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Mur Lafferty

The Shambling Guide to New York City (The Shambling Guides, 1) Paperback – May 28, 2013

by Mur Lafferty (Author)

235 ratings

Book 1 of 2: The Shambling Guides

A travel writer takes a job with a shady publishing company in New York, only to find that she must write a guide to the city -- for the undead!

Because of the disaster that was her last job, Zoe is searching for a fresh start as a travel book editor in the tourist-centric New York City. After stumbling across a seemingly perfect position though, Zoe is blocked at every turn because of the one thing she can't take off her resume -- human.

Not to be put off by anything -- especially not her blood drinking boss or death goddess coworker -- Zoe delves deep into the monster world. But her job turns deadly when the careful balance between human and monsters starts to crumble -- with Zoe right in the middle.

Print length

368 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Orbit
Publication date

May 28, 2013
Dimensions

5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

9780316221177
ISBN-13

978-0316221177
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Most new hires try to negotiate a higher salary. When Zoe takes a job editing a new travel-book series for Underground Publications, she needs to decide whether to get paid in hell notes, blood tokens, occult favors, or regular dollars. In Lafferty’s entirely believable world, New York City is secretly inhabited by vampires, zombies, fay folk, and assorted monsters. Public Works not only takes care of streets and sanitation, they are also responsible for keeping the balance between humans and “coterie”—the preferred term for nonhumans. Zoe’s pretty tough, and she thinks she can handle her assignment of creating a coterie guidebook to the city. But she’s ill-prepared for what awaits her in the underworld and soon finds herself succumbing to the erotic advances of an incubus coworker, tracking down raging zombies, and ultimately getting involved in an epic battle for the (literal) soul of the city. This is a funny, thoughtfully conceived, and thoroughly entertaining romp that will be a sure bet for urban-fantasy readers—and might even surprise people who don’t think they’d enjoy a paranormal novel. --Rebecca Vnuk

Review

"If Buffy grew up, got therapy and found a real job, it would look like this."

―Scott Sigler

"Mur Lafferty's debut novel is a must-read book for those who like their urban fantasy fast, furious, and funny. Terrific stuff!"

―Kat Richardson

"This is a great start to what promises to be one of the gems of the comic urban fantasy crown. The Shambling Guide sets the wonderful world of the supernatural--and the slightly more esoteric world of travel guide publishing--on its ear, and the result is nothing short of delightful."―New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire

"An engagingly funny, and fun, romp through NYC. You'll love Zoe... to bits."

―New York Times bestselling Tobias S. Buckell

"Shows exactly why so many writers have been buzzing about Mur Lafferty for so many years: an unbeatable mixture of humor, heart, imagination, and characterization. I want to live in Mur's New York."

―Cory Doctorow

"Without Mur Lafferty, the SF genre would be a much duller place. Mur is constantly inventive, always great fun and deserves every success."

―Paul Cornell

"A wild ride through the secret side of New York City, Mur Lafferty's mighty debut is urban fantasy the way it should be: fast, funny, with bags of action and characters you'll love. A total delight from cover to cover."

―Adam Christopher

"The Shambling Guide to New York City is a monstrously fun romp by one of our most engaging new authors."

―Tim Pratt

"Zombies and vampires and golems, oh my! The Shambling Guide to New York City rounds up the biggest cast of the undead and never-quite-alive ever to appear in a single novel, along with a wisecracking heroine whose picture belongs over the dictionary entry for spunky. This is a comic tour-de-force by a writer who lives and breathes popular culture. Mur Lafferty is throwing a monster party and you're invited."
―James Patrick Kelly, Hugo and Nebula Award Winner

"Mur Lafferty is a bright, shining light in speculative fiction. She brings a warm, humourous and startling fresh voice to the genre in The Shambling Guide to New York City."
―Kaaron Warren

ASIN : 0316221171
Publisher : Orbit (May 28, 2013)
Language : English
Paperback : 368 pages
ISBN-10 : 9780316221177
ISBN-13 : 978-0316221177
Item Weight : 11.2 ounces
Dimensions : 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,360,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #19,948 in Fantasy Romance (Books)
- #21,257 in Romantic Fantasy (Books)
- #38,375 in Paranormal & Urban Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
235 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

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Annie L

Like "Supernatural" meets "The Office"

