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dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
As Gordon Black draws ever closer to the Crowman, Megan Maurice walks the Black Feathered Path and chronicles the Crowman's tale for the good of the world. How are Gordon and the Crowman linked? And is the Crowman the world's destroyer or its salvation?
I got this from the fine folks at Angry Robot and Netgalley.
All good things must come to an end and here we are, the end of the Black Dawn Duology. Gordon Black's and Megan Maurice's tales progress and intersect in dramatic fashion. Megan continues learning how to be a Keeper, walking the Weave and experiencing the story of Gordon Black and his quest to find the Crowman. Gordon leaves a trail of dead Wardsmen in his wake, trying to sniff out the Crowman at any cost.
In The Book of the Crowman, the Black Dawn speeds toward its inevitable conclusion. I had a pretty good idea what Gordon Black's final fate was going to be before I opened the book but Joseph D'Lacey made me work for it and it still cut me deep when it happened. I loved reading about Gordon's conflicted relationship with Denise and his neverending battle against the Ward and was sad when he met his final fate.
Megan's story, that of her chronicling Gordon Black's quest and learning to be a Keeper, was interesting in different ways. I loved that her and Gordon's paths intersected a couple times due to the Weave and some timey wimey stuff.
As with [b:Black Feathers|16071827|Black Feathers (Black Dawn, #1)|Joseph D'Lacey|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1355826073s/16071827.jpg|21865832], the book had a strong ecological message. It was also very pro-women, what with only a woman being able to cleave the Keepers to the land once and for all. While I had an inkling that Gordon would wind up being The Crowman from the start, I had no idea how far things would go. I sure didn't see him going the Jesus/Braveheart route at the end.
There's a lot more I have to say but it's hard to put it into words. The Book of the Crowman reminds me of harsher versions of the kind of books Neil Gaiman and Charles DeLint write, exploring what it means to be a symbol for the people. There's also a Native American feel at times. It's a pretty powerful book.
While I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Black Feathers, it's still definitely worth your time and a great ending to the story of Gordon Black and the Crowman. If you're a fan of dystopias, environmentally conscious fiction, Neil Gaiman, or Charles DeLint, you'll want to pick this up. Four out of five stars.
I got this from the fine folks at Angry Robot and Netgalley.
All good things must come to an end and here we are, the end of the Black Dawn Duology. Gordon Black's and Megan Maurice's tales progress and intersect in dramatic fashion. Megan continues learning how to be a Keeper, walking the Weave and experiencing the story of Gordon Black and his quest to find the Crowman. Gordon leaves a trail of dead Wardsmen in his wake, trying to sniff out the Crowman at any cost.
In The Book of the Crowman, the Black Dawn speeds toward its inevitable conclusion. I had a pretty good idea what Gordon Black's final fate was going to be before I opened the book but Joseph D'Lacey made me work for it and it still cut me deep when it happened. I loved reading about Gordon's conflicted relationship with Denise and his neverending battle against the Ward and was sad when he met his final fate.
Megan's story, that of her chronicling Gordon Black's quest and learning to be a Keeper, was interesting in different ways. I loved that her and Gordon's paths intersected a couple times due to the Weave and some timey wimey stuff.
As with [b:Black Feathers|16071827|Black Feathers (Black Dawn, #1)|Joseph D'Lacey|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1355826073s/16071827.jpg|21865832], the book had a strong ecological message. It was also very pro-women, what with only a woman being able to cleave the Keepers to the land once and for all. While I had an inkling that Gordon would wind up being The Crowman from the start, I had no idea how far things would go. I sure didn't see him going the Jesus/Braveheart route at the end.
There's a lot more I have to say but it's hard to put it into words. The Book of the Crowman reminds me of harsher versions of the kind of books Neil Gaiman and Charles DeLint write, exploring what it means to be a symbol for the people. There's also a Native American feel at times. It's a pretty powerful book.
