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The Darkling Thrush

by Josh Lanyon (Goodreads Author)

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 584 ratings · 73 reviews

Fed up with his desk duty in the Imperial Arcane Library, book hunter Colin Bliss accepts a private commission to find The Sword’s Shadow, a legendary and dangerous witches’ grimoire. But to find the book, Colin must travel to the remote Western Isles and solve a centuries’ old murder.

It should be nothing more than an academic exercise, so why is dour — and unreasonably se...more

ebook, 1st Edition, 149 pages

Published April 5th 2010 by Loose Id

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May 24, 2012 Feliz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, contemporary, m-m, cops-detectives

What if there was magic in our world today? What if it was as normal to be a witch, or clearsighted, as it is for us to be good at sports or a musician? This is what Josh Lanyoon must have thought when he created an AU world with telephones, aircraft, and automobiles where "the Americas" are officially still called "The colonies", where people spend their lives transcripting books by hand or hunting famous lost grimoires, where there is a secret police in charge of suppressing or destroying book...more What if there was magic in our world today? What if it was as normal to be a witch, or clearsighted, as it is for us to be good at sports or a musician? This is what Josh Lanyoon must have thought when he created an AU world with telephones, aircraft, and automobiles where "the Americas" are officially still called "The colonies", where people spend their lives transcripting books by hand or hunting famous lost grimoires, where there is a secret police in charge of suppressing or destroying books that are too dangerous to come to the world of man, where the mechanical printing press was invented by a Scotsman in 1414, where a goblin can be a well known - doctor and where members of the Seelie Court with blue skin and red eyes walk the streets in daylight?
This is the world of Colin Bliss, a book hunter on an exchange program from Boston, currently living in London and working for a government agency which control and collect magical books and magic in general, or Magick, as it is called here. Recovering from the breakup between him and his superior, Anthony, Colin feels neutralized riding a desk instead of working as a book hunter as he used to. He gets to hear he's too young, too inexperienced and, in addition to that, being a Colonial not at all fit to go on "real book hunts" in the old world from everybody, including mysterious Septimus Marx, who seems to pop up everywhere Colin happens to go. Bored and annoyed, Colin jumps in with both feet when a slightly obscure private book collector asks him to go hunting for a famous grimoire which has been missing for six centuries. When he learns the hunt can not only cause peril to his own life, but to manhood in general, Colin tries to step back from the search. But it's too late. He can't escape his fate anymore. Nor can he escape Septimus Marx.

I loved all those little details of Lanyon's brilliant worldbuilding. The tongue - in cheek references to legends and lore, the casualness the characters move inside a reality which is so outlandish to us, it's all masterfully and so typical Lanyon. (one example: Colin talks to the goblin who falls asleep in the middle of the talk. When he returns a day later and is disappointed the goblin still sleeps, the goblin's housemaid tells him "She's a goblin she could sleep for a day or a month," and Colin just nods ruefully as if he should have known better than to ask.) The mystery, the quest, is thrilling and fascinating, and the ending is surprising and worth the journey.
The relationship between Septimus and Colin builds unusually fast for a work of Lanyon's, and there's remarkably little explanation of the why of it. It feels almost like insta - love. Their connection is supposed to run deep, but I couldn't feel their emotions. That's what bothered me lately with several of Lanyon's newer works, the lack of emotion between the heroes.
But then again, the book read like the first in a series. Maybe Septimus and Colin will get closer over time. There are many other odds and loose ends which call to be linked together. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel to this one. (less)

7 likes · like · see review

May 24, 2012 Ami rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm-fantasy-paranormal-futuristic

3.25 stars
Positive: Wow for the fantasy thing. I must say the the description is quite good. It is intriguing ... the quest to find the lost legendary grimoire in the remote Western Isles. It's like I'm watching "Merlin"

Negative: I don't know, I feel like there is a disconnection between Colin and Septimus. If I expect some kind of romance, this is not it. I cannot really believe their relationship.

