Bone Song

a new favorite of mine...

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.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Slow to start, but really picks up.

I found this under zombies. There are zombies, but there is so much more. Total Fantasy! It started really slow, but picked up halfway through. I will keep reading this trilogy.

There is a Siren's Song at the Heart of Us, Buried in Our Bones

Death. Lieutenant Donal Riordan's world is enveloped in it if not powered by it and its inevitable byproducts, bones. Someone has taken an unhealthy interest in not only Donal but also some very interesting bones. Too bad the person they belong to are alive- but for how long? Donal's ordinary life is turned upside down when he accepts the assignment to watch over the visiting Diva Maria daLivnova whom the ossiophiliac Black Circle have targeted for their next acquisition. Gone is the small apartment and day by day drudgery Donal has always known, replaced by a surprising relationship, involvement in a new special team in the police force, and the strange song of bones that keeps infiltrating his thoughts. Now Donal becomes the target of long range manipulations, suspicions of collusion and international intrigue.

John Meaney's Thanotopic world is like no other and that pure originality is an excellent reason to pick up this book. Bone Song bristles with creativity and ideas. Meaney also brings his sharp wit to bear and the while the tone may stray towards noir, the dialog is snappy and pointed. He has an intresting array of characters all of which enjoy brief moments in the spotlight. There is a shift in the story from a single to multiple viewpoints that feels a bit abrupt but on the whole it was an enjoyable read.

Wonderful Gothic Crime Fantasy

This book combines gothic horror/science-fiction with a police-crime plot. At first the fantastic dark imagery and bizarre denizens tend to overwhelm everything except the engaging main character, lieutenant detective Donald Riordan. Raised as an orphan, Riordan works under the indigo skies of Tristopolis, an urban necropolis powered by the bones of the dead. The plot and pace quickly escalates when an opera star, whom Riordan and other police are guarding, is publicly murdered to harvest the addictive resonance of her bones. This book is completely enthralling and occasionally poignant. I heartily recommend it along with its sequel "Black Blood".

Good start to a new series

Meaney has created a very original world and stocked it with interesting characters although some of the characterization was a bit shallow. The tone and setting are dark but he is careful not to make it over the top. This is a very well crafted novel. I expect his follow up work, as he gets more comfortable in his world, to be superb.

Bone Song

Bone Song is a good start to a new series (hopefully). I look forward to John Meaney's next book.

Bone Song

What would happen if the Dead were used as a power source, I mean we all have to die sometime don't we, and this book gives a whole new meaning to the afterlife.

This is a fascinating police procedural urban fantasy

Four famous performers have been recently murdered in different countries. At least of the actor Sir Alyn Conolly made it to the morgue in Lorgonne, where an autopsy revealed toxic slivers that resolved left behind micro holes.------------- In Tristopolis the multiple incinerations of the dead serve the undead living by providing the 'necroflux'. The Police Commissioner is concerned with the upcoming appearance of opera singer Maria daLivnova at the Theatre du Loup Mort. He orders Police Lieutenant Donal Riordan to insure the diva is kept safe from an apparent deadly cult. However the dedicated courageous cop soon concludes that the cult¿s necromantic success is fostered by those at the untouchable top of the government. He must find a way to stop those who kill the dead with impunity.------------- This is a fascinating police procedural urban fantasy in which 'There are eight million stories in the Naked City¿ of Tristopolis John Meaney introduced many of them but left them open. The Noir investigation is fun to follow and the paranormal species ¿living¿ above and under ground seem genuine, but it is the colorful dark description of the city that steals the show in this first of what looks to be a long running series.------------- Harriet Klausner

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