The Somnambulist (edit title)

• Rated 3 stars

“This is one of the oddest books I have ever read but intriguing nevertheless. It is a mystery, fantasy, historical fiction novel built around the philosophical ideas of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. I recommend it as a fun and fast read.”

• Rated 5 stars

“Dark, British, funny, Samuel Taylor Coleridge! What more could you want?”

• Rated 2 stars

“The Somnambulist is a fantasy/horror novel set in Victorian times about a once-famous magician turned detective Edward Moon and his sidekick, The Somnambulist, a silent giant with a default thirst for milk. The police reluctantly turn to the unlikely duo to help solve a series of inexplicable, grisly murders that seem to have ties with the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the future of London.

Jonathan Barnes' first novel starts interestingly enough by adequately imposing the strange mood and eccentric environs to give the readers a fuller feel of what’s in store for them. Despite the promising start, it careens out of control at the last quarter. You read on in hopes that it will turn itself around but it does not. Its anti-climactic ending leaves you feeling empty, like you’ve been taken for a ride that you weren’t really into but seemed like a good idea at the time. But it’s odd enough to browse if only to escape reality for a while.”

• Rated 3 stars

“I hestitate to add this book to my list. It is different. You have to like modern British literature and be a little strange. It is a strange book. There is a little sexual perversion, but not very described. I think it was added to keep it weird. Read the reviews because they are accurate. It is fantastic, unbelieveable, yet a little bit like it could be real. You could believe that there are people out there like most of the characters. ”

• Rated 1 stars

“Couldn't finish this one after two seances and the hint of more horror to come. I like mysteries with concrete murderers not spooky horror stories. Needless to say I wasn't too impressed with this one and even though it was recommended, I didn't bother to continue reading it after it was due back at the library.”

• Rated 1 stars

“enh---not so much”

• Rated 0 stars

“I didn't enjoy this book. It was very strange; a little too strange. However, someone who enjoys the unexpected, and extremeley goth may enjoy this book. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“First and foremost, my thanks to Librarything for selecting me to read this novel as part of the Early Reviewer's group at the site. Second: I think Jonathan Barnes definitely has a hit on his hand.
The last book I read even close along these lines was Gordon Dahlquist's "The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters," and as I began The Somnambulist, I immediately thought of Dahlquist's book and then my mind sort of wandered to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comics. Let me state right now that I am a MAJOR fan of pulp and The Somnambulist fed my craving well. I will also state that this book is not for everyone. At the outset the reader is warned that the narrator (whose identity remains unknown until nearly the end of the story) is unreliable, and that the "book has no literary value whatsoever. It is a lurid piece of nonsense, convoluted, implausible, peopled by unconvincing characters, written in drearily pedestrian prose, frequently ridiculous and willfully bizarre." If those two facts do not scare you off, then you're in for an incredibly wild ride.
Edward Moon is a stage magician and when he's not busy performing magic with trained apes he often moonlights as a detective who has helped Scotland Yard in more than one instance. His partner is known as "the Somnambulist," and stands about eight feet tall, can be pierced through with swords and shed no blood, and does not speak but makes himself heard through the medium of a chalkboard. He cannot spell, his grammar is quite bad, and the significance of why this book is named for him doesn't reveal itself until the end (which I will not divulge here). Anyway, Scotland Yard's Inspector Merryweather now turns to the pair because of a series of bizarre and inexplicable deaths. This sets the pair onto a path that seems to have been somewhat predestined, involving a rather strange plot that has its origins under the city of London. Moon is warned away several times by some rather odd characters, none the least of which is a man who claims to be able to travel through time, a psychic, and a human fly. Adding to Moon's problems, a rather strange albino who works for some government bureau called "The Directorate" enlists him as well when these mysterious deaths lead to the uncovering of the plot. Need I continue?
The writing is fantastic (if you enjoy this sort of thing), and the characters are quite well drawn. I would definitely recommend it to fans of pulp fiction (this is among the pulpiest!) and to those who enjoy a wee bit of steampunk in their reading. As noted earlier, this isn't for everyone, but if you're inclined toward this sort of craziness, you're going to love it. FYI: I enjoyed this so much I'm buying a copy for my home library collection of quirky pulp. My thanks to Librarything for the opportunity to preview this novel.”

• Rated 4 stars

“In what I hope to be the start of a long career in fiction, Mr. Barnes takes us on a supernatural-mystery tour of Victorian London in which a series of murders leads a detective/magician to a plot to reinvent the city. He was a fantastic sense of humor and a gift for description, but, unfortunately, the end of the story happens much too quickly for the care with which Mr. Barnes gets us there.”