Still, if I need to sum up, I will go with intriguing

5 likes · like · see review

May 24, 2012 Emanuela ~plastic duck~ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Emanuela ~plastic duck~ by: itmfiddler

Shelves: rainbow-gay, glbt, romance, fantasy

It was a bit more difficult than usual to enter the story because in a fantasy book it always takes me a while to learn the rules of the world created by the author, to memorize the names, items, places, but once I found myself comfortable, I wouldn't want the story to finish.

There are three elements that made this book great:

* books. No one needs to convince me that books are magical items and that they contain much more than what's on the pages. Sometimes I'm so engrossed in a book, I hang ont...more

5 likes · like · see review

May 28, 2012 Betryal rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is different from the works I'm used to by Josh that I've read, but I was taken back that I truly enjoyed the story. I will admit to having put it down once by no fault of my own and when I picked it up to resume reading it I was darn glad I had. There's the supernatural, other worldly beings if you wish to call them that and a whole lot of action and ignited suspense all wrapped up in to one unforgettable read.

4 likes · like · see review

May 24, 2012 Lauraadriana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fave-authors

I have trouble explaining this book...I was fantasy for sure...but I also got a very steampunk feeling from it. It was enjoyable and entertaining and beautifully written...How does Josh Lanyon do it? I don't know, I'm just happy as hell he can.

In this world Colin Bliss is a book hunter from Boston(librivenator) of Magick books who is working in the London Bureau. He is young but well known for discovering a very obscure grimoire (book of Old Magick).

Out the blue he is hired (on the sly) to hunt...more

5 likes · like · see review

Nov 27, 2012 Edina Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ebook and Audiobook reviews

ebook
Librivenator, librireddo, Vox pessimeres, veneficus...

I so love the vocabulary in this book!

Our 23 year old librivenator is so adorable in his youth and errors and naivete! Mix this with good looks, intelligence and self-deprecating humour and you've got someone I want to hear more about.

I would like to know how the relationship between Bliss and Marx evolves. They live in different countries, Bliss is doing an exchange program when they meet. Will Bliss st...more

4 likes · like · see review

May 24, 2012 Kati rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay, 2010, ebooks, in-english, paranormal-rmnc

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

4 likes · like · see review

May 26, 2012 Lil' Grogan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: humour, pnr-rom, m-m, 2-5

An interesting change to Lanyon's usual work - the mystery of uncovering a historical artifact in a fantasy world. There were enough touches to make discovering the unique rules interesting. To me much of it read as a historical mystery. But perhaps the amount of work put here took away from the rest of the story.

Despite some interesting secondary characters, this was a very solitary adventure for Colin. In general, I thought the characters took a backseat to the plot itself.

So for all my talk...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 27, 2012 Alyosha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Alyosha by: itmfiddler

Shelves: adventure, agents-cops-soldiers-warriors, geeks-nerds-teachers-professors, historical, fantasy, suspense-mystery-crime

Exciting. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I spent reading this, at times I even felt like my heart might beat out of my chest.

Fantastic world building, great setting and memorable heroes. I really hope there will be a sequel as I'd love to read more about Septimus and Bliss (who made it on the top ten on my favorite main characters list) and to learn more about the world Lanyon created.

4 likes · like · see review

May 24, 2012 Kathy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, favourite, glbt, keeper, lanyon-josh, m-m, review

Josh Lanyon has an uncanny knack for making any story immediate and real. Even though this story is very much fantasy interwoven with the ‘real’ world, I had no problem making the adjustment to the world Colin inhabited. In many ways I was reminded of the world created by Karen Marie Moning in her Fever series, although not as dark. It’s the commonality of the Fae and other ‘mystic’ creatures with a large dose of magick.

The Darkling Thrush is entirely riveting... as is the norm for Josh Lanyon...more

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May 24, 2012 Alaina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-fiction, paranormal

I expected to like this book far more than I did, although perhaps my disappointment stems from my overall appreciation for Lanyon's work. When I read something of his that I think is good but not excellent, my disappointment is magnified more than it might be for other authors.

