which I read about on John Scalzi's blog) - and the answer to that is: fantastic! I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys mystery, certainly, or paranormality - but also to anyone who likes writing with a bit of dry humour and characters you can really engage with. Show Less
LibraryThing member Naberius
As you can see from the above summary (I love that GoodReads does all the heavy lifting so I don't have to write a summary, myself), Myfanwy (pronounced Miffany ... like Tiffany but with an M) wakes up with no recollection of who she is. Luckily, her previous self has left her all kinds of notes,
And Myfanwy? She's a treat of a character -- practical, clever, a bit ruthless once she becomes comfortable with herself, and with a good sense of humor. It's obvious that the Myfanwy we meet at the beginning is not really the same woman she was before. It's almost like she's able to shed the somewhat timid person she was before, and just be a bit more confident --- after all, she doesn't have much to lose. As her previous self explains, she has risen to the top ranks in the organization by being a superior administrator ---- but it turns out that there is much more to Myfanwy than meets the eye. As she discovers things about herself (not just from the notes and letters and large binder of material she's left for herself), she really turns out to be quite extraordinary.
I think the author did a great job with not only the storyline, characters, and pacing .... but he also does an exceptional job of writing a female main character. What I mean is: I never stop believing her for a moment. What I sometimes find in stories, when authors write a main character of the opposite sex, that there is something that gives me pause, or gets me stuck momentarily. It is a fact that men and women use language differently (linguistics), and this is the kind of thing that can happen where I'm reading along and suddenly there's a trip ...... I think to myself, a woman (because I'm female), just wouldn't say that that way. The one example that always stands out in my mind is Robert Hellenga's book, The Sixteen Pleasure, where all was going swimmingly until the main character said something so ... male. This never happened in this story. That's one of the things that really made this a wonderful read for me.
Full review on my blog: FluidityofTime.blogspot.com
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which tell her a bit about herself, and her work. I really loved this idea, that a character is discovering who they are, while we are, based on notes left by themselves. And the world O'Malley has created here is our world, with just that bit of a supernatural twist to make it fun. So there are plenty of things that are recognizable, and then new things thrown in (kind of like the show Supernatural... or Sanctuary). I liked how the author gave us this secret organization, full of its own odd characters (some likeable, some dangerous... some both), and a mystery to figure out. Going through it, I had my suspicions about who might have wanted Myfanwy dead.... and then would frequently change my mind and choose another person. Loved it.And Myfanwy? She's a treat of a character -- practical, clever, a bit ruthless once she becomes comfortable with herself, and with a good sense of humor. It's obvious that the Myfanwy we meet at the beginning is not really the same woman she was before. It's almost like she's able to shed the somewhat timid person she was before, and just be a bit more confident --- after all, she doesn't have much to lose. As her previous self explains, she has risen to the top ranks in the organization by being a superior administrator ---- but it turns out that there is much more to Myfanwy than meets the eye. As she discovers things about herself (not just from the notes and letters and large binder of material she's left for herself), she really turns out to be quite extraordinary.
I think the author did a great job with not only the storyline, characters, and pacing .... but he also does an exceptional job of writing a female main character. What I mean is: I never stop believing her for a moment. What I sometimes find in stories, when authors write a main character of the opposite sex, that there is something that gives me pause, or gets me stuck momentarily. It is a fact that men and women use language differently (linguistics), and this is the kind of thing that can happen where I'm reading along and suddenly there's a trip ...... I think to myself, a woman (because I'm female), just wouldn't say that that way. The one example that always stands out in my mind is Robert Hellenga's book, The Sixteen Pleasure, where all was going swimmingly until the main character said something so ... male. This never happened in this story. That's one of the things that really made this a wonderful read for me.
Full review on my blog: FluidityofTime.blogspot.com
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LibraryThing member patrickgarson
The Rook is an original novel and a very fun read with an interesting device. You can do a lot worse in contemporary fantasy.
Myfanwy "wakes" up, surrounded by unconscious or dead people and no memory of how she got there. In her jacket pocket she finds a letter offering two choices: a pseudonym
This is a novel, not a short story, so she picks the second option. What follows is a fun mystery as Myfanwy discovers her former job, and tries to sniff out who wiped her memory, and how. A lot of the fun is finding this out, so I won't spoil it too much. Suffice to say, you could file this book next to Buffy The Vampire Slayer or any others where a secret cabal of superbeings battle equally secret villains in a modern, unaware world.
