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nosfredatu's review against another edition
3.0
I like Keene, but I need some time to adapt. Poor characterization may be to blame. However, the second half of the book is edge of your seat horror/action.
jamiezaccaria's review
3.0
A fun horror story with plenty of gore. If you like gruesome details of mutilation and supernatural forces, take a chance on this one.
thatsciencedad's review against another edition
3.0
Characters I couldn't give a toss about. Check.
Filler galore. Check.
Info dumps. Check.
A throw away romance. Check.
The only redeeming quality is Keene's mythology, what he is building is pretty interesting.
The story itself was bollocks. Keene's mythology is cool.
3 stars I guess.
jo_in_bookland's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
This is my first Brian Keene novel and I started out enjoying it. I thought the characters were well developed and when the action started, I was digging the body horror. But then things started getting repetitive, and I didn't find myself caring too much for the story. The list of possibilities that are run through to explain what might be happening in the town didn't really interest me. I'd still like to check out more from this author though as it seems this might not have been his best work.
This is my first Brian Keene novel and I started out enjoying it. I thought the characters were well developed and when the action started, I was digging the body horror. But then things started getting repetitive, and I didn't find myself caring too much for the story. The list of possibilities that are run through to explain what might be happening in the town didn't really interest me. I'd still like to check out more from this author though as it seems this might not have been his best work.
night_shift's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Didn't realize until halfway through that this is part of a series and now I gotta read the others because Levi is a pretty interesting character!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, and Animal death
Minor: War, Alcohol, Cancer, and Cursing
crisanja's review against another edition
5.0
Very interesting premise, lots of action and hard to put down! Love his theories on pseudo religion, love the character of Levi, looked up his Long Lost Friend book, it does exist and is a fascinating look at cultural history.
bobmetal's review against another edition
5.0
Keene does it again. The 2nd of the Levi Stoltzfus books is a joy to read. The bad guys in this are probably some of the nastiest I've seen in one of Keene's books and he doesn't hold up with the interesting and varied ways they go about killing everyone in the town.
If you like Keene's Labyrinth Mythos then this is definitely one for you. You get lots of information on the labyrinth and the thirteen as well as finding out more about Levi and his background. All with an extremely gory and horrific story going on at the same time. I loved the resolution
I'm looking forward to reading more of the Levi books and seeing what other horrors lurk within the depths of the labyrinth
If you like Keene's Labyrinth Mythos then this is definitely one for you. You get lots of information on the labyrinth and the thirteen as well as finding out more about Levi and his background. All with an extremely gory and horrific story going on at the same time. I loved the resolution
I'm looking forward to reading more of the Levi books and seeing what other horrors lurk within the depths of the labyrinth
dancpharmd's review
5.0
We've all seen them - those rural small towns that seem to be hanging on by a thread (and likely a prayer.) Western Iowa, in particular, is littered with them. But what makes a a struggling town a ghost town? If you believe horror writer Brian Keene and his latest release, A Gathering of Crows, it's five otherworldly creatures that can shapeshift between a human-like form and that of a crow. They gut (both literally and figuratively) those small towns that have been completely forgotten. And tonight, they're headed into Brinkley Springs, West Virginia.
I've read Brian Keene's zombie fiction (most notably, The Rising and City of the Dead) but had not branched out into his other horror fiction. I saw this at the library and was intrigued enough by the premise that I picked it up and started reading that very day. In 3 days, I was finished - that's how sucked into the story and characters I was.
The story starts by introducing us to some of what will become the main characters. We don't know it yet (although you can guess it) but all their stories will intertwine in some way by the time the book is over. Sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the locals is traveler Levi Stoltzfus, a formerly Amish man who has been disowned by his family for dabbling deeper in the dark arts than his father would allow. As these five demons arrive in Brinkley Springs to feed on the souls of everything that's living, he's their Obi-Wan Kenobi. He is their only hope.
Keene will be one of those writers that's dismissed because he writes genre fiction, but really, he's a great storyteller and fantastic at setting up a story. He makes the characters very real and believable. Sure, it's an easy read, but what's wrong with that? Is there a law somewhere that says that everything good has to be "literary" and "mature"? If there is, I'm not interested. Keene's writing is over the top and gory and stomach turning at times, but THIS IS HORROR FICTION. What do you expect?
Like most horror stories, I felt like the resolution of the novel was a bit underwhelming - Mushroom World really didn't work for me, but oh well. Keene is good at what he does and I applaud him for daring to set up a Lovecraftian mythology that spans most of his novels to varying degrees. That is no small feat (says the husband of an author that has a 7 book series she wants to write.)
Horror fiction can be so bad, but Keene is definitely the cream of the current crop. And A Gathering of Crows (incidentally, known as a "murder") is well worth the time of anyone who likes a fast paced story with more scares and gross-outs than you can count. I heartily recommend it. I actually recommended it to a friend while I was reading it, telling him "if I knew how to buy this for you and send it to your Kindle, I would so be doing that right now."
And when you want to buy the book for someone else, that's how you know you've found a good one.
I've read Brian Keene's zombie fiction (most notably, The Rising and City of the Dead) but had not branched out into his other horror fiction. I saw this at the library and was intrigued enough by the premise that I picked it up and started reading that very day. In 3 days, I was finished - that's how sucked into the story and characters I was.
The story starts by introducing us to some of what will become the main characters. We don't know it yet (although you can guess it) but all their stories will intertwine in some way by the time the book is over. Sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the locals is traveler Levi Stoltzfus, a formerly Amish man who has been disowned by his family for dabbling deeper in the dark arts than his father would allow. As these five demons arrive in Brinkley Springs to feed on the souls of everything that's living, he's their Obi-Wan Kenobi. He is their only hope.
Keene will be one of those writers that's dismissed because he writes genre fiction, but really, he's a great storyteller and fantastic at setting up a story. He makes the characters very real and believable. Sure, it's an easy read, but what's wrong with that? Is there a law somewhere that says that everything good has to be "literary" and "mature"? If there is, I'm not interested. Keene's writing is over the top and gory and stomach turning at times, but THIS IS HORROR FICTION. What do you expect?
Like most horror stories, I felt like the resolution of the novel was a bit underwhelming - Mushroom World really didn't work for me, but oh well. Keene is good at what he does and I applaud him for daring to set up a Lovecraftian mythology that spans most of his novels to varying degrees. That is no small feat (says the husband of an author that has a 7 book series she wants to write.)
Horror fiction can be so bad, but Keene is definitely the cream of the current crop. And A Gathering of Crows (incidentally, known as a "murder") is well worth the time of anyone who likes a fast paced story with more scares and gross-outs than you can count. I heartily recommend it. I actually recommended it to a friend while I was reading it, telling him "if I knew how to buy this for you and send it to your Kindle, I would so be doing that right now."
And when you want to buy the book for someone else, that's how you know you've found a good one.
mikepalumbo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Animal death, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Sexual violence
darkmark's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The Levi Stoltzfus series are my first Brian Keene books, and I have enjoyed them enough that I will be looking into more of Keene's work. He does a good job of writing likeable and interesting characters with relatable flaws. While these horror books haven't exactly scared me, I have found them to be very fun reads.