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Thaumatology #5
Disturbia
As Ceridwyn Brent and her half-succubus lover, Lily Carpenter, begin a training course to become Special Advisors to the Metropolitan Police Force’s supernatural crimes division, the first of a series of mysterious deaths happens. A werewolf throws himself in front of a light-rail train, apparently being chased, though there is nothing visible following him. When another wolf from the same pack is found ripped apart in his home, the hunt for a supernatural killer begins.
The trail leads them to the darker side of London and into the underworld of illegal porn and snuff films which Lily is uncomfortably familiar with. Facing personal tragedy and Lily’s ugly past, the couple must ultimately face a killer bent on revenge who cannot die.
The trail leads them to the darker side of London and into the underworld of illegal porn and snuff films which Lily is uncomfortably familiar with. Facing personal tragedy and Lily’s ugly past, the couple must ultimately face a killer bent on revenge who cannot die.
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2012
35 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Niall Teasdale
73 books292 followersI was born in the vicinity of Hadrian's Wall so perhaps a bit of history rubbed off. Ancient history obviously, and border history, right on the edge of the Empire. I always preferred the Dark Ages anyway; there’s so much more room for imagination when people aren’t writing down every last detail. So my idea of a good fantasy novel involved dirt and leather, not shining plate armour and Hollywood-medieval manners. The same applies to my sci-fi, really; I prefer gritty over shiny.
Oddly, then, one of the first fantasy novels I remember reading was The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper (later made into a terrible juvenile movie). These days we would call Cooper’s series Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy and looking back on it, it influenced me a lot. It has that mix of modern day life, hidden history, and magic which failed to hit popular culture until the early days of Buffy and Anne Rice. Of course, Cooper’s characters spend their time around places I could actually visit in Cornwall, and South East England, and mid-Wales. In fact, when I went to university in Aberystwyth, it was partially because some of Cooper’s books were set a few miles to the north around Tywyn.
I got into writing through roleplaying, however, so my early work was related to the kind of roleplaying game I was interested in. I wrote “high fantasy” when I was playing Dungeons & Dragons. I wrote a lot of superhero fiction when I was playing City of Heroes. I still loved the idea of a modern world with magic in it and I’ve been trying to write a novel based on this for a long time. As with any form of expression, practice is the key and I can look back on all the aborted attempts at books, and the more successful short stories, as steps along the path to the Thaumatology Series.
As of 2015, I have thrown in my lot with writing. After thirty years of being a computer programmer I am making enough money to quit the day job and write full time. Dreams, occasionally, come true. My favourite authors are Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, and (recently) Kim Harrison. Kim’s Hollows books were what finally spurred me to publish something, even if the trail to here came by way of Susan, back in school, several decades ago.
Oddly, then, one of the first fantasy novels I remember reading was The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper (later made into a terrible juvenile movie). These days we would call Cooper’s series Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy and looking back on it, it influenced me a lot. It has that mix of modern day life, hidden history, and magic which failed to hit popular culture until the early days of Buffy and Anne Rice. Of course, Cooper’s characters spend their time around places I could actually visit in Cornwall, and South East England, and mid-Wales. In fact, when I went to university in Aberystwyth, it was partially because some of Cooper’s books were set a few miles to the north around Tywyn.
I got into writing through roleplaying, however, so my early work was related to the kind of roleplaying game I was interested in. I wrote “high fantasy” when I was playing Dungeons & Dragons. I wrote a lot of superhero fiction when I was playing City of Heroes. I still loved the idea of a modern world with magic in it and I’ve been trying to write a novel based on this for a long time. As with any form of expression, practice is the key and I can look back on all the aborted attempts at books, and the more successful short stories, as steps along the path to the Thaumatology Series.
As of 2015, I have thrown in my lot with writing. After thirty years of being a computer programmer I am making enough money to quit the day job and write full time. Dreams, occasionally, come true. My favourite authors are Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, and (recently) Kim Harrison. Kim’s Hollows books were what finally spurred me to publish something, even if the trail to here came by way of Susan, back in school, several decades ago.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 9, 2020
Good, but not my favorite.
The graycoats have finally had enough. Having been unable to keep Ceri and Lily out of their investigations they resorted to the proverb. If you can't beat them, have them join you instead than wade through miles of red-tape and continuously play catchup. As such Ceri and Lily are now special advisors to the London police and help them on supernatural matters.
And right off things get interesting with a case that leads them to, illegal porn, a further expansion of Lily's past and a darker side of the universe.
Disturbia is by far the darkest novel thus far and it shows. Lily's past plays a prominent role in this novel and along with the rest of the mystery provides a definite unpleasant atmosphere in this instalment. Be prepared for some disturbing scenes to counterpose the truly touching moment between Ceri and Lily.
A good if somewhat disturbing instalment.
(Definitely adults only)
The graycoats have finally had enough. Having been unable to keep Ceri and Lily out of their investigations they resorted to the proverb. If you can't beat them, have them join you instead than wade through miles of red-tape and continuously play catchup. As such Ceri and Lily are now special advisors to the London police and help them on supernatural matters.
And right off things get interesting with a case that leads them to, illegal porn, a further expansion of Lily's past and a darker side of the universe.
Disturbia is by far the darkest novel thus far and it shows. Lily's past plays a prominent role in this novel and along with the rest of the mystery provides a definite unpleasant atmosphere in this instalment. Be prepared for some disturbing scenes to counterpose the truly touching moment between Ceri and Lily.
A good if somewhat disturbing instalment.
(Definitely adults only)
April 19, 2013
I gave this 3 stars not because it was bad but more because I wished I hadn't read it afterward. This book delves into the darker side of this universe and I sometimes ignorance is bliss :) If you like the other books in the series and don't mind dark then I would recommend this. If you are like me and don't care for that type of thing then I would recommend skipping it. There's nothing in these stories that you need to know.
June 26, 2014
Ceri and Lily are now special advisors and have to go through more training. The plot is decent, but the constant almost sex scenes are actually distracting instead of enticing. Those scenes are basically like an 'R' rated movie, lots of tease, not much follow through.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews