Bone Song (Hardcover)

by John Meaney (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This mélange of mystery, dark fantasy and over-the-top gothic horror marks a dramatic departure from Meaney's existential SF epic, the Nulapeiron Sequence. In Tristopolis, where corpses are incinerated by the thousands to produce the necroflux that sustains the city and its undead inhabitants, police lieutenant Donal Riordan learns that a disturbingly well-organized cult is killing the world's most talented artists. Tasked with keeping a visiting opera diva safe, the intrepid cop soon finds himself caught up in a sweeping necromantic conspiracy that could involve the very highest ranks of government. Meaney makes extensive use of dark colors and gothic imagery (a golden clock, formed of interlocking metal bones; the bat-winged ambulance), and Tristopolis is at times more fascinating than its inhabitants or the relatively conventional hard-boiled story line. With many plot threads left untied or simply ignored, readers will have to wait until future installments to pass judgment on this ambitious saga. (Feb.)
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From Booklist
Meaney’s latest novel straddles the line between gothic fantasy and detective fiction in creating an alternate world in which humans coexist with mythical creatures and a cultlike underworld that feeds, literally, on death. Police lieutenant Donal Riordan faces perhaps the most challenging assignment of his career when he’s asked to provide protective services to, of all people, an opera diva visiting his native city of Tristopolis. A handful of celebrity artistes have already been dispatched under mysterious circumstances, and Riordan quickly realizes that the murders are only the gruesome preliminary clues to a much larger conspiracy involving Tristopolis’ death-obsessed ruling elite. Before he can track down the lead conspirators, however, he becomes involved in an unlikely alliance—and steamy romance—with an undead military commander who is already deeply engaged with the enemy in a chesslike battle in which Riordan is merely a pawn. Readers who enjoy this sort of fanciful, macabre romp can look forward to its sequel, Black Blood, slated for publication later this year. --Carl Hays

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (February 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553385143
• ISBN-13: 978-0553385144
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #255,006 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Addams Familyesque World, March 6, 2008

By	JFBeilman "Bibliophile" (Wichita, KS United States) - See all my reviews

I just finished reading this book today and it is so good that I had to write this review. The first thing I liked about this novel is the worldbuilding, which reminds me of the Addams Family. There's a similar gothic creepiness and dark humor. Imagine if the whole world were like the Addams Family! This parallel Earth, has perpetually dark skies, multiple sentient species in addition to humans, and "necroflux," which is a form of energy produced by the "dead."
In the story, cop Donal, uncovers a sinister conspiracy which among other things, murders artistic people for their vivid "bone dreams." They also want to deprive non-human sentients of their civil rites, which is reminescent of the X-men series. There are multiple twists and turns, including a major one for Donal. I can hardly wait for the sequal were Donal adjusts to his new "status."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Do You Feel the Bones...?, October 10, 2008

By	Toni V. Sweeney "writer" (Mission Viejo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

One of the first things I noticed about this story is that there is little or no physical description of the hero, Donal Riordan, but he's an engaging character, sight unseen, a detective in the The city of Tristopolis, a thriving future gotham which derives its power from the bones of the dead, and contains a vast array of interesting--albeit sinister--characters with its living elevators, gargoyles, assorted wraiths, Bone Listeners (who divine evidence from victims' bones) and other monsters of the dark. Assigned to protect a diva from a murderer who has already killed four other renowned artists, Donal fails, although he manages to dispatch the killer before he himself is seriously injured. The mysterious group to which the murderer belongs is still at large, however, and as soon as the detective has recovered from his wounds, he finds himself in an alliance with an odd assortment of characters--a beautiful "zombie" who has an uncanny tie to stray cats, and her disembodied associate--in order to solve the case. In the midst of his pursuit of the deadly Circle, Donal unexpectedly finds love and learns that death isn't always the End. Bone Song is an exciting read. Though the ending is a bit of a bummer for Donal, there apparently is a sequel on the way so it can't be all bad!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark and wonderful, May 27, 2008

By	M. Rian "lysrian" (AA2) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Bone Song is interesting and different, it's also intriguing and chilling. The world is built with such a dark and dramatic flavor that it sucks you in and does not let you go...easily. If a book had a visual flavor I would compare it to Brazil, Gattica, and several other industrial/goth movies. The concept of bones as a power source is interesting, it also raises several moral issues that the author does not address directly. The moral issues are outside the story line, but you think about them as the characters think about them. The core story is about protecting a talented Opera Diva and the people behind the murders of several other artists. The chase is as interesting as the reason behind the murders. I also enjoyed several of the sub characters, you can see the author going further with this world and the sub characters. I can also see the author leaving the novel as a single volume, leaving the audience wanting more...