Review by NSOfficial -- Raven's Peak by Lincoln Cole
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NSOfficial
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Review by NSOfficial -- Raven's Peak by Lincoln Cole
[Following is a volunteer review of "Raven's Peak" by Lincoln Cole.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Raven’s Peak is a welcome addition to the works of Columbus based author, Lincoln Cole, and is true to his self-proclaimed inspirations - George R. R. Martin and Stephen King, falling under the category of science fiction/horror/thriller. Being the first installment in the series known as “World on Fire,” it promises a lot of suspense, adventure and thrill to come.
The story unravels the journey of Abigail Dressler and her mismatched and slightly deluded companion Haatim Arison – who is newly indoctrinated into Dressler’s world of demons, hunters, cults and tails with family secrets of his own to uncover as they head up north to a quaint mountain top town with a ‘maddening’ threat to its town people. A threat so powerful that has quite literally rendered the people of Raven’s Peak mad and poses a threat so great and unparalleled to what Abigail has faced before that it has her grasping at straws for survival.
The backdrop of this book is a quintessential battle between the forces of good and evil, human and supernatural, Hunters and the Ninth Circle with an underlying and deep question of “what is my faith worth?” (Pg.16) making rounds in the minds of characters and through them the readers.
For those of you who read beyond the lines and take pride in delving into the details of a narrative, here are a few of my top observations of Raven’s Peak:
1. An interesting aspect of this book, from the reader’s perspective, is that he needs to determine and figure out where his loyalties lie when it comes to siding with certain characters as each character is not only complex but there is a kind of trust deficit that exists between one character and another.
2. The portrayal of humans being good to the extent of sacrificing their own life for another’s and bad to the extent of toying with another’s heartstrings to manipulate them into putting their lives in danger. (Note: Do read the Prologue)
3. Strong yet flawed male characters and strong yet flawed female characters can coexist and be interdependent.
4. The writing style in itself is a refresher because it doesn’t overstretch a scene or conversation to the extent of it becoming distasteful. I take credit in coining the writing as “raw yet refined.” I feel that the way he incorporates the primal feelings of fear, shock, disbelief, affection and joy in the way his characters’ think and act is very raw and human but at the same time there is a much grander scheme of things in terms of plot and how every loophole is tied down to the story sooner or later.
The book in itself is not of a tiresome length to read which compliments the author’s ability to drive the story at a good pace. There is a nice balance of deep conversations done in simple language that inspires readers to become introspective and become a part of the characters’ journey to self-discovery and rejuvenation of faith. In short, this book is a page turner.
Who this book is not for? It’s definitely not for those who have a hard time digesting high voltage action sequences and graphic imagery from blood splattered walls to gashed throats and broken bones to dodging deadly shards of flying shrapnel and point-blank gunshot wounds…it’s definitely not for the faint-hearted.
Another drawback for my fellow impatient readers is that the suspense-creating-tactics used by the author might be a bit overdone. For instance, the use of (-) hyphens is such that it breaks off a character’s trail of thought at the exact instance he/she is about to recollect something of importance or share an intimate detail of his past or present situation that we know will play a vital role in the plot. It seems as if the universe sends in an intrusive thought/character or imminent threat right when a central character is about to shed light on something the readers had been in the dark about, leaving them all going “but…but...what was it that you were about to say???”
All in all, this book was a treat to read and really engrossed me all the while I was reading it. For my inability to pick out many low points in this book, I would have to rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The ending is a cliff-hanger that hints towards much more action, thrill and adventure to come.
******
Raven's Peak
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
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Raven’s Peak is a welcome addition to the works of Columbus based author, Lincoln Cole, and is true to his self-proclaimed inspirations - George R. R. Martin and Stephen King, falling under the category of science fiction/horror/thriller. Being the first installment in the series known as “World on Fire,” it promises a lot of suspense, adventure and thrill to come.
The story unravels the journey of Abigail Dressler and her mismatched and slightly deluded companion Haatim Arison – who is newly indoctrinated into Dressler’s world of demons, hunters, cults and tails with family secrets of his own to uncover as they head up north to a quaint mountain top town with a ‘maddening’ threat to its town people. A threat so powerful that has quite literally rendered the people of Raven’s Peak mad and poses a threat so great and unparalleled to what Abigail has faced before that it has her grasping at straws for survival.
The backdrop of this book is a quintessential battle between the forces of good and evil, human and supernatural, Hunters and the Ninth Circle with an underlying and deep question of “what is my faith worth?” (Pg.16) making rounds in the minds of characters and through them the readers.
For those of you who read beyond the lines and take pride in delving into the details of a narrative, here are a few of my top observations of Raven’s Peak:
1. An interesting aspect of this book, from the reader’s perspective, is that he needs to determine and figure out where his loyalties lie when it comes to siding with certain characters as each character is not only complex but there is a kind of trust deficit that exists between one character and another.
2. The portrayal of humans being good to the extent of sacrificing their own life for another’s and bad to the extent of toying with another’s heartstrings to manipulate them into putting their lives in danger. (Note: Do read the Prologue)
3. Strong yet flawed male characters and strong yet flawed female characters can coexist and be interdependent.
4. The writing style in itself is a refresher because it doesn’t overstretch a scene or conversation to the extent of it becoming distasteful. I take credit in coining the writing as “raw yet refined.” I feel that the way he incorporates the primal feelings of fear, shock, disbelief, affection and joy in the way his characters’ think and act is very raw and human but at the same time there is a much grander scheme of things in terms of plot and how every loophole is tied down to the story sooner or later.
The book in itself is not of a tiresome length to read which compliments the author’s ability to drive the story at a good pace. There is a nice balance of deep conversations done in simple language that inspires readers to become introspective and become a part of the characters’ journey to self-discovery and rejuvenation of faith. In short, this book is a page turner.
Who this book is not for? It’s definitely not for those who have a hard time digesting high voltage action sequences and graphic imagery from blood splattered walls to gashed throats and broken bones to dodging deadly shards of flying shrapnel and point-blank gunshot wounds…it’s definitely not for the faint-hearted.
Another drawback for my fellow impatient readers is that the suspense-creating-tactics used by the author might be a bit overdone. For instance, the use of (-) hyphens is such that it breaks off a character’s trail of thought at the exact instance he/she is about to recollect something of importance or share an intimate detail of his past or present situation that we know will play a vital role in the plot. It seems as if the universe sends in an intrusive thought/character or imminent threat right when a central character is about to shed light on something the readers had been in the dark about, leaving them all going “but…but...what was it that you were about to say???”
All in all, this book was a treat to read and really engrossed me all the while I was reading it. For my inability to pick out many low points in this book, I would have to rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The ending is a cliff-hanger that hints towards much more action, thrill and adventure to come.
******
Raven's Peak
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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Latest Review: "Puffy and the Formidable Foe" by Marie Lepkowski and Ann Marie Hannon