While I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Black Feathers, it's still definitely worth your time and a great ending to the story of Gordon Black and the Crowman. If you're a fan of dystopias, environmentally conscious fiction, Neil Gaiman, or Charles DeLint, you'll want to pick this up. Four out of five stars.
mxsallybend's review against another edition
3.0
It's taken me a little while to decide how I feel about The Book of the Crowman. I'll be honest. I am somebody who reads for story, for plot, for characters, and for the strength of the narrative. I read to be entertained. I am not somebody who looks for messages, for themes, for morals, or for hidden meanings. I don't read to be preached at.
While there is no doubt that Joseph D'Lacey is a preacher, he at least couches his message in an entertaining framework. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed Black Feathers, and had no trouble absorbing the environmental message contained therein. With that ecological message getting mixed up with some deeply religious symbolism and allegory here, however, I found myself drifting away towards the end.
Before we get to that, let's talk about what entertained me. The intersection of Gordon and Megan's narratives was both interesting and complex, with greater significance given to the narrative junctions after the fact. There were some incredibly powerful scenes here, both of a brutally violent and a breathtakingly intimate nature. Take, for instance, the scene where Gordon slips into strange campsite and discovers the cannibalism taking place. The young bodies trussed up, with heads and genitals removed, blooded but not yet skinned, make for an arresting image, and the eye-for-an-eye revenge that Gordon enacts is as cathartic as it is savage. Consider also the scenes with young Flora, the sickly, crippled, extraordinarily bright young toddler with a connection to the Crowman. She reminds Gordon of his humanity, and grants him the hope and the faith that he needs to continue, even as her plight breaks the reader's heart.
The twists, turns, and revelations entertained me as well. There's a point at which we discover the truth about the letters from Jude, Gordon's sister, which just about floored me, leaving me stunned and deeply impressed. There's a change in our understanding of Mr. Keeper that was as entertaining as it was surprising. There is a significant betrayal in the latter stages of the book that probably should have seen coming, but I still found myself surprised by its power. Finally, the character of Rag Man honestly shocked me, with the revelation that he's a character we already know and hate, and never expected to make a return appearance.
Unfortunately, a lot of that overshadowed by the heavy-handedness of the message. Black Feathers made it clear we were dealing with an ecological message warning of our impending doom, but The Book of the Crowman keeps pushing it, throwing it in our faces, and demanding that we listen. Something I didn't notice in the first book, but which severely tainted my enjoyment here was the Christian allegory. It's not just that the religious allegory holds zero appeal for me, or that it does nothing to make me believe in the struggle, it's that it completely telegraphs the end of the story. Goodbye suspense.
As for the end, I found it completely unsatisfying, and not just for the reasons above. It felt flat to me, anti-climatic, and unfinished. It's full of hints and suggestions, but it offers nothing in the way of a concrete resolution. In case you haven't guessed by now, faith and I don't get along so well.
I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm dumping on it, because it was an interesting story, well-written, with a really unique protagonist. It's just that The Book of the Crowman strayed too far from what I expected, and went too deep into waters I had no interest in being baptized by. From a thematic and mythological standpoint, it's probably a fitting end to the story, but from an entertainment standpoint, I found it personally lacking.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
While there is no doubt that Joseph D'Lacey is a preacher, he at least couches his message in an entertaining framework. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed Black Feathers, and had no trouble absorbing the environmental message contained therein. With that ecological message getting mixed up with some deeply religious symbolism and allegory here, however, I found myself drifting away towards the end.
Before we get to that, let's talk about what entertained me. The intersection of Gordon and Megan's narratives was both interesting and complex, with greater significance given to the narrative junctions after the fact. There were some incredibly powerful scenes here, both of a brutally violent and a breathtakingly intimate nature. Take, for instance, the scene where Gordon slips into strange campsite and discovers the cannibalism taking place. The young bodies trussed up, with heads and genitals removed, blooded but not yet skinned, make for an arresting image, and the eye-for-an-eye revenge that Gordon enacts is as cathartic as it is savage. Consider also the scenes with young Flora, the sickly, crippled, extraordinarily bright young toddler with a connection to the Crowman. She reminds Gordon of his humanity, and grants him the hope and the faith that he needs to continue, even as her plight breaks the reader's heart.