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2017

Verified Purchase

This book was a ton of fun! Imagine being a human working alongside an incubus, a water sprite, vampires, and zombies - and having to handle personnel disputes and organize them to create a travel guide for monsters (or coterie, as they prefer to be called). From missing lunches from the fridge (brains for the zombies) to an incubus who turns on the charm in the workplace, there are a lot of unusual office politics to deal with, but also an intense metaplot that puts the whole city, humans and coterie, in danger. Check out this book if you like lighter urban fantasy and a female protagonist with smarts and sharp wit.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Art teach

... focuses on the introduction of a mere mortal with excellent writing and organization skills into the underworld of vampires

Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

The story focuses on the introduction of a mere mortal with excellent writing and organization skills into the underworld of vampires, succubi, incubi, a death goddess and other denizens. Just don't call them monsters.
I was introduced to the work of Mur Lafferty with "Playing for Keeps" and was very pleased with her original approach. She's a writer to follow and I wanted to read this previous book of Lafferty's. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I simply wanted more of the contents of the guidebook her main character, Zoe Norris, was editing- "The Shambling Guide to New York." Those excerpts are worth the cost of the book alone. Light, funny, now this is urban fantasy!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Gary Henderson

I Really Enjoyed It

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2014

Verified Purchase

I think this is probably the best thing I've read from Mur Lafferty, and I'm a fan of her work, anyway. Who knew that a book about a book editor putting together a travel guide for New York City could be interesting?

Well, I mean...it's a travel guide for, you know, monsters. Except they don't like that term. It's kind of insulting. They prefer 'coterie.' And they are anything from dragons to fae to vampires to demons, and everything in between.

Where do dragons sleep when they visit New York City? Where should zombies eat? And what about visiting incubi and succubi? All these are answered in the book.

But, of course, the book wasn't just 'Zoë sits at her desk compiling a book about New York City,' because that actually would be pretty boring. She works with a couple of vampires, an incubus, a succubus, a death goddess, a water sprite, three zombies, a dragon, and a construct (think Frankenstein's monster). And there are no sexual harassment laws or health insurance. Still, it's a good enough job.

But then there's a zombie uprising because someone is poisoning their food supply, and the Public Works Department (the coterie police force) are suddenly having to battle all kinds of problems. Something big is about to go down in New York City. And to top it off, it looks like someone (other than / in addition to several of her coworkers) is out to get Zoë.

Being a book editor is dangerous business when you're food to a good number of your coworkers.

Highly recommended. As much as I hate to use this phrase, "It's a fast-paced tour-de-force that will have you on the edge of your seat." :)

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Michelle Knowlton

Lighthearted fun with bite

Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2013

Verified Purchase

Why I read this book:
I've been a fan of Mur Lafferty's writing podcast 'I Should Be Writing' for the last few years. She has a very candid way of approaching the struggles of the wanna-be writer, many of which she has encountered herself. While I've tried to listen to some of Lafferty's other podcast novels, this is the first one that I've actually finished. This is Lafferty's first big publishing contract novel, and it even earned her the Campbell aware – yay Mur!

My one sentence summary:
Navigating the ins and outs of cottery living in New York city is the least of Zoe's problems when her ex and his wife come to town and all hell breaks loose.

Kudos:
Lafferty's set up an interesting concept of an unseen monster society co-existing with our own. She's populated her city with some fascinating ghouls beyond the standard zombies and vampires. The incubi are seductive. The death goddess is terrifying. The water sprite playful. I love the mythology Lafferty has created. Her action scenes are definitely her strong suite. Zoe's a fiesty, if not reluctant, heroine who isn't afraid to get in the middle of a fight. Extra credit for Lafferty's seduction scenes with the incubus who works with Zoe. Any doubts I had that Lafferty's writing was YA in a grown-up wrapper disappeared when she started down a more erotic avenue.

Quibbles:
While I am a fan of Lafferty's writing podcast, I've had a hard time getting into her narrative voice. There's something about it that just strikes me as aimed at a younger crowd. Zoe spends a lot of time in wonderment at the world she is discovering. I wish I felt more scared for Zoe, but there is little doubt that she'll preserver no matter what obstacles she encounters. It also takes a while to get to the major conflict in the story. The central conflict stemming from Zoe's past relationship with a married man is less than satisfying. In the end, it's hard to pinpoint how Zoe grew as a person or overcome anything more than external conflicts.

