The Rook: A Novel

Daniel O'Malley

Jan 2012 · Sold by Little, Brown

About this ebook

Myfanwy Thomas awakens in a London park surrounded by dead bodies. With her memory gone, she must trust the instructions left by her former in order to survive. 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.

Battling to save herself, Myfanwy will encounter a person with four bodies, a woman who can enter her dreams, children transformed into deadly fighters, and terrifyingly vast conspiracy.

Suspenseful and hilarious, The Rook is an outrageously imaginative thriller for readers who like their espionage with a dollop of purple slime.

"Utterly convincing and engrossing -- -totally thought-through and frequently hilarious....Even this aging, jaded, attention-deficit-disordered critic was blown away."-Lev Grossman, Time

Ratings and reviews

A great story which I really enjoyed but got frustrated because it keeps getting interrupted by world building posed as letters telling the protagonist about people in the story. It was interesting but I'm not certain that the book needed it.

A promising urban fantasy in the thriller mode - closest to early Laundry Files novels - with a sympathetic heroine / central figure and a well-thought-out plot.

Who knew Britain has had a super-secret department devoted to the supernatural since . . . I don’t know, before the Vikings? Daniel O’Malley’s novel "The Rook" sketches a history of the Chequy, a venerable organization that has assisted the government through the centuries. We learn about this through Myfanwy (it rhymes with Tiffany) Thomas, a diminutive amnesiac Rook in the organization (the ranks are based on chess pieces) who must discover who and what she is doing while managing various supernatural disasters and trying to discover who in the court is out to get her. It is a daunting task but Myfanwy’s got guts and superpowers to spare. Superpowers are great. They make for an interesting array of characters and plot twists, and in a pinch, her own unique powers certainly come in handy for Myfanwy. In the end, however, we readers know it all comes down to using the brains and strength of character she discovers she has; and Rook Myfanwy Thomas has those in spades. The plot is complicated, the cast of players is huge, and one disaster isn’t over before another one pops up on the radar. The super powers held by various unforgettable characters are ingenious and used in highly inventive ways. "The Rook" is filled with action, political intrigue, and wry humor. The pace is generally fast though at times bogged down with massive information dumps. Overall, it is a fascinating and compelling romp through the streets of London and the surrounding countryside. I don’t think we have heard the last of Rook Thomas. In the battle of good vs. evil, we love to root for the good guys - if we know who the good guys are - and in "The Rook" Daniel O’Malley keeps us guessing until the end. In this audio version, Susan Duerden’s lovely, cultivated voice and British accent offer an interesting contrast to the often gory events in the story, and her flawless delivery highlights the humor as well. I was relieved to know that London, one of my favorite cities, is in the best of hands when it comes to threats from the supernatural, thanks in a large part to O’Malley’s diminutive and feisty heroine, Rook Myfanwy Thomas.

About the author

Daniel O'Malley graduated from Michigan State University and earned a Master's Degree in medieval history from Ohio State University. He then returned to his childhood home, Australia, where he works for the Transport Safety Bureau, writing press releases for government investigations of plane crashes and runaway boats.