The Extraordinaires 1: The Extinction Gambit

A brilliant, brilliant novel by Michael Pryor. Full of wit, adventure and edge of the seat thrills . . . Befitting a story that opens and closes in a theatre, this novel often reads like a wonderful melodrama with all the fun and adventure that one would expect on a panto stage . . . Readers will be eagerly anticipating the next book set in extraordinary times and about extraordinary heroes.

The Reading Room, http://readingroom.global2.vic.edu.au/

This is a tale of many threads woven skilfully into one amazing saga. Pryor's first entry in The Extraordinaires series is world-building at its finest, and once you've settled into the world of the Demimonde, you'll find you have a hard time dragging yourself away.

Holly Harper, Readings Carlton, www.readings.com.au

I love the way the sinister and bizarre are blended seemlessly in through the mundane. As with other of this author's novels, there is more than one story thread going on and as always Pryor handles them deftly . . . If you love steampunk, old school performance magic and fascinating characters definitely give this a try. Highly recommended.

http://thekylieverse.com

[The Extraordinaires] uses clever wit, though buried deeply, and is very humorous. Every time you think that there is the slightest possibility of it becoming predictable, it throws some new adventures or revelations at you. Escaping from the clutches of this book is difficult, despite all the escapology rules, it gives you.

Katie Howe, Midstate Observer

This first in a series, is an exotic and complex piece of work that is full of ideas, action, tension, violence and lively characters. It bubbles along with a light humour, snappy dialogue and bright characters ... This is fiction for those who love SF, those who love literature, those who love fiction that works like a video game, fiction with plenty of physical violence. There is something for almost every reader here ... This novel is a lot of fun, a world to itself, a tour de force of imagination, one to give to your twelve to fifteen year old to keep him or her quiet (and on edge) for a week.

Reading Time

Another clever and entertaining novel by Michael Pryor, full of wit, adventure and edge of the seat thrills. True to its name, this book is peopled with extraordinary characters: from our brave, wolfish hero Kingsley, to his strong and courageous albino companion, Evadne ... Befitting a story that opens and closes in a theatre, this novel often reads like a wonderfully old-fashioned melodrama with all the fun and adventure that one would expect on a panto stage ... All in all, this is a delightful romp of a story.

Deborah Marshall, http://www.readplus.com.au/