Book Review — The Rook January 26, 2017
“The Rook” by Daniel O’Malley is a wonderfully inventive, witty, thoughtful book that can be, at times, dead serious and laugh out loud hilarious. It is part spy novel, part whodunit, part fantasy, and all entertaining.
Myfanwy (rhymes with “Tiffany”) Thomas awakens beaten and bloody in a London park surrounded by dead bodies, all wearing latex gloves, and no memory whatsoever. Apparently, Myfanwy knew this would happen, though not how or who would do it. She has left for herself a series of notes and other evidence that will help the memory-less Myfanwy solve the mystery.
Myfanwy learns that she is a high ranking official in a secret governmental agency that deals with the supernatural, known as the Checquy. Myfanwy herself has superpowers, though she has to figure out what they are. And who she is. And who everyone else is, all the while pretending that nothing has happened out of the ordinary (though who is to say what ordinary is?) so as to throw the traitor(s) off the scent.
Fantasy novels and whodunits alike tend to be somewhat formulaic. This novel completely ignores the formulas. It is creative, unique, and unexpected. An extra bonus is a super-smart female protagonist who has a libido, but no real interest in romance. And she does the saving.
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Lori B. Duff is an award-winning author who practices law on the side. Her latest book, “If You Did What I Asked in the First Place” was awarded the Gold Medal for humor in the Foreword INDIES awards in 2019. You can follow her on Twitter at @LoriBDuff and on Facebook. For more blogs written by Lori, click here. For more information about Lori in general, click here. If you want Lori to do your writing for you, click here. If you want Lori to help you market your book, click here.
Book Review — The Rook