This isn't a bad book by any means. The world building is interesting, Colin, the narrator, is approachable and well-drawn, and the mystery is fun and exciting enough to keep you reading.

However, I would have appreciated...more

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May 24, 2012 thelastaerie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Josh Lanyon's 2nd fantasy story and the treasure-hunting theme is emerging :) As always, Lanyon does his research homework, even in a fantasy setting, you can feel the authenticity and historical accuracy in it - if that makes sense! Or he simply just created a very believable fantasy AU version of something we are familiar with, that's not something that can be easily achieved, IMO.

Now the plot is not complicated, but there's great build-up and unfolding of the mystery, as well as the momentum...more

1 like · like · see review

May 24, 2012 Kari Gregg rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbt, fantasy

Intricate storyworld I want to visit again. And again.

Colin is a bit young and in spite of his professional gifts, a little on the green side both in his career and private life. That impressions is reinforced by his having crossed the pond, so to speak, to work away from home with people he doesn't know in a culture he isn't familiar with. Fish out of water meets and has a brief affair with a fickle, self-absorbed cad who is also his (married) boss -- with unpleasant results that push Colin to...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 16, 2013 Chuck rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-lending-library

I really, really, wanted to like this novel a lot, but it just didn't make it into the usual Josh Lanyon stratosphere like most of his other works have for me. The thing is, it has all the trappings of a really interesting fantasy/AU-based world-setting, as well as two very likable MC's. The problem here is developmental, I think. If this was going to be the first novel in a proposed series, I would give it four, instead of three, stars out of five; but I don't think Lanyon does more than one se...more I really, really, wanted to like this novel a lot, but it just didn't make it into the usual Josh Lanyon stratosphere like most of his other works have for me. The thing is, it has all the trappings of a really interesting fantasy/AU-based world-setting, as well as two very likable MC's. The problem here is developmental, I think. If this was going to be the first novel in a proposed series, I would give it four, instead of three, stars out of five; but I don't think Lanyon does more than one series at a time, and we're all waiting for the third book in the Homes/Moriarity series - The Boy with the Painful Tattoo - to drop.

The conceit of two "branches" of the Arcane Magickal Society being set in London and, across the Great Big Ocean, in the "colonial" city of Boston is fascinating, especially with MC Colin Bliss coming from Boston to work as a librevator (book hunter) in London.

The story begins with a REALLY unhappy seduced-then-abandoned-by-his-married-boss Colin loathing one of his upper-management Vox Pessimentes (censor) managers, Septimus Marx. (They, of course, are MFEO.)

(view spoiler)

It's this ease of everything working-out that makes me chafe, and wish for Lanyon to either have made this a true novella (which I could buy), or have expanded it another couple of hundred pages, thereby really sinking us into the world of the Arcane Magickal Society.

But, nooooo! We get a really great first-few-chapters set-up, then a mad rush to get the boys between the sheets, and the grimoire handled, in the most expeditious of manners. Such a shame, too! Both MC's are truly worth knowing, and their world (both in London and at Boston Blackie's bookstore-front for the Society in the colonial new world) is truly worth exploiting.

If you don't mind a relatively short novel, you can never go wrong with Josh Lanyon; but, honestly, I would recommend the similarly short, but more fleshed-out (in every sense) A Ghost of a Chance over this high-aiming, but only middlingly successful shot at world-building.(less)

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Nov 04, 2012 Jaya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: good, slashreaders

SlashReaders: I liked this book. Though I did wish that there was more. There is a lot in this world that we don't really know, that isn't really explained because it's such a short work. There is a rich variety of possibilities in the book, it's world and the characters that I think isn't really utilized well. Or more rightly, I think it is used well but I think that there are a lot of other possibilities to really explore this world for both reader and author.