Final verdict:
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed not only the story but Lafferty's reading of it. While it meanders and at times I wonder if there is real danger, the last third of the book kicks into high gear and races towards the grand finale. This book is on the lighthearted side, but a fun listen (if you can catch the audioversion while it's up). I also bought the ebook to support the author. This isn't a super-serious or horrific urban fantasy, but the Shambling Guide has charm and snark. I'm looking forward to seeing what Lafferty does with the next book, Ghost Train to New Orleans.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Rocky start; gets better. Still room for improvement.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 21, 2020

Verified Purchase

N. B. I would have given 3-1/2, possibly even 3-2/3rds stars if Amazon had a better ratings system; a recommendation, if not an unqualified one.

I actually bought this book three years ago and started it then but only just recently got around to picking it up again and finishing. This was due to a) limited free time and moving house in the interim but also b) the first four chapters being quite a chore to get through, enough to put me off initially. I went back to it as I realised that the cover art is by Jamie McKelvie, whose work I always have time for, and admittedly a slight dearth of other reading material; overall I don't regret reading to the end (finally) but the book is certainly not without its flaws.

I found the main character to be really rather irritating: she seems to repeat herself a lot, has great apparent difficulty passing the Bechdel Test at any point and her decision-making in the early part of the book seems pretty irrational. These issues were what made me give up on the book originally. Fortunately they lessened as the story went on, possibly because more characters were introduced and so some of the focus was taken off the main character. I also appreciated the excerpts from the eponymous guide at the beginning of each chapter, which acted as quite a neat literary device for delivering supplementary information and plot teasers. As it goes on, though, it becomes evident that the plot relies heavily on coincidences which can harm suspension of disbelief at times.

Overall I would be interested to give the second book a try at some point on the assumption that things get better with practice, but it probably won't be my highest priority. On an unrelated note, and looking back from 2020 with the benefit of hindsight, it seems strange that this series only ever merited two entries when other similar ones (including some frankly much worse than this) seem to go on and on.

Amazon Customer

Urban Fantasy heroine who isn't sleeping with Vampire or Werewolf.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 24, 2013

Verified Purchase

Actually the 'monsters' have a nice healthy attitude of eating humans rather than sleeping with them (except of course incubi and succubi, where one is the same as the other). Our job hunting heroine is introduced to the other side of New York, when she persists in applying for a job, despite encountering 'not our sort' prejudice.
She gradually learns about the monster's, and businesses that cater to them. discovers New York sewer workers and Cabbies live a more interesting life than you'd expect. That not all Monster Hunters are teenaged cheerleaders and that she'd encountered the alternate life styled before (and really seriously pissed one of them off).
Ever encountered delays at an airport? It could have been a lot worse.

Not a great book, but well written and would appeal to a wide range of readers.

4 people found this helpful

Colin Murtagh

Light Urban Fantasy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 6, 2013

Verified Purchase

After going through the Richard Kadrey Sandman Slim books, this was something of a palate cleanser. As with Kadrey, Butcher, Armstrong et al, the basic idea is the same, they are amongst us. Werewolves and vampires and fairies etc, however unlike the rest, this is a lot lighter, with a lot more humour. Zoe is looking for a new job, and ends up employed to write a "Rough Guide" to New York, but for the supernaturals. From there the story takes on at a galloping pace. Maybe not as dark as I'm used to, or quite as layered, but it's a good fun read. Assuming this is the first on what will be a series, I look forward to the rest

One person found this helpful

IgnatZ

Very enjoyable indeed.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2016

Verified Purchase

Fast paced and mixing together fantasy, comedy and horror the book was a real roller coaster ride. The characters are good and she is certainly not scared to go big with the plot. I like that 😀

It is reminiscent of the books by Ben Aaronovitch which are (mostly) based in London. The authors should talk! It could possibly be a great team-up.

The Hetman

Fun witty and light

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2013

Verified Purchase

This book is a fast-paced ride through New York populated by all the usual monsters ... sorry "coterie" that are often found in urban fantasy. We follow Zoe as she learns about these creatures while working at her new job as editor of a Rough Guide style travel book aimed squarely at visiting coterie. Quirky humour abounds and things never get too bleak or dark. The tone and pace reminds me very much of Gail Carriger and I think her readers would love this book as well. It's a fast read that had me chuckling through out. The next in the series is on it's way and I'm looking forward to it.

One person found this helpful

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