moj8668's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a mixed bag for me. The characters were well-crafted and the storyline was woven together nicely. I struggled to get through some portions of the plot, especially when the main character was at sea, due to the immense detail the author provided regarding sailing technique. As far as the overall plot, it was well-done even if the ending left us with a main character who is more villain than hero. Truthfully, it was the only ending that works based on the companion novel and the rest of this particular story.
For the right reader - someone with a strong interest in the technical aspects of sailing for example - this would probably be a five star read. I would definitely read more by this author due to the fact that he creates believable characters and spends the time to develop complex relationships between them.
For the right reader - someone with a strong interest in the technical aspects of sailing for example - this would probably be a five star read. I would definitely read more by this author due to the fact that he creates believable characters and spends the time to develop complex relationships between them.
nessa_lou30's review against another edition
2.0
A young man is brought home from college to take care of his estate after his father dies. We follow Mungo, our main character, as he is trying to unwrap the questions he has about he father's death, the future of his family's estate that has been taken from him and revenge the death of his lifelong love.
Mungo is a smug, arrogant, never-do-wrong, good at everything, man who has made it his mission to exact vengeance on those who have done him wrong, which seems to be everyone. He must do this alone and without guidance because he has no friends for support which is not surprising as he alienates everyone. He makes contradictory choices that don't follow the belief system he has for himself and usually take him further away from his end goal.
I expected to see him grow throughout the book as most character do, but Mungo takes the same action for each challenge presented and it gets tiring. New characters are brought in by way of somehow offending Mungo and being enticed into a fight or dual of which they will always lose.
I wanted to enjoy this book, but each chapter in made me cringe further to the point of no longer caring that his life was falling apart. I fell there are only so many bad decisions that one person can make.
Unfortunately, this book was not for me.
Mungo is a smug, arrogant, never-do-wrong, good at everything, man who has made it his mission to exact vengeance on those who have done him wrong, which seems to be everyone. He must do this alone and without guidance because he has no friends for support which is not surprising as he alienates everyone. He makes contradictory choices that don't follow the belief system he has for himself and usually take him further away from his end goal.
I expected to see him grow throughout the book as most character do, but Mungo takes the same action for each challenge presented and it gets tiring. New characters are brought in by way of somehow offending Mungo and being enticed into a fight or dual of which they will always lose.
I wanted to enjoy this book, but each chapter in made me cringe further to the point of no longer caring that his life was falling apart. I fell there are only so many bad decisions that one person can make.
Unfortunately, this book was not for me.
cerapp555's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you so much to Bookish First and Zaffre Books for the ARC of Call of the Raven in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
This book is a prequel to The Ballantyne Novels and tells us the story of Mungo St. James and why he is the way that he is. I never read The Ballantyne Novels so I don't know how much this ties back into those novels or not. Mungo is I believe the villain of those novels, but is a complex character. Smith wanted to dive deeper into the character so he decided to write Call of the Raven.
To me there were two central characters in this novel, Mungo and Camilla, Mungo's childhood love who became a slave to Mungo's enemy, Charles. This novel is all about Mungo's revenge and him wanting to free Camilla from Charles. Charles caused the downfall of Mungo's father and led Mungo to believe that Camilla was dead.
Mungo creates a fake name Thomas Sinclair and becomes part of Captain Sterling's crew. He befriends Tippoo, a large man who is Captain Sterling's slave, and eventually helps him gain his freedom. The boat is headed for Africa to "take part in trade" aka transport slaves. On the way back Mungo tries to stop a slave girl from being raped which leads to the slaves taking over the ship and killing the crew; only Tippoo and Mungo survive.
Later Mungo gains his own ship and crew. He wants to make a fortune to have revenge on Charles by selling ivory from elephant tusks. Tragedy hits though and he ends up loosing his entire cargo. This leads to Mungo making a choice, transport slaves or make no profit. Mungo decides to transport slaves to help him get his revenge. He learns from one of Charles' partners who is also in Africa, that Camilla is still alive. Camilla, has been living in New Orleans separated from her son, Issac, who was a result of Charles' raping. She has been helping Charles' business by learning secrets from his partners.
Mungo eventually ends up in New Orleans and he and Camilla find each other. He wants to whisks her away, but she refuses to leave without Issac. Everything leads to a big battle where Mungo has a gun pointed on Charles. He learns that Issac is Charles' father and that Camilla lied to him about who the father was. Mungo refuses to back down, even with Issac in Charles' arms. He pulls the trigger, but what's this? Camilla dives in front of them and takes the bullet and dies. Enraged Mungo throws Charles into the moat where he is then eaten by alligators.