The twists, turns, and revelations entertained me as well. There's a point at which we discover the truth about the letters from Jude, Gordon's sister, which just about floored me, leaving me stunned and deeply impressed. There's a change in our understanding of Mr. Keeper that was as entertaining as it was surprising. There is a significant betrayal in the latter stages of the book that probably should have seen coming, but I still found myself surprised by its power. Finally, the character of Rag Man honestly shocked me, with the revelation that he's a character we already know and hate, and never expected to make a return appearance.
Unfortunately, a lot of that overshadowed by the heavy-handedness of the message. Black Feathers made it clear we were dealing with an ecological message warning of our impending doom, but The Book of the Crowman keeps pushing it, throwing it in our faces, and demanding that we listen. Something I didn't notice in the first book, but which severely tainted my enjoyment here was the Christian allegory.
Spoiler
The healing powers, the profound faith, the prostitute disciple, the tragic betrayal, the moment of doubt, even the freakin' crucifixion and the whole holy trinity thing - Gordon may as well trade in his black-feathered hat for a halo!As for the end, I found it completely unsatisfying, and not just for the reasons above. It felt flat to me, anti-climatic, and unfinished. It's full of hints and suggestions, but it offers nothing in the way of a concrete resolution.
Spoiler
We're told that Gordon's sacrifice makes the difference in the war between the Green Men and the Ward, but we have to take that on faith, since we neither get to see how the war turns out, nor do we get to see what follows.I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm dumping on it, because it was an interesting story, well-written, with a really unique protagonist. It's just that The Book of the Crowman strayed too far from what I expected, and went too deep into waters I had no interest in being baptized by. From a thematic and mythological standpoint, it's probably a fitting end to the story, but from an entertainment standpoint, I found it personally lacking.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
petealdin's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent duology. Beauty and harshness combined. Lovely prose and characterisation.
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
moirwyn's review against another edition
4.0
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2014/09/03/the-book-of-the-crowman-by-joseph-dlacey/
The Book of the Crowman is the second book in Joseph D’Lacey’s Black Dawn series, an ecological post-apocalyptic horror story about what happens when mankind stops respecting the Earth and the land itself begins to fight back.
The story is told from the perspectives of two different characters, representing both the future and the past. Megan is a young girl (around the age of puberty) who is training to be a Keeper. Keepers are responsible for protecting the balance between the people and the land, and for remembering the forces that almost destroyed the world. Megan’s journeys are mostly spiritual as she learns through various dreamlike experiences what happened to Gordon Black. Gordon lived during the time of the environmental apocalypse, and he’s on a mission to find the Crowman, a creature of legend who represents both death and new beginnings. During his travels, Gordon must fight the Ward, an organization that’s become machine-like in its efficiency and represents the destructive forces of totalitarianism. The Ward are inherently unsustainable, because they don’t have enough of a relationship with the land to even grow their own food, but they have grown powerful because they took all the guns/machinery/technology when the apocalypse occurred. Even though we know that the Ward won’t be able to last, the question remains whether there will be anything else left of humanity by the time that they fall apart. Fighting the Ward are the Green Men, who remind me a bit of Robin Hood. The Green Men live off the land and engage in small acts of guerrilla warfare, but they don’t have the kind of weapons or organization that they’d need to be able to confront the Ward head on and survive. They’re a remnant of humanity, and if Gordon finds the Crowman, he knows that he can give the Green Men a chance at a future.
The Book of the Crowman is much more allegorical than the first book in the series. Gordon Black emerges as a Christ figure whose journey and sacrifices give mankind the hope of a better future. I could go on about the parallels, but that would veer into serious spoilers. Suffice to say that Gordon is clearly a Jesus figure, but less passive. Gordon fights the Ward and isn’t afraid to kill for what he believes in. There are occasions where he’ll risk his own life to try to save someone from harm, and he will give bad people what they deserve. There’s also less of a hangup about sex. On a deeper level, the Crowman’s message is to be aware of both the light and dark sides of humanity and to maintain a balance with the world. You can’t pretend that the darker parts of human nature don’t exist, but you can acknowledge them and channel them in ways that are less destructive. Even though the book has a very clear message, it doesn’t come off as preachy or patronizing. You know what the author wants you to get out of the story, but the story itself is compelling.
