Stiletto

Let's get a few things out of the way: Stiletto was a very different book from the Rook. But it was a very, very good book. In fact, I think it might be a better book than Rook (although not quite as enjoyable.) In Stiletto, O'Malley zooms out from the narrow perspective of Myfanwy to a much bigger story about the Checquy, told primarily from the point of view of the Checquy's mortal enemies, now nascent allies, the Grafters. By switching perspective, O'Malley uses the different takes on supernatural and what each considers the proper way of things to really explore cultural dissonance. I thought O'Malley had a lot of interesting things to say about assimilation, alliances and immigration through the lens of these secret, ancient, supernatural organization. As an aside, I felt pretty anxious about how bring the Antagonists into the story would work with that because I was worried that they would be yet another, totally separate secret, ancient, supernatural group that would really unbalance the novel. I was extremely pleased with the direction that he went in. Also, it's very unusual for me to come across a book with a twist that both makes sense and surprises me.

I also continue to be extremely pleased by how deftly O'Malley writes female characters: they are distinct, nuanced, not sexualized and have agency. Yes, they tend to be dismayed to wear extremely expensive clothing, which they subsequently manage to ruin during action sequences, but everyone has their quirks.

Speaking of literary quirks, people who didn't like the Rook won't like Stiletto either. O'Malley loves info-dumping, and uses the merger between the Checquy and the Grafters as an excuse to go off on historical tangents (I'm pretty into his world-building, and found this fun, but it's an odd pacing choice.) He is intent on sharing the backstory of every character in the universe, even if they only survive for two pages. And he paces books like a TV show, with lots of monster-of-the-week encounters (including one that's kind of poorly paced.) But he's a fresh new voice on the speculative fiction scene, writing new, fun, things with well-written characters, well-drawn settings and something new to say with fantasy worlds, so, yeah, I'll read anything he writes.

Originally posted on bluchickenninja.com :)

Stiletto by Daniel o'Malley is the long awaited sequel to The Rook (which you should totally read if you haven't already) and the only way I can really describe these books is it's the british version of Men In Black but with more fantastical creatures and British humor. In fact I think the very very British humor in this was the thing that stood out the most to me. This book is very very silly, it doesn't take itself too seriously and that makes for a very enjoyable read.

However that doesn't necessarily make this a good read. I liked it but it wasn't great. It seemed to drag on forever in parts. There was quite a lot of unnecessary exposition especially around the history of the Grafters. The Rook was written entirely from Myfanwy's point of view so I was thrown off quite bad when I found this was written from a number of different pov's. The end part takes place in Scotland and I couldn't enjoy it because it seemed that o'Malley hadn't consulted a map at all before writing distances. I realise there are parts of Scotland that are totally uninhabited for miles and miles but it would have taken all of 5 minutes for him to learn that everything is very close together in central Scotland. Okay mini rant over. But I have to say though it wasn't very good, I still enjoyed it. Maybe even if you don't read this give The Rook a try because it works very well as a standalone novel.

This book has alot of the writing qualities of the first book that I enjoyed but there were some changes that put up some roadblocks to my enjoyment. First there are whole chapters, some are quite long, where it's all backfill. I prefer short bursts of getting off-track.

Second, there are quite a few people that you're looking thru their eyes at the goings-on, and there is no effort made to give you a heads-up that you're changing viewpoints. Too much getting lost on my part.

I was glad to see that the main character of the first book shows up. The tricky thing is the shifting perspective; looking thru her eyes as well as looking at her from others.

I'm 25% in to a TWENTY-THREE HOUR book. I'm not sure where the plot is going, and I'm not interested in putting up with all the above issues that long.

You know what is similar to this book (and The Rook)? When in Men in Black Will Smith is taken to the HQ by Tommy Lee Jones and you see all the aliens in the background being all kinds of crazy. We will never ever get to see them properly, but they are there in the background to make the world feel richer and quirkier and more interesting.
This whole series is that. We get mentions of old stories, little snippets of characters with interesting abilities, all that. Aaaand they barely ever do ANYTHING. It really feels like Mr. O'Malley had these moments of “yeaaah, imagine a person who can solidify light, that would be kinda badass” at 3am after 4 hours of watching random Youtube stuff, but then not really utilising the ideas.

