'A Gathering Of Crows' – Brian Keene (Deadite Press)


I didn't get a lot of reading done over Christmas but I did manage to read a few books so, while I'm reading 'War of the Daleks', it's time to dip into the HBR (Has Been Read) Pile and see what's what. Christmas was all about re-reading old favourites so it'll be no surprise to see another Brian Keene book feature here. This time we're all about a small American town dying a particularly grisly death in 'A Gathering Of Crows'...

Brinkley Springs is a quiet little town. Some say the town is dying. They don't know how right they are. Five mysterious figures are about to pay a visit to Brinkley Springs. They have existed for centuries, emerging from the shadows only to destroy. To kill. To feed. They bring terror and carnage, and leave blood and death in their wake. The only person that can prevent their rampage is ex-Amish magus Levi Stoltzfus. As the night wears on, Brinkley Springs will be quiet no longer. Screams will break the silence. But when the sun rises again, will there be anyone left alive to hear?

Having read 'Darkness on the Edge of Town' fairly recently (review over Here), 'A Gathering of Crows' felt like the obvious next read as they both share a lot of similarities. A small town, cut off and crumbling from the inside, and there's nothing to be done... Before you start wondering what the point of reading the same book all over again is though, there are some key differences. The big one is that this time round, the evil is inside the town and more than keen to getting feeding on the townsfolk. There is no time for 'the evil that men do', a supernatural evil is right in your face and pulling your heart out through your throat. The survivors can't hang around so neither does the book. 'A Gathering of Crows' is a manic dash for survival (full of those little moments where you just know that someone is being set up to die, Keene gives them all a great send off) and that would be fine on it's own but the book is also about solving a mystery before it's too late (if it isn't already). The two themes dovetail very well and culminate in an ending that I won't say too much about (I don't want to spoil it!) but is well worth the price of entry. Little apocalypses can be just as intense as the big ones, 'A Gathering of Crows' leaves you in no doubt of that.

And that is because of one man who wasn't around for 'Darkness on the Edge of Town' but just happened to be passing through Brinkley Springs when it all goes down. Levi Stoltzfus is the most unassuming hero you'll ever meet but also a good lesson in never judging someone on first glance. You wouldn't have thought there'd be room for much else in this book but Keene still manages to give us a hero whose past is heartbreaking but is somehow still standing and doing the right thing. Stoltzfus is just amazing in 'A Gathering of Crows' and there's also a lot to be said for Donny who doesn't fully comprehend what is going on but is just as determined to make a stand. I wish I could be half what these guys are.

Add a couple of tantalising glimpses into the Labyrinth and you've got a book that draws the curtain back on a bit more of the Mythos while at the same time, giving you a mad dash into (and out the other side) a world of horror but at the same time, hope too. I'm glad I found a little time for this book over Christmas, definitely give it a read if you haven't already.

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