The Somnambulist: Gollancz

“This superb debut from British author Barnes raises the bar for historical thrillers.” — Publishers Weekly
“Strange, outrageous, and wonderful … There is much that is strange, magical, and darkly hilarious about this book … An original and monumentally inventive piece of work by a writer still in his 20s. Barnes seems to leave himself room for a sequel—a consummation devoutly to be wished.” — Washington Post
“Old school entertainment in the penny-dreadful tradition that almost succeeds in being as sublime as it is ridiculous.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Magical, dark, beautifully odd–and utterly compelling–this is an astonishing debut.” — Michael Marshall, author of The Intruders
“Sneaky, cheeky, and dark in the best possible way, Jonathan Barnes’ massively entertaining THE SOMNAMBULIST manages to make the familiar daringly unfamiliar. I enjoyed the heck out of this novel.” — Jeff Vandermeer
“Macabre wit and stylistic panache. Parliament should immediately pass a law requiring Barnes to write a sequel.” — James Morrow, author of The Last Witchfinder and The Philosopher’s Apprentice
“A comic extravaganza, deftly plotted, fiendishly clever, and wonderfully funny. . . . One of the classiest entertainments I’ve read.” — Christopher Bram, author of Exiles in America
“[B]rilliant...Barnes crafts one of the finest first novels of the young century...Truly surprising plot twists and red herrings abound.” — Austin Chronicle
“A cheeky tale...salvaged from the sensationalist novels of the past three centuries....it doesn’t take an English-lit wonk to appreciate the antic mind that would name two of the grotesquely deformed prostitutes in Mrs. Puggsley’s brothel after virginal victims of Count Dracula.” — New York Times
“A first novel that shows all the polish and poise of a master storyteller….By turns disquieting, funny, and taunting.” — St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Anyone who loves a good, kind of creepy thriller most likely will find something to love in [these] pages…. Thoroughly enjoyable.” — Kansas City Star
“The Somnambulist is not your great-grandfather’s mystery yarn.” — Richmond Times-Dispatch