Bone Song (edition 2008)

An absolutely mind-blowing book, one of the best fantasies I've read in YEARS. Dark, dark, dark - this is a world powered by death, in a very literal sense. Wraiths and necromancy provide the security, technology, motivation, and power for the entire city...the entire world...and Meaney has developed an INCREDIBLY complex and engrossing cosmology around this concept. Add to that a very well-crafted police procedural/hardboiled crime novel, and you've got one of the most unique books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Meaney pulls NO punches, and it's brilliant. ( )

The first of a series (The Tristopolis series) this novel features Donal, an investigator for Police Headquarters. Only this police dept is nothing like any department we might have. In fact, Tristopolis is nothing like any city we have on Earth. No, Tristopolis is a city that is powered by the bones of the dead....and apparently it's still a bit....uncomfortable. There are many species inhabiting this city - and working for the police dept. Deathwolves, wraiths, zombies....

In the beginning of the book Donal is given the task of protecting a visiting Diva from an apparent conspiracy...In preparation for this job, Donal is sent to the power company to do some research. The danger the Diva is in involves murder, appropriation of the murder victim's bones, and the apparent use of the bones. Bones sing. Not everyone can hear their song, but something happens to Donal during his visit to the power company and when he leaves, he finds that he frequently hears a voice inside his head that asks him "do you hear the..." He always interrupts the question, sometimes answering, sometimes telling it to shut-up. The thing I loved about this development is that throughout the whole novel, we hear from this voice...it's like a supporting cast.

There is complication - Donal fails in his protective mission (not a spoiler, this info is given on the back of the book), Donal ends up in a hospital and then is recruited by an elite squad within the police department, trying to find out if there is a traitor within the police department, if there is indeed a conspiracy, etc. There are many wonderful characters to read, and lots of great dialogue.

The worldbuilding is .....exquisite. Think of a blend of Gotham City (Batman), a fantasy setting with purple skies, furniture and appliances a la Beauty and the Beast (wraiths occupy them), steampunk-like gadgets run by magic or hexes and a wonderful array of characters that you could find in many fantasy and urban fantasy novel. It all works so well together in John Meaney's creation. Bone Song is rich in details, good writing, suspense and also has some chuckles.

This book was so interesting and entertaining that I found myself wondering halfway through if there was going to be a sequel. I've only felt like that with a few series.

Needless to say, I am looking forward to acquiring the sequel to this (Black Blood in the US and Dark Blood in the UK) and hope it will be soon. Both books, Bone Song and DarkBlood/Black Blood are available now.

I recommend this to lovers of fantasy and urban fantasy. ( )

Do you hear the bones?

The dead walk - and power the city - in this intriguing series opener.

For Lieutenant Donal Riordan a high-profile assignment protecting a Diva from what may possibly be a serial killer targeting famous artists for their bones isn't exactly a thrill. But failing turns out to be the first step in an outward spiral of investigation that takes him deeper and deeper into the politics and power behind the cities that run on possession and death.

Dark and fascinating. ( )

NOTE: I did not finish this book.

The story: In a necropolis (a city literally getting its energy from its dead), a hardworking detective must solve who is killing famous celebrities for their bones. He has to protect a beautiful, gifted diva, while figuring out whodunnit.

Read about this in Library Journal and got excited about it. The article seemed (to me) to imply that it would be a rather straightforward fantasy novel, that would descend into a fun zombie mystery. I like fantasy as opposed to scifi, because the rules are looser and not everything has to have an exacting explanation of how it works; fantasy tends to give guidelines as opposed to rules. But I was disappointed to learn that this was more akin to scifi than fantasy, with page after page of grueling descriptions, obtuse references to nonexistant technology, and a kind of smugness that said "I refuse to tell you straight out how it works.". I understand that authors strive to "show, don't tell" but when dropped into a different reality, I kind of wanted more a helping hand than what I was given. I would have stayed with it, had the characters or the mystery engaged me, but the detective was cookie-cutter from the outset and I didn't care to shuffle through the difficulties to learn whether or not he was all that he appeared. I waited around until the female celebrity that he was intended to guard showed up, but quickly disliked her, and finally gave up on the novel.

I write this review as a warning to others who may believe this to be fantasy - it's scifi. If science fiction is more your bag, I think this would be a knockout, because the universe is interesting if you like that style. But for a fantasy fan, I have to say that I wasn't going to trouble myself to plow through. I apologize if this seems harsh, but I did have my nose out of joint over the misleading review... ( )

I loved this book! It was a totally different reality, albeit a dark one. The whole mental landscape is black and purple and filled with strange creatures. Ghosts, wraiths, zombies, and other undead populate the book but the hero deals treats them all as equals. In a way, it's a book about castes and outcasts. It wasn't an easy read (i.e. don't read while the TV is blaring) but I enjoyed it a lot.

I am looking forward to reading his next book. ( )