We learn a lot from this book about why Mungo is the way that he is, but let's face it a lot of things could have happened if he made different decisions. Mungo focused on his revenge and that is what lead to his misery.
Overall I did enjoy this book even though I went in with no knowledge of who Mungo St. James was. I like historical fiction in general, it's one of my favorite genres, but I haven't read a lot dealing with the slave trade or the transporting of slaves. I think I enjoyed the chapters that focused on Camilla more than the ones that focused on Mungo. I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen to her. With Mungo's chapters I was curious about him, but I liked Tippoo better than Mungo. That man was loyal and a heck of a good friend. This to me could have been a stand alone book, but then again I don't really know how it ties into the rest of his series.
This book is a prequel to The Ballantyne Novels and tells us the story of Mungo St. James and why he is the way that he is. I never read The Ballantyne Novels so I don't know how much this ties back into those novels or not. Mungo is I believe the villain of those novels, but is a complex character. Smith wanted to dive deeper into the character so he decided to write Call of the Raven.
To me there were two central characters in this novel, Mungo and Camilla, Mungo's childhood love who became a slave to Mungo's enemy, Charles. This novel is all about Mungo's revenge and him wanting to free Camilla from Charles. Charles caused the downfall of Mungo's father and led Mungo to believe that Camilla was dead.
Mungo creates a fake name Thomas Sinclair and becomes part of Captain Sterling's crew. He befriends Tippoo, a large man who is Captain Sterling's slave, and eventually helps him gain his freedom. The boat is headed for Africa to "take part in trade" aka transport slaves. On the way back Mungo tries to stop a slave girl from being raped which leads to the slaves taking over the ship and killing the crew; only Tippoo and Mungo survive.
Later Mungo gains his own ship and crew. He wants to make a fortune to have revenge on Charles by selling ivory from elephant tusks. Tragedy hits though and he ends up loosing his entire cargo. This leads to Mungo making a choice, transport slaves or make no profit. Mungo decides to transport slaves to help him get his revenge. He learns from one of Charles' partners who is also in Africa, that Camilla is still alive. Camilla, has been living in New Orleans separated from her son, Issac, who was a result of Charles' raping. She has been helping Charles' business by learning secrets from his partners.
Mungo eventually ends up in New Orleans and he and Camilla find each other. He wants to whisks her away, but she refuses to leave without Issac. Everything leads to a big battle where Mungo has a gun pointed on Charles. He learns that Issac is Charles' father and that Camilla lied to him about who the father was. Mungo refuses to back down, even with Issac in Charles' arms. He pulls the trigger, but what's this? Camilla dives in front of them and takes the bullet and dies. Enraged Mungo throws Charles into the moat where he is then eaten by alligators.
We learn a lot from this book about why Mungo is the way that he is, but let's face it a lot of things could have happened if he made different decisions. Mungo focused on his revenge and that is what lead to his misery.
Overall I did enjoy this book even though I went in with no knowledge of who Mungo St. James was. I like historical fiction in general, it's one of my favorite genres, but I haven't read a lot dealing with the slave trade or the transporting of slaves. I think I enjoyed the chapters that focused on Camilla more than the ones that focused on Mungo. I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen to her. With Mungo's chapters I was curious about him, but I liked Tippoo better than Mungo. That man was loyal and a heck of a good friend. This to me could have been a stand alone book, but then again I don't really know how it ties into the rest of his series.
sashacarpenter's review against another edition
4.0
Revenge is a nasty, vicious creature that can make a man do almost anything, pushing him to his limits, and sometimes beyond. No one knows this more than Mungo St. John. Mungo has plans for his life, plans for his family’s farm in Virginia, and plans for Camilia, the woman he loves, but when Mungo returns from university he discovers his plans dashed in the form of a foreclosure. To make matters worse, the woman he loves has been taken by the very man that has destroyed Mungo’s family, Chester Marion. Forced to flee, Mungo begins work on a ship, slowly and methodically planning his revenge. As the cards ultimately fall into place, and Mungo gets closer to Chester, he is forced to question how far he is willing to go to get that revenge, and whether or not it is more important than love.
Call of the Raven was a very satisfying novel. I hadn't read a novel by Wilber Smith in quite a few years, so it was nice to revisit him and his writing. I really enjoyed his descriptive language used in the novel; it really allowed me to immerse myself in the action of the story. With that description, however, comes a rather candid view of life, and some of the horrors that came with slavery, during the 1800’s.
