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The Rook (The Checquy Files #1)

4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 · rating details · 8,109 ratings · 1,669 reviews

"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...more

Hardcover, 1st Edition, 486 pages

Published January 11th 2012 by Little, Brown and Company

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Feb 13, 2013 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who like all those movies I mentioned

Shelves: female-lead, mystery-thriller, urban-fantasy, to-buy-hardcover, favorites

Finally! First great read of 2013. Admittedly, that's because I'm hoarding Days of Blood & Starlight and The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There like a survivalist with canned goods, or a chocoholic with a secret stash of Toblerone in the back of the freezer (not that I'm speaking from experience). And while I tempered down my five stars to a more reasonable four, the fact is this was a perfect read the first time through.

I'll save the detailed summary; this is one time...more

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Sep 19, 2012 mark monday rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: secret-histories

page turner, page turner! lady wakes in park with no memory! battered & bruised & bloody! surrounded by dead people! that she killed with her bare hands! cause she has special powers! the same special powers that i have often imagined myself having if dreams came true! quelle coincidence!

the narrative is propulsive. the ideas are automatically right up my alley. the whole thing is clearly built for fun; i gave it to a colleague and he immediately halted the book he was reading because th...more page turner, page turner! lady wakes in park with no memory! battered & bruised & bloody! surrounded by dead people! that she killed with her bare hands! cause she has special powers! the same special powers that i have often imagined myself having if dreams came true! quelle coincidence!

the narrative is propulsive. the ideas are automatically right up my alley. the whole thing is clearly built for fun; i gave it to a colleague and he immediately halted the book he was reading because the jacket description alone was enough to give him a massive boner. same here. but... i could have been challenged or surprised a bit more. the narrative goes back and forth between the present day actions of the woman before us and past letters that the woman she used to be wrote to her - which could have opened up many interesting possibilities. not even necessarily literary possibilities but maybe something along the lines of a potboiler-cum-meditation-on-memory like Memento. but nope, all those letters from the past serve a very straightforward function: infodumps. hella infodumps. entertaining and intriguing infodumps, and nothing more.

but... page turner, page turner! young woman is named Miffanwy, rhymes with Tiffany! she works for a secret government agency that is staffed by people with super powers and whose goal is to protect the world from super-powered and supernatural threats! including the evil Belgian Grafters! the high-level administrators have titles named after chess pieces! cool! my favorite is one who lives in multiple bodies and whose name is Gestalt! Miffanwy is in charge of domestic operations and her title is The Rook!

you know what i hate? well, many things, but in this instance the answer would be cheap snarkiness. ugh, i even hate the word. "snarky"... such an ugly word, like it was made up by a 12-year old. the only cheap snarkiness i appreciate is the kind that pops out of my mouth or from my keyboard; otherwise, it needs to be good or the eye-rolling will commence. Good as in the films of Howard Hawks. or Joss Whedon, some of the time. unfortunately, most snark is of the CW or SyFy networks variety, which to me is just lazy, shallow writing. unfortunately this novel is full of cheap snarky dialogue that comes out of nearly every character (that is when they are not sounding like The Lord and Lady of The Masterpiece Theater Manor). and so characters end up sounding just like each other and as if they just stepped out of one of the Scream films. it grew tedious. and hey, Daniel O'Malley, listen: high-level government administrators in both the U.S. and the U.K., particularly ones who are women, probably do not refer to other women as "chicks" on a regular basis. now that was just intolerable to read.

but... page turner, page turner! ignore the bitching above! this book was all kinds of fun and i read it like reading was going to be declared illegal at the end of the night! pure pleasure! i can't wait for the sequel! plus no tedious romance to speak of! yay! woot! win!

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Feb 13, 2012 Jeanette rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-fiction, science-fiction, europe-and-british-isles, did-not-work-for-me

Latex gloves...They're not just for proctologists anymore.

This was a promising plot idea from a decent writer who got carried away by his own cleverness. He lost me after about 100 pages.

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Dec 12, 2011 Theresa rated it 5 of 5 stars

"The Rook" is basically the story of two Myfanwy Thomases. The first one we never officially meet: she exists in the letters (a suitcase full) that she writes to the second Myfanwy-- the one who wakes up with two black eyes and her memory scrubbed. The idea of having Myfawny write letters to herself is a clever device that neatly side-steppes the common predictability of a story centered around an amnesiac. Myfawny has the information she needs at hand-- If only she can read the letters fast eno...more "The Rook" is basically the story of two Myfanwy Thomases. The first one we never officially meet: she exists in the letters (a suitcase full) that she writes to the second Myfanwy-- the one who wakes up with two black eyes and her memory scrubbed. The idea of having Myfawny write letters to herself is a clever device that neatly side-steppes the common predictability of a story centered around an amnesiac. Myfawny has the information she needs at hand-- If only she can read the letters fast enough.

But there is so much more to "The Rook" than someone trying to shake loose some lost memories. The Myfawny who only survives through the letters is as distinct a personality as the one who wakes up. The letters she writes, each starting with the salutation Dear You, are meticulously detailed and act as a window to the past and introduce each key character along the way. The structure of the story is inventive and greatly satisfying because Myfawny literally acts as her own protector and doesn't need to rely on some half-baked romantic interest to save her.