(view spoiler)...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Luna Solaris rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 05, 2013 Katharina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, suspense, favorites

4.5

The Darkling Thrush is an unusual book, even for Josh Lanyon. It is set roughly in our world, well, geography-wise anyhow, but it is a world full of fantastical elements, spells, magick, creatures, species. It's a world where book hunters are given generous allowance to find old, lost, almost forgotten books, and where the handling of such books is highly regulated and documented. It reads at times like a historical novel set in the late 19th century, early 20th century in Great Britain with...more 4.5

The Darkling Thrush is an unusual book, even for Josh Lanyon. It is set roughly in our world, well, geography-wise anyhow, but it is a world full of fantastical elements, spells, magick, creatures, species. It's a world where book hunters are given generous allowance to find old, lost, almost forgotten books, and where the handling of such books is highly regulated and documented. It reads at times like a historical novel set in the late 19th century, early 20th century in Great Britain with odd pieces of modern technology thrown in. At others, it's a truly fantastic plot mixed-up with the suspense of a true hunt in the mysterious shadow of old legends.
When I close my eyes I can imagine how the world looks like, and I'm not sure which part of that is my mind's doing and which part the book's. I can see cobble streets and smoky, high chimneys in London, the heather growing everywhere in Scotland, its smell, the swishing and salty tang of sea water, the sound of birds shrieking and sheep bleating, the rough landscape, the old, grim castles and small cottages. It's no small feat to awaken this sort of vivid imagery in readers and it tells about the author's talent.
Of all the places I've been to so far, Scotland is my most favorite, the most magical place. If there was ever a place where I could start to believe in legends and magic, it's probably there. I fell in love with the wilderness that the more secluded areas emanated, the harsh and rough edges. I could not imagine a more perfect setting for any kind of magical suspenseful story.

The half star that I have to detract is actually for the romance. I loved both characters, Colin and Septimus, and I loved them together; the transition from attraction to truly felt love just seemed too fast to me, and I so would have loved to see a little bit more of them at the end. But then, I didn't really expect any other ending from a Josh Lanyon book - it's always at the right place to know that everything could go perfectly right, you just don't know for sure.

Would I recommend to read this book? Absolutely! It's a unique, intricate story, very well written, promising to draw you away for a while from your mundane life to the world it creates. What else could anyone want?(less)

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May 24, 2012 Lee Brazil rated it 5 of 5 stars

SO many things to like about this story. Loved it. Great characters, sexual chemistry, neat mystery, logical and well thought out paranormal elements that add to or are intrinsic to the story - not just thrown in and irrelevant- all add up to a great read.

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 28, 2012 Trix rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, adventure, fantasy, magic, mm-novels, mystery, paranormal, suspense

What kind of ending was that? I was so Not ready for it to be over.

(view spoiler)...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 24, 2012 Nancy L rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, police-fbi-private-eye, romance, suspense-mystery

Loved it!!! A magical mystery although no wizardry really. The concept of a different kind of magic made this a great read.

1 like · like · see review

Sep 04, 2012 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, m-m, mystery, supernatural, urban-fantasy

3.5-4 stars.

Very interesting book, different from the other Josh Lanyon's I have read before.

Paranormal fantasy with a reverse steampunk flair. The plot itself was very interesting, the m/m relationship almost an afterthought, Reading it, I was enveloped into a dark and claustrophobic feeling/atmosphere which enhanced the plot of the book. That was very well done by the author, giving the reader such a feel of place and setting.

Plus I love Western Scotland. Beautiful and foreboding and magical...more

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May 27, 2012 Megan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2-stars, fiction, paranormal-and-supernatural

Unconvincing romance, rushed-at-the-end plotting accompanied by too many loose-ends, and lots of dull info-dumping. I didn't have a clear picture of this world, which was a shame, because so much of it was very interesting, and I quite liked the protagonist.