Many of the scenes in The Book of the Crowman are quite brutal. There are scenes involving disease, cannibalism, and disembowelment, all in graphic detail (you might not want to read The Book of the Crowman while or immediately before eating). These scenes serve as a reminder of just how bad the Ward is and what mankind is capable of in times of desperation. These scenes are contrasted with Megan’s own time, where for the most part, life is relatively peaceful. Megan lives in a small village in an agrarian society that remains in touch with nature. By contrasting Megan’s world with Gordon’s, we can see both the good and the bad that mankind is capable of and the importance of maintaining a relationship with nature.
Overall, I was quite pleased with this duology. It’s a harsh depiction of what can happen if mankind goes too far, and yet it’s also filled with hope for a brighter day. It’s worth a read.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2014/09/03/the-book-of-the-crowman-by-joseph-dlacey/
The Book of the Crowman is the second book in Joseph D’Lacey’s Black Dawn series, an ecological post-apocalyptic horror story about what happens when mankind stops respecting the Earth and the land itself begins to fight back.
The story is told from the perspectives of two different characters, representing both the future and the past. Megan is a young girl (around the age of puberty) who is training to be a Keeper. Keepers are responsible for protecting the balance between the people and the land, and for remembering the forces that almost destroyed the world. Megan’s journeys are mostly spiritual as she learns through various dreamlike experiences what happened to Gordon Black. Gordon lived during the time of the environmental apocalypse, and he’s on a mission to find the Crowman, a creature of legend who represents both death and new beginnings. During his travels, Gordon must fight the Ward, an organization that’s become machine-like in its efficiency and represents the destructive forces of totalitarianism. The Ward are inherently unsustainable, because they don’t have enough of a relationship with the land to even grow their own food, but they have grown powerful because they took all the guns/machinery/technology when the apocalypse occurred. Even though we know that the Ward won’t be able to last, the question remains whether there will be anything else left of humanity by the time that they fall apart. Fighting the Ward are the Green Men, who remind me a bit of Robin Hood. The Green Men live off the land and engage in small acts of guerrilla warfare, but they don’t have the kind of weapons or organization that they’d need to be able to confront the Ward head on and survive. They’re a remnant of humanity, and if Gordon finds the Crowman, he knows that he can give the Green Men a chance at a future.
The Book of the Crowman is much more allegorical than the first book in the series. Gordon Black emerges as a Christ figure whose journey and sacrifices give mankind the hope of a better future. I could go on about the parallels, but that would veer into serious spoilers. Suffice to say that Gordon is clearly a Jesus figure, but less passive. Gordon fights the Ward and isn’t afraid to kill for what he believes in. There are occasions where he’ll risk his own life to try to save someone from harm, and he will give bad people what they deserve. There’s also less of a hangup about sex. On a deeper level, the Crowman’s message is to be aware of both the light and dark sides of humanity and to maintain a balance with the world. You can’t pretend that the darker parts of human nature don’t exist, but you can acknowledge them and channel them in ways that are less destructive. Even though the book has a very clear message, it doesn’t come off as preachy or patronizing. You know what the author wants you to get out of the story, but the story itself is compelling.
Many of the scenes in The Book of the Crowman are quite brutal. There are scenes involving disease, cannibalism, and disembowelment, all in graphic detail (you might not want to read The Book of the Crowman while or immediately before eating). These scenes serve as a reminder of just how bad the Ward is and what mankind is capable of in times of desperation. These scenes are contrasted with Megan’s own time, where for the most part, life is relatively peaceful. Megan lives in a small village in an agrarian society that remains in touch with nature. By contrasting Megan’s world with Gordon’s, we can see both the good and the bad that mankind is capable of and the importance of maintaining a relationship with nature.
Overall, I was quite pleased with this duology. It’s a harsh depiction of what can happen if mankind goes too far, and yet it’s also filled with hope for a brighter day. It’s worth a read.
thegirlellie's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I wanted to like this I really di but honestly it was such a let down
ctgt's review
3.0
When there was no law, when nothing beyond survival seemed to matter any more, there was a savage logic in violence and ruination. He half understood their feelings:
If this is the end, then bring it on....
