Jack of Ravens

Kingdom of the Serpent #1

by Mark Chadbourn

A quest of epic reach spanning the globe under the mythologies of five great cultures - and finally crossing the barrier between life and death.

Jack Churchill, archaeologist and dreamer, walks out of the mist and into Celtic Britain more than two thousand years before he was born, with no knowledge of how he got there.

All Jack wants is to get home to his own time where the woman he loves waits for him. Finding his way to the timeless mystical Otherworld, the home of the gods, he plans to while away the days, the years, the millennia, until his own era rolls around again ... but nothing is ever that simple.

A great Evil waits in modern times and will do all in its power to stop Jack's return. In a universe where time and space are meaningless, its tendrils stretch back through the years ...

Through Roman times, the Elizabethan age, Victoria's reign, the Second World War to the Swinging Sixties, the Evil sets its traps to destroy Jack.

Mark Chadbourn gives us a high adventure of dazzling sword fights, passionate romance and apocalyptic wars in the days leading up to Ragnarok, the End-Times: a breathtaking, surreal vision of twisting realities where nothing is quite what it seems.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Time Travel, Urban Fantasy, Mythology, Science Fiction Fantasy, Magic

Hardcover

First published July 20, 2006

About the author

A two-time winner of the prestigious British Fantasy Award, Mark has published his epic, imaginative novels in many countries around the world. He grew up in the mining community of the English Midlands, and was the first person in his family to go to university. After studying Economic History at Leeds, he became a successful journalist, writing for several of the UK's renowned national newspapers as well as contributing to magazines and TV.

When his first short story won Fear magazine's Best New Author award, he was snapped up by an agent and subsequently published his first novel, Underground, a supernatural thriller set in the coalfields of his youth. Quitting journalism to become a full-time author, he has written stories which have transcended genre boundaries, but is perhaps best known in the fantasy field.

Mark has also forged a parallel career as a screenwriter with many hours of produced work for British television. He is a writer for BBC Drama, and is also developing new shows for the UK and US.

An expert on British folklore and mythology, he has held several varied and colourful jobs, including independent record company boss, band manager, production line worker, engineer's 'mate', and media consultant.

Having travelled extensively around the world, he has now settled in a rambling house in the middle of a forest not far from where he was born.

Reviews

[Ithlilian]

Sigh, another diappointing book for me in a string of disappointing books. The idea behind Jack of Ravens was interesting initially. Church is thrown 2000 years into the past with a magic sword and a giant to kill, and gets sucked into ancient mythology. I was interested through all of that, even when things turned from concrete to a bit out there, I kept going. Eventually, I no longer saw the point. Different beings and creatues enter, say their piece, or fight the main character, then a new set is introduced. I'm sure there is a larger purpose eventually, but I did not like the journey. I didn't personally care about the main character, and there was little here holding everything together. Time travelling love story isn't the more unique theme out there, and this isn't really my favorite type of Urban Fantasy. It's Charles de Lint style, and I was not a fan of those. So this one isn't for me, but it may be for others. I recall trying the first Age of Misrule book and not getting very far into it. I didn't know this series and that one were connected until now.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the few issues that some readers might have with Jack of Ravens, it really is an incredibly well crafted book that is filled with very descriptive and lyrical writing that seems to bring Church and his journey to life in the reader’s mind. While the central story of tragically separated lovers is nothing new, Chadbourn’s telling of it is. This is a welcome addition to my fantasy library, and a book I will easily read again and again. Thankfully, this is the first book in a trilogy, so my time with Church isn't at an end.

Read my full review here:

http://bookwormblues.blogspot.com/201...

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frequent time shifting but good story

[Gav]

Jack of Ravens continues Mark Chadbourn’s exploration of myth, archetypes and human nature. He does a lot more besides that but these are the backbone of the cycles of books that started with World’s End. Jack of Ravens starts with return of Jack Church who disappeared (or died depending on your point of view) at the end of the Age of Misrule trilogy and who was brought back following the events at the end of The Dark Age cycle.

Chadbourn has definitely taken the long view when it comes to this series. As one book builds on the next and each cycle seems to come to end only for something greater or deeper or darker is then revealed.

In Jack of Ravens Chadbourn changes tack again in his exploration of the Fixed Lands (here), the Fragile Creatures (us) and the Tuatha Dé Danann (old celtic gods who influence our lives but in this book there is hint that the world also has gods from other denominations) But instead of confining himself to the near future and the ancient sites of Britain of previous books instead Chadbourn takes us through time and across continents as Jack Church tries to stop the darkness that has altered history to make its plans work.

