Genre:
Magical Realism/Adventure/Literary/Fantasy
Description:
“When
Sarabande’s sister Dryad haunts her for three years beyond the
grave, Sarabande begins a dangerous journey into the past to either
raise her cruel sister from the dead, ending the torment, or to take
her place in the safe darkness of the earth. In spite of unsettling
predictions about her trip, Sarabande leaves the mountains of Pyrrha
and Montana on a black horse named Sikimí and heads for the
cornfields of Illinois in search of Robert Adams, the once powerful
Sun Singer, hoping he can help with her quest.”
Author:
“Malcolm
R. Campbell is the author of satire and magical realism: Conjure
Woman's Cat (2015), The
Sun Singer (2004, 2010,
2015), Sarabande
(2011 and 2015), Jock
Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire
(2009). His Jock
Talks...Politics
collection of satire is a Pushcart Prize 2013 nominee. Jock
Stewart Strikes Back is a
collection of humorous stores that was released in 2014. An excerpt
from Conjure Woman's Cat
was nominated in 2015 for a Pushcart Prize.”
Appraisal:
Sarabande
is an amazingly well told tale of redemption that starts off with
Sarabande seeking Robert Adams help to settle Dryad’s haunting
torment. Her quest starts off well through the dimensional divide and
Mr. Campbell’s poetic prose is spellbinding as he paints a picture
of Sarabande riding Sikimi through the night sky. Things then go
terribly awry in a horrific set of events. Sarabande must draw on all
of her inner strength to survive.
Sarabande
finds an ally in Billy Looks Far, who is able to help her on many
levels to put her back on the path to fulfill her quest. However, she
must find her own way to recover from the emotional turmoil and to
find her way back to her own power. The plot is full of twists that
caught me off guard at times. She does find Robert who is fully
Robert Adams, not the Osprey she was actually seeking. He has turned
his back on being the Sun Singer to appease his parents. Finding no
help from Osprey, Sarabande plans to head back home without help. The
trickster coyote delays her trip which gives Robert time to change
his mind about going back with her.
But
hold on, the twists in the plot are ongoing and Sarabande teaches
Robert about trusting your guide instead of your own logic. Magic and
logic don’t often travel hand in hand. The plights they encounter
are surprising on both sides of the dimensional divide. Events are
disastrous and surprising once again. Mr. Campbell may have as well
have torn my insides out with the way this story ended. However, it
seems as though Sarabande is well on her way to healing her psyche.
Which left me feeling good, however, the why and how of it still has
me debating. I have to learn how to trust the author, right?
FYI:
Sarabande
is book 2 in the Mountain
Journeys series. I should
include this book contains a rape scene and other scenes with graphic
violence. So if you are sensitive about those subjects, BEWARE!
Format/Typo
Issues:
No
significant issues.
Rating:
***** Five stars
Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Approximate
word count: 75,000-80,000
words
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