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Loading... The Somnambulist (original 2007; edition 2007)by Jonathan Barnes (Author)
Work InformationThe Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes (2007)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Gosh I can't believe I actually finished this. So much potential just fell flat. Barnes tries too much and too little at the same time. I didn't care about any of the characters and the historical gimmicks weren't interesting enough. For instance, the character of Coleridge (minor spoiler, but I could not care less) is under-used and the nature of the title character is never answered--why the fuck is it called the Somnambulist?! It makes no sense. Is he some sort of golem? It feels like Barnes took a bunch of notes on "how to create a unique alternative world" and started to try to lay the groundwork in some overly subtle way for a follow-up novel in the Domino Men (which also falls flat, given this poor foundation). But where his world-building had the potential to be unique and interesting, he just glossed over it. In the meantime, his characters are boring and predictable and the plot is grand but kept on too short of a leash to flourish. I feel like Barnes tried too hard and couldn't keep track of his own pieces. The unreliable narrator was cliche and predictable. It's been a long time since I've read a novel that was so good at reminding me it was a book, consciously knocking me out of its narrative grasp. It was *this* close to being a page turner, but it just ended up a wannabe. An interesting pot-pourri of ideas and characters that wouldn’t be out of place in Victorian penny-dreadfuls pulp magazines. The result is a fast moving series of adventures and puzzles that reflects the twist and turns of London’s gas-lit streets. Unfortunately the characters are never really developed and it does come across as trying to be a little bit too hard to be clever which gets in the way of the narrative. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesVictoriana (1) Notable Lists
A tale set in Victorian London introduces the characters of a stage magician and detective and his silent sidekick, whose fiendish plot to re-create the apocalyptic prophecies of Samuel Taylor Coleridge threaten the British Empire. No library descriptions found.
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LibraryThing Early Reviewers AlumJonathan Barnes's book The Somnambulist was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 2000-LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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It's been a long time since I've read a novel that was so good at reminding me it was a book, consciously knocking me out of its narrative grasp. It was *this* close to being a page turner, but it just ended up a wannabe. ( )