Mungo is a character that shows just how powerful loyalty can be, and the risks people are willing to take when there is mutual loyalty and respect. He also shows how consuming revenge can become. There were quite a few times that Mungo made choices that I did not agree with; he was a character that I did not really like, but he is an exciting individual tha I oddly found myself rooting for. Camilia was my favorite character; she is a very strong, smart woman who is forced to adapt in some very intense circumstances.
There were some sections that seemed to drag on, mainly ones that included a lot of technical terms, making it hard to fully understand the action. Other sections of the novel seemed to just fly by; I was so engrossed in the events and the exploits of Mungo, Camilia and Chester. After reading Call of the Raven I unquestionably want to read the other novels in the Ballantyne series.
I highly recommend Call of the Raven, available April 21st!
Thank you BookishFirst and Zaffre for sending me an ARC of Call of the Raven by Wilber Smith with Corban Addison, given in exchange for an honest review.
Call of the Raven was a very satisfying novel. I hadn't read a novel by Wilber Smith in quite a few years, so it was nice to revisit him and his writing. I really enjoyed his descriptive language used in the novel; it really allowed me to immerse myself in the action of the story. With that description, however, comes a rather candid view of life, and some of the horrors that came with slavery, during the 1800’s.
Mungo is a character that shows just how powerful loyalty can be, and the risks people are willing to take when there is mutual loyalty and respect. He also shows how consuming revenge can become. There were quite a few times that Mungo made choices that I did not agree with; he was a character that I did not really like, but he is an exciting individual tha I oddly found myself rooting for. Camilia was my favorite character; she is a very strong, smart woman who is forced to adapt in some very intense circumstances.
There were some sections that seemed to drag on, mainly ones that included a lot of technical terms, making it hard to fully understand the action. Other sections of the novel seemed to just fly by; I was so engrossed in the events and the exploits of Mungo, Camilia and Chester. After reading Call of the Raven I unquestionably want to read the other novels in the Ballantyne series.
I highly recommend Call of the Raven, available April 21st!
Thank you BookishFirst and Zaffre for sending me an ARC of Call of the Raven by Wilber Smith with Corban Addison, given in exchange for an honest review.
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
It's a long time since last i read a Wilbur Smith book but I can say he never fails to deliver and write a story that will keeps on the edge till the end.
A master storyteller that wrote a gripping and entertaining story with a cast of interesting characters.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
A master storyteller that wrote a gripping and entertaining story with a cast of interesting characters.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
bookish_teacher_reads's review against another edition
5.0
My grandfather used to read Wilbur Smith. While I would read the books he read (after reading my own), I don't think I read ones written by Smith. So when my library included his book in my binge bag, I found myself remembering the past and couldn't pass up the opportunity to read this book. I'm glad I did as now I have a new series to read. Reading about the slavery moment and the extent people will go to get revenge was tough and I had put down the book several times. However the story latches on and draws you in. At times you feel sorry for Mungo St. John and at other times I was horrified by his actions.
yodareads12's review against another edition
4.0
This story is about a wealthy man who loses everything he holds dear and fights to get it back using whatever means become available. Multiple times he is tricked and yet continues to prevail.
The story is set back during the time when the slave trade was still being dismantled. There is a lot of insight into all that went on throughout that process. There is also many moments of frustration at the main character for making a decision based on money or revenge rather than what is right.
I definitely enjoyed the read and seeing things from different perspectives. However, seeing as this is set back when slave owning was still legal, there are a few rough scenes/moments of sexual abuse. But it definitely seems to be, for the most part, historically accurate in the things that might have unfolded.
I would definitely recommend for anyone who wants a better grasp of how things looked back in a time none of us were alive to remember!
The story is set back during the time when the slave trade was still being dismantled. There is a lot of insight into all that went on throughout that process. There is also many moments of frustration at the main character for making a decision based on money or revenge rather than what is right.
I definitely enjoyed the read and seeing things from different perspectives. However, seeing as this is set back when slave owning was still legal, there are a few rough scenes/moments of sexual abuse. But it definitely seems to be, for the most part, historically accurate in the things that might have unfolded.
