Dawn Song

Rating:
Summary: Loved it all!
Review: As a fan of the horror genre I am very often forced to sit through a book by a well known author that although has the major affect of scaring me out of my wits, rarely gets deep into my own personal life. Mr. Marano has succeeded where others have failed me!

From the moment I picked this book up, I just couldn't put it down until I finished the story.

The story of two Princes of Hell each trying to take over the world was as gripping as it was frightening, and left me wanting more from this author. His style of prose was just amazing.

Of course the real good stuff is the emotional roller coaster you get the privilege to be on from almost page one!
This book takes you everywhere, from sorrow to hopeful, and taking little pitstops at each emotion along the way.

With characters I could really feel for, the struggle for Earth was just a beautiful mix of great insight and moments of pure suspense.
Pick it up if you can, it's a great read!

Rating:
Summary: THE FINEST HORROR NOVEL OF THE DECADE
Review: Having both pros and cons about Michael Marano's first effort, if I could give it 2 1/2 stars I would because that's where I saw it - right down the middle.

On the positive side, I found it to be an extremely interesting concept, reminiscent of the Book of Job because here are two "spiritual" (?) beings watching humans deal with what is being thrown at them from outside their own realm. Two demons battle for dominion on earth. I found the characterization to be exceptional, containing the kind of detail that usually is the domain of Anne Rice. Of the main characters, there is Lawrence, a clerk in a bookstore who has come to terms with his own homosexuality, but not his father's death; Paul, a teacher founded in reality who, at one point, encourages a student teacher to fight the good fight, and then a few pages later, decides to quit teaching himself, and finally; Ed Sloane, our resident theological anti-hero. All of these people are drawn in great detail. Also, I liked how Marano does for the west end of Boston - Kennemore Square, Copley Place, Fenway Park - what Rice does for New Orleans. Namely, he paints it as a very dark location. Never in this book did I ever get the feeling that the sun was shining. However, though this tapestry is dark, it is, at times, quite beautiful.

Still, as the one armed economist might say, "on the other hand", there is no force of good in this book. I think the reader needs that in this kind of story. There are no good guys, no guys in white hats, no Lone Ranger to save the town and hence humanity. Rooting for one of the demons over the other doesn't offer much either. Belial, the Unbowed One, operates through his daughter, the succubus, who "heals" people by devouring their souls and then drops pieces of them (the souls) into hell. Nice touch. The other, Leviathan, the Enfolded One, is no prize himself. A sort of reptilian worm, he pulls humanity's chain by initiating events like the Gulf War. Rooting for one these guys over the other is akin to either being garroted or hung with an electric rope: the end result is pretty much the same. Also, I did not find this book particularily scary. We should not confuse slasher-type gore with true horror. For example, one of the demons possess one of the characters and he waits - in the bathroom, no less - to do in a young couple. He waylays them with a mallet, whose craftmanship, I might add, he complains about in the previous chapter. He then decapitates them, spells words with their blood, and then carries their heads around in a plastic bag full of fruit and vegetables. Gross, for sure. Scary, not really.

One thing I did wish Marano had more of is dialogue. I feel dialogue really moves a story along. If one doubts me, I would suggest that they pick up something by Ed McBain or Elmore Leonard. I spent too many times with this book re-reading descriptive paragraphs because I couldn't retain what was written. Still, I would have to say that I would like to see more by Marano because this was, after all, a first novel. His knowledge of medieval history and religion should be able to pay better dividends down the road.

Rating:
Summary: Damnation by Disjointure
Review: I enjoyed the storyline and charactor development. It should have been a 'good read' but was, for me, spoilt by cumbersome presentation and 'arty' expression. I was looking for a story which the theme promised but it got lost in the litteray world. Why can't these writers present ideas and thoughts simply? Complexity does not equate with 'quality'. I also deplore the trend of many a horror novel nowadays having to have a statutary gay component. What's wrong with a bit of plain old spine chilling with a touch of straight on the side?

When I finished this story I was not desperately looking for another by the same author! Compare this to "The Stake' or "Crota' which where fun reads.

Rating:
Summary: What a let down!!
Review: I was really looking forward to this book only to be hugely disappointed. In every other sentence in every other paragraph was some sort of descriptive phrase "like moths to a flame"; "like bees to honey", it was soooo boring. Then what was the author thinking by splitting some of the pages into 2 or 3 columns then having a sentence run all over the page??? If you go to the author's website he talks about how to be original in your stories and ideas before you put them to paper.. and the author tries desperately to write this lyrical prose but falls way short. And big deal these demons are causing the ills of the world including the gulf war....please--who didn't see that plot coming a mile away. And my biggest beef with this book is the author's constant use of the "n-word". It just seemed to me that the author had no idea at times what he wanted to do with his characters. Some of his passages were just drivel. This is by far the 2nd worst book I've read this year. I'm not even going to give this to the library it's so bad.

