Bone Song is a 2007 novel by British author John Meaney. It was the first novel in the ''Tristopolis'' series, followed by ''Dark Blood'' (2008), ''Tristopolis Requiem'' (2018), ''Tristopolis Howling'' (2020), ''Tristopolis Revenge'' (2021), and a short story collection ''Two for Tristopolis'' (2019).

Plot summary

The novel is set in Tristopolis, a fantastic city where humans live side by side with

zombies A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore ...

, wraiths,

mage Mage most commonly refers to: * Mage (paranormal) or magician, a practitioner of magic derived from supernatural or occult sources * Mage (fantasy) or magician, a type of character in mythology, folklore, and fiction * Mage, a character class in ...

witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

es, talking

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed Grotesque (architecture), grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from ...

s and other mystical creatures. Death is a prominent theme in the culture of Tristopolis, with the characters using the names of

Thanatos In Greek mythology, Thanatos (; , ''Thánatos'', pronounced in "Death", from θνῄσκω ''thnēskō'' "(I) die, am dying") was the Personifications of death, personification of death. He was a minor figure in Greek mythology, often referre ...

and

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...

in place of "God", and the bones of the dead serve as the city's primary energy source. The story revolves around the police detective Donal Riordan who is assigned to protect the opera diva Maria daLivnova against the Black Circle, a group of assassins who target gifted artists with the intent of trafficking their bones. After Riordan fails his mission, he realizes that he was set up as a pawn by his higher-ups, and is recruited into a task force which investigates the Black Circle and their connection to the higher ranks of the Tristopolis society. At the same time, Donal falls in love with his new superior, the beautiful

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...

woman Laura Steele, and they begin a passionate romantic relationship.

Reception

A number of reviews praised the inventiveness of the novel's setting, with ''Fantasy Book Critic'' comparing it to

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...

's ''

Corpse Bride ''Corpse Bride'' (also known as ''Tim Burton's Corpse Bride'') is a 2005 stop-motion-animated fantasy musical film, directed by Mike Johnson (in his directorial debut) and Tim Burton from a screenplay by John August, Caroline Thompson, and ...

'',

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

, and

J. K. Rowling Joanne Rowling ( ; born 31 July 1965), known by her pen name , is a British author and philanthropist. She is the author of ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume fantasy novel series published from 1997 to 2007. The series has List of best-sell ...

's ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

'', and ''SFFWorld'' drawing parallels with the movies '' Se7en'' and '' Dark City''. A review by ''

Strange Horizons ''Strange Horizons'' is an online magazine, online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry and non-fiction in every issue, including reviews, essays, interviews, and roundtables. History and profile It was launched in S ...

'' compared ''Bone Song'' to Laurell K. Hamilton's '' Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter'' series and noted that in both works, prejudice against undead creatures (vampires in ''Anita Blake'' and zombies in ''Bone Song'') serves as a metaphor for real-life

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

. ''

SF Site ''SF Site'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine edited by Rodger Turner. It is among the oldest of websites dedicated to science fiction and primarily publishes book reviews. It has won the Locus Award and received nominations for ...

'' gave the book a generally unfavorable review, but complimented the "interesting character" of the female lead Laura Steele.{{cite web, url=https://www.sfsite.com/08b/bs254.htm, title=Bone Song, author=Jakob Schmidt, date=2007, publisher=

, accessdate=January 11, 2022

References

2000s horror novels 2007 British novels 2007 science fiction novels British detective novels British horror novels British science fiction novels Fiction about human–zombie romance Neo-noir novels Urban fantasy novels Dark fantasy novels Zombie novels Victor Gollancz Ltd books Speculative crime and thriller fiction novels