I would definitely recommend for anyone who wants a better grasp of how things looked back in a time none of us were alive to remember!
canada_matt's review against another edition
4.0
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Wilbur Smith, Corban Addison, and Bonnier Zaffre USA for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Taking the daring task of setting the scene with a prequel to one of his most popular series, Wilbur Smith collaborates with Corban Addison to create a stirring tale set in the 1840s. Before the Ballantyne family rose to notoriety, Mungo St. John was a young man with ambition and intelligence, studying in England. There, his family’s slave ownership soured many young men and Mungo finds himself trying to defend the possession of others. When he returned to America, Mungo discovers that slave owning is the least of his problems, when his family’s land is foreclosed upon and everything seized by a greedy man who all but killed the elder Mr. St. John. Included in the seizure is a young slave woman, named Camilla, someone Mungo holds in very high regard. As Mungo seeks to regain his family name and rush away from some of the trouble he has caused, he lies and changes his name to earn a spot on a ship sailing for Europe. Little does Mungo know the true purpose of the ship, or the horrors that await when he arrives on the other side of the Atlantic. Back in Louisiana, Camilla and many of the other slaves are moved to a cotton plantation, where they work to the bone by a ruthless slave owner, one who enjoys exerting much of his power over the women. He fancies Camilla and takes her as his own, only to leave her feeling used and abused, before she discovers that she is with child. Trying to use the pregnancy to keep herself alive, Camilla finds that she can do much more, given the opportunity and sly skills that she has acquired. When Mungo discovers that he is in the middle of a slave trading ship, he tries to hold his own, only to find himself in the middle of a rebellion on the trip back to America. Not wanting anything to do with the captain and crew who have employed him, Mungo does little to help them and saves his own life, but just. He vows that he will one day bring honour back to the St. John name and find Camilla, if only to see if they still have a chance to be happy. One more trip, under his own captaincy, to Africa sees Mungo St. John attempt a new life as a trader, this time of goods. Mungo does all he can to stay focussed, but he cannot shake that he must find and free Camilla, once and for all. The clash will be great and the risks high, but Mungo St. John is a man of his word and one who will die to ensure honour is kept. An interesting story that held my attention more than many of the other flashback tales in this series. Smith’s work continues to impress and I am glad to have taken the time to read this piece. Recommended for those who enjoy the Ballantyne series, as well as the reader whose interest in pre-Civil War America and nautical tales is high.
I fell under the spell of Wilbur Smith a number of years ago, particularly when I discovered his two series set in somewhat modern Africa. The stories were so full of adventure and discovery that I could not put them down. While he continues to build upon them, his extending the family tree sometimes went a little too far back for my liking. Smith discusses wanting to lay some groundwork for one of his minor characters in the Ballantyne series, Mungo St. John, in response to the request of many readers. Mungo was a highly controversial man who has a soft side, should one be able to find it buried under a lot of the other layers. He is an interesting man with much to prove and a great deal of passion. This emerges throughout the piece, as he is put into many situations he may not always enjoy. That being said, the reader can learn much about him in this piece, from his gritty determination through to his desire to make all things right. He may harbour a violent side, but he is also highly protective, which comes in handy on occasion as well. Others who find themselves complementing Mungo do well throughout this piece, as Smith and Addison add depth to the story with their supporting characters. Giving the reader some context about the time, these characters paint wonderful stories (though not always positive ones) about the time when slavery was waning in Europe but still going strong in America. The story itself was well paced and developed effectively for the time period. It held my attention for the most part, though did not offer up too many new nuggets of information about which I was not somewhat aware. Smith’s intention to lay some of the needed backstory and groundwork is done with ease and anyone entering this series will have many of the needed tools to find themselves fully ensconced before long. I look forward to more from Smith and his various collaborators when the chance arises.
Kudos, Messrs. Smith and Addison, for this wonderful piece of writing. I can only hope the Ballantynes continue to develop for as long as there are ideas to put to paper.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
Taking the daring task of setting the scene with a prequel to one of his most popular series, Wilbur Smith collaborates with Corban Addison to create a stirring tale set in the 1840s. Before the Ballantyne family rose to notoriety, Mungo St. John was a young man with ambition and intelligence, studying in England. There, his family’s slave ownership soured many young men and Mungo finds himself trying to defend the possession of others. When he returned to America, Mungo discovers that slave owning is the least of his problems, when his family’s land is foreclosed upon and everything seized by a greedy man who all but killed the elder Mr. St. John. Included in the seizure is a young slave woman, named Camilla, someone Mungo holds in very high regard. As Mungo seeks to regain his family name and rush away from some of the trouble he has caused, he lies and changes his name to earn a spot on a ship sailing for Europe. Little does Mungo know the true purpose of the ship, or the horrors that await when he arrives on the other side of the Atlantic. Back in Louisiana, Camilla and many of the other slaves are moved to a cotton plantation, where they work to the bone by a ruthless slave owner, one who enjoys exerting much of his power over the women. He fancies Camilla and takes her as his own, only to leave her feeling used and abused, before she discovers that she is with child. Trying to use the pregnancy to keep herself alive, Camilla finds that she can do much more, given the opportunity and sly skills that she has acquired. When Mungo discovers that he is in the middle of a slave trading ship, he tries to hold his own, only to find himself in the middle of a rebellion on the trip back to America. Not wanting anything to do with the captain and crew who have employed him, Mungo does little to help them and saves his own life, but just. He vows that he will one day bring honour back to the St. John name and find Camilla, if only to see if they still have a chance to be happy. One more trip, under his own captaincy, to Africa sees Mungo St. John attempt a new life as a trader, this time of goods. Mungo does all he can to stay focussed, but he cannot shake that he must find and free Camilla, once and for all. The clash will be great and the risks high, but Mungo St. John is a man of his word and one who will die to ensure honour is kept. An interesting story that held my attention more than many of the other flashback tales in this series. Smith’s work continues to impress and I am glad to have taken the time to read this piece. Recommended for those who enjoy the Ballantyne series, as well as the reader whose interest in pre-Civil War America and nautical tales is high.
