Bone Song (Tristopolis)

I ordered this book based on other *glowing* customer reviews, and this is indeed a very good story. It's a whodunnit in a world which runs on bone magic, which in itself is enough to make it interesting. Further on, there are several twists in the story, which I'll leave to you to discover, which make it a joy to read and be surprised. I hope this is the beginning of a few more 'bone' books - there are plenty of tantalizing clues that seem to indicate a complete world is waiting to be explored.

I finished this last night and have to add my bit to plug the book. He is planning a sequel. The imagery is amazing and I have to agree that the world is richer than the plot but that isn't a bad thing at all. Too complex a story line would almost get in the way of the images building in your mind. I do hope that the future plots are more involving with less glossing over motivations and that the author addresses the more disturbing elements of his world. The only books I have read that come close to this dark and very different world are the Inspector Chen novels of Liz Williams set in an alternate Singapore and the Chinese Hell. I recommend those too.

Bone Song is interesting and different, it's also intriguing and chilling. The world is built with such a dark and dramatic flavor that it sucks you in and does not let you go...easily. If a book had a visual flavor I would compare it to Brazil, Gattica, and several other industrial/goth movies. The concept of bones as a power source is interesting, it also raises several moral issues that the author does not address directly. The moral issues are outside the story line, but you think about them as the characters think about them. The core story is about protecting a talented Opera Diva and the people behind the murders of several other artists. The chase is as interesting as the reason behind the murders. I also enjoyed several of the sub characters, you can see the author going further with this world and the sub characters. I can also see the author leaving the novel as a single volume, leaving the audience wanting more...

I just finished reading this book today and it is so good that I had to write this review. The first thing I liked about this novel is the worldbuilding, which reminds me of the Addams Family. There's a similar gothic creepiness and dark humor. Imagine if the whole world were like the Addams Family! This parallel Earth, has perpetually dark skies, multiple sentient species in addition to humans, and "necroflux," which is a form of energy produced by the "dead." In the story, cop Donal, uncovers a sinister conspiracy which among other things, murders artistic people for their vivid "bone dreams." They also want to deprive non-human sentients of their civil rites, which is reminescent of the X-men series. There are multiple twists and turns, including a major one for Donal. I can hardly wait for the sequal were Donal adjusts to his new "status."

John Meaney's latest book "Bone Song" is on one hand a departure from his Nulpeiron Sequence novels while at the same time highlighting Meaney's greatest literary gift: the ability to create new and original worlds. Donal Connor is a cop in the classic noir sense; he lives in a world where humans and supernatural creatures coexist and often times work side by side. Although the book is people by interesting three dimensional characters, the real "character" of the book is the city of Tristopolis; a gothic city (picture London coupled with Paris with no daylight). The world in which Tristopolis is situated is literally powered by the dead. Computers replaced by sentient spirits and magic; werewolf security systems not to mention a sexy boss/partner that also happens to be a zombie. After a series of brutal murders of famous artists, Donal is given the mission of protecting a glamorous Diva who is possibly next on the list and the fun begins there. Although the novel is incredibly dark, Meaney takes that darkness and plays with it, creating interesting shades of grey. It seems these days that the science fiction book market is filled to saturation with vampire slaying, Dominatrix type novels aimed at readers that previously had subscriptions to the "romance paperback of the month Club". If this is your cup of tea, then take a pass on Bone Song. However, if you're interested in something truly different, Bone Song might be your latest page turner. Definitely worth the read.