Rating: 
Summary: His best yet
Review: Sings the Nightbird is the finest novel this author has yet produced, and considering his other works, such as Boy's Life, Gone South, and the epic Swan Song, that's saying something. The novel concerns the coming age of a Magistrate's squire in a struggling colonial town, and a witchcraft trial which will forever change his life. The book richly evocates it's setting, and it's obvious McCammon has done a great deal of research into his subject matter. Although not an out and out horror novel, this has it's fair share of grisly moments, but bottom line it's an intensely involving and absorbing read with (unusually in this reader's experience) a richly rewarding climax. Not only that: but the book, despite being a fantastic stand alone work, manages to offer the tantalising prospect of a sequel. Robert McCammon is simply one of the finest authors working today. Read this, you will love it.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome back Robert McCammon
Review: I must admit that I was, at first, put off by the size of the book. 700+ pages is a lot of book but I also knew how much I had enjoyed McCammon's previous book " A Boy's Life" so I decided to give it a try. The phrase " can't put down" is used way to often to describe many average books today but in this case it is true. The story moves with a well-crafted plot that makes this book more memorable than many of the books we tend to read today. The characters are so well drawn that you identify with them, worry with them and get angry with them. Many others have detailed the plot so I won't cover that ground again. Simply let me say that you quickly drop into the year 1699 and just as quickly find yourself pulled into a superb story by an exceptional storyteller. This is a very atmospheric trip through a town on the edge of terror.
By the end of the story I was hungry for more. If you're looking for a mystery par excellent, you could do not better. If you're looking for a scary story, again this is your book. If you like finely crafted ideas with believable characters, this is the one for you.
Matthew, the main character is believable and someone you can cheer on as he goes for danger-to-danger and clue-to-clue looking for justice.
Forget the size of the book it would be worth it at twice the size. It is a story seldom found today. Thanks Mr. McCammon. I only hope we don't have to wait another 10 years for the next book. Hang on, it really is 'A book you can't put down." I'd give it six stars if I could.
Rating: 
Summary: A Creepy Slice of Americana
Review: Vol 2. Evil Unveiled is the 2nd half of Speaks the Nightbird. Vol 1. Judgement of the Witch, was the first half. Both books are the wonderful recent additions from the fabulous mind of Robert McCammon. A sordid look at America's past. Particularly the during the time of the Witch hunts in the 1600's. An excellent mystery is underfoot when an innocent woman is charged for the crime of Witchcraft. A young law clerk (filling-in for the ailing Judge Woodward) is faced with discovering the truth. During which time (no pun intended), the bodies start to drop. The writing style and the characters are well drawn and memorable. Makes you truly appreaciate the concept of "innocent until proven guilty." Enjoy! P.S. this book reminds me of John Barth's "The Sot Weed Factor." Also a great read, very satirical.
Rating:
Summary: O Robert O Robert Wherefore Have thou Been
Review: Welcome Back Sir.
Set in 1699 Carolinas, Mccammon again departs from the gruesome horror he made his name with.
Rachel Howarth an attractive young widow of mixed blood stands accused of witchcraft. A magistrate is summoned and is in fact the third magistrate to attempt to reach the settlement to try the accused, but after a misadventure he arrives with his young intelligent clerk.
This book as I stated isn't rightfully classified as horror unlike Stinger or some of his works it is instead almost an historical suspense novel. Yet there is dark underlining to the town and real evil which I feel makes it a very borderline book bridging multi genres. It could be horror the way Swan Song was horror, or historical mystery as the root is to solve who killed Rachel's husband, and the Reverend.
McCammon's writing has obviously matured greatly during his writing sabbatacal, this novel transports the reader to late 17th century America. The character's speak and act as settler's probably did in that time, and McCammon's gift of painting a scene with words increased with time. A very eerie ( not scary mind you haha) first volume of a two-volume novel.
Rating:
Summary: Simply...Great!!!
Review: I'll keep this short, as others have already gone on to explain the story, but this is a great read. I have read all of MacCammons works and have never been let down (well...maybe Stinger was a little weak). This is, absolutely, his best novel to date. Swan Song and The Wolf's Hour running a close 2nd and 3rd. An honorable mention goes to Mystery Walk, Ushers Passing, Bethany's Sin, etc, etc, etc. I was so glad to hear that McCammon was coming out of retirement after 10 long years to grace his fans with another novel. Let me say this, it was well worth the wait. The experience of reading this book is bitter-sweet. I enjoyed it so much, but now I'm done and have to anxiously wait for another novel (hope it comes out soon). If you haven't read any of McCammon's books yet, you are truly missing out on a modern master. And Mr. McCammon, if you are reading up on some of the reviews posted here, a heart felt "thanks" for all the stories you have shared.