The story is an urban fantasy, of sorts, in that it is set in modern day London. But the supernatural agency that Myfanwy works for exists in its own little world with posh offices and an elaborate boarding school that churns out a devoted army of supernatural agents ready to defend the world against all otherworldly threats. The old Myfanwy had the power, but not the motivation to use it, and made her way up the power structure by an uncommon talent for organization. But the new Myfanwy only has the letters, written by her hyper-organized alter-ego, to guide her and a new willingness to use her powers--and her journey is by turns harrowing and hilarious.

I thoroughly enjoyed "The Rook." I loved the way the story was told from the alternating perspectives of Myfanwy's letters and the real-time person trying to sort out her bizarre circumstances. But it isn't only that literary device that makes this a great book. It's also tremendously imaginative. There might be times where certain ideas seem borrowed, like that of a boarding school for super-powered children, but O'Malley's version is gloriously strange and humorous in it's own very unique way. This is a book with dragons and vampires and people with tentacles and tear-gas emitting sweat. This isn't some lightweight paranormal fantasy, it's a book you can sink your teeth into. It's complex, original, sometimes violent and altogether satisfying. The minute I was done with it I wanted to sit down and read it again.

4 and 1/2 out of 5 stars.(less)

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Mar 10, 2012 Laurel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My only issue with this book was determining whether or not it was a tongue in cheek whodunit, or if it took itself seriously. Once I realized that the book and it's title character was doing both, I was able to settle into a highly imaginative and extremely enjoyable book! I found the development of the lead to be quite fascinating, her interesting assortment of supporting cast, and finally the rather spectacular world she lived in. I sincerely look forward to a sequel!

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Dec 19, 2012 David Yoon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Let me just get this off my chest. The cover is awful. Not that it assaults any design sensibilities. It's just scans as a YA novel, intimating the houses at Hogwarts or the Districts of Panem. The Rook is more a pulpy, supernatural action thriller laced throughout with a dry wit. This deserves to be a BBC mini along the lines of Sherlock. As to the book, it warrants something a bit more oblique, like a Justin Cronin cover.

The book opens with our protagonist in the rain, surrounded by a ring of...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Derrick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, horror, thriller, urban-fantasy

The only reason this isn't getting a 5star from me is because I'm not sure about its re-readability. If I ever re-read this, and like it as much as I did this time, I'll be bumping it up to 5.

The writing was clean and tight. No spelling gaffs, or grammatical errors or awkward sentence structures to pull you out of the story. this was written well, then even better, EDITED well. with the influx of indies, good editing shows, sadly.

The story. Mysterious, engaging, cool, neat and wraps up well. Th...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Jeffrey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, supernatural, mystery, urban-fantasy

The Rook by Daniel O’ Malley is a startingly well executed and engaging debut novel with a Jason Bourne like spy, but set in a supernatural urban fantasy setting. The spy in question, Myfawany Alice Thomas is one of several fantastical beings who guard unknowing England from supernatural and otherworldly attacks. But she has been mindwiped by one of her fellow guardians and must both discover who the traitor is and why she was targeted before it is too late. Her predecessor in body, a chief admi...more The Rook by Daniel O’ Malley is a startingly well executed and engaging debut novel with a Jason Bourne like spy, but set in a supernatural urban fantasy setting. The spy in question, Myfawany Alice Thomas is one of several fantastical beings who guard unknowing England from supernatural and otherworldly attacks. But she has been mindwiped by one of her fellow guardians and must both discover who the traitor is and why she was targeted before it is too late. Her predecessor in body, a chief administrator of the Supernatural spy service, has left her detailed notebooks filled with bios of the main characters and information about her life and the world she now lives in.

When she awakes in a field surrounded by unknown dead people, she must fool her closest allies and enemies into thinking she is still the Myfawany that they have known all their lives. The notebooks allow the author to provide the reader with the same information that Myfawany is learning. They provide both a way to describe the world and are a marvelous guide. Her fellow Lords are otherworldly in every way.

The other Rook is a multibody being controlled by one mind, who is able to control each body separately. The Lady in charge of the organization is a powerful dream walker who invades dreams. Another Lord was a famous warrior. There is a vampire as well. It will not be easy to find who killed her mind.

Although the old Myfawany has been a power for her whole life, she does not like to use her mysterious powers against others. The other Lords have looked down on her, but she was able to become a Rook because of her genius of organization. The old Myfawany is something of a wimp. The new Myfawany has inherited her predecessor's genius of organization, but is also much more kick ass and as she discovers her powers and their uses, she learns that her powers are much more powerful than the ruling elite understood. The little mouse has gained big big teeth.

The mystery is well thought out, the action scenes are engaging and often funny and although this reader was able to figure out the clues to the bad guy before the conclusion, the fun of this book is in the story, the character, the verve of the story telling and the language of the novel. At times a mystery, spy novel, urban fantasy and funny to boot, the novel never failed to hold my attention.

It will be interesting to see how O’Malley can handle the next book without relying on the informational paragraphs that infused this novel. I have no doubt he will handle it well.