The most interesting part of The Rook is the author's device of leavening present-day passages with contextual journal entries, written by Myfanwy's past self to her future self. At first, these bothered me somewhat: the journal pops up with just the right info at just the right time. The reality is that Myfanwy would have read all of it in one go. But as the book went on, I found myself drawn to the prissy, introverted former Myfanwy, desperately struggling to anticipate when she would be neutralised, how, and what she would need to keep on.
More broadly, O'Malley has constructed a fun and original world for these characters. The slightly cheeky, irreverent tone and galloping plot gives the books a very "television" kind of feel, but frankly it made the book fun. The plot isn't dynamite, but everything works well and the individual events are, again, interesting and comical.
I'm looking forward to a sequel, and soon.
Myfanwy "wakes" up, surrounded by unconscious or dead people and no memory of how she got there. In her jacket pocket she finds a letter offering two choices: a pseudonym
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and a peaceful existence, or the much riskier choice of finding out what happened to "her". This is a novel, not a short story, so she picks the second option. What follows is a fun mystery as Myfanwy discovers her former job, and tries to sniff out who wiped her memory, and how. A lot of the fun is finding this out, so I won't spoil it too much. Suffice to say, you could file this book next to Buffy The Vampire Slayer or any others where a secret cabal of superbeings battle equally secret villains in a modern, unaware world.
The most interesting part of The Rook is the author's device of leavening present-day passages with contextual journal entries, written by Myfanwy's past self to her future self. At first, these bothered me somewhat: the journal pops up with just the right info at just the right time. The reality is that Myfanwy would have read all of it in one go. But as the book went on, I found myself drawn to the prissy, introverted former Myfanwy, desperately struggling to anticipate when she would be neutralised, how, and what she would need to keep on.
More broadly, O'Malley has constructed a fun and original world for these characters. The slightly cheeky, irreverent tone and galloping plot gives the books a very "television" kind of feel, but frankly it made the book fun. The plot isn't dynamite, but everything works well and the individual events are, again, interesting and comical.
I'm looking forward to a sequel, and soon.
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LibraryThing member infjsarah
There has been a lot of good talk in LT about this book, so I finally read it. I thoroughly enjoyed it too. A strong central female character and interesting plot. Set in UK and written by an Australian, there were a couple of points where characters say something that a Brit wouldn't say but they
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were minor and didn't distract from the enjoyment. I'll be reading the next book and that's a big recommendation. Show Less
LibraryThing member GennaC
Myfanwy Thomas awakes in the middle of the night, surrounded by bodies, with no memory of what has happened or knowledge of who she is. However, she possesses a letter which introduces Myfanwy to her identity prior to the incident and warns her of the grave danger she is in. So begins her journey
I'm a little in awe of the mind of O'Malley. The overwhelming breadth of this novel, the intricacy of the superbly crafted Chequy Group, and the indelible, witty Myfanwy Thomas. I'll admit to being intimidated by the sheer size of The Rook and to feeling an initial hesitancy over the paragraph after paragraph of details and backstory. And yet, I was completely engrossed by marvelous Myfanwy, her bizarre predicament, and the enchanting British agency she works for. There's an unexpected level of delightfully dry wit in both the characters and the dialogue which leant itself admirably to holding my interest through such a lengthy, intricate tome. O'Malley's debut, The Rook, is ambitious, inventive, and uniquely thrilling.
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into the world of the Chequy, the covert agency dedicated to protecting Britain from supernatural threats, as Myfanwy navigates her new reality with the written guidance of her predecessor and investigates the attempt on her life.I'm a little in awe of the mind of O'Malley. The overwhelming breadth of this novel, the intricacy of the superbly crafted Chequy Group, and the indelible, witty Myfanwy Thomas. I'll admit to being intimidated by the sheer size of The Rook and to feeling an initial hesitancy over the paragraph after paragraph of details and backstory. And yet, I was completely engrossed by marvelous Myfanwy, her bizarre predicament, and the enchanting British agency she works for. There's an unexpected level of delightfully dry wit in both the characters and the dialogue which leant itself admirably to holding my interest through such a lengthy, intricate tome. O'Malley's debut, The Rook, is ambitious, inventive, and uniquely thrilling.
