The Checquy Files (The Rook, Stiletto) by Daniel O'Malley

[Athena]

I just finished The Rook last night and thanks in large part to the posters who mentioned it in Book Recs a few months back. I really enjoyed this novel and I haven't felt excited for series like this in a long time.

 

The sequel Stiletto will be released June 2015 whenever it happens.

 

Has anyone read The Rook by Daniel O'Malley?    

 

It's quite good; reminds me a bit of a police procedural mixed with X-Files and a fair amount of humor.  The author had me from the opening line: "The body you are wearing used to be mine."

 

 

I have read that, actually. I was a bit dubious at first, with the premise of MI6 for magic, but it actually worked out really well. I liked Myfanwy a lot as a protagonist, she had a great, sardonic sense of humour that appealed to me. But I did find that the book lost a little focus as it grew to a climax. I find that a lot with books built on a big, very different premise. Plot sometimes ends up taking a back seat (just a little) to setting up the world for future stories. Still, when the next one comes out, I will read it.

 

The Grafters were pretty horrifying as villains, and then more complex than they first appeared. I'm better at reading that sort of body horror stuff than I am at watching it, I have to say.

 

 

I've read it twice. Good fun, and I hope the author gets on with the sequel.

 

I really adored Myfanwy as a protagonist and there were some interesting supporting characters. It was good world building.

 

When reading it, I kept thinking I would recommend this to an English friend of mine except one of the criticisms I have with the novel was that it didn't feel English/British enough. I can't quite place my finger on it. Perhaps there wasn't enough Britishcisms or little moments, and I had no idea that O'Malley was Australian/American until midway through the novel.

 

The other minor quibble was the epistolary aspect was a bit annoying to read after awhile. I just don't enjoy reading italics text for more than a couple of pages. It was still good though.

Edited October 19, 2015 by Athena

[GaT]

Yes, I enjoyed The Rook very much & have The Stiletto on my list of books I'm waiting for.

[Mars477]

Either this or City of Stairs (which is another fantasy book about a female spy) is next on my list, after Caliban's War.

[Joe]

A new one! I'm putting this on the preorder list right now. Thanks!

[GaT]

I am massively disappointed. The release date of Stiletto must have changed, because I thought it was being released on 2/10. I went to order it & found out it's not getting released until 6/30. I am so sad.

[Athena]

I am massively disappointed. The release date of Stiletto must have changed, because I thought it was being released on 2/10. I went to order it & found out it's not getting released until 6/30. I am so sad.

 

Yes, I remember you mentioned it would be early 2015 last autumn. Sadly, they must have changed it before the new year to be June (almost July). Don't worry, we'll get through it together and can have a readalong when it gets released. :)

[taragel]

I'm excited to see this here and that we're getting Stiletto this year! (Wasn't sure we would.) Loved The Rook which felt very Orphan Black meets Harry Potter to me.

[Mars477]

I tried to get through this but the exposition by binder is awful. I'm also reading this on a small screen so every chapter or so the narrative just stops for a dozen pages just so the old Myfanwy can explain some detail that should take a sentence or two, tops. I'm trying to read a novel, not an encyclopedia. I quit around when she first gets into her office. I might go back to it, but I have better books to read at the moment.

By the way, if you guys want to read a series about British occult spies that actually uses its framing device well, then I would suggest The Laundry Files by Charles Stross. Each book spoofs a different variant of spy fiction, but they're very good, and The Rhesus Chart, the latest, is both excellent and chilling.

[GaT]

Sorry for quoting myself, but, from above

 

I am massively disappointed. The release date of Stiletto must have changed, because I thought it was being released on 2/10. I went to order it & found out it's not getting released until 6/30. I am so sad.

So today I get a 20% B&N coupon & run to their site to order the book, & the release date is now 1/26/16! This is just about a year since the original release date. anybody know what the problem is?

[Joe]

I don't know, but he has a Twitter account. I don't use it myself, but someone else who does should ask him.

[GaT]

Well guess what, the release date has been changed to 6/14/16 now. This guy is never going to drop this book.

[Joe]

We may not get the next book any time soon, but we're getting a TV series instead! Caution, somehow involves Stephanie Meyer. Yes, that one. Wonderful, huh? Well, there go my hopes.

[GaT]

I wonder if this is why the sequel has been delayed so much? Since the series is going to be on Hulu, I'll probably never see it, & since Stephanie Meyer is producing, Myfanwy will probably end up having a supernatural baby.

[Athena]

As @OakGoblinFly mentioned in the What Are We Reading thread, the second book is finally coming June 14th after being pushed back a whole year. I probably won't get to it until later in the summer, but as a reminder, this thread has the spoiler tag once the book is released.

[Joe]

So it's out in Australia. Took me a day and a half to read it. And yes, I liked it. However, there's more squick this time than previously. Lots of medical stuff.

