or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
64 used & new from Ł0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Somnambulist (Gollancz S.F.)
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Somnambulist (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)

by Jonathan Barnes (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
RRP: Ł7.99
Price: Ł5.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: Ł2.00 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Saturday, November 7? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
39 new from Ł0.01 24 used from Ł0.01 1 collectible from Ł2.20
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover (New title) Ł16.99 Ł14.44 16 used & new from Ł0.01
Paperback (Export ed) Ł9.99 Ł9.99 32 used & new from Ł0.01

Frequently Bought Together

The Somnambulist (Gollancz S.F.) + The Domino Men (Gollancz S.F.) + The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters
Price For All Three: Ł18.86

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Domino Men (Gollancz S.F.)

The Domino Men (Gollancz S.F.)

by Jonathan Barnes
4.2 out of 5 stars (4)  Ł6.38
The Court of the Air

The Court of the Air

by Stephen Hunt
3.5 out of 5 stars (31)  Ł5.87
The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters

The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters

by G.W. Dahlquist
3.5 out of 5 stars (108)  Ł6.49
The End of Mr. Y

The End of Mr. Y

by Scarlett Thomas
3.6 out of 5 stars (128)  Ł3.99
The Vesuvius Club: A Lucifer Box Novel

The Vesuvius Club: A Lucifer Box Novel

by Mark Gatiss
3.5 out of 5 stars (30)  Ł4.78
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Gollancz (10 Jan 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0575082143
  • ISBN-13: 978-0575082144
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 61,975 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Sarah Crowden, THE OBSERVER

"This promising debut subverts its 19th-century predecessors amusingly. Inventive and often witty. A cabinet crammed with curiosities."

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.



Product Description

'Be warned. This book has no literary merit whatsoever. It is a lurid piece of nonsense, convoluted, implausible, peopled by unconvincing characters, written in drearily pedestrian prose, frequently ridiculous and wilfully bizarre. Needless to say, I doubt you'll believe a word of it.' So starts the extraordinary tale of Edward Moon, detective, his silent sidekick the Sonambulist and devilish plot to recreate the apocalyptic prophecies of William Blake and bring the British Empire crashing down. With a gallery of vividly grotesque characters, a richly evoked setting and a playful highly literate style this is an amazingly readable literary fantasy and a brilliant debut.
See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(2)
(2)
(1)
(1)
See all 5 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Somnambulist (Gollancz S.F.)
75% buy the item featured on this page:
The Somnambulist (Gollancz S.F.) 3.9 out of 5 stars (13)
Ł5.99
The Domino Men (Gollancz S.F.)
7% buy
The Domino Men (Gollancz S.F.) 4.2 out of 5 stars (4)
Ł6.38
The Pilo Family Circus
7% buy
The Pilo Family Circus 4.3 out of 5 stars (13)
Ł4.66
The Court of the Air
5% buy
The Court of the Air 3.5 out of 5 stars (31)
Ł5.87
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:
 (6)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A really good adventure!, 21 Feb 2007
This review is from: The Somnambulist (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)
This was a really entertaining read. If you liked Mark Gatiss The Vesuvuis Club then you'll love this. It references alot of english victorian writing such as dickens and Doyle. It is hilariously dark in humour. I found the prose well written and easy to read even though the story is complex. It is atmospheric to say the least. It is very much a book aimed at people with a sense of the ridiculous. This book doesn't take it's self too seriously and therefore you enjoy it all the more. A great read!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars It's quite good, 30 May 2007
By E. Watson "readtoomuch" (uk) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Somnambulist (Gollancz S.F.) (Hardcover)
I read it in 3 days - mainly due to wash out bank holiday weekend - and found it to be both enjoyable and confusing.

Really liked the idea of the prefects.

A good read if you are after a well paced, slighly dark mystery. I hope for further accounts of Mr Moon's past adventures.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Well written, witty, but..., 2 May 2007
By Karen B (London, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Somnambulist (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)
A very well written novel, which kept me hooked to the end. And that is, alas, where for me it fell down. The end seemed rushed as if the author didn't know what else to do. In summary, I would say it's a thoroughly enjoyable book but I felt cheated by the ending which was done so poorly compared to the rest of it.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars 'Lost' in pastiche Edwardian novel form
This is a dreadful book. I compare it to 'Lost' as it goes down the same route of thinking a story is improved by adding great big helpings of 'mystery' whilst neglecting vital... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Kevin

1.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Terrible Mess
Reading the other reviews of The Somnambulist I can only presume that I must have read a wholly different novel, because the book I just struggled to finish and immediately cast... Read more
Published 9 months ago by C. Green

4.0 out of 5 stars A Lurid Piece of Nonsense
This is Jonathan Barnes' first book, and a very well-written début it turns out to be. But, given that Mr Barnes graduated from Oxford with a first in English Literature, one... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Diziet

5.0 out of 5 stars Tinketty-Tonk...
It's the kind of book that may have been written if Lewis Carrol, Robert Rankin and Conan Doyle had somehow all gotten together and taken some very illegal substances while... Read more
Published 15 months ago by The Big Onion

4.0 out of 5 stars Victorian Farce A Right Old Jolly Jape!
First things first - this book IS different.
Secondly, I thoroughly enjoyed this dastardly Dickensian thriller, and especially the characters. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr. John Frank Herbert

5.0 out of 5 stars Wierd and Wonderful! A Brilliant Debut
I was initially drawn the 'The Somnnabulist by the enticing front cover which seemed to promise adventure, humour and intrigue all in one, and upon reading it I wasn't... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Wildlife Bookworm

4.0 out of 5 stars eye candy for the brain
The book has its roots in stream punk or gothic horror with a dark brooding picture of late Victorian London full of grotesques, human monsters, corruption, dystopian nightmares... Read more
Published 18 months ago by John

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Wow - just read it everyone - it's a joy. Please, please Johnathan Barnes let's have another one. Wonderful.
Published 19 months ago by L. Kersh

4.0 out of 5 stars Good stuff
I bought this on a whim, primarily because I liked the cover; I'm as shallow as that. I wasn't expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Ed F

5.0 out of 5 stars a fine mix of neil gaiman and china mieville
(from my amazon.com review)


This is a stunning debut novel--there are elements of Neil Gaiman, but it most closely resembles the work of China... Read more
Published 21 months ago by David W. Straight

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum (0 discussions)
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject








i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.