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LibraryThing member crazybatcow
It's sorta a spy-ops type of book, but the spies have superpowers. All sorts of superpowers. To the point where you'll be wondering why you don't find it over-the-top when, really, you should. But you won't. It is written with such a straight-face that you won't even bat an eye at a girl with
The way the amnesia was dealt with was interesting and original and, at the same time, gave the author a chance to flesh out some other parts of the world by exploring events outside THIS rook Thomas' world. You get to see events from the past that aren't, technically, flashbacks.
And while the bulk of the book was spent covering supernatural material, the mystery as to who caused Thomas' memory loss (and how) was also well done and very suspenseful. I can even see the point of Bronwyn's appearance - it throws a bit of a wrench into the mix and I spent a good part of the book waiting for her appearance to "mean something".
Would I have liked the pace to be a bit faster, yes, probably... and I don't know that the last "manifestation" scene added anything to the story other than to make it a bit longer. But this might have been because by this point in the story I wanted to know who Thomas' enemy was...
I really enjoyed the wrap-up and how Thomas grew so much in such a short period. Her character was believable and likable. I will look for other books by this author.
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leaves for hair.The way the amnesia was dealt with was interesting and original and, at the same time, gave the author a chance to flesh out some other parts of the world by exploring events outside THIS rook Thomas' world. You get to see events from the past that aren't, technically, flashbacks.
And while the bulk of the book was spent covering supernatural material, the mystery as to who caused Thomas' memory loss (and how) was also well done and very suspenseful. I can even see the point of Bronwyn's appearance - it throws a bit of a wrench into the mix and I spent a good part of the book waiting for her appearance to "mean something".
Would I have liked the pace to be a bit faster, yes, probably... and I don't know that the last "manifestation" scene added anything to the story other than to make it a bit longer. But this might have been because by this point in the story I wanted to know who Thomas' enemy was...
I really enjoyed the wrap-up and how Thomas grew so much in such a short period. Her character was believable and likable. I will look for other books by this author.
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LibraryThing member GennaC
Myfanwy Thomas awakes in the middle of the night, surrounded by bodies, with no memory of what has happened or knowledge of who she is. However, she possesses a letter which introduces Myfanwy to her identity prior to the incident and warns her of the grave danger she is in. So begins her journey
I'm a little in awe of the mind of O'Malley. The overwhelming breadth of this novel, the intricacy of the superbly crafted Chequy Group, and the indelible, witty Myfanwy Thomas. I'll admit to being intimidated by the sheer size of The Rook and to feeling an initial hesitancy over the paragraph after paragraph of details and backstory. And yet, I was completely engrossed by marvelous Myfanwy, her bizarre predicament, and the enchanting British agency she works for. There's an unexpected level of delightfully dry wit in both the characters and the dialogue which leant itself admirably to holding my interest through such a lengthy, intricate tome. O'Malley's debut, The Rook, is ambitious, inventive, and uniquely thrilling.
Show More
into the world of the Chequy, the covert agency dedicated to protecting Britain from supernatural threats, as Myfanwy navigates her new reality with the written guidance of her predecessor and investigates the attempt on her life.I'm a little in awe of the mind of O'Malley. The overwhelming breadth of this novel, the intricacy of the superbly crafted Chequy Group, and the indelible, witty Myfanwy Thomas. I'll admit to being intimidated by the sheer size of The Rook and to feeling an initial hesitancy over the paragraph after paragraph of details and backstory. And yet, I was completely engrossed by marvelous Myfanwy, her bizarre predicament, and the enchanting British agency she works for. There's an unexpected level of delightfully dry wit in both the characters and the dialogue which leant itself admirably to holding my interest through such a lengthy, intricate tome. O'Malley's debut, The Rook, is ambitious, inventive, and uniquely thrilling.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mlake
Loved this book!! Myfanwy Thomas is a terrific heroine. At the start of the book she finds herself in the rain, with no memory of who she is or what has happened to her. She learns that her former self was meek and scared and not well respected. The new Myfanwy steps into that life and kicks ass.