This is a great read and should be on your to read very soon pile.
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Oct 21, 2012 Q. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: satisfying-new-releases-2012, favorites

The Rook
by Daniel O'Malley
Rating 4.5/5.0
This is the debut work of the author Daniel O'Malley and is a 2012 release. I picked this book because it had a good rating at Goodreads and it was Fantasy. Every now and again I escape to Fantasy to find something new. However, for those who read Fantasy generally, two things will strike you in the beginning of the book,
1) Unlike most Fantasy books, this is a Stand Alone Fantasy. There are no sequels and series.
2) A love story or such isn't pivotal. (I a...more The Rook
by Daniel O'Malley
Rating 4.5/5.0
This is the debut work of the author Daniel O'Malley and is a 2012 release. I picked this book because it had a good rating at Goodreads and it was Fantasy. Every now and again I escape to Fantasy to find something new. However, for those who read Fantasy generally, two things will strike you in the beginning of the book,
1) Unlike most Fantasy books, this is a Stand Alone Fantasy. There are no sequels and series.
2) A love story or such isn't pivotal. (I am not talking about Twilight or the likes but generally the writers do use this angle)

"The body you are wearing used to be mine." Thus begins the story, a letter written to one's own self because the protagonist has lost her memory, only she knew of the impending doom and was able to take distinct measures to help her post-amnesia self out. Set in London, this particular book had me hooked from the very beginning. There was the right amount of suspense, enough intricacy in the plot to keep the reader interested till the end and a lead character that could be related to. Myfnawy Thomas, both versions were exceedingly normal people set in a paranormal background. Every now and then the writer would inject humor which was nice. The story itself was like a hourglass: the reader's attention shifts from the letters of the pre-amnesia Myfnawy to the post-amnesia as the plot progresses. The Chequy itself was well executed. Gestalat (hope I am spelling it right) was one of the most impressive characters of the books.
Somewhere in the third quarter of the book, the story lags a little but the other three quarters make up for it. There weren't obvious loopholes or hints that could lead you to guess the answers. (Although, where did the prophecies come from was not explained) In the end of my somewhat disjointed review, it was a book that mixed in a lot of things and still came out as a good effort overall. It wasn't serious but still had a decent story which was the reason why I recommended it.

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Mar 21, 2012 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

I bought this because Lev Grossman recommended it highly. The novel opens with woman in her early thirties awakening in a park with two black eyes and no memory of who she is or what happened. She opens a letter explaining that her name is Myfanwy Thomas. The original Myfanwy Thomas knew she would lose her memory and made preparations to protect the new one. The new Myfanwy learns that she is a high-ranking official in England's supernatural secret service (called the Checquy) and that a traitor...more I bought this because Lev Grossman recommended it highly. The novel opens with woman in her early thirties awakening in a park with two black eyes and no memory of who she is or what happened. She opens a letter explaining that her name is Myfanwy Thomas. The original Myfanwy Thomas knew she would lose her memory and made preparations to protect the new one. The new Myfanwy learns that she is a high-ranking official in England's supernatural secret service (called the Checquy) and that a traitorous enemy in the same organization is responsible for her memory loss and injuries.

The protagonist's complete amnesia is a narrative challenge. Unlike your typical protagonist, Myfanwy can't know anything that we haven't explicitly seen her learn, because she lost her entire memory and now a new, blank person is in her body. That sets us up for quite a lot of tedious explanation. Either Myfanwy can pick up how the Checquy runs impossibly soon (implausible), or we can read along with her as she reads pages and pages of backstory that the original Myfanwy left for her in a binder (artless). In the end, the author does some of each, which is the best he can do--but this structure is essentially a narrative bear trap.

One thing I never understood about the new Myfanwy Thomas (view spoiler)

The book follows some well-trodden paths. Myfanwy's choice between accepting her old name and rejoining the Checquy, or taking on a new ordinary identity, seems like the red pill or the blue one from The Matrix. The appearance of the supernatural in the form of a stodgy government bureaucracy? Straight out of Harry Potter. The icy head of a magical organization who takes the girl from her parents? Mrs. Coulter from His Dark Materials. The girl sent to a special school because her touch disrupts other people's systems--isn't that the backstory of Gwen on Angel?

Touches I did quite like: The Croatoan as the Checquy's American counterpart. I suppose "Checquy" (we're told it's pronounced "sheck-eh") is verlan for échec, the French for "checkmate"--that's fun. Gestalt, a character who is one consciousness spread among four bodies, is fascinating and weird. And I liked the bad guys, who are Hieronymus Bosch nightmares come to life. Unlike the air-and-fire mystic beings of so many books, the Grafters are gloopily physical and indeed scary.

