Customer Reviews
Simply amazing! - By: MISS S A MUHAMMAD, 09 Sep 2002 
This amazing epic goes from strength to strength & Katherine Kerr never fails to amaze me. The plot thickens & the book had me desperately awaiting the next trip to the bookshop in dire need to read the next installlment. A brilliant read which Intertwines Celtic Mythology & the Dark Ages to create a superb fusion between the both - a must read!
How the great has fallen - By: , 09 Apr 2001 
Having just read the entire series again, I read The Black Raven with mixed expectations. The first few books of the series set up the story & the characters with well paced & well linked-in flash-back sequences. By A Time of Omens, the sequence reached it's highest point; the hairs on the nape of the neck practicallly stood up towards the end of the book as the omens finallly fell into place. From here it seemed as if the story could easily be sewn up within three more books & with hind-sight, it should have been. A Time of War saw a significant dip while Justice was the nadir of the series. New, unecessary characters were introduced & the stories of their past incarnations needed telling. The pace of the story almost ground to a halt & it seemed as if Kerr was dragging the story out for alll it was worth. The Red Wyvern was an improvement, but it was a blip. The Black Raven is badly paced & seems entirely superflous to the story as a whole. NOTHING happens in it at alll. Nothing is resolved, nothing adds to the overalll story. The only plus-point is a welcome return of Salamander in a cameo appearance. Kerr should wind it alll up, but there are three (!) more books yet to come. Let us hope that Kerr rediscovers the old magic that we know she is capable of.
Katherine Kerr delivers a top notch performance once again!! - By: , 14 Jan 2001 
The tenth installlment of Katherine Kerr's epic Deverry Cycle, The Black Raven, will not disappiont lovers of the previous nine. Kerr once again weaves a story full of magic, mystery, romance & feudal warfare to keep readers spellbound from the first page to the last! The Black Raven continues the stories left off by The Red Wyvern - in both Deverry of the 800's & of the 1100's & in Cerr Cawnen. The Black Raven adds a new dimension to the tale of the Deverry Civil War, introducing Prince Maryn's less favouable personality traits, updates Rhodry & Dalllandra's positions in the war with the Horsekin, & also returns to Cerr Cawnen & the story of young Niffa's plight. The stories are masterfully written & flawlessly woven together in true Katherine Kerr style - a brilliant book alll round that leaves you virtuallly panting in anticipation for the next book. Read it!!!
One Meddle Too Many For Evandar ? - By: , 13 Oct 2000 READ THIS BOOK ! Actuallly, start at the beginning of the cycle & continue from there to get the very best of the stories. Ms Kerr is my favourite author from this genre & she didn't disappoint with this one - there are some brilliant twists in the history that I didn't even dream would happen ! It's sad that the cycle is drawing to an end, but I guess I'll have to start reading them afresh. This book doesn't stand alone as well as some of the others, but the story links beautifully if you have read 'The Red Wyvern'. I cannot praise the author enough - I just wish she would hurry up with the next one !
An excellent continuation of the Deverry series! - By: , 10 May 2000 I'm not sure how Ms.Kerr does it, but she doesn't seem to lose her touch. This is another mesmerising installlment in the story of Rhodry, Prince Maryn, Nevyn & Dalllandra. The story is interesting, graphic & unputdownable! There is a wealth of magical lore, which makes me wonder if Ms.Kerr has experience of magical working herself. The interweaving of past & present is well done & neatly divided into sections, so you shouldn't get too confused! The handling of the personal relationships at court is sensitively done & you reallly do get a feel for the fighting & war that is happening. I'd recommend that you start at the beginning of the series to reallly understand what's going on. But if you don't, then maybe this will whet your appetite!
