|
The other day, I needed a novel to occupy my time, and the bookstore didn't have the one I want, so after half an hour of being annoyed at all of the books about vampires, I decided to buy "The Somnambulist." An Edwardian-era supernatural mystery/thriller seemed to be just the sort of thing to pass my time, and I really felt like I needed to get back into the habit of giving new authors a try.
The Somnambulist is the debut novel of author Jonathan Barnes. There's already a sequel out, which I may or may not seek out to read. I'm undecided on this because I'm still undecided on just how good this volume was. There's real potential in these pages, and Barnes presents interesting ideas and writes well enough, but I felt like the book never really fully gelled for me.
Maybe it needed one more draft before being published. Maybe Barnes' first readers and editor needed to push him to polish things just a little more. Maybe he needed to spend another year or two thinking about it. Whatever the reason, the book just has a slightly "rough around the edges" feel to me.
The titular Somnambulist is not the main character. He is, in fact, the main character's silent, mysterious, inhuman assistant. Our protagonist is Edward Moon. Our narrator remains nameless for most of the book, and breaks through occasionally to offer opinions, point out inconsistencies, and generally be a pretentious presence throughout the story. This is one of my main complaints, in fact. This sort of narrator can be enjoyable when in the right hands, but in this case, comes across as an annoying device.
Anyway, Edward Moon is an aging stage magician who is also a brilliant detective. The problem is that his magic rarely comes into play, and he also doesn't come across as particularly brilliant. There are many references to his past cases and people seem to hold him in high regard, but as I think back on the book now, I don't recall him demonstrating any amazing acts of observation or deduction.
Mr. Moon finds himself called upon by the police to investigate the murder of an actor of little skill, while at the same time, a mysterious organization called The Directorate forces him to help them investigate a dire threat to England. There's mystery and intrigue and strange goings-on, and things were interesting enough to keep me turning the pages, so the book is not without its merit.
The book's ending brings with itself a few surprises, which is always nice. I saw where some plots were going, but not all. Unfortunately, I found myself questioning some of the events leading up to the climax, wherein people acted in ways that I found to be entirely unlikely, just because they have to to further the plot. To explain this would involve serious spoilers, which I'm not in the habit of publishing in my reviews. However, if you've read this book and would like to discuss it with me, you're more than welcome to take advantage of the e-mail link at the bottom of this article.
Because The Somnambulist shows potential, and because it has some interesting and bizarre ideas in it, I am recommending it for anyone who has a taste for Victorian or Edwardian fantasy and who isn't terribly nit-picky about what they read. It kept me entertained for a day and a half, even if I wasn't certain if I was enjoying the entertainment that I was receiving.
|