The second half of this book is stronger than the first. I would probably read a sequel, but I wouldn't run out to buy it.(less)

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Apr 16, 2012 J.P. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I'm like a termite in a lumber yard, I don't know where to begin. This book literally grabbed me from the first sentence. It's amazingly creative and has loads of original ideas. And it is written with a great sense of humor. What a fun, enjoyable read this was. Honest, this is not just hyperbole. I hope Daniel O'Malley wins an award for this novel.
Why didn't someone think of this before? Imagine there was a secret service branch that had to deal with supernatural problems. And one of the people...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Christal rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: female-lead, mind-bullets, shady-government-agency, urban-fantasy, assassins-spies-and-mercs, dragons, military, vampires, weres-and-shifters, favorites, mystery-and-thrillers

See this review and others like it at BadassBookReviews.com!

I really, really enjoyed The Rook by Daniel O'Malley. In fact, it was probably my most pleasantly surprising read of 2012. It's a straight-up urban fantasy (no romance found here) and I thought the plot was unique and very entertaining. It had a bit of a slow start, but once Myfanwy (pronounced Miffany) got the hang of the Chequy everything started to happen really quickly. I enjoyed the first-person narration and the "letter reading" d...more See this review and others like it at BadassBookReviews.com!

I really, really enjoyed The Rook by Daniel O'Malley. In fact, it was probably my most pleasantly surprising read of 2012. It's a straight-up urban fantasy (no romance found here) and I thought the plot was unique and very entertaining. It had a bit of a slow start, but once Myfanwy (pronounced Miffany) got the hang of the Chequy everything started to happen really quickly. I enjoyed the first-person narration and the "letter reading" device. The Dear You letters gave this story another layer, with a character who didn't even actually exist anymore! And yet, you still wanted to learn about her and what her life and past had been like. I am so very happy to hear that Mr. O'Malley already has an as-yet-untitled sequel written and is just waiting for a release date.

We are introduced to Myfanwy Thomas at the opening of the book, but we quickly learn that she has been assaulted and somehow lost her memory. She finds a letter she had written before the assault, and we are then introduced to who she had been. Myfanwy has no recollection of the woman she used to be and can't seem to relate to the person that wrote the letters at all. She begins to refer to this person as Thomas and we now have two different women that have shared the same body. I love that Mr. O'Malley made Myfanwy and Thomas two very separate characters even though they are basically the same person. It makes sense that Myfanwy would act and react much differently than Thomas because she doesn't remember the events and situations that shaped Thomas' actions and behavior.

The first half of the book focuses on Myfanwy rediscovering her day-to-day life and her position within the secret supernatural organization, the Chequy. I liked that she seemed to have some residual know-how so she wasn't a total fish out of water, but it was interesting learning about this organization with her. All the characters she met throughout the organization were fabulous, especially Ingrid and Shantay. During her indoctrination, Myfanwy also learns that she (along with many members of the Chequy) has a special power. The Chequy are almost like bureaucratic superheroes and Myfanwy's power is that she can control people's bodies just by touching them. Thomas also had this power, but she was very timid and didn't like to use it. Myfanwy has none of those issues. She has the motivation to protect herself no matter what and she uses her powers if it means her safety. Whereas Thomas was more of a meek administrative player in the Chequy, Myfanwy takes the position of Rook and really runs with it. She embodies the full extent of Rook Thomas' power and authority. I loved that she stepped into that role and didn't let anyone push her around. She voiced her opinions, made great executive decisions, and took care of herself out in the field.

The second half of the book focuses on the mystery of who inside the Chequy is a traitor and what exactly they hope to accomplish by destroying the organization. There were plenty of twists and turns that kept the real villains hidden until the very end. Myfanwy, possibly because she is looking on the organization with an outsider's eyes, plays the largest role in discovering who the traitors are and in taking them down. Even though she is a power on her own, she doesn't hesitate to ask for help or bring in other Chequy members when she needs it. She also finds out exactly what happened to Thomas and for what reason. The Rook wraps everything up nice and tidy, but I am eager to see what adventures Mr. O'Malley has lined up for Myfanwy and the rest of the Chequy in the future.(less)

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Mar 11, 2012 ☆Jessie☆ (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, mystery, sci-fi, aussie-author, netgalley-arc, arc, 2012-reviews, 2012-reads, lol-worthy, reviewed, curious-and-curiouser, here-be-monsters, i-cant-fight-this-feeeeling-anymore, super-sized-story, inventive-and-original

Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

The Rook is an interesting and innovative novel, combining favorite aspects from various genres into one odd 500 page gem of weirdness. If you were to mix up the most prevalent aspects of some of the most popular books and movies out there today, The Rook is likely what your mixture would spit out as an end result. Take, for instance, the school for only British magically/supernaturally gifted kids - much like Harry Potter's Hogwarts with a dash of...more

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May 11, 2012 Rachell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Warning: Don't start this book if you have to get anything done within, say, the next two days (depending on your reading speed).

Without giving any of its delicious secrets away, I will say that The Rook is expertly plotted, with a fast-paced mystery that will engross you, sharply drawn characters that will engage you (including a believable heroine that you can't help rooting for, something of a rarity in genre novels), a fascinatingly strange (yet familiar) world that will suck you in, and an...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Ron Bronson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I desperately wanted to like this book. But I kept feeling like something was off. The dialogue wasn't where it needed to be, the characters seemed not nearly well-fleshed out enough. In the end, it just didn't do it for me. I'd recommend it if you wait for it on paperback or something, but it's not a must-read book that you need to spend a bunch of best-seller cash to read up front just because it gets a ton of good reviews...because the people saying otherwise aren't missing the boat, there ar...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Suz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Suz by: Jeff

Shelves: audiobook, book-club, fantasy, humor, mystery

Somewhere (Audible?) I saw this book listed as a "great sci-fi beach read" or something like that. I totally concur.