Rating:
Summary: Historical Mystery in Horror's Clothing
Review: The second volume is more enjoyable than the first, because our suspicions of the genre have been confirmed: this isn't horror fiction, this is a mystery novel in the cosy Agatha Christie vein (once you look past the very rare examples of sadistic violence).In Volume One the characters and situation were established (I'd said of the first half that it "essentially parades its whodunnit-style suspects before us,") and in Volume Two the red herrings are dealt with by our intrepid detective hero, as he works his way toward discovering the real killer. McCammon is, as always, a graceful and articulate writer, and this is a satisfying conclusion to his novel--particularly enjoyable, once the reader settles into the genre, is his occasional subverting of expectations. One can easily imagine further volumes, should McCammon decide to make his hero a recurring detective, and I'd look forward to them (I don't know of any circa 1700 detectives in New York, but it would be a fun read!) Note: This is really about a 3 and a half starrer for me--a 3 star ranking from me is actually fairly good, I reserve 4 stars for tremendously good works, and 5 only for the rare few that are or ought to be classic; unfortunately most books published are 2 or less.
Rating:
Summary: 3 and a half stars, to be more accurate
Review: Poor Robert McCammon--he's so good at his best (Boy's Life) that when he falls somewhat short of his own, very high bar, he gets faulted for it. Others have recounted the plot. What's good about this book is he doesn't patronize his audience with lengthy exposition regarding its historical setting, he expects his readers to be literate and well-educated; he has a whiz-bang opening to get you into his story (and it's needed, as the story drags in the middle of volume one, which essentially parades its whodunnit-style suspects before us); he's a graceful and articulate writer. The characters could be a little more compelling, the emotional stakes a little higher, but it's a good read once you commit to it. If you enjoy McCammon, you know you'll like this well enough--and if you've never read him, this isn't a bad place to begin; see if you like it, and know that greater delights await. Note: a 3 star ranking from me is actually fairly good; I reserve 4 stars for tremendously good works, and 5 only for the rare few that are or ought to be classic; unfortunately most books published are 2 or less.
Rating:
Summary: This books was AWESOME
Review: I've always like Robert McCammon books and up until now had determined that Swan Song was my all time favorite of his. Not any longer....this book kept me captivated from beginning to end. I recommend to anyone who LOVES a great story done by a wonderful storyteller.
Rating: 
Summary: Hugely Disappointing!!!
Review: I've been a fan of Robert McCammon since the beginning -- I even liked his clinkers like Baal and Nightboat. He's a terrific writer. Unfortunately, this latest effort is sub par for him. I don't know if he's just rusty or if he's trying to stretch too hard to break into a new genre (since there was tremendous resistance from his editors and the publishing world in general to having him write anything other than horror) but Speaks the Nightbird is just awful! The author tries to use the vernacular of the time, but he fails in some spots and it's distracting to the narrative. But more than that, the plot creeps along at a snail's pace -- I was horrified at the end of the book to find out that there was actually a SECOND novel to read to complete the story!! That wouldn't have actually been a bad thing if the first volume ended with some sort of cliffhanger or climax -- no such luck. It just meanders along aimlessly and then the reader is surprised with an end note encouraging them to buy the second volume to find out what happens! If the book was originally meant to be 1100 pages, then it should have been published as such. What a disappointment -- I can't believe I waited 10 years for this. Just terribly disappointing in every aspect.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Characters, Not a Horror Book Though
Review: I've been a McCammon fan for many years now, and I found his Speaks the Nightbird to be an interesting piece of fiction...not really horror or supernatural as I was expecting, but definitely full of great characters and humor too. I was disappointed that this read more like a murder mystery, but the way it unfolded, with each individual somehow connected to each other like a chain, was spellbinding. You just had to keep reading to find out how each individual had secrets. Without giving a lot of spoilers away, I'd say that you'd be hard-pressed to find such a variety of personalities and hidden secrets in a town as small as Fount Royal. From the uh, amorous Blacksmith to the pimp-like Preacher, from the beautiful accused witch to the Magistrate and his inquisitive young assistant, the characters each held their individuality while contributing to the entire story...much like instruments in a symphony. My only comment is that this symphony's music should have been a little more horrific and supernatural...as I was really expecting there would be...but in the end, the harmony plays out just fine.
|