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Wouldn't you love to just ignore what everyone thought of you yesterday and be the person you are today without worrying? I would and Myfanwy did and I am sad that my time with her is up. I will just have to read this book again soon to remind myself that you are who you are and not what people think of you. Show Less
LibraryThing member brangwinn
This fantasy book was the best fantasy I’ve read since Harry Potter. It’s the kind of book that makes you sad because it ends. It’s the kind of book that keeps you up reading at night. The top secret agency is the type of place I could see Professor McGonagall working, except that once you
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are in the agency, you never leave and she doesn’t have a superpower necessary to work at the Agency. The book is aimed at adults but I can see young adults enjoying this book just as much as an adult. The concept of the Rook (one of the leaders of this British agency that fights the evil supernatural lurking in the world) losing her memory and having the foresight to write everything she knows for the clueless body that used to be her is at the center of this story. O’Malley may be working for the Australian government now writing press releases, but I’m waiting for the sequel to THE ROOK so please keep writing fiction, Mr. O’Malley. I’m not a James Bond fan, but this magical adventure into saving the world from evil is certainly James Bondish—Not that I think The Rook would fall for him. Show Less
LibraryThing member bell7
A woman wakes up in a garden, surrounded by several men in latex gloves, and with no memory of who she is or how she got there. Fortunately, Myfanwy (rhymes with "Tiffany") Thomas left her future self some notes: she is a Rook of the Checquy, a secret society who takes care of supernatural threats
I almost don't want to say anything more about the book, because seeing how everything develops is more than half the fun. I found it hilarious, page-turning fun and loved the inventive premise of a whole new personality just dumped into a woman and trying to figure out how to use her supernatural powers and deal with a life already there while trying not to let anyone know she was different. I also liked the former Myfanwy, and the way her letters and meticulous notes allowed the present Myfanwy and reader to learn more details (contrived, yes, but in a good way). On the one hand, I can't believe I missed this book when it was new, but on the other it was perfect timing to read this now when the sequel comes out in a few months. This may be a fun recommendation for fans of zany mashups like Thursday Next.
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to Britain. The only trouble is that someone in the court is out to kill her. Can she find the traitor in time?I almost don't want to say anything more about the book, because seeing how everything develops is more than half the fun. I found it hilarious, page-turning fun and loved the inventive premise of a whole new personality just dumped into a woman and trying to figure out how to use her supernatural powers and deal with a life already there while trying not to let anyone know she was different. I also liked the former Myfanwy, and the way her letters and meticulous notes allowed the present Myfanwy and reader to learn more details (contrived, yes, but in a good way). On the one hand, I can't believe I missed this book when it was new, but on the other it was perfect timing to read this now when the sequel comes out in a few months. This may be a fun recommendation for fans of zany mashups like Thursday Next.
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LibraryThing member mariannem85
Favorite book of 2012. I was hooked from the first page until the very last. O'Malley created a strong female protagonist who kept me entertained while he carefully revealed bits and pieces of the mystery on each page. It was funny, action-packed, bulging with fascinating characters in an equally
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fascinating world. Putting the book down wasn't even an option. Show Less
LibraryThing member imyril
Supernatural London is getting to be a crowded place, so it's no small endeavour to launch another ship to sail those waters. Thankfully O'Malley has come up with a resourceful heroine, loveable allies, a suitably iconic supernatural agency to keep tabs on all the unmentionables, and a big sense of
I do think it showed itself as a first novel in a few places, along with a few glaring Americanisms that popped me out of the world, so I can only expect to enjoy future instalments more as O'Malley gets more practised.
However, this is nitpicking. By and large, this was a rollicking joyride of daft proportions, with colourful characters and a pleasant absence of paranormal romance (although there were heavy hints that this will almost certainly be in store for Myfanwy in future instalments). It doesn't take itself too seriously, which largely helps the suspension of disbelief (the episode with the prophetic duck was a joy), and it is randomly peppered with what appear to be offhand allusions to other supernatural fictions that it has cheerfully adopted as part of the universe (I spotted Midwich and Narnia; I'm fairly sure I was meant to pick up a couple more). And I loved that it is almost entirely gender-neutral.
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humour. Having grown up in Holland, I may have found the fact the villains were Belgian a smidgeon funnier even than intended.I do think it showed itself as a first novel in a few places, along with a few glaring Americanisms that popped me out of the world, so I can only expect to enjoy future instalments more as O'Malley gets more practised.
However, this is nitpicking. By and large, this was a rollicking joyride of daft proportions, with colourful characters and a pleasant absence of paranormal romance (although there were heavy hints that this will almost certainly be in store for Myfanwy in future instalments). It doesn't take itself too seriously, which largely helps the suspension of disbelief (the episode with the prophetic duck was a joy), and it is randomly peppered with what appear to be offhand allusions to other supernatural fictions that it has cheerfully adopted as part of the universe (I spotted Midwich and Narnia; I'm fairly sure I was meant to pick up a couple more). And I loved that it is almost entirely gender-neutral.
