The Summary (From the back cover):
"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.
Comments:
I had been eyeing this book for awhile now, since I found it at amazon.com as a recommendation for me. I soon discovered that it was at the local library and picked it up. I'm so happy that I did! Definitely would recommend this book to anyone who loves the grotesque side of life.
Quotes:
First Paragraph: "Be Warned. This book has no literary merit whatsoever. It is a lurid piece of nonsense, confoluted, implausible, peopled by unconvincing characters, written in drearily pedestrian prose, frequently ridiculous and wilfully bizarre. Needless to say, I doubt you'll believe a word of it."
Page 10: "The figure came closer and a moment later a face appeared at the window, its nose squashed tight against the glass, its breath frosting the panes. It had the form, the size, the shape of a man, but there seemed no trace of humanity about it, as though it belonged to some species all its own. Its sallow skin was covered in a multitude of vile grey scales which hung in grotesque flaps from its cheeks, lips, chin and eyelids, like molten cheese spread lumpily over toast. It was a face of melted candle wax."
Likes:
Everything about it! It's based in Victorian London. It has murder, mystery, and did I mention--murder? It has two wonderful main characters--Edward Moon and the Somnambulist. Since the Clapham incident--Edward Moon is still looking, but hasn't really found that last great case to put his name back onto people's lips and conversations again. Until the awkward death of a Cyril Honeyman. The two go out to solve it.
The secondary characters are just as well rounded as the main ones. All with their own personalities and talents. They are charming, sick, haunting, pale, disturbing and beautiful. With every page, there are twists and turns, new characters that you quickly pick up on, and major surprises. You just can't put this book down. Jonathan Barnes knows exactly what it takes to keep this book moving.
Dislikes:
Absolutely nothing.
Out of 5 Stars:
