The Quorum Paperback – October 22, 2013

Mark, Mickey and Michael, who jokingly refer to themselves as "The Quorum," look on media mogul Derek Leech as their benefactor. Private investigator Sally Rhodes perceives him as the living embodiment of a mysterious comic book character. Leech's ex-wife says he was "the blues walking like a man." Depending on what day you ask, the British government alternatively wants to knight or indict him. Kim Newman's readers know what he really is--the devil, risen from the polluted waters of the Thames River.The Quorum is a Faustian story of three young men who betray their friend, one Neil Martin, to obtain wealth and power. Derek Leech offers Mark, Mickey and Michael a deal--they can have success beyond their wildest dreams as long as Neil lives in misery. The trio accepts his terms, and spends the next fifteen years making Neil's life a living hell--the rest of the novel charts the trio's meteoric rise to the top of the entertainment and media industries while Neil plumbs the depths of despair. Their success is threatened, however, when Neil and P.I. Sally Rhodes learn the true cause of Neil's seemingly endless bad luck.An allegory of the me-decade of the eighties, The Quorum is quintessential Newman, meaning it's witty, insightful and scary. Once you've sampled this book, or any of his other novels for that matter, you'll see why Newman is recognized as one of the top talents in the horror genre today.

Newman does a spectacular job in this book. His pace is frenetic, but his writing style is definitely worth it. I could not put the book down, and in fact I would recommend reading it many times, because each time more of the writing, allusions and turns of phrase come into focus.The setting is a haunting premise. Would you betray and undermine your best friend, enjoying success commensurate with his/her setbacks? And if so, what are the exact parameters of the deal?The novel paces briskly through the idealism and innocence of youth, the counter-culture of the 70's, the excess of the 80's, and the responsibilities of the 90's.Finally, the writing itself is crisp, lucid, and quickly permeates your own thought process; I found myself thinking in Cockney slang after I had finished the book.Definitely time and money well spent.

Horror that just not keep your interested over the years of the story. A bit of perversion here or there, and that is about it.The book is also used as a device to look at London society through a few decades. That part of it was not particularly interesting.

I will put this to you straight. I could not understand this book. The author uses as little as possible detail, and expects you to fill in the spaces, but that does not work for me. It was like reading a different language.

If you've read Kim Newman books before you'll know what you're getting. If you haven't I would recommend that you read Anno Dracula instead, it's the better book.

set in the early 90s the quorum is a brilliant tale based loosely on faust. it follows the paths of four friends as one night three of them are offered fame and fortune based on the pain and misery of the missing member. they accept of course, meeting every year after xmas to ensure that the fourth friend has another bad year while their stars continue to rise. fame, fortune and suffering.the book charts their progress from meeting up at school (with an interest in performance arts) right up to their current positions - style guru, graphic novellist, tv presenter/ author and minimally employed.author, film critic and overall eccentric (love seeing him on those c4 movie lists, but wish he'd lose that ponytail) newman's love and knowledge comic culture (more in that he was able to create his own universe a la marvel) shows, but he's a good enough author that it's never overwhelming or boring to a novice like me. more satire than horror, newman scores points off satellite tv, media magnates (possible that murdoch and fox aren't the devil in disguise, just feels that way), neo nazis and other blights on our collective conscious. he brilliantly captures the mood of the times, from the 70s right through to 'the current time'.an excellent book, if dark. like 'battle royale' forces you to think about how you would act if put into the scenarios. some questions you hope you never have to answer...