ARA Review by love heart 1 of Roan

[love heart 1]

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

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4 out of 5 stars

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E. R. Barr spent his youth wandering around Conor Country" known better as the southwest corner of the state of Wisconsin. The Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers and the lands around them, dotted with Indian mounds and filled with stories and legends, fueled his imagination. Not till he started traveling world-wide did he truly begin to see connections between Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the lands where he was born. His forebears came from those ancient nations and settled there in Wisconsin. Always wondering why, he kept searching for answers. A writer on all things Celtic, a follower of Lewis and Tolkien, and a popular speaker on these issues, E. R. Barr makes his home in northwest Illinois.

Conor Archer's life in Chicago has been a simple one. He has been home-schooled by his mother, Finola, and he spends his evenings playing music at a local pub. All that changes one night when he meets a strange, leather-clad man at that pub who gives him a strange liquor to drink and then savagely bites his hand, and later encounters a strangely beautiful woman who binds that wound with a cloth and pin. All the weirdness of these events is compounded by the death of his mother, who had been ill for some time. Her final instructions are for him to travel to a small town, Tinker's Grove, in Wisconsin, where his aunt Emily would care for him and continue his education. As he is travelling on the bus, his wounded hand festers, and he arrives at his destination more dead than alive.

"Roan" is not a book you should consider spending a long evening reading. It is not a fast and easy read, quickly absorbed and then forgotten. E.R. Barr's urban-epic fantasy is much more than that, and it should be savored. I quickly found myself enthralled by the characters and the plot, and became reluctant to hasten my adventure through this book. It is an amazing mix of urban and epic fantasy, shot through with Native American, Irish and Welsh mythology, people with characters who are both filled with human frailties and are larger-than-life. If you are like me and have become somewhat jaded by epic fantasy, you are in for an awesome treat. This is the real deal
From the fantastical to the emotional, this is one book that hits on all cylinders. In fact, not since Potter has there been such a large story with so many intricate characters; except this one also gives the Celtic twist that all lovers of Irish knowledge, history and beauty will absolutely adore.

The Tinkers are a group that went through a great deal back in their homeland. Their story involves a mystical plot: Upon exiling themselves, they headed out to find a new place to live. However, the Tinkers men folk actually fought with shapeshifters called Roan, which come from the depths of Celtic mythology. The wives returned as seals, but their pups transformed into human children. These 'human' children were granted the name 'Dark Ones' by the Tinkers who accepted them as family.

Upon reaching the New World, this group settled in a beautiful spot where actual legends came to life; and there they sat, while the townspeople around them kept the Celtic secrets and made sure no one was ever aware of the 'Dark Ones.'

This is the myth; this is the legend; and this is exactly what main character, Conor Archer, learns about after landing in Tinker’s Grove, Wisconsin. Conor came to the state with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Sent by his mother, who’s dying words told him that he must head straight for the location, Conor actually arrives in the small town succumbing to an illness that he does not understand; a type of sickness that makes Conor more than just a human.

Conor’s health improves with the help of an abbot, but he soon finds himself locked in a struggle between myth and reality. The Roan, the 'Dark Ones' - all of the mystical characters are there to join him in his battle between good and evil in order to save humanity as a whole.

The suspense and action intensify as Conor begins to change. Not only does he gaze at a river demon, but his visions of beings that could not possibly be real grow in number. On top of all this, Conor must wage war with a rich landowner who has no interest in anything but money and establishing absolute power.

Add in a bio-geneticist, an immortal Welsh prince by the name of Madoc, and a town that has literally gone crazy with panic believing that their long silence may just come back to harm them, and you have a book that brings all manner of hero and villain to life.

Although some may refer to the book as a bit 'wordy' in spots, the words are riveting. The scenes are larger than life, leading the reader to actually feel as if they are standing by the side of Conor, just waiting to see what happens next.

Raiting 4 out 5

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