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LibraryThing member sephibitchwitch
Every once in a while you come across a book that just utterly delights you from the beginning to the end. The Rook did this for me. And within its pages, I met a character that quickly became one of my favorites to read about, miss Myfanwy Thomas.
The story begins when she wakes up in a park with
Myfanwy is one of the most unique unwilling heroines I have seen depicted. She is a rich and multi-layered combination of very standard female that loves nice things, looking pretty and a strong helping of plain girl complex coupled with a razor sharp analytical intelligence and the ability to control another person's body.
The new Myfanwy learns the history and knowledge to survive in this world through the letters her former self left her. Each letter begins with "Dear You!" and end with "Love Me" I was utterly charmed with this aspect of the book and it so endeared me to the character and I could see her sitting at her desk transcribing all these letters to her later self. And through all the interchanges, the escapades, the encounters, the learning, Myfanwy never becomes the typical government operative personage. She is constantly surprised, curious, righteously pissed and amazed at the world she has woken up in. It is very easy to put yourself in her place and seeing her react just the way you think you would.
This was a book that I listened to on audiobook. My long commute makes this a nice way to wile away the time from point A to point B. Plus, there is the added amusement of watching the neighboring cars give you strange looks as you burst out laughing insanely at some titillating passage, and there was an abundance of those in this book. The reader, Susan Duerden, did a superb job of the reading, creating unique voices for each character and making you feel like you were right in the room where it was all happening.
I give this book 5 Stars only because that seems to be the most you can give. My only grievance is that it seems Mr. O'Malley hasn't finished the sequel! Put it on your to read list, move it up to the next on the list. You won't be sorry!
The story begins when she wakes up in a park with
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two black eyes and surrounded by dead people wearing gloves (really grabbed my dark little heart with that one!) and no memory of who she is or how she got to where she is at. She begins to learn of herself through a series of letters written by her former self before the incident in the park which took her memory away. She is Rook Myfanwy Thomas, operative in the Checquy, a basically black ops organization fighting or enlisting supernatural creatures and phenomenon for the British government.Myfanwy is one of the most unique unwilling heroines I have seen depicted. She is a rich and multi-layered combination of very standard female that loves nice things, looking pretty and a strong helping of plain girl complex coupled with a razor sharp analytical intelligence and the ability to control another person's body.
The new Myfanwy learns the history and knowledge to survive in this world through the letters her former self left her. Each letter begins with "Dear You!" and end with "Love Me" I was utterly charmed with this aspect of the book and it so endeared me to the character and I could see her sitting at her desk transcribing all these letters to her later self. And through all the interchanges, the escapades, the encounters, the learning, Myfanwy never becomes the typical government operative personage. She is constantly surprised, curious, righteously pissed and amazed at the world she has woken up in. It is very easy to put yourself in her place and seeing her react just the way you think you would.
This was a book that I listened to on audiobook. My long commute makes this a nice way to wile away the time from point A to point B. Plus, there is the added amusement of watching the neighboring cars give you strange looks as you burst out laughing insanely at some titillating passage, and there was an abundance of those in this book. The reader, Susan Duerden, did a superb job of the reading, creating unique voices for each character and making you feel like you were right in the room where it was all happening.
I give this book 5 Stars only because that seems to be the most you can give. My only grievance is that it seems Mr. O'Malley hasn't finished the sequel! Put it on your to read list, move it up to the next on the list. You won't be sorry!
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LibraryThing member Codonnelly
You know you’re in for a wild ride when a book begins with: “Dear You, The body you are wearing used to be mine.” Daniel O’Malley’s debut novel, The Rook, follows Myfanwy (pronounced “Miffany”) Thomas, a young British woman with supernatural powers who is an operative in a secret
If the synopsis reels you in, O’Malley delivers from page one. His imagination abounds, particularly in the sheer amount of in-depth information he provides the reader. All of his characters possess intricate background stories, especially Myfanwy and her co-workers. Many of the people Myfanwy interacts with have their own unique powers. Her partner, Gestalt, is one consciousness shared across four bodies, three male and one female. Myfanwy also has a vampire as a co-worker, and a woman who can interfere in the dreams of anyone she chooses. Since Myfanwy’s investigation revolves around uncovering her attempted murderer, she is hyper-aware in all of her interactions, even those with whom she presumes she can trust, like her non-powered assistant. This lends beautifully to both character development and plot.