Rating:
Summary: I WANT MY MONEY BACK!
Review: It took me a while to get really "into" this one. However, I was really hooked from page one because I just couldn't put it down. The writing is lyrical, nearly poetic, the images created are haunting. The novel introduces a series of characters on a variety of levels; nothing is truly as it first appears in this novel. The Succubus is such an incredible character; she is erotic and dangerous without any other motive than to fulfill her purpose for coming to earth. Her image will stick with you throughout this read. The dialogue is intelligent and realistic, the images are sharp, and the plot keeps building throughout the novel. This is a must-read for the intelligent horror reader.

Rating:
Summary: .....eh....
Review: it was well written and i probably would have enjoyed the plot had i been able to follow it. i lost interest before the end and lost the book...no sweat off my back. it was nothing special and it would probably be better going to the library.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Debut Novel!
Review: Michael Marano is quite a talented writer. The greatest strengh he reveals in his first novel is character development. Whether the character in question is one of the novel's major figures or one of the victims in the supernatural war being waged in the streets of Boston, Marano spends time to fully flesh each character out, so that the reader really gets to know the character well. This is particularly effective when Marano makes the reader begin to like a character, just to have him killed by a demon three pages later. In addition, because there are so many well-thought-out characters, it's difficult to tell who the hero of the novel is, or whether there even *is* a "hero" in the standard sense.

The plot is thought-provoking as well. When two demons battle for world dominion, who is the "good guy"? Marano deftly avoids the plot pitfall of bringing in God to quash the demons and restore everything to normal, which was refreshing. Instead, the tensions keep mounting until the novel's end, which makes for compelling reading. I had to finish the book in one night because I couldn't go to sleep without knowing what was going to happen next.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Debut Novel!
Review: Michael Marano is quite a talented writer. The greatest strengh he reveals in his first novel is character development. Whether the character in question is one of the novel's major figures or one of the victims in the supernatural war being waged in the streets of Boston, Marano spends time to fully flesh each character out, so that the reader really gets to know the character well. This is particularly effective when Marano makes the reader begin to like a character, just to have him killed by a demon three pages later. In addition, because there are so many well-thought-out characters, it's difficult to tell who the hero of the novel is, or whether there even *is* a "hero" in the standard sense.

The plot is thought-provoking as well. When two demons battle for world dominion, who is the "good guy"? Marano deftly avoids the plot pitfall of bringing in God to quash the demons and restore everything to normal, which was refreshing. Instead, the tensions keep mounting until the novel's end, which makes for compelling reading. I had to finish the book in one night because I couldn't go to sleep without knowing what was going to happen next.

Rating:
Summary: Dawn Song is a scary, sexy, demonic, dreadfully good read!
Review: You're going to hear a lot about Michael Marano's debut novel, Dawn Song. You're going to read all about how literary it is, how intelligent, how beautifully written, how subtle and scholarly. Okay, all that's true, but I'm here to tell you how hard it kicks butt.

This book rocks. It's gripping, fascinating, bizarre, and most of all, scary. Set in Boston in the bitter winter of 1990, Dawn Song is the story of a desperate battle between two major princes of Hell. Both want supremacy over the Earth; Belial, the Unbowed One, seeks to obtain souls through eloquent entrapments and sensual conquests of human weakness, while Leviathan, the Enfolded One, just wants to infect the world with brainless violence. The Unbowed One sends a beautiful succubus to the Earth to carry out his will and spread his influence, which she does with innocently evil gusto. Many humans become entangled in her web of sex and soul-devouring death, including Lawrence, a naïve young gay man, and Ed, a brilliant, troubled professor of theology. When the nightmarish Enfolded One (who has basically caused the Gulf War by rolling over in his sleep) gets wind of the succubus's many horrific accomplishments, he reaches out into the human world, possesses a hapless teacher, and the brimstone really hits the fan.

Dawn Song has all the good stuff. Sex, violence, beauty, madness, terror, paranoia, love, hate, hope and despair. Rest assured, you'll be taken on an emotional roller coaster as soon as you crack the cover. And you'll be scared. Will you ever. One of the most horrifying aspects of the whole story is the fact that (although you find yourself rooting for the sensual Unbowed One) no matter which one of the demonic lords may win in the end, we, the human race, are hosed. It's like the difference between being eaten by Hannibal Lecter or Leatherface. One may serve you up on a silver platter with a glass of Chianti, the other on a TV tray with a bottle of Yoo Hoo, but either way, you still end up et. It's not a ple! asant thought, and it gives the book a creeping aura of menace that sets the reader on constant edge.

So check it out. Dawn Song will stretch your brain in directions you've never dreamed about. Just don't plan to sleep well for awhile.