What did we have instead? After centuries of fear of each other, the Checquy and the Grafters decide to form an alliance, even though the former is a bunch of random people born supernatural, while the latter is the product of super scientists augmenting everything about themselves. But you can't have those big things without some people being against it, so a terrorist group is trying to smash everything.
The two protagonists are a Grafter woman and a Checquy pawn serving as her bodyguard, both young chicks with a kinda sassy attitude. They get tangled in the crazy, of course.

Aaaand that is my issue. Odette (Grafter) and Felicity (Checquy) are just... not that interesting. They are kind of giddy and awkward, which makes me doubt that organisations with such huge history, engaged in history changing negotiations would screw around with absolutely inexperienced little baby fetuses.
They also wouldn't send important diplomats in for super unpredictable, dangerous situations just for the lulz, which they actually did MULTIPLE TIMES. Ridiculous!

Mr. O'Malley's humour comes off weird as well. Don't get me wrong, I did laugh, but he can only do one kind of jokes. Said my old men, young women, Belgians, English, ANYONE. I'm sorry, but that is just not how humour works. It's especially frustrating when we have two protagonists with approximately the same age and virtually indistinguishable inner workings. Maybe it was to show how the two organisations are fundamentally really similar, but switching between the point of views provided no contrast at all. Not pleased with it.

One moment was powerful, though. Once we can read the story of how kids at the Checquy school the older kids keep telling the younger ones a story, one about the time when the Grafters attacked them centuries ago, forcing even the kids to fight back. How supernatural kids need to be prepared to do fighting an unknown, horrible threat at any moment and that is just what they have to live with. That part was pretty damn lovely.

I can't help feeling that this series could have been better. For some reason why keep being stuck with not too interesting characters who are just... adequate, instead of being fabulous, which pisses me off because WE DO have great, interesting, vibrant ones there. Right there. In... the background. If anything, in this book we see even less of the mind splitting twin entity, awesome vampire guy, dream walking boss lady. So I'm not satisfied.

If another book comes out, I will most likely pick it up. Probably not shrieking in ecstasy, going crazy about it and breaking limbs to fight myself through a horde of rabid beasts to get it, but it's fine for some entertainment.

I have waffled on my rating for this book. I had high expectations after The Rook and this wasn't what I expected. The protagonist from the previous story becomes a supporting character and two new characters take the lead. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, once I got into it, there are some things that I would have done without.

Firstly, the amount of profanity in the book. I get that dialogue should sound natural and such. Perhaps I don't spend much time with people who swear a lot. Regardless, it seemed excessive and it doesn't add to the emotion of the story for me.

Secondly, there are long stretches of back story throughout the book. Many of these seem to go on for quite some time. I like that the author has created a history for the mysterious Grafters (who were introduced in the first book). I would argue that the material could be spread out over a series of stories and be more satisfying.

I really liked the premise of the book, that being two factions who are trying to come together after years of hate and anger. Some based on truth, much based on exaggeration and false beliefs. There are many factions in reality that suffer from these limitations.

Overall, this is a fun tale with characters that grew on me throughout the story. At first I was curious about what would happen and my curiosity piqued as the book continued. I still waffle between three or four stars. I would borrow a third book in the series from the library, for sure.

I fell in love with the universe of the first book in this series - "The Rook." I think it's so cool that these "pawns" - each with a different (and often absurdly hilarious) "super-power" - are united in service of the British homeland against all sorts of engaging (and often humorous) supernatural events and entities. While I found the plot of "The Rook" to be hard to follow at times, this entry moves at a brisk clip. I like the juxtaposition between the born powerful pawns and the made powerful enemies turned allies from Belgium (!!!) While the action was great (especially in a couple of "set-pieces" that were superfluous to plot advancement) the mistrusting relationship between the two young women was a thoughtful and engaging heart of the story. Enjoyed this one so much that I immediately started reading the third entry so I can be again immersed in a fun and exciting universe of battles, intrigue and British bureaucracy.

