Black Feathers (The Black Dawn: Volume One) [Advanced Book Review]

Genre - Eco-Horror/Dark Fantasy/Young Adult
Year Published - 2013 [*Release Date is April 4th! - Published by Angry Robot Books]
Length - 377 [digital] pages *Read on my Nook
Written by Joseph D'Lacey

Rating: 5 Skulls

Plot Summary:
It is the Black Dawn, a time of environmental apocalypse, the earth wracked and dying.

It is the Bright Day, a time long generations hence, when a peace has descended across the world.

In each era, a child shall be chosen. Their task is to find a dark messiah known only as the Crowman. But is he our saviour - or the final incarnation of evil?

Review:
If I had not already stated before that D'Lacey is my favorite UK author, I would be doing so now! D'Lacey (the author of 'Meat', 'The Garbage Man', and 'The Killing Crew') has really matured as a writer - he has become a "storyteller" in its truest sense!

If you recall, back in 2008, I gave his 1st novel, 'Meat' the award for Most Memorable Novel...
I can easily see that same award going to Black Feathers, this year, as well.

D'Lacey is not only a thought-provoking author who has the gift to make you think, he has the gift to make you feel what his characters are feeling as well (their fear, their pain, their emotion)
On top of that, he has such a metaphorical way with words - rather than just say that, let me show you two examples: 
(*Note: Thank you to the author for giving me permission to quote the below!)

"Down at the river the October sun lets the water break its smile into a million pieces of gold, each so brilliant they leave a mote of light inside the eye, each one unique and momentary."

Can you get more descriptive than that?!?
How about the next one?

"The woman sits cross-legged, everything below her waist wrapped in torn, grimy blankets. Above her waist, she is naked. The folds of her belly suggest she has born many children, and her breasts, hanging drained and limp, are testament to this...
Her skin has the look of hide about it, and the wrinkles and cracks it bears are deep. Dirt fills each fold of skin...
Her neck is a mess of folds and wattles, each crease gritty with filth... Her face, too, is a sagging succession of dewlaps, the weight of her skin pulling her lower lids away from her eyes, exposing jaundiced sclera and capillaries that look like rusty fractures in polished ivory."

Now, tell me you didn't feel as if you were sitting directly across from the above woman?
That is how good D'Lacey is!


So, what is the book about exactly?
The story is told in two parts - number one being the Black Dawn, which is basically the dawning of a new Dark Age - the Final Days, if you will, where billions have perished due to famines, sickness, and wars. Technology has become useless, due to constant solar flares, and tsunamis and volcanic eruptions have wracked the earth.
In this time-period we follow a young man in search of the Crowman.

The second part takes place in the future, in the aftermath of the Black Dawn - the Bright Day, where we follow a young woman, who is to become a keeper of the knowledge of what transpired in the past. She to is in search of the Crowman.

Who is this mythical Crowman? (also known as "Black Jack" or simply "the Scarecrow")
Is he good or is he evil?
That will be up to you to decide...!


Black Feathers is the 1st book in the "Black Dawn Duology".
Mark your calendars - it will be available on April 4th - you don't want to miss this one!

The 2nd book, 'The Book of the Crowman' will be forthcoming...
(I so cannot wait!!)

Jason