Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2517 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Synopsis
Whilst his sister, Maerad, pursues her dangerous destiny in the frozen North, Hem is sent south to Turbansk for his own safety. But soon the forces of the Dark overrun the great city and Hem flees with his mentor Saliman, his white crow Irc, and a young orphan girl Zelika, to join the resistance. He agrees to help fight the Nameless One by spying on the child armies of the Dark. But, in the Light's underground base, Hem has a vision - he too has a part to play in Maerad's quest for the Treesong.

Customer Reviews

The best so far!
What a book! Of the trilogy to date, this, in my opinion, is clearly the best.

While this differs from the two previous books, it is, I believe, for the better. The Crow focuses on Hem in the South of Annar, preparing for war, and it takes place at the same time as Maerad's events in the North (as shown in The Riddle). I think that Hem is a more accessible character than Maerad - but that might be because Im a male! I certainly felt more attached to Hem than I had with Maerad; I felt emotionally involved with Hem, willing him to succeed in his quests - finding Maerad, spying on the dark and simply staying alive. Furthermore, Hem is a very loveable character, which makes it easy for everyone to feel attached to him.

There is generally more action in this book than the previous two - I felt that the previous books had maybe dwelled too long in certain places - with the city of Turbansk facing war and inevitable destruction. A slight criticism would be the length of time focused on Hem inside the camp, but this is may be necessary to create an overall impression of the awful conditions that the 'snouts' had to face.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable read, with plenty of action and it ends at just the right time - willing the reader to continue to the series finale in 'The Singing'. If you like fantasy novels and you have read the previous two books in the series, then this won't disappoint - bring on Book Four!

Amazing!
When I first heard that this book was about Hem and not about Maerad, who I had grown to like as a character, I was a bit put off but it was amazing. It was just as good as the first 2 books and leaves a cliffhanger for a 4th book which is great. Highly recommend it.

Excellent!!
I love how this book focuses on Hem and his journey with Saliman. Some parts of this book are quite disturbing and really get your emotions running and your heart pounding.

After finishing this book i really felt the importance of Hem as a character, whereas before he had been slightly brushed to the side.

One of the best fantasy books that i have read in a long time, this really reminds me of tolkein, in the creation of the monsters, landscapes and languages.

All i can really say is that i cant wait for the Singing to be released, not quite sure how i will cope untill then!!