Probably not the best choice for a first Josh Lanyon book. And it might just be a "It's not you, it's me" situation, because I'm not really engaged by this kind of mythology, and I've been a cranky reader lately anyway. I'm still quite lookin...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 04, 2013 Kei Blackthorne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, folklore, m-m, booklore, magick, sidhe-faerie

A beautifully woven fantasy set in an alternate history where lore and magick are alive and well, and books are venerated not only for their literary content but as wellsprings of immense magickal potential. Enter our plucky, likeable protagonist, Colin Bliss, a young American "librevenator" (book hunter) sent across the pond on an international exchange to London's Imperial Arcane Library, expecting the excitement of career-enriching fieldwork in a strange new land, only to find himself relegat...more

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May 24, 2012 Natalia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, kindle

I was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, mostly because I had read a few unfavorable reviews saying how weird or different this one was from Josh Lanyon 's usual work. Since I am a huge fan of his, I left this book for later (since I've been reading all of his books) and I finally picked it up.

Something interesting about his books is that his titles tell you absolutely nothing about what the stories are about. In fact, I find the titles tend to be incredibly misleading and inspi...more

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May 24, 2012 Lacey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Lacey by: Alyosha

Shelves: action-mystery-suspense, age-difference, fantasy-paranormals, m-m

3.5 stars

I'm not going to go through the plot because I think a lot of other reviews have already done that. Instead, I'll tell you that I loved the idea of a world similar to our own but where magic exists. I loved the plot of this story, and the adventure grabbed me from the very beginning. I was immediately swept away in the mysteries that Colin faced and the fast-paced action of the story.

However, there were a lot of loose ends and confusing ideas that left me really disappointed after finis...more 3.5 stars

I'm not going to go through the plot because I think a lot of other reviews have already done that. Instead, I'll tell you that I loved the idea of a world similar to our own but where magic exists. I loved the plot of this story, and the adventure grabbed me from the very beginning. I was immediately swept away in the mysteries that Colin faced and the fast-paced action of the story.

However, there were a lot of loose ends and confusing ideas that left me really disappointed after finishing the story: (view spoiler)[

*MAJOR spoilers ahead*

The biggest problem with this story seems largely overlooked by the author - Why did the fairy lady from the Seelie Court want Colin to find the book? The whole plot is centered around this idea because she helps him find it and also because it is her involvement that literally saves Colin's life. But her involvement is never even remotely explained. In the end, she basically acts as something similar to a deux ex machina, and I really didn't expect that from this author.

Like others, I had trouble with the ending. After a great buildup, the ending seemed really rushed and unexplained. For one thing, what ever happened with Anstruther? The guy paid Colin a ridiculous amount of money to get the book, and when Colin backs out, he threatens to kill him. That is no light threat, but it's never mentioned again so he could very well be waiting for Colin when he returns to London. The biggest thing with the ending is the decision to leave the book where they did. It seems really stupid to leave a book that could DESTROY THE WORLD in the same place you found on the apparent assumption that no one else is going to be able to follow the same clues that you did. In addition to that, your "enemy" knows where you found it but you're hoping she'll be dumb enough not to look in the same place again? That sounds like the dumbest idea ever.

The question of why exactly Colin was chosen for the assignment (rather than more experienced Librivenators) was never explained. It was implied later on that he might have more powers than anyone thought, but how would Anstruther know that? To everyone else, he was an inexperienced Colonial who was better off being cooped up in the office transcribing old texts. Did Anstruther see more in him? Or was it really only because he lucked up on the Botolf thing?

With that previous question comes the idea of Colin being more powerful than anyone else thought. It's hinted at several times that he may have magic that even he wasn't aware of. Again, this is never explored more than that. (hide spoiler)]

Another non-spoilerish issue I had was with the relationship of the MCs. Because of Colin's active dislike of Septimus in the first half, I never really warmed up to the idea of them together, especially when it happened so suddenly. Also, they're never really together outside of a couple of sex scenes so the declarations of love towards the end come out of left field.

