Augustus Mungo St. John is a child of privilege. The son of a wealthy plantation owner, he has known a life of wealth and luxury that his father's slaves do not. But while away in England at university, he receives a letter that his father has died. Upon returning home, he finds his family name in ruins, his inheritance taken and his childhood sweetheart, Camilla (a slave) taken by Chester Marion. Mungo swears revenge against Marion and vows to save Camilla.
Call of the Raven is a prequel to Smith's Ballantyne series, but as I'm not familiar with these books, I appreciated that I didn't need to read them to understand what was going on here. However, I'm sure readers of Smith's previous books would find the continuation of Mungo's story interesting.
I enjoyed this book to a point--I thought the writing was excellent and I appreciated the historical setting and details. And while I have no reference point as to who the main characters are in his other books, using a slave owner as the protagonist here is interesting (and a bit awkward). Mungo is drawn as a devil's advocate of sorts. In the debate scene across the pond, he is quick to point out the capitalist system keeps "free" mill workers in a situation far worse than that in which his father's slaves live (while conveniently leaving out other horrors of that institution).
I did find it hard to read the parts detailing Camilla's treatment. Being an historian, I'm well aware of the particular brutalities women faced as slaves, but here it felt a bit gratuitous. Whether or not that was to highlight that Mungo's rosy view of the institution was not entirely accurate, I don't know, but I still had a level of discomfort with it.
I think established fans of Smith will find this a fine addition to his lineup, but I don't think I would read others.
Thank you to Bonnier Zaffre USA for providing me with this review copy.
Call of the Raven is a prequel to Smith's Ballantyne series, but as I'm not familiar with these books, I appreciated that I didn't need to read them to understand what was going on here. However, I'm sure readers of Smith's previous books would find the continuation of Mungo's story interesting.
I enjoyed this book to a point--I thought the writing was excellent and I appreciated the historical setting and details. And while I have no reference point as to who the main characters are in his other books, using a slave owner as the protagonist here is interesting (and a bit awkward). Mungo is drawn as a devil's advocate of sorts. In the debate scene across the pond, he is quick to point out the capitalist system keeps "free" mill workers in a situation far worse than that in which his father's slaves live (while conveniently leaving out other horrors of that institution).
I did find it hard to read the parts detailing Camilla's treatment. Being an historian, I'm well aware of the particular brutalities women faced as slaves, but here it felt a bit gratuitous. Whether or not that was to highlight that Mungo's rosy view of the institution was not entirely accurate, I don't know, but I still had a level of discomfort with it.
I think established fans of Smith will find this a fine addition to his lineup, but I don't think I would read others.
Thank you to Bonnier Zaffre USA for providing me with this review copy.