This book opens with a phenomenal bang:
“Dear You, The body you are wearing used to be mine.”

Myfanwy Thomas "wakes up" in the driving rain, surrounded by bodies and has no idea who she was. She has notes to help her along the way, and she discovers that she's some sort of agent for a magical secret service agency of Britain. She has to decide if she wants to work for the agency and...more Somewhere (Audible?) I saw this book listed as a "great sci-fi beach read" or something like that. I totally concur.

This book opens with a phenomenal bang:
“Dear You, The body you are wearing used to be mine.”

Myfanwy Thomas "wakes up" in the driving rain, surrounded by bodies and has no idea who she was. She has notes to help her along the way, and she discovers that she's some sort of agent for a magical secret service agency of Britain. She has to decide if she wants to work for the agency and try to discover who or what it is that destroyed her memories while convincing everyone that nothing has changed.

There are small problems with the book (I am not so sure, no matter how many notes and letters your previous self left to help, that you could really pull off not knowing anything about yourself, some of the descriptions and some of the use of language was a little lacking), but all in all it was a light, fun read. It was action packed, although I felt the book fell off a little bit from the bang of a beginning, but I will forgive it that, because I really enjoyed it.

I loved the blending of action, suspense, and drama. Some of the little twists and turns were fun, and even if I had some issues with the writing, O'Malley has a phenomenal imagination, which made the book delightfully fresh.

I adored the sarcasm and dry wit of dealing with bureaucracy. I have no doubt that O'Malley has had to sit through as many interminable meetings as I have.

One of my favorite things about this book, is that even though it was written by a dude, the female main character reads true. She never becomes some simpering heroine, who needs to be changed or saved. In her previous life, she was not good with strong arming, but was a great administrator and had pride in her strengths and wished she didn't have her weaknesses (don't we all). She is a character first, who happens to be female. She isn't super hot, super anything, and there's not *too* much going on about her "girlishness" (I still doubt she'd care about what brand her wardrobe is).

I'm happy to have read that O'Malley is working on a sequel.
And the narrator for the audiobook was absolutely phenomenal and I will most likely be listening to this book again.
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Aug 18, 2012 David Sven rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, urban-fantasy

Myfanwy Thomas wakes up in the middle of carnage, surrounded by dead people wearing latex gloves, and with no memory of who she is or was. Apparently, according to the note in her hand, she is in somebody else's body. Luckily for herself, the former owner has left her extensive notes on this body's former life which include the running of a section of a British secret government agency called the "Chequy" that keeps a lid on supernatural people, creatures and phenomenon and is run by people with...more Myfanwy Thomas wakes up in the middle of carnage, surrounded by dead people wearing latex gloves, and with no memory of who she is or was. Apparently, according to the note in her hand, she is in somebody else's body. Luckily for herself, the former owner has left her extensive notes on this body's former life which include the running of a section of a British secret government agency called the "Chequy" that keeps a lid on supernatural people, creatures and phenomenon and is run by people with supernatural powers of their own, dedicated to protecting the British Empire from all things that go bump in the night.

I found the premise rather intriguing and was at once captivated by the thought of finding out who this person was, how she lost her memory, and what the story was with all the dead guys dressed in attire suitable for inspecting other people's orifices. By the time I got 10 to 15% into the book however, I was left a little disappointed with the execution. Myfanwy seemed to slip too easily into her former life and the level of (or lack of) bewilderment was not very convincing. Also, the trail of letters the former owner left her sounded more like narration, rather than proper letters with instruction or historical information. For example there was meaningless dialogue in the letters, or dialogue one would expect if a writer was developing characters. They didn't sound like normal letters.

I suppose the lack of "adjustment lag" did move the plot along faster so that the reader is thrown into this new supernatural organisation rather quickly, and the story did maintain my interest regardless of my early misgivings. I generally like stories where a character is learning more about themselves and exploring new powers, and the new Myfanwy discovers she has some extraordinary abilities even within an organisation where supernatural powers is the norm. She then has to negotiate the day to day responsibilities within the organisation, while trying to discover who wiped her memory, and do all that without letting on she's been mind wiped.

On top of discovering her own powers, Myfanwy will meet an interesting cast of characters which include vampires, a person possessing 4 bodies, people who ooze tear gas, poison gas, and biological epoxy from their pores. She will encounter things that bite your face off, things made of goup, things that turn other people to goup, things that turn to goup when you kill them. Suffice to say Myfanwy will often find herself covered in goup. She has already met someone who can take your memories. If only she could remember who that was.
Things ramp up when an old and very dangerous enemy organisation, that the Chequy thought wiped out, re-emerges to threaten the British Empire.

The story switches between the present day Myfanwy and the former Myfanwy as told in her letters to her new self. The letters piece together the story leading up to the events that the new Myfanwy finds herself dealing with and everything dovetails nicely at the end. So though the story may have started clumsily I felt it finished well.