I know the idea that there may be a sequel has been spread, but that honestly doesn't solve most of the things that I had problems with. The issues of the fairy lady and the ending and the building of their romantic relationship should have been included in this story; otherwise, it doesn't feel complete. On the other hand, I could definitely see a future story where we learn more about Colin's powers and hopefully more about Septimus.

I was absolutely loving this until about the last 1/4 of the story. It's honestly a shame that there seemed to be so many loose ends because this could have easily been a 5 star read for me.(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 24, 2012 Elizabeth H. rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Darkling Thrush is the first Josh Lanyon book I've read that disappointed me, and I've read almost all of his work. I give it four stars only because of the inherent strength of the writing, but otherwise the characterization and plot aren't anywhere close to Josh's usual very high standards.

Foremost, I never believed in the relationship between Colin and Septimus; it was outlined in such broad brush strokes, given so little page time, and handled in such a cursory way that I hardly believe...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Kat rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: review, glbt, fantasy, read-2010, romance

My review cross-posted from Joyfully Reviewed: http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/new-r...

Book hunter Colin Bliss is finding the exchange program that took him from his home in the colonies to England somewhat lacking. Stuck translating and transcribing rather than working in the field, Colin eagerly accepts a private commission to find the Faileas a’ Chlaidheimh – The Sword’s Shadow – an ancient grimoire that mysteriously disappeared centuries ago. Though Colin doesn’t believe he’ll actually find...more My review cross-posted from Joyfully Reviewed: http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/new-r...

Book hunter Colin Bliss is finding the exchange program that took him from his home in the colonies to England somewhat lacking. Stuck translating and transcribing rather than working in the field, Colin eagerly accepts a private commission to find the Faileas a’ Chlaidheimh – The Sword’s Shadow – an ancient grimoire that mysteriously disappeared centuries ago. Though Colin doesn’t believe he’ll actually find the grimoire, the challenge of the quest thrills him. There’s just one problem – the darkly seductive Magister Septimus Marx. Septimus doesn’t want Colin to take the commission; in fact, he seems to be doing everything in his power to keep Colin from his hunt to find the Faileas a’ Chlaidheimh. Why doesn’t Septimus want Colin to find the grimoire? By the time he finds out, it’s too late for either Colin or Septimus to turn back from the dangerous path they’ve started down.

Take a journey unlike any you’ve ever before experienced with The Darkling Thrush. Josh Lanyon sweeps readers away to a world of fantasy and magick, where ancient legends lead to adventure and love brings together two perfectly-matched heroes. The Darkling Thrush is refreshingly different from anything I’ve read in a very long time. It’s also unlike any novel of Mr. Lanyon’s I’ve read so far, save for the facts that it’s elegantly written, beautifully constructed, and a delight to read from beginning to end. Colin is the hero who is readers’ guide through the story. The eager young librivenator is an intelligent, curious, and immensely likeable hero and I couldn’t help but get caught up in his quest for the Faileas a’ Chlaidheimh. Septimus, who is, understandably, the more mysterious one of the pair, captivated me from the start. He’s not a light character, but without giving anything away I’ll say that I found him entrancing. The path to happily ever after for Septimus and Colin is filled with twists and turns, roadblocks and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Yet the romantic journey, woven in with Colin’s quest, was eminently satisfying. In fact, there wasn’t a moment of The Darkling Thrush that didn’t entertain. The Darkling Thrush is an original, bewitching read that is sure to charm anyone who reads it!(less)

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May 24, 2012 Book Utopia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotic-romance, fantasy, m-m

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In some ways, this has the Lanyon stamp all over it. Told in 1st person, the narrator has a similar physicality to previous Lanyon heroes, as well as the same idealistic nature. The prose is mostly lovely, and the mystery/action (once it gets into full swing) paced well. But there are definite differences, too, things that most decidedly pulled me out of enjoying it very much.