A great fun sequel where O'Malley really got to play with the world he had created in The Rook. Some of the old characters and lots of surprising new ones. With 580 pages - and these pages bigger than the usual paperback, more like a hardback size - it's a hefty tome (and a challenge for the weak-wristed) but it never felt overlong and was always entertaining. Looking forward to reading the next one but hoping it'll be a bit less unwieldy!

Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2J30W8ZUFZHKN?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_srp


In this sequel to “The Rook,” readers get to look under the hood of the weird world of the Checquy. As we learned from the first book, there is a very secret English secret service composed of paranormally gifted Brits with various odd talents, such as the ability to liquefy metal or fly or other oddments. Rather than let these people run around being public nuisances, they were organized into a chess-themed organization to protect England. In the 17th century, the Checquy came up against a Dutch organization of biological super-scientists called “the Grafters” for their proclivity to change the human form by grafting new organs onto their subjects.

In the last book, after a lot of court intrigue, we learned that the Checquy and the Grafters were going to combine forces.

This book takes up from that point. In it, Odette Lilliefeld, her brother Alesio, and her extended family of Grafters come to England to discuss the merger. Coincidentally with that visit, strange deaths begin to happen in England that attracts Checkquy attention

This is a long, convoluted and clever story. There are plots and counterplots in the Grafter world. Most of the Checquy view the Grafters as demonic horrors that they have been trained to fear and loathe. Grafters return this feeling. Both have awesome and horrific weapons at their disposal that the other views as akin to witchcraft.

The story moves along, although you have to pay attention to the characters who come and go. The main characters are the young Grafter, Odette, and the young pawn assigned to protect her, Felicity Clements. Odette starts off under a cloud as her awkwardness reinforces the Checquy's attitudes, but she is a resourceful, intelligent, and witty character. Over the course of the book, we see that a friendship between Clement and Odette develops.

What kept my interest, in particular, was the dry British humor that crackles throughout the book. Some of the exchanges and predicaments of the characters, including Odette's younger brother Alessio, had me chortling out loud. Along with the humor, of course, there is action and adventure abounding.

The main character for “The Rook,” Rook Myfanwy Thomas, is a continuously appearing character, but while she is important, the focus is mostly off of her, which is fine in my mind, since we saw enough of the court-level activities in the first book.

This is an entertaining and engaging book that allows the reader to escape from the mundane.

I began the year with Daniel O'Malley's debut, The Rook, and loved it, so when this sequel came out it was snapped up fast. It was actually high on my son's To Be Read list and he read it first (in 4 days!). The world of the Checquy Files is weird, cool, exciting and funny. In this story, there's a fragile alliance beginning between the Checquy (a British secret service of the supernatural) and the Belgian “Grafters”, experts in super-advanced physiological modifications. And then there's a shadowy group, the Antagonists, that want to shatter this new alliance. Such a fun read! One of my favorite new authors.

While not nearly the gleeful surprise that was The Rook, this sequel is still a ton of fun with all the requisite ass-kicking ladies, supernatural beings and dry wit with a side of the Belgian Wetenschappeljik Broederschap van Natuurkundigen. Myfawny Thomas is determined to bring about peace between the two warring factions and has assembled the heads of each at a fragile peace accord in London. We follow alongside Grafter Odette Leliefeld and Pawn Felicity Clements of the Checquy who find themselves getting involved in no shortage of shenanigans. Meanwhile a mysterious third party is decimated lives on both sides and seems determined to undermine Rook Thomas' efforts.

Daniel O'Malley could have benefited from a stern editorial hand that might have trimmed a bit of the flab off this book. But it still manages to maintain all the suspense with a hint of fun like a pulpy Sunday matinee. A perfect summer distraction.