I fell under the spell of Wilbur Smith a number of years ago, particularly when I discovered his two series set in somewhat modern Africa. The stories were so full of adventure and discovery that I could not put them down. While he continues to build upon them, his extending the family tree sometimes went a little too far back for my liking. Smith discusses wanting to lay some groundwork for one of his minor characters in the Ballantyne series, Mungo St. John, in response to the request of many readers. Mungo was a highly controversial man who has a soft side, should one be able to find it buried under a lot of the other layers. He is an interesting man with much to prove and a great deal of passion. This emerges throughout the piece, as he is put into many situations he may not always enjoy. That being said, the reader can learn much about him in this piece, from his gritty determination through to his desire to make all things right. He may harbour a violent side, but he is also highly protective, which comes in handy on occasion as well. Others who find themselves complementing Mungo do well throughout this piece, as Smith and Addison add depth to the story with their supporting characters. Giving the reader some context about the time, these characters paint wonderful stories (though not always positive ones) about the time when slavery was waning in Europe but still going strong in America. The story itself was well paced and developed effectively for the time period. It held my attention for the most part, though did not offer up too many new nuggets of information about which I was not somewhat aware. Smith’s intention to lay some of the needed backstory and groundwork is done with ease and anyone entering this series will have many of the needed tools to find themselves fully ensconced before long. I look forward to more from Smith and his various collaborators when the chance arises.
Kudos, Messrs. Smith and Addison, for this wonderful piece of writing. I can only hope the Ballantynes continue to develop for as long as there are ideas to put to paper.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
theshaggyshepherd's review against another edition
5.0
Call of the Raven // by Wilbur Smith
Call of the Raven is the story of the son of a slave owner who was swindled out of his inheritance and lost the love of his life with it. It follows him as he plans and attempts to execute his revenge in an eerily similar way to the Count of Monte Cristo. There are many ups and downs on Mungo St. John's journey but is he ready to pay the price that his success demands?
Call of the Raven is the first Wilbur Smith book I have read but this experience was so good that I immediately added his other books to my TBR pile. Smith's writing is excellent and his world-building and character development is stunning. Aside from an interesting and engaging story, you can enjoy the clear and concise writing itself as well. While I cannot always agree to or approve of Mungo's reasoning behind his actions, it is easy to follow his thought process and see how he comes to the conclusions. Smith shows you that bad people can have good moments just like good people can have bad ones. Mungo struggles with his morality but feels that his end goals demand and approve clearly unethical moves. This book had my feelings all over the place and I cannot wait to let Smith pull me into the next one.
Call of the Raven is the story of the son of a slave owner who was swindled out of his inheritance and lost the love of his life with it. It follows him as he plans and attempts to execute his revenge in an eerily similar way to the Count of Monte Cristo. There are many ups and downs on Mungo St. John's journey but is he ready to pay the price that his success demands?
Call of the Raven is the first Wilbur Smith book I have read but this experience was so good that I immediately added his other books to my TBR pile. Smith's writing is excellent and his world-building and character development is stunning. Aside from an interesting and engaging story, you can enjoy the clear and concise writing itself as well. While I cannot always agree to or approve of Mungo's reasoning behind his actions, it is easy to follow his thought process and see how he comes to the conclusions. Smith shows you that bad people can have good moments just like good people can have bad ones. Mungo struggles with his morality but feels that his end goals demand and approve clearly unethical moves. This book had my feelings all over the place and I cannot wait to let Smith pull me into the next one.
annarella's review
5.0
It's a long time since last i read a Wilbur Smith book but I can say he never fails to deliver and write a story that will keeps on the edge till the end.
A master storyteller that wrote a gripping and entertaining story with a cast of interesting characters.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
A master storyteller that wrote a gripping and entertaining story with a cast of interesting characters.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.