First of all, the beginning is mired in awkward information dumps. For a fantasy world, he needs to acquaint the reader w...more In some ways, this has the Lanyon stamp all over it. Told in 1st person, the narrator has a similar physicality to previous Lanyon heroes, as well as the same idealistic nature. The prose is mostly lovely, and the mystery/action (once it gets into full swing) paced well. But there are definite differences, too, things that most decidedly pulled me out of enjoying it very much.

First of all, the beginning is mired in awkward information dumps. For a fantasy world, he needs to acquaint the reader with what he’s created, but I found these pages the hardest to slog through of the entire story. It’s confusing until much of it comes into context later on, with a lot of unfamiliar names thrown at the reader all at once. It might not be so bad if I wasn’t also trying to get a grasp on what the differences in this world were. But I was, and so ended up trying to keep all these details straight without having the right or comfortable context for it.

It’s not helped by early editorial mistakes. For instance, Colin is introduced to the Lady Margaret Lavenham, the museum procurator. She alternately gets called Lady Margaret and Lady Lavenham (in the midst of trying to keep all the other names straight), and then gets referred to as Lavinia by Anstruther, the museum’s presul. The name Lavinia is never mentioned again. I can only think that maybe the character had a name change from an earlier draft and this one was missed. Mix these kind of mistakes with the brewing and messy world-building that was going on at the same time, and it turned into a big headache.

As familiar as he was, I did like Colin and his innocence, but the romance never worked for me. Part of that is my fault. Marx is introduced (in quite a negative light and in a very menacing way) as being tall and thin with shoulder-length black hair and slashed eyebrows. I couldn’t get a picture of Snape out of my head for the entire book. Part of it, however, is the insta-love feel when they get to the ending. It was rushed and unexplained, and ultimately unbelievable. The plot and action helped to keep me engaged with the story once I finally settled into the world halfway through, but even that seemed slighted by the hurried last quarter.

In the end, I just don’t think Lanyon’s fantasy writing is my cup of tea. This needed more pages to better explore the characters and explain the world, as well as a tighter editorial hand.(less)

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Feb 01, 2013 Allison rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm, mystery, paranormal

I enjoyed seeing Josh Lanyon's take on a genre that he doesn't normally write. I definitely enjoyed the story, the world and the characters but it did have a certain sense of insta-love.

I am increasingly discovering that, in general, short stories just aren't my prefered reading. I need to know more about the characters and their stories.

Definitely worth reading but too short and quick for me personally to fully enjoy.

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Aug 05, 2012 Sally rated it 4 of 5 stars

A solid 4.5 but marked down as I felt unsatisfied with the fact that I'd have liked to read a lot more of this story. There's certainly room for follow up books if Josh feels so inclined. Once I settled into the world I loved the story and the characters were clear as always. It was a very enjoyable and tense story, very well told. I'd just have liked a lot more of it. I do hope there are follow ups to this one.

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Romance > M M Romance

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Fantasy

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Fantasy > Paranormal

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Romance

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Mystery

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Glbt > Gay

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Contemporary

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Glbt

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Suspense

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Adventure

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About Josh Lanyon

A distinct voice in gay fiction, multi-award-winning author JOSH LANYON has been writing gay mystery, adventure and romance for over a decade. In addition to numerous short stories, novellas, and novels, Josh is the author of the critically acclaimed Adrien English series, including The Hell You Say, winner of the 2006 USABookNews awards for GLBT Fiction. Josh is an Eppie Award winner and a three-...more

More about Josh Lanyon...

Books by Josh Lanyon

Fatal Shadows (Adrien English Mystery, #1)

The Dark Tide (Adrien English Mystery, #5)

A Dangerous Thing (Adrien English Mystery, #2)

Death of a Pirate King (Adrien English Mystery, #4)

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7989996-the-darkling-thrush?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1307035023l/7989996.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7989996-the-darkling-thrush?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Darkling Thrush by Josh Lanyon[/url]

The Darkling Thrush

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