So a fast paced supernatural urban fantasy/thriller. I would also class this as being borderline young adult.

3 stars.(less)

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Jan 03, 2013 Robert rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, fantasy-faves, sci-fi-faves

There enough blood and gore and other twisted things in The Rook to make one a bit squeamish, yet, I don't think I have laughed as frequently or consistently in any other book ever. There is also the fact that three-quarters of the book could be used to create more books. Every chapter is chock full of little nuggets of things that just make your mind go, that sounds oddly cool as hell, I'd love to read some more about that, please.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that it takes you away from...more There enough blood and gore and other twisted things in The Rook to make one a bit squeamish, yet, I don't think I have laughed as frequently or consistently in any other book ever. There is also the fact that three-quarters of the book could be used to create more books. Every chapter is chock full of little nuggets of things that just make your mind go, that sounds oddly cool as hell, I'd love to read some more about that, please.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that it takes you away from the current story just that if someone were to ask me if I would read a book based on any one of those nuggets, I would reflexively utter. "Yes, please, now!"

Back to The Rook. The protagonist wakes up in the middle of a park reading a letter to her, from her, ahem self. Yes you heard me. It gets odder. She's also surrounded by dozens of bodies, all wearing surgical gloves. The letter informs her that she used to be called Myfanwy Thomas(note: you'll learn how to pronounce that early on so don't get flustered), has lost her memory and will never get it back and that someone is trying to have her killed.

Myfanwy(the new one) is a terribly sarcastic lass, not in the regular way either she's genuinely a diamond in the rough. I kid you not. Her quick wit and spry sarcasm, whether her own or the original's is helpful throughout. Things take a marked twist into fantasy/horror a little ways in and you'll need all her quips and thoughts to block out some of the more creative imagery that crops up into your head. I can say most of it wasn't really that jarring, then some was, whoa. Even now I try not to think about it too hard for fear I might begin to better visualize some of the more vicious events.

I don't like spoiling things so lets just say that everything is new to Myfanwy so evidently there is lots of tension as she navigates the world with aid of her past self. Oh boy. It isn't any easier with someone out to kill you either.

I wish I had read this sooner but it was fantastic nonetheless. Looking forward to more.(less)

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Jul 05, 2012 Lolly's rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, sci-fi-mys-suspense, paranormal-mys-suspense

I liked this book, I really did. After all, the story is completely unique and one of the most ingenious I've read (and this is coming from someone who's stuffed herself with the likes of Christopher Moore, Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams, and Terry Pratchett). In fact, I'm sure O'Malley has probably stuffed himself with a couple of these authors as well judging by some of the humor and situations I encountered within the novel.

Myfanwy Thomas wakes up in a London garden in the pouring rain surrounded...more I liked this book, I really did. After all, the story is completely unique and one of the most ingenious I've read (and this is coming from someone who's stuffed herself with the likes of Christopher Moore, Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams, and Terry Pratchett). In fact, I'm sure O'Malley has probably stuffed himself with a couple of these authors as well judging by some of the humor and situations I encountered within the novel.

Myfanwy Thomas wakes up in a London garden in the pouring rain surrounded by a ring of unconscious bodies, all wearing latex gloves. Oh, and she has no memory. In her pocket is a letter from the body's previous occupant which begins with the words “Dear You, The body you are wearing used to be mine.” Guided by further letters written by the previous Myfanwy, Myfanwy #2 discovers she's an operative, a Rook, in a secret government agency dedicated to protecting the country from supernatural threats of all shapes and sizes, and that someone in that agency is trying to kill her (or, rather, Myfanwy #1). Seeing as every high-level operative possess a supernatural power and they along with all other members of the agency, known as the Checquey, are highly trained in methods of subterfuge and defensive arts, Myfanwy has her work cut out for her. Relying on the information provided by the first Myfanwy, Myfanwy #2 explores her new job and life, not to mention her own, very powerful supernatural power, and discovers there's more afoot than either Myfanwy could've imagined.

