Revenge is a nasty, vicious creature that can make a man do almost anything, pushing him to his limits, and sometimes beyond. No one knows this more than Mungo St. John. Mungo has plans for his life, plans for his family’s farm in Virginia, and plans for Camilia, the woman he loves, but when Mungo returns from university he discovers his plans dashed in the form of a foreclosure. To make matters worse, the woman he loves has been taken by the very man that has destroyed Mungo’s family, Chester Marion. Forced to flee, Mungo begins work on a ship, slowly and methodically planning his revenge. As the cards ultimately fall into place, and Mungo gets closer to Chester, he is forced to question how far he is willing to go to get that revenge, and whether or not it is more important than love.
Call of the Raven was a very satisfying novel. I hadn't read a novel by Wilber Smith in quite a few years, so it was nice to revisit him and his writing. I really enjoyed his descriptive language used in the novel; it really allowed me to immerse myself in the action of the story. With that description, however, comes a rather candid view of life, and some of the horrors that came with slavery, during the 1800’s.
Mungo is a character that shows just how powerful loyalty can be, and the risks people are willing to take when there is mutual loyalty and respect. He also shows how consuming revenge can become. There were quite a few times that Mungo made choices that I did not agree with; he was a character that I did not really like, but he is an exciting individual tha I oddly found myself rooting for. Camilia was my favorite character; she is a very strong, smart woman who is forced to adapt in some very intense circumstances.
There were some sections that seemed to drag on, mainly ones that included a lot of technical terms, making it hard to fully understand the action. Other sections of the novel seemed to just fly by; I was so engrossed in the events and the exploits of Mungo, Camilia and Chester. After reading Call of the Raven I unquestionably want to read the other novels in the Ballantyne series.
I highly recommend Call of the Raven.
Call of the Raven was a very satisfying novel. I hadn't read a novel by Wilber Smith in quite a few years, so it was nice to revisit him and his writing. I really enjoyed his descriptive language used in the novel; it really allowed me to immerse myself in the action of the story. With that description, however, comes a rather candid view of life, and some of the horrors that came with slavery, during the 1800’s.
Mungo is a character that shows just how powerful loyalty can be, and the risks people are willing to take when there is mutual loyalty and respect. He also shows how consuming revenge can become. There were quite a few times that Mungo made choices that I did not agree with; he was a character that I did not really like, but he is an exciting individual tha I oddly found myself rooting for. Camilia was my favorite character; she is a very strong, smart woman who is forced to adapt in some very intense circumstances.
There were some sections that seemed to drag on, mainly ones that included a lot of technical terms, making it hard to fully understand the action. Other sections of the novel seemed to just fly by; I was so engrossed in the events and the exploits of Mungo, Camilia and Chester. After reading Call of the Raven I unquestionably want to read the other novels in the Ballantyne series.
I highly recommend Call of the Raven.