Spoiler

 

So, Odette. Every time she leaves her room, her clothes end up ruined! She didn't get to wear a single outfit twice. Good attention to detail. Felicity. Writing a fight scene is hard enough, her big fight with Simon must have taken some serious mental effort.

Anyone familiar with Vampire: the Masquerade? The Grafters really reminded me of the Tzimisce. The whole radical transhumanist biology approach, though thankfully none of the torture.

 

All in all, a good book. I'm sure I'll read it again some time, and pick up the next one next decade.

[GaT]

At least we know it's actually being published.

[GaT]

I decided to reread The Rook before I read Stiletto since it was such a long time between books, & I'm glad I did. I haven't gotten very far into it yet, but I didn't remember a single thing, it's like I never read it before. I remember liking it a lot, I hope that holds true because now I have the sequel to read too.

[cherrypj]

I'm reading Stiletto without rereading The Rook. It's good, just by itself (won't spoil it for you!).

[MeloraH]

Just popping in here after reading both. I feel like I cheated because I didn't start The Rook until after Stiletto came out (not by design, just because I finally got around to it, I have plenty of other series where I've been waiting awhile for the next book). I think if it had been a long time before I read the first book it would have been good to reread it. Since I'd only just read the Rook like a month ago I only had to search words on my kindle version of it a few times while reading Stiletto.

Did anyone else feel like it had a bit of a Thursday Next vibe? Like it's not as cutesy or precious but I felt like the humor was kind of similar and the vast secret organization angle...

Also I feel like Katharine Parkinson would make a great Myfanwy...

[Athena]

I read Stiletto without rereading The Rook so I forgot a lot, but you can really read it as a standalone.

Lots of stuff to go through and I put a Spoilers tag on this thread, we can discuss it without tags.

Some thoughts:

• Not enough Myfanwy - she continues to grow and I missed her POV
• Like the new characters and the new arc of the merger
• Stiletto had a ton of world building in terms of history of the two groups
  • My favourite was Marcel's story which read like a mini WWII novel (and there are many of those on the market)
• The Rook was not British enough in some ways, but this one was fine
• Do love that this series seems focused on interesting and distinct female protagonists and characters; all three central characters come from different backgrounds and experiences
• This book is indeed squickier which I'm generally fine with, but this will bother more readers

The following is a big spoiler though so I'll tag it for now:

Spoiler

Gestalt! AGAIN. I knew we could not easily be rid of that creepy hive being. Now there are more of them in the world. Honestly one of the creepiest and darkest villains in a fantasy series I've read in awhile. I kinda wish he would introduce a new nemesis for Myfanwny.

 

On 2016-08-24 at 11:24 PM, MeloraH said:

Did anyone else feel like it had a bit of a Thursday Next vibe? Like it's not as cutesy or precious but I felt like the humor was kind of similar and the vast secret organization angle...

Yes, I really like the Thursday Next series and loved some of the earlier books. I still like that series, but it's naturally evolved. The humor is similar, but I think Fforde is even funnier than O'Malley. I do agree that there are similarities that I think readers of either series would enjoy the other except Checquy has more horror elements.

[MeloraH]

On 9/8/2016 at 1:21 PM, Athena said:

Yes, I really like the Thursday Next series and loved some of the earlier books. I still like that series, but it's naturally evolved. The humor is similar, but I think Fforde is even funnier than O'Malley. I do agree that there are similarities that I think readers of either series would enjoy the other except Checquy has more horror elements.

Oh, I really like the Thursday Next series too, I just realized I made it sound like I didn't, just sometimes the names or something would get a little too twee and I'd roll my eyes a bit, but overall I really like them.

Oh, and lately that Stella Artois commercial with the old-timey guy in it totally makes me think of the grafters every time I see it.

[GaT]

Finally! Book # 3, Take Flight, comes out on March 3rd. From reading the description, it doesn't sound like Myfanwy is the main character if she's in the book at all.

[GaT]

Well, book 3 finally came out (It's called Blitz) & I AM BORED. The book is 872 pages, & I'm up to page 250 & I am skimming more & more.  Is anybody else reading this? Or finished it? 

[Anduin]

12 minutes ago, GaT said:

Well, book 3 finally came out (It's called Blitz) & I AM BORED. The book is 872 pages, & I'm up to page 250 & I am skimming more & more.  Is anybody else reading this? Or finished it? 

I didn't know it was anywhere on the horizon! Maybe I should read the other two again.

[GaT]

10 hours ago, Anduin said:

I didn't know it was anywhere on the horizon! Maybe I should read the other two again.

You can but (sort of spoilery)

Spoiler

I don't think any of the people from the previous 2 books are in this one (so far), it's about the Checquy, but that's it. If you never read the previous 2, I don't think it would really matter for this one.