The Rook

By: Daniel O'Malley

Narrated by: Katy Carmichael

Length: 17 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

"The body you are wearing used to be mine." So begins the letter Myfanwy Thomas is holding when she awakes in a London park surrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves. With no recollection of who she is, Myfanwy must follow the instructions her former self left behind to discover her identity and track down the agents who want to destroy her. She soon learns that she is a Rook, a high-ranking member of a secret organization called the Checquy that battles the many supernatural forces at work in Britain.

She also discovers that she possesses a rare and deadly supernatural ability of her own. Filled with characters both fascinating and fantastical, The Rook is a richly inventive, suspenseful fantasy. An astonishing debut from a brilliant new voice.

©2012 David O'Malley (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Read it and listen to it!

Totally absurd, smartly written, entertaining and unexpected! The narrator was GREAT! I really hope there's a next one and that is just as good as this one, because I felt a mix of sadness and anticipation when I was about to finish this one.

Excellent Narration of an Excellent Book!

What did you like best about this story?

The story bought a new approach to both the Supernatural and the Spy genres by amalgamating them into this fantastic book. This was the first book in a while that I immediately started again for a second read!

I can't wait for the second book and hope that Katy will be narrating it.

What does Katy Carmichael bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Katy's narration of the story bought out the protagonist quirky nature in an enjoyable to fun way. There were several times onlookers would have looked at me strangely as I laughed out loud walking down the street listening to the book.

Really fantastic

This is one of the best books I've ever read! And that's from someone that reads as an Olympic sport. It gripped me from the first sentence , " the body you are wearing used to be mine", till the very last. The story is very different but utterly compelling. It's a great story, extremely well read and totally captivating. I simply can't recommend it highly enough! Miss it at your peril!

A fun listen

I've seen this book described as M15 for wizards but I think it might be more X-Men for bureaucrats. That said, I really loved it and found it highly entertaining. Can't wait for the next book.

Makes bureaucracy interesting! It's a miracle!

What about Katy Carmichael’s performance did you like?

The narrator is brilliant and delivers the story in a really engaging way. She really sweeps you along in a way where you can't help but feel the same things that Myfanwy does, whether it be delighted amusement or exasperated horror at the situations she find herself in.

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

Very much so.

Any additional comments?

This really was an unexpected book. I was expecting an urban fantasy with cool secret agent moments, complete with combat, explosions or the supernatural equivalent, and spying. Alright, you get all that, but the other half of the book is bureaucracy, paperwork and meetings.

The story has a solid structure that delivers plot with interesting worldbuilding and character development, all done in an entertaining way. There are letters from the original Myfanwy Thomas, weaving a compelling story about a woman who kept her head down and did her job well, interspaced between the unfolding story of the new, more reckless and unpredictable Myfanwy Thomas who is still trying to find her feet in an unfamiliar and dangerous world.

Due to Myfanwy's amnesia and also the absurd circumstances that occur when a government agency deals with the supernatural, there are comedic and baffling moments, as well as suspenseful and exciting ones. There's danger around every corner, in the form of tedious meetings and supernatural threats. An unexpected delight for me were the well-executed and naturally developed friendships between women in the story, between all the action-adventure good times.

But I think what I found most compelling about the story was probably the letters. They started as an interesting plot device only to end up moving me very much by the end of the book.

So, tl;dr: A++ audiobook. Would listen again.