Myfanwy Thomas awakens in a London park surrounded by dead bodies. With her memory gone, she must trust the instructions left by her former in order to survive. She quickly learns that she is a Rook, a high-level operative in a secret agency that protects the world from supernatural threats. But there is a mole inside the organization, and this person wants her dead.
Battling to save herself, Myfanwy will encounter a person with four bodies, a woman who can enter her dreams, children transformed into deadly fighters, and terrifyingly vast conspiracy.
Suspenseful and hilarious, The Rook is an outrageously imaginative thriller for readers who like their espionage with a dollop of purple slime.
"Utterly convincing and engrossing -- -totally thought-through and frequently hilarious....Even this aging, jaded, attention-deficit-disordered critic was blown away."-Lev Grossman, Time
Daniel 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, where he works for the Transport Safety Bureau, writing press releases for government investigations of plane crashes and runaway boats.
"A near-perfect supernatural thriller...Don't start this book unless you've got lots of time, because you won't want to put it down. It's that good."
—David Keymer, Library Journal
"The Rook is going to kick off my Best Books of the Year list. The opening page alone is a gem, and the narrative just keeps getting better...This is wonderful entertainment."
—Charlaine Harris, on her blog
"The Rook has got it all: secret powers, mysterious organizations, dark corners...twisted scientists, and a duck that can see the future...Hands down I have not enjoyed a good supernatural novel this much for quite some time...It's just that good."
—James Floyd Kelly, Wired.com
"A beguiling and inventive first novel...The Rook is expertly written...full of narrative energy."
—David Walton, Cleveland Plain Dealer
"A creative mix of suspense, the supernatural, and espionage thrills. It's loaded with dry wit and doesn't take itself too seriously...Certainly one of the most unusual stories you will read this year."
—Christian DuChateau, CNN.com
"Great, rattling fun, as if Neil Gaiman took Buffy the Vampire Slayer and crossed it with Torchwood... Throughout a rip-roaring narrative, O'Malley off-handedly weaves deadpan humor."
—Joyce Saenz Harris, Dallas Morning News
"Adroitly straddles the thin line between fantasy, thriller, and spoof....O'Malley is a nimble writer, effortlessly leaping back and forth between comedy and action."—David Pitt, Booklist
"Peppered with sly humor, referential social commentary, and the ironic, double-layered self-awareness that will have genre fans believing Buffy the Vampire Slayer has joined Ghostbusters."—Kirkus
"Wholly refreshing...If you like Harry Potter, Buffy, X-Men, or any assorted series that mixes humor and the supernatural, you'll probably love The Rook."
—Alex Zalben, MTV Geek
"Impressive....Dry wit, surprising reversals of fortune, and a clever if offbeat plot make this a winner."—Publishers Weekly
