Customer Reviews

The Rook: A Novel

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I picked this book up on a whim while at the bookstore. Just seemed really interesting. Once I started reading I didn't want to put it down. There is just enough humor to keep it from feeling overly stuffy and just enough intrigue to keep it from being overly fluffy. The idea of a secret spy agency that is designed to monitor the world's supernatural goings-on is not a new one, but the author takes it and makes it his own. There are definite parts of the book/plot that remind me of xmen, buffy the vampire slayer, xfiles, harry potter - but at the same time not in a bad way. The book melds all those together very well. It's a good read from start to finish. I look forward to reading more from this author!

When I think of The Rook the first word that comes to mind is 'fun.' Great fun actually. But to simply say that The Rook is 'fun' would be facile on my part. The Rook is a terrific read for a lot of reasons.

Foremost The Rook is very well written. The mystery of why Myfanwy Thomas is without her memory and who did what to whom is hard to crack. As soon as I'd thought I'd figured it out, the story proved me wrong. Not because of authorial plot shenanigans, but because the unraveling of the mystery was very well handled. I really enjoyed how this is done with new Myfanwy being aided by information left behind by old Myfanwy. Myfanwy is a wonderful character. She's trying to figure out how to do her job as Rook and racing against time to find who in the Chequy harmed her and why. The Rook is not a short read (nearly 500 pages), but I barely noticed the length.

The Chequy is itself amazing. It's a fantastical governmental agency. Think FBI/CIA rolled into one that handles supernatural threats. Yes, other supernatural agencies exist in literature, but none quite like the Chequy. How the Chequy functions is explained well, but never bogs down the story. I really enjoyed seeing how the Chequy works, how threats are handled, and meeting the people with whom Myfanwy works, despite that fact that one of them wants her erased. Mr. O'Malley's scrupulous attention to detail creates a believable, if somewhat unusual, governmental agency.

The upper echelon of the Chequy are fascinating characters themselves. Because Myfanwy is trying to figure out which of them might be after her, we get to know each of them well. I certainly enjoyed learning about them and their powers... and trying to figure out who did it and why.

Mr. O'Malley has infused The Rook with wry humor, unusual supernatural beings, and a deeply absorbing mystery. The Rook made me laugh out loud, entertained me, and kept me fascinated from start to finish.

I give The Rook 5 Qwills.

Posted at The Qwillery.

Myfanwy Thomas opens her eyes to see a ring of bodies surrounding her and finds a letter in her pocket explaining what must be done next. She has no memory of who she is, what she does, or how she ended up in this place. The letter leads her to a safe place where she is given a choice, adopt the life she seems to have taken over, or run. Though her choice might be clear, extenuating circumstances force her to become Rook Thomas. As she reads the old Thomas's notes, explaining the organization she works for (The Checquy), what a Rook does, and all manner of strange things, the new Myfanwy takes to her life and position in a way that the old Thomas never seemed comfortable with.

This is another one of those amazingly fun books that's hard to pin down but is an absolute must read. The narrative is funny, at times laugh out loud so, and the story is quirky. The structure is interesting as well. The character has no knowledge of these things, and so the story unfolds as two tales, that of the new Myfanwy and that of the old. The new Myfanwy is our narrator and the old tells her tale through letters and notes written for her "replacement."

If you're actually reading a review of a book then I imagine you've been in this situation before. You turn the last page (swipe the last location, whatever) of a fantastic book and then it hits you.

It's over.

That book that so completely swallowed you whole has ended and there's no more. No more exciting revelations. No more interesting characters. No more wondering what's on the next page because there is no next page.

And then the anger sets in. Anger because you know, no matter what, the next book you read can't possibly be this good. You'll likely pick up something tepid or boring or uninteresting, at least by comparison to what you just finished. And you're angry because all books should be this fun but they aren't, they just aren't.

The Rook is one of those books. So if the brief description available on the page or other reviews hasn't swayed you, then at least you can be warned that reading this may ruin other book reading for a while.

At least until the sequel comes out.

I love this book. The story is imaginative, the writing is tight, and laugh out loud funny. Each character is well developed, and I found myself rooting for both versions of the heroine. Honestly one of the best books I've read in years. Please buy it, we need this guy to be able to afford to keep writing.

The Rook is surprising and original; detailed and well thought through. It's clever, but does not take itself too seriously.

'The Rook' creates a world with its own mythology. It also draws on some well established traditions of mythologies, and does it so well and in a way that just helps to blend the real with the fictional. This is a book that cleverly brings you into a world that could be real, just populated with things you don't see every day (but might, if the agency described in the novel did not exist!).

As well being filled with places, events and a history that feel real, The Rook is also populated with well-drawn people who do totally human things. Villains who have human failings (despite their other attributes), and the good guys who care about and do things for each other. This gives the novel heroes who have heart as well as courage.

This book seemed intriguingly brand new and comfortingly familiar all at once- I couldn't put it down! Can't wait for the next offering from Mr. O'Malley. Such a refreshing change to see such a dimensional female protagonist whose character is fully fleshed and does not rely on her figure. Bravo!

I'm an avid mystery/thriller type of gal, but I saw this book in a bookstore and it looked intriguing. After I read the reviews on Amazon, I bought it.

Boy, am I glad I did! I won't repeat other reviewers' fine plot descriptions other than to say it is funny -- very, very funny -- and clever too. And exceedingly well-written by someone who obviously enjoys language. In fact, I get a mental image of the author pounding away at his typewriter and laughing madly as his characters duck in and out of the wildest situations you could never imagine. I sank into the Rook's world only to reluctantly depart for say, work or sleep. And over the days I read it, I found that my thinking was infused with the author's marvelous and off kilter humor.

This book is a treat. And don't miss the author's dedication page, wherein he gives a lovely kudo to his mother.

Fans of the the first "Men In Black" movie will absolutely love this book.
It admittedly took me 20-30 pages to get into it, but after that I couldn't put it down, and I probably didn't go 2 consecutive pages without cracking up, if not bursting out laughing.
A plot that's as ingenious as it is ridiculous, filled with sardonic and sarcastic black humor, this is one of the most entertaining reads I've enjoyed in a long time, and I'm already looking forward to a sequel.

The first time I read the description I was mildly interested but thought it sounded kind of half baked. But the next day I desperately needed something to read so I went for it. I'm glad I did. This book is utterly rediculous at times. It's very much a science fiction -fantasy head on collision with a massive chunk of humor dropped in. The language used in the book is elegant without being pompous, and had me using the dictionary function a couple of times. The author wasn't afraid of throwing in some swearing when warranted, which makes it realistic rather than offensive in my opinion.

A couple of reviews made it sound like a terrible book. This Isnt really a book that absolutely everyone to enjoy. I'm sure some people with find it just stupid. I have literally laughed out loud several times while reading it. If you have any interest. Scifi and enjoy books that don't take themselves too seriously, you will probably enjoy this book.