ARA Review by JohnParten of Roan

[JohnParten]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Roan.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Title: ROAN
Author: E.R BARR
Rating: 4 out of 5

This tale starts with a young Irish lad, Connor Archer, living in poverty, in downtown Chicago. One evening, a weird biker bloke entices the lad away from the bar where he usually plays his flute to earn a living. Before he knows it, he has been drugged and bitten. His life is changed forever as unnatural forces start to work. Soon after, the death of his mother triggers him to journey to “Tiinker’s Grove”, Wisconsin to visit a long-lost relative, Aunt Emily.

Inhabitants of the little town are very wary of the new visitor, except for two friends Jace and Beth. Connor discovers dark secrets and a trace of Irish ancestry seems to single out a small portion of the town folk as “dark ones”, identified with webbed fingers.

Evil forces abound and engulf prominent characters, experiments are performed on innocents. The potential fate of the people, maybe the whole world is revealed. Meanwhile, Connor’s love for Beth only serves to hinder his ability to fight for good.

The last pages describe the climatic final battle resulting in casualties for both sides.

The author’s knowledge of Irish folklore abounds in the story. The initial forecast of impending doom keeps the reader in suspense as the script starts to unravel. Each character is aptly described and embellished without detracting from the pace. In particular, I found the unworldly “Morrigan” character intriguing with all she can and cannot do. The sinister worshippers of the evil “Piasa” were equally interesting, each lending to the mounting tension in the book.

I liked the idea of mixing science and magic, it really seemed like a possibility and who knows perhaps one day this might happen.

I have some reservations as to how the “hanging tree” was used in the story, perhaps stretching the imagination a little too far. Also, some of the words (such as “slough” and “keening” ) seemed a little out of context. Overall, many of the alternative world concepts were well delivered, especially Connor’s ability to straddle the two realms of existence. I felt the viewpoints of the various beasts and characters often advantageously supplemented the storyline.

In my opinion, this book deserves a rating of 4. I did not rate it as a 5 because I felt certain aspects of the transformation of Conner and some of the other characters in the alternative world were a quite a stretch for the imagination.

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