While O’Malley chooses to compose the majority of the novel in third-person limited, Myfanwy’s letters, written in second person perspective, provide much of the information her new self needs to function in such a strange world. Myfanwy’s letters are so outrageously business-like, especially in light of her unusual career, as well as what she has been going through, that it adds to the absurdity of the situation. Enhanced by O’Malley’s character choices, the entire tone of the novel is extremely enjoyable. He could have easily created a character frightened by her situation and hesitant of change, but Myfanwy is much more nuanced than that. The past Myfanwy is highly efficient and adept at her job, but aloof and impersonal. The new Myfanwy is confident and intelligent with a killer sense of humor. She may do her job differently, but that doesn’t make her any less accomplished. Observing two sides of the same person is both impressive and refreshing.
Daniel O’Malley’s The Rook is a unique reading experience that will hook you immediately. If you’re looking for a hefty novel (it clocks in at almost 500 pages) with an intricate world, complex characters, and pithy quotes that will make you literally laugh out loud, I highly recommend you pick it up right away. In fact, I suspect this may be my favorite fantasy novel of the year.
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government organization called the Checquy. At the start of the novel, Myfanwy wakes up surrounded by dead bodies and with absolutely no knowledge of who she is. As she discovers through letters written to her by her former self, she was the target of an attempted murder, and she must now continue the investigation that led her to this predicament in the first place.If the synopsis reels you in, O’Malley delivers from page one. His imagination abounds, particularly in the sheer amount of in-depth information he provides the reader. All of his characters possess intricate background stories, especially Myfanwy and her co-workers. Many of the people Myfanwy interacts with have their own unique powers. Her partner, Gestalt, is one consciousness shared across four bodies, three male and one female. Myfanwy also has a vampire as a co-worker, and a woman who can interfere in the dreams of anyone she chooses. Since Myfanwy’s investigation revolves around uncovering her attempted murderer, she is hyper-aware in all of her interactions, even those with whom she presumes she can trust, like her non-powered assistant. This lends beautifully to both character development and plot.
While O’Malley chooses to compose the majority of the novel in third-person limited, Myfanwy’s letters, written in second person perspective, provide much of the information her new self needs to function in such a strange world. Myfanwy’s letters are so outrageously business-like, especially in light of her unusual career, as well as what she has been going through, that it adds to the absurdity of the situation. Enhanced by O’Malley’s character choices, the entire tone of the novel is extremely enjoyable. He could have easily created a character frightened by her situation and hesitant of change, but Myfanwy is much more nuanced than that. The past Myfanwy is highly efficient and adept at her job, but aloof and impersonal. The new Myfanwy is confident and intelligent with a killer sense of humor. She may do her job differently, but that doesn’t make her any less accomplished. Observing two sides of the same person is both impressive and refreshing.
Daniel O’Malley’s The Rook is a unique reading experience that will hook you immediately. If you’re looking for a hefty novel (it clocks in at almost 500 pages) with an intricate world, complex characters, and pithy quotes that will make you literally laugh out loud, I highly recommend you pick it up right away. In fact, I suspect this may be my favorite fantasy novel of the year.
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LibraryThing member jasesq
There are a few well-worn gimmicks I am a sucker for:
1. Great first lines,
2. Amnesia stories,
3. "The killer is inside the building" mysteries.
The Rook should, therefore, have been a knock-it-out-of-the-park winner with me. Sadly, no. For some reason, the book just didn't hang together. Part of it
It's too bad - this is an ambitious type of story with a great premise and a fantastic first chapter.
1. Great first lines,
2. Amnesia stories,
3. "The killer is inside the building" mysteries.
The Rook should, therefore, have been a knock-it-out-of-the-park winner with me. Sadly, no. For some reason, the book just didn't hang together. Part of it
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was the way the tone veered about from blase sarcasm to horror to humor. When tonal shifts like those are handled well (See: Whedon, Joss), the results can be fantastic. But in O'Malley's hands it just makes the characters seem unfocused and cardboard. They do what the author wants them to do, without being motivated by anything real or organic. It's too bad - this is an ambitious type of story with a great premise and a fantastic first chapter.
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Awards
Aurealis Award (Winner — 2012)
RUSA CODES Reading List (Winner — Fantasy — 2013)
Green Mountain Book Award (Nominee — 2016)
Ned Kelly Award (Longlist — 2012)
Language
Original publication date
2012-01-11