Voice of Crow-Jeri Smith-Ready

Voice of Crow
Jeri Smith-Ready
Luna, Oct 2007, $14.95
ISBN: 9780373802906

The people of the Spirits have the magic and wisdom of their Spirit guider that forms the person’s Aspect. Rhia has recently reconciled herself to the Aspect Crow, the harbinger of death. When the Descendents, the ancestors of the Spirit people who broke away from the primitive villagers to build great cities that became the Ilion Empire, invaded Asermos, many people from the village of Kalindos fought to defend their way of life.

They won, but in retaliation, the Ilion army wiped out Kalindos, killing the elders, and capturing many people to take back with them to their capital Leukos. Merek and Rhia marry and she is pregnant to both their euphoria. Several people dream of Raven bestowing her Aspect to move through space or time. This has never happened before so many believe that this Aspect is to save the people from extinction. The child will be the offspring of a crow, but Rhia is elated to have given birth to a healthy boy. When tragedy strikes, although knowing she might die, Rhia accompanied by warriors head to Leukos to regain what was stolen.

Readers will thoroughly enjoy this fabulous fantasy that is so creatively vivid, the audience will lose track of time and space. The people of the Spirit accept the will of the Aspect as their guides in their everyday lives; those who reject the Aspect are considered incomplete. Rhia plays a critical role, but unlike the VOICE OF CROW, the exciting story line is told from the perspectives of several other people as well; adding a freshness and insight to a strong epic.

Harriet Klausner