Yet with the many story elements in the novel and the undeniably creative plot, there's something which made the whole thing miss out on being a genius-level piece of work by a hair's breadth. Mostly because of Myfanwy #2. This may sound weird coming from an American, but Myfanwy did not strike me as being particularly British. She came off like an American ex-pat who was now working in London. Yes, Myfanwy the second's personality is different from Myfanwy the first's: Myfanway #1 was pathologically shy, a wallflower, deferential and demure in her uniform of black, white, and grey clothing which allowed her to disappear in a crowd. The new Myfanwy, though retaining many of her predecessors quirks, was a bit more brash and outspoken, a bit more assertive and willing to try new things. I get that. But she can still be those things within the framework of a British character, yet not once did I get a sense of "Stiff upper lip, mind the gap, keep calm and carry on" British-ness. Not to mention her behavior, her speech patterns, and occasionally her humor made her seem incredibly juvenile and underdeveloped at times. Not that there aren't Brits who behave in a juvenile manner (there are and I've met them), but for the character O'Malley was trying to create, those mannerisms were inconsistent. Honestly, the effect was rather jarring at times. Secondly, Myfanwy the first provided a purple binder filled with information about her life, the Checquey, the operatives, basically every single aspect of her universe to assist Myfanwy the second in adapting to her new life. Every time Myfanwy #2 runs into something, she pulls out that purple binder so she (and, by extension, the reader) can figure out exactly what she's dealing with. That's all well and good, and certainly prevents any missteps on Myfanwy's part, allowing her to pick up her predecessor's life with nary a stumble; not to mention the gimmick gives O'Malley an easy way to introduce back story. However, she often pulled out this binder in the company of others, which seemed extremely blatant; I kept waiting for someone to ask her why she had the binder, what was in it, why it engrossed her so much in the middle of a crisis. I can see close associates of Myfanwy's, who knew she was little more than a glorified accountant, ignoring the binder, likely assuming it to be part of whatever project she might've been working on at the time, but outsiders would be ignorant of her position and most likely, I'm sure, be curious as to why she kept pulling out that binder. The biggest peeve I had, though, is the humor. I don't know what it is, but British writers, even ordinary Brits, seem to have such an easy wit; they just open their mouths and gems just falls out. Even the most unimpressive of Brits come up with brilliant one-liners (Noel Gallagher about his brother, Liam: "He's like a guy with a fork in a world full of soup." Come on, that is freaking hilarious while being disparaging at the same time!) Yet the wit in The Rook never seemed easy; at times it felt a bit forced, as though O'Malley really wanted to be like Terry Pratchett, but struggled with it and so fell just short of the mark. That's not to say there aren't moments of outright humor in the novel, there are, just not as many as you would like. The one thing he does do well is explain exactly why using a chess analogy to run a super-secret government agency doesn't work, especially in a country with a monarchy. In fact, his little dissertation on the subject, in the voice of Myfanwy Thomas #1, is his most inspired piece in the novel.

It's funny. This book shouldn't work; it shouldn't be readable, it shouldn't be entertaining, and it certainly shouldn't be so successful. After all, the book suffers from info dumps galore (in the form of that purple binder, as well as the frequent letters from Myfanwy #1), which often delay and even derail the action. It features a main character who's often immature, obnoxious, and completely unprepared to deal with pretty much anything popping up in the story line. And the ending is, well, flat and awkward, not to mention misleading, appearing to set things up for a sequel only to tie up the story line a few pages later. Yet, I think the reason the book does work, despite these flaws, is because it doesn't take itself seriously. It's tongue-in-cheek, but it's self-aware: it winks at you to let you know it's tongue-in-cheek, but do try to take it seriously anyway, alright luv? It sounds too precious to work and logically it shouldn't work, but it does. Besides, who couldn't find a little love for a novel in which the main character owns a pet rabbit named Wolfgang?

See more of my reviews at: http://lollyslibrary.blogspot.com/(less)

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May 08, 2013 Kelly Leigh marked it as did-not-finish

So frustrating, this book and its colossally massive mega info dumps not so cleverly disguised as epistles. So I'm reading along, interested, vibing with the story as all get out and then bam!, another epistolary interruption, an unsightly kink in the harmonic vibration happening between us. Why, book, why? Nevertheless, my resolve could not be shaken, so I continued on. I'm gonna like this book dammit! A few pages later, the story's momentum was halted once again with more stupendously boring i...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Kathie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is. So. Good. I can't stop reading it, can't read it fast enough. I mean, I am in peril of not returning it in time! All those pesky things that get in the way of happy reading. This book would be delightful for a book discussion. There are so many layers and with two different perspectives, it is a nice challenge to keep up with the characters, but not at all frustrating. The premise, that the world is full of people with...abilities who must be monitored and in some cases, controlled...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Valerie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, ebook, fantasy, urban-fantasy, hall-of-fame

I thought this book was fantastic despite it being more of a challenging read for me. Part of my problem may have been that I thought this was more of a "invasion of the body snatchers" type of book versus a memory-loss/amnesia book. But that's my fault for not reading the blurb more carefully, which is also maybe why this sat on my ipad unread for months. Also, I tend to be a bit of a lazy and/or impatient reader at times and this isn't the kind of book that you can be lazy about because there'...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Traci rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mystery

This book is not my usual kind of book (there wasn't even any romance!) but it was good! Myfanwy Thomas wakes up in the park, badly beaten, and surrounded by dead bodies, all wearing latex gloves. She doesn't know who she is, or how she even got there. Luckily, she finds a letter in her jacket pocket to her, from her. She finds out that she works for a super secret supernatural agency in London. She has special powers and everyone else she works with his special powers. Her former self has left...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Lianne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow! This was a fun ride. Think X-men meets MI5 meets Ghostbusters meets Jason Bourne... and add in humor, silliness, and a great story. This would make an outrageous film. I also read that the audio book was one of the best ever.

I highly recommend this very entertaining and exciting novel.

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Jan 07, 2013 Kay rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. My book reviews are written as a discussion of a book, and not as an advertisement. Please be aware that there may be information that some would consider spoilers and continue on at your own risk!