But what if , as Gordon still believed, it wasn't the end? Wasn't it worth trying to keep the world alive, to maintain the simple trust that one person would neither harm another nor take from them just because there was no one to punish their actions. Surely, such trust was a Natural law, part of the order of the universe.
I really enjoyed the first book of this duology, the whole idea of Mother Earth getting fed up and wreaking havoc was unique in my reading experience. While I liked the ending(altough it was pretty obvious how it would end) the first half of this book seemed to flounder. Just like the first book, the story jumps between Gordon(past) and Megan(future-through the weave) and there are some moments in the first half where their characters become linked which did move the story forward but these were just too few and far between for my taste. As I think back, if this had been condensed to one volume this would have been a great story.
There are many spiritual and religious overtones concerning faith and belief throughout the story,
You must learn to have faith in me. For that to happen, I need to go away for a while. Remove myself from your sight. You must find me in other ways, in the whisper of the wind when it makes tongues of the branches, in the darting of the wren after she catches your eye, in the way the light shatters when it touches the river. You must watch for me a while and listen for me a while and I must not be there except in spirit. Do you see? (Crowman speaking to Megan)
You had to come this way; do the things you've done. And you had to come to the end of your faith. You did stop believing, Gordon. That's why you're hiding in here, crying to yourself like you've never cried before. The search had to lead you nowhere and the burden of it had to break you before I could appear. Do you understand?(Crowman to Gordon)
Except for the one of the final scenes, the majority of the spiritual ideas in the book take on more of a pantheist outlook.
Overall an interesting take on the dystopian tale, but for me came up a bit short in it's execution.
If this is the end, then bring it on....
But what if , as Gordon still believed, it wasn't the end? Wasn't it worth trying to keep the world alive, to maintain the simple trust that one person would neither harm another nor take from them just because there was no one to punish their actions. Surely, such trust was a Natural law, part of the order of the universe.
I really enjoyed the first book of this duology, the whole idea of Mother Earth getting fed up and wreaking havoc was unique in my reading experience. While I liked the ending(altough it was pretty obvious how it would end) the first half of this book seemed to flounder. Just like the first book, the story jumps between Gordon(past) and Megan(future-through the weave) and there are some moments in the first half where their characters become linked which did move the story forward but these were just too few and far between for my taste. As I think back, if this had been condensed to one volume this would have been a great story.
There are many spiritual and religious overtones concerning faith and belief throughout the story,
You must learn to have faith in me. For that to happen, I need to go away for a while. Remove myself from your sight. You must find me in other ways, in the whisper of the wind when it makes tongues of the branches, in the darting of the wren after she catches your eye, in the way the light shatters when it touches the river. You must watch for me a while and listen for me a while and I must not be there except in spirit. Do you see? (Crowman speaking to Megan)
You had to come this way; do the things you've done. And you had to come to the end of your faith. You did stop believing, Gordon. That's why you're hiding in here, crying to yourself like you've never cried before. The search had to lead you nowhere and the burden of it had to break you before I could appear. Do you understand?(Crowman to Gordon)
Except for the one of the final scenes, the majority of the spiritual ideas in the book take on more of a pantheist outlook.
Overall an interesting take on the dystopian tale, but for me came up a bit short in it's execution.
strangecurrencies's review
4.0
The Book of the Crowman is the continuation of the post-apocalyptic series The Black Dawn by British author Joseph D’Lacey, which was begun in Black Feathers. The Book of the Crowman is a fascinating and engaging story that continues the seamless integration of multiple genres and styles that so interested me in the first volume. I was really looking forward to the release of this book, and was not at all disappointed.
Read the full review at Strange Currencies
https://strangecurrencies.org/2016/08/23/review-of-the-book-of-the-crowman-by-joseph-dlacey/
Read the full review at Strange Currencies
https://strangecurrencies.org/2016/08/23/review-of-the-book-of-the-crowman-by-joseph-dlacey/
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