The Rook

A Novel

By: Daniel O'Malley

Narrated by: Susan Duerden

Length: 17 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Myfanwy Thomas awakes in a London park surrounded by dead bodies. With her memory gone, her only hope of survival is to trust the instructions left in her pocket by her former self. She quickly learns that she is a Rook, a high-level operative in a secret agency that protects the world from supernatural threats. But there is a mole inside the organization - and this person wants her dead.

As Myfanwy battles to save herself, she encounters a person with four bodies, a woman who can enter her dreams, children transformed into deadly fighters, and an unimaginably vast conspiracy.

Suspenseful and hilarious, The Rookis an outrageously inventive debut for listeners who like their espionage with a dollop of purple slime.

©2012 Daniel O'Malley (P)2012 Hachette

Good vs. Evil or Power vs. Power?

*a few modest pseduo-spoilers*


This is a debut novel for author Daniel O???Malley. I liked the story; it was well worth reading and had some interesting twists on ideas about our supernatural history and how we view it. The author took his degree in history so that makes sense.

I gave the author 3 rather than 2.5 stars because it is a debut and I see opportunity for interesting story lines and characters. I did not go further because I found myself grinding my teeth at a few things. I am an avid reader of fantasy and I like urban fantasy very much. I did like this book, mostly.

The Rook is a position, a title. The position is held by a young woman with singular skills. Singular, but surrounded by other talented individuals. There is of course an enemy, a rival gang as it were. There is a series of small struggles and a large struggle and then a not utterly unpredictable ending. Rather like an English X-Men with more history. Is it a case of good vs. evil or power vs. power? A good way to open a series, allowing for many interesting plot developments.

I am not sure that the reader really brought the best light of the book out, but this could be because of my issues with the language used by some characters. Not complaining about swearing but about appropriateness of vocabulary. It really stuck out to me.

My problems with the book begin with the language. When these highly trained, professional persons/beings are speaking to one another they often use ???slovenly??? language. ???yeah??? being an answer given by several characters to questions. It seemed so very odd and wrong for these people. If you are going to build a super spy MI5/CIA organization, expressly say that they have been trained to a very high standard educationally as well as being well versed in the lethal arts; in a school for gifted youngsters, well, then they should sound educated. Executive types don???t say ???yeah??? like a surly teen and their subordinates certainly would not answer questions thusly. This is an example. I felt the tone needed to be ???tonier???. I know ??? write your own book and use whatever tone you like ??? yeah yeah yeah.

I thought that too many loose ends were left flapping around like the tentacles from one of the other gang???s operatives. At least a hint perhaps that we will be finding out more in the future would be nice.

(SPOILER ALERT)...

The overall story was great, but I could have done without the amnesia. I think the amnesia issue made it overly complicated in some areas and the story could have stood on its own. Otherwise, the performance was worth it. Great job n all of the voices and accents.

How to stay sane when you loose it all.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The kindle version has already been given as a gift to my friend, so yes in a way I did recommend it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Rook?

It's a very enjoyable roller coaster ride with wit and great story telling. What may seem as loose ends nestled in at awkward time spans in the story, are very nicely knitted back in the end. I enjoyed this story very much and am looking forward to a sequel.

What aspect of Susan Duerden’s performance would you have changed?

Although I really enjoy listening to British accents, I thought that the intonation was rather off at the beginning of the book. This feeling settle down after a while but is still ringing "off" from time to time. Otherwise Mrs Duerden did a wonderful job given all the characters their unique voice.

Highly entertaining-Brilliant reader!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Rook to be better than the print version?

I can't compare the two.

What did you like best about this story?

Marvelously funny AND engaging as a fantasy/mystery...

Have you listened to any of Susan Duerden’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I will definitely be looking for more-I can't imagine anyone doing this better!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not immediately...but once the foundation of the story was laid down, I didn't want to "put it down!"

Any additional comments?

Ok...I'll admit that this was a story in a genre that appeals to me...but I didn't go looking for it...the story came looking for me (it was offered by Audible at a promotional price and caught my attention)....I'm not even finished listening and the story has been SO much fun that I wanted to write a review-my first-so others could also discover this gem!The writer's story is very engaging....I surely would also have enjoyed READING the book...but, as in my title, read by Susan Duerden it is BRILLIANT to listen to (in the particularly English use of that word.) FUN FUN FUN!My only "complaint?" This is Daniel O'Malley's first book in what I hope will be an ongoing series...and I have to wait to see what happens! I'm now following both the author and Myfanwy Thomas on Twitter to "stay in touch!"

Great first book

I have enjoyed this book, both the hard copy and the Audible performance. I've become very fond of Miffy.

Fresh, Funny, Fast

This book was refreshing from start to finish. The performance superb, story fun and easy to listen to. Glad I read it. Would love to have more from the author, continuation of the Rook perhaps...

Charming

What did you love best about The Rook?

I enjoyed the main character and the performer who gave her extra character.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character.

Which character – as performed by Susan Duerden – was your favorite?

The main character.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The rook-your next move may be your last.

Any additional comments?

This was a fun modern fantasy find. Parts got a bit cluttered, but overall the story moved well, the performance was great, and the take on fantasy proved engaging.

Great story performed by a true talent

Captivating story about a secret government agency who controls the supernatural.

Susan Duerden is an incredible talent whose variety and cadence are brilliant!

Good book with an even better narrator

What made the experience of listening to The Rook the most enjoyable?

Loved the narrator and her accent.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The MC. She had wonderful character development.

Which character – as performed by Susan Duerden – was your favorite?

I enjoyed her imitation of male characters. Quite well done and a joy to hear.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Nope. Took multiple sittings. About a week.

Any additional comments?

This reminds me of an urban fantasy. You know, the chicks chicks in leather kicking demonic ass genre, except that the chick is in a suit and she kicks ass from behind a desk and through a mess of bureaucracy. It doesn't sound as interesting when I put it like that but I quite enjoyed it. Very well worth the read.

Resolution

I liked the premise of this book, and the writing was very good. But we never really find out what happened to Miffanwe, the main character. We know that her memories were stolen from her, and that's it. How did she acquire a new, stronger personality? I would like to have seen some improvement in the the quality of her life as well. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book.