I recently read a list of people’s top books of 2012. One reader recommended 3 books that I had read and enjoyed, and the fourth book was The Rook, which I had not read. Since we seemed to have a similar taste in books, I decided to give this one a chance. Here’s what I thought:

Plot?

A girl wakes up in...more

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May 17, 2013 Linda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british, fantasy

Myfanwy Thomas is a young woman who knows she is going to have her memories taken away and makes plans to save herself. She is a Rook in an organization called the Checquy Group. A secret group that is around strictly to protect the world from another group trying for world domination. Myfanwy leaves letters for the woman she is to become when her memories are taken away. The letters explain the history of the Checquy Group as well as Myfanwy's own life up to the point that she will no longer be...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Mark Taylor rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a non stop action book that's also pretty funny. If you take it as a tongue in cheek super-powers-like story you'll enjoy it. This is the first novel from O'Malley. He's chosen to write as a female character and I think he pulls it off really well. Mafanwy's character is the most fleshed out in the book - some of the other characters are a little more sketchy and some are basic stereotypes.

Many of these types of books find it hard to limit "powers". TV's Hero's suffered from this problem...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Jessikah rated it 4 of 5 stars

I will admit, this one started off a bit slow for me and that usually means I close the book. However, I decided to stick with it and was very pleased at the outcome.

Myfawnwy Thomas is dead. So to speak. As this book opens, what is left of Myfawnwy has woken up in her former body with no trace of her memories as to who she is and even less evidence of the mousy personality that used to define her.

Through letters from the former Myfawnwy to the new one, we discover that she had been the victim o...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Sian Rips rated it 5 of 5 stars

Having "you" standing in a park, in the rain, and tired isn't totally impossible, but what if, added to that, was the fact that 6 or 7 assassins in latex gloves lay dead, paralyzed around you? This is the start of the new Myfanwy Thomas's life (great way to start, huh). As the new inheritor of a body once belonging to Ms. Thomas, the new person, soul , whatever you call it, is given two choices, 1) to start a new life, new name, everything (and a hansom sum of money) and 2) to continue the job a...more Having "you" standing in a park, in the rain, and tired isn't totally impossible, but what if, added to that, was the fact that 6 or 7 assassins in latex gloves lay dead, paralyzed around you? This is the start of the new Myfanwy Thomas's life (great way to start, huh). As the new inheritor of a body once belonging to Ms. Thomas, the new person, soul , whatever you call it, is given two choices, 1) to start a new life, new name, everything (and a hansom sum of money) and 2) to continue the job as Rook at the secret government office of the London Checquy. Choosing the latter, Myfanwy jumps right into the hustle and bustle of the undercover company which is by no means normal. Surrounded by Queens, Kings, Bishops, Rook(s), Chevalier (Knights), and Pawns, all of whom have super powers, Myfanwy must battle countless threats that come with overseeing domestic affairs both mentally and physically.

One thing I really enjoyed was how the previous Myfanwy, having planned her death, wrote letters to her new self. In order to ensure her next life would have a little comfort when first starting in the world, Myfanwy has included (in the briefcase given after the new Rook chose to follow her predecessor) letters in immense detail of what she does, the people, the operations, and other information. It was extremely helpful since it really made you feel as if you were the character because the rest of the book certainly didn't tell you anything about any strange mutant people or assault on any prime minister, etc. All this was found in the letters conveniently addressed to "you" and signed from the loving "me".

Another part about the book that I liked was how the story was based on the outline of a chess game. Although some may think it's is similar only in title of your position within the court (Queen, King, Bishop, etc), it is much more. Taking on out side affairs were the Chevs. As a connection, the Knight mainly are used for outside long distance captures. The Queen and King are obvious, and so is their strengthen protection by the second in rank, the Bishops, followed by the additional inner protection of the Rooks, and the weakest level of the Pawns. Within The Rook, these were people possessing minor to no special powers. Additionally, every move made by the Checquy was delicate, observing every move as if reading the opponents mind (literally). As such an interesting game in itself, it was an interesting topic in which to base the book around. (less)

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Feb 23, 2013 Valley Cottage Library rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a treat! This book is a rather silly, yet very well written account of the second Myfanwy Thomas, who wakes up in a park surrounded by people she killed with her bare hands and no memory of anything before that moment. Luckily, the original Myfanwy Thomas (I know - confusing) knew that she would lose her memory after being betrayed by a coworker, and worked hard to write letters intended to guide and inform the new Myfanwy Thomas in her body.

Myfanwy is actually a leader in the British Super...more

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About Daniel O'Malley

Dan 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. He now works for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, writing press releases for government investigations of plane crashes and runaway boats.

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Quotes from The Rook

“This should be a pleasant little interview. All I have to do is put on my scary face."
"You have a scary face?" Ingrid sounded skeptical.
"Yes," said Myfanwy indignantly. "I have a very scary face."
Ingrid surveyed her for a moment. "You may wish to take off the cardigan then, Rook Thomas," she advised tactfully. "The flowers on the pocket detract somewhat from your menace.” — 66 people liked it

“This duck tells me nothing!” — 46 people liked it

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The Rook (The Checquy Files #1)

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