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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