Once the toast of good society in Victoria's England, the extraordinary conjurer Edward Moon no longer commands the respect that he did in earlier times. Still, each night he returns to the stage of his theater to amaze his devoted, albeit dwindling, audience, aided by his partner, the Somnambulist—a silent, hairless, hulking giant who, when stabbed, does not bleed. But these are strange, strange times in England, with the oddest of sorts prowling London's dank underbelly. And the very bizarre death of a disreputable actor has compelled a baffled police constabulary to turn once again to Edward Moon for help—inevitably setting in motion events that will shatter his increasingly tenuous grasp on reality. From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. Set in Victorian London, this superb debut from British author Barnes raises the bar for historical thrillers, starting with its curious opening line: Be warned. This book has no literary merit whatsoever. A page-turner, it's full of peculiar characters, notably Edward Moon, a highly unorthodox detective, and Moon's bizarre sidekick, known only as the Somnambulist. Moon, a conjuror by profession whose act has fallen on hard times, has cracked some of the city's most notorious murders. Now, he's leading the investigation into a shadowy religious group aiming to overtake London and do away with its oppressive, bourgeois tendencies. Moon is a remarkable invention, a master of logic and harborer of all sorts of unnatural habits and mannerisms. The Somnambulist—a giant, milk-swigging mute—doesn't appear to be human at all, yet serves as Moon's moral as well as intellectual compass. Together, they wend their way through a London rich in period detail. Barnes saves his best surprise for the story's homestretch, when he reveals the identity of his narrator, who's been cleverly pulling strings since the opening. (Feb.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review"A cheeky tale...salvaged from the sensationalist novels of the past three centuries....it doesn't take an English-lit wonk to appreciate the antic mind that would name two of the grotesquely deformed prostitutes in Mrs. Puggsley's brothel after virginal victims of Count Dracula." (New York Times )"A cheeky tale...salvaged from the sensationalist novels of the past three centuries....it doesn’t take an English-lit wonk to appreciate the antic mind that would name two of the grotesquely deformed prostitutes in Mrs. Puggsley’s brothel after virginal victims of Count Dracula." -- New York Times"A comic extravaganza, deftly plotted, fiendishly clever, and wonderfully funny. . . . One of the classiest entertainments I've read." (Christopher Bram, author of Exiles in America )"A comic extravaganza, deftly plotted, fiendishly clever, and wonderfully funny. . . . One of the classiest entertainments I’ve read." -- Christopher Bram, author of Exiles in America"A first novel that shows all the polish and poise of a master storyteller..By turns disquieting, funny, and taunting." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch )"Anyone who loves a good, kind of creepy thriller most likely will find something to love in [these] pages.. Thoroughly enjoyable." (Kansas City Star )"Macabre wit and stylistic panache. Parliament should immediately pass a law requiring Barnes to write a sequel." (James Morrow, author of The Last Witchfinder and The Philosopher's Apprentice )"Magical, dark, beautifully odd-and utterly compelling-this is an astonishing debut." (Michael Marshall, author of The Intruders )"Old school entertainment in the penny-dreadful tradition that almost succeeds in being as sublime as it is ridiculous." (Entertainment Weekly )"Sneaky, cheeky, and dark in the best possible way, Jonathan Barnes' massively entertaining THE SOMNAMBULIST manages to make the familiar daringly unfamiliar. I enjoyed the heck out of this novel." (Jeff Vandermeer )"Strange, outrageous, and wonderful . There is much that is strange, magical, and darkly hilarious about this book . An original and monumentally inventive piece of work by a writer still in his 20s. Barnes seems to leave himself room for a sequel-a consummation devoutly to be wished." (Washington Post )"The Somnambulist is not your great-grandfather's mystery yarn." (Richmond Times-Dispatch )"This superb debut from British author Barnes raises the bar for historical thrillers." (Publishers Weekly )"This superb debut from British author Barnes raises the bar for historical thrillers." -- Publishers Weekly"[B]rilliant...Barnes crafts one of the finest first novels of the young century...Truly surprising plot twists and red herrings abound." (Austin Chronicle )"[B]rilliant...Barnes crafts one of the finest first novels of the young century...Truly surprising plot twists and red herrings abound." -- Austin Chronicle Views: 6
The hitherto unpublished Dirk Bogarde - the best of his marvellous letters Views: 5
From the incomparable Anne Tyler, a rich and compelling novel, spanning three generations, about a mismatched marriage - and its consequences.-Michael and Pauline seemed like the perfect couple - young, good-looking, made for each other. The moment she walked into his mother's grocery store in Baltimore, he was smitten, and in the heat of World War II fervour, they marry in haste. From the sound of the cash register in the old grocery to the counterculture jargon of the sixties, from the miniskirts to the multilayers of later years, Anne Tyler captures the nuances of everyday life with telling precision and sly humour. Views: 5
