Be warned. This book has no literary merit whatsoever. Needless to say, I doubt you'll believe a word of it.
Once the toast of good society in Victoria's England, the extraordinary conjurer Edward Moon no longer commands the respect or inspires the awe that he did in earlier times. Despite having previously unraveled more than sixty perplexing criminal puzzles (to the delight of a grateful London constabulary), he is considered something of an embarrassment these days. Still, each night without fail, he returns to the stage of his theatre to amaze his devoted, albeit dwindling audience with the same old astonishments—aided by his partner, the silent, hairless, hulking, surprisingly placid giant who, when stabbed, does not bleed . . . and who goes by but one appellation:
The Somnambulist
On a night of roiling mists and long shadows, in a corner of the city where only the most foolhardy will deign to tread, a rather disreputable actor meets his end in a most bizarre and terrible fashion. Baffled, the police turn once again in the direction of Edward Moon—who will always welcome such assignments as an escape from ennui. And, in fact, he leads the officers to a murderer rather quickly. Perhaps too quickly. For these are strange, strange times in England, with the strangest of sorts prowling London's dank underbelly: sinister circus performers, freakishly deformed prostitutes, sadistic grown killers in schoolboy attire, a human fly, a man who lives backwards. And nothing is precisely as it seems.
Which should be no surprise to Moon, whose life and livelihood consists entirely of the illusionary, the unexpected, the seemingly impossible. Yet what is to follow will shatter his increasingly tenuous grasp on reality—as death follows death follows death in the dastardly pursuit of poetry, freedom, utopia . . . and Love, Love, Love, and Love.
Remember the name Jonathan Barnes, for, with The Somnambulist, he has burst upon the literary scene with a breathtaking and brilliant, frightening and hilarious, dark invention that recalls Neil Gaiman, Susanna Clarke, and Clive Barker at their grimly fantastical best . . . with more than a pinch of Carl Hiaasen–esque outrageousness stirred into the demonically delicious brew.
Read on . . . and be astonished!

The Somnambulist

Literature & Fiction

Barnes, Jonathan

United States

William Morrow

Once the toast of good society in Victoria's England, the extraordinary conjurer Edward Moon no longer commands the respect that he did in earlier times. Still, each night he returns to the stage of his theater to amaze his devoted, albeit dwindling, audience, aided by his partner, the Somnambulist—a silent, hairless, hulking giant who, when stabbed, does not bleed. But these are strange, strange times in England, with the oddest of sorts prowling London's dank underbelly. And the very bizarre death of a disreputable actor has compelled a baffled police constabulary to turn once again to Edward Moon for help—inevitably setting in motion events that will shatter his increasingly tenuous grasp on reality.

The Somnambulist: A Novel

William Morrow Paperbacks

“An infectious blend of wit, wonder, and the bizarre presented with remarkable style.”
—San Antonio Express-News
Jonathan Barnes, author of The Somnambulist, outdoes himself in outrageous invention with The Domino Men. Fans of Neil Gaiman, Jasper Fforde, Susanna Clarke, Matt Ruff, and Douglas Adams will not want to miss this quirky and compelling tale of intrigue, conspiracy, and general oddness. Think The Office meets James Bond fighting aliens with a healthy dollop of H.P. Lovecraft horror thrown in for good measure—and that’s only half the fun of Barnes’s wonderfully bizarre The Domino Men.

The Domino Men

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

In an earlier century, Queen Victoria made a Faustian bargain, signing London and all its souls away to a nefarious, inhuman entity. Now, generations later, the bill has finally come due. . . . An amiable, unambitious London file clerk, Henry Lamb leads an unremarkable lifeuntil the day he learns he's expected to assume the covert responsibilities of his universally despised, now comatose grandfather. London is at war, and a shadowy organization known (to a very few) as the Directorate wishes to recruit Henry to the cause. All he has to do is find "the girl," save the world from the monster Leviathan, and defeat the unspeakable evil lurking in the cellar of 10 Downing Street: the serial-slaying schoolboy twins known as the Domino Men.

The Domino Men: A Novel

The influence of Aristotle, the prince of philosophers, on the intellectual history of the West is second to none. In this book, Jonathan Barnes examines Aristotle's scientific researches, his discoveries in logic and his metaphysical theories, his work in psychology and in ethics and politics, and his ideas about art and poetry, placing his teachings in their historical context. About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.

Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

Oxford University Press

Greek Philosophers contains essays on three of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates wrote nothing himself, and our knowledge of his philosophical opinions and method is derived mainly from the engaging and infuriating figure who appears in Plato's dialogues. The philosophy of Socrates and Plato is therefore closely interconnected, and the most powerful elements of Plato's mature thought form the basis of an interpretation of knowledge, reality, and morality which is still held and debated by philosophers today. Aristotle's scientific explorations and systematic philosophical investigation have been instrumental in the development of Western philosophy. Each of this book's three authors provides a thorough section on a single philosopher, and the confluence of these studies will help readers understand these great thinkers both individually and in the context of each other.

Greek Philosophers: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle

Hare, R.M.

Taylor, C.C.W.

The influence of Aristotle, the prince of philosophers, on the intellectual history of the West is second to none. In this book Jonathan Barnes examines Aristotle's scientific researches, his discoveries in logic and his metaphysical theories, his work in psychology and in ethics and politics, and his ideas about art and poetry, placing his teachings in their historical context.

Aristotle (Past Masters)

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

The influence of Aristotle, the prince of philosophers, on the intellectual history of the West is second to none. In this book Jonathan Barnes examines Aristotle's scientific researches, his discoveries in logic and his metaphysical theories, his work in psychology and in ethics and politics, and his ideas about art and poetry, placing his teachings in their historical context.

British & Irish

Founders of Thought offers introductions to three of the most influential intellects of classical antiquity: Plato, whose dialogues form the basis of the study of logic, metaphysics, and moral and political philosophy; Aristotle, polymath, tutor of Alexander the Great and "master of those who know"; and Augustine, the Christian convert who asked God to make him good, "but not yet." Brief, accessible, and written by outstanding scholars, these studies offer readers an introduction to the ideas and achievements of the thinkers whose works are essential to a full understanding of western thought and culture.

Founders of Thought: Plato, Aristotle, Augustine (Past Masters)

Chadwick, Henry

Religion & Spirituality

Greek Philosophers (Past Masters)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Barnes, Jonathan. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Barnes, Jonathan

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Barnes, Jonathan. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Somnambulist

The Somnambulist: A Novel

The Domino Men

The Domino Men: A Novel

Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction

Greek Philosophers: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle

Aristotle (Past Masters)

Aristotle (Past Masters)

Founders of Thought: Plato, Aristotle, Augustine (Past Masters)

Greek Philosophers (Past Masters)