The best part of each book is that as the reader gets more exposed to the world that Chadbourn has created the more he changes the rules. Here he gathers again the heroes and some villains of past books but they are changed and how they act and react is different as the events that have shaped them previously has changed.

I could go on about the layers that have been built into this series and the connections that are pulled, rewired, crossed and severed as the story is told but that would spoil it. The nature and effect of experience is a major theme.

There is one slight problem with Chadbourn’s storytelling is that it relies on the reader putting things together.Lots is left unexplained but makes a lot of sense if you consider what has gone on before. But in the case of this book if you haven’t read The Dark Age and ideally the Age of Misrule you may lack the knowledge to care about Jack’s journey through 2,300 of history.

Which would be a great shame as Jack of Ravens gave me several ooo and ahh moments as I realised how events were playing out. Chadbourn also has a wonderful imagination. The characters and places of the Far (Faery) Lands are as tangible as they are fanciful.

Overall, Mark Chadbourn has again proved himself an amazing and imaginative story-weaver (he’s laid so many threads) that kept me breathless from beginning to end. I can’t imagine what he has planned for The Burning Man but I can’t wait to find out.

[Joel Flank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting the final trilogies of trilogies in the Dark Age, Age of Misrule, and kingdoms of the Serpent series, Jack of Ravens picks up where the Age of Misrule series ended - with Jack Churchill having just defeated the formorii threat to existence, but being cast back in time, to when Romans were first invading Britain and the Celts were fighting back. Unfortunately for Jack, his memories of the mythic fight, his place as one of the champions of the Blue Fire and existence, and his fellow Brothers and Sisters of Dragons is gone. He only remembers his life before the heroic and magical events that made him into a hero.

Luckily, he still knows a lot about history, as he was a trained historian, and that knowledge, as well as the reflexes honed from the days he cannot remember, serves him well. He quickly starts a life as a warrior and hero among the Celts, shortly after they have earned their freedom from the capricious whims of gods. Strange events follow Jack though, and he learns that there's more going on than him being cast back in time, even if he understands precious little of it. Eventually, he's once again in the center of events which effect multiple levels of reality, and returning to the Otherworld, and the politics and treacheries of the gods. Once there, he begins to learn more and more of his lost future history, and that enemies from his past and his future align against him.

This begins a journey through both the timeless lands of the Otherworld, and different eras of Earth's history, popping from one reality to the next in an attempt to thwart forces which want to wipe of the last vestiges of existence and the very hope which drives humankind to strive to be better. Mark Chadbourn does an excellent job weaving a tale of adventure and introspection, and melding elements of both previous series into a convincing and compelling tale that synthesizes both into a satisfying and provoking story which is more than the typical high adventure fantasy series and makes a unique mix of originality and a variety of historic mysteries and world spanning mythologies.

[Kelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this read like an amateurish synopsis of a much better book. The writing isn't so much clear and accessible as it is plodding and facile. The characters have little in the way of depth or personality. The main character is yet another sad sack white man who's actually the savior of the world by virtue of...being a sad sack white man? I don't even know because there was just nothing to this character. Every woman and non-white character (all two of them) is a straight up stereotype. All the interesting sounding parts of the story are skipped over (literally tons of passages like, "Then they went on a great journey and had amazing adventures and fought unspeakable foes," with no other details) and the actual "active" parts of the plot are mostly just people standing around talking to each other. There are some perfunctory action scenes, which got very tedious after awhile because they almost always ended with our sad sack hero being knocked unconscious or captured.

The main character's journey isn't a journey at all, just a series of discouraging defeats until the very end, where he suddenly goes, "I have learned so much from my journey and now I'm ready to embrace my destiny!" Oh really, you learned so much? That must have been one of the scenes the narrative skipped over because mostly what I saw was the MC being out-maneuvered by the enemy and never learning from his mistakes for hundreds of pages, only surviving by dumb luck and supernatural intervention instead of his own wits or strength. But I guess the book was getting a bit long so there had to be some plot progression. So sure, claim it was a hero's journey and not a repetitive series of blunders across several centuries and countries.

Two stars because the ideas presented were pretty interesting, enough to keep me reading to the end just to see how it would turn out. But not interesting enough to make me want to slog through the remaining two books of this trilogy. If the writing was better and the characters were given any depth at all, this could have been a really good book.

[Iona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this for the second time. First read in paperback. Thoroughly enjoying it. A third of the way through and it's keeping my attention. Can't remember much of it from last time, just a few snippets. Love the fantasy aspect of the story and the time travel theme.

Reaching the end and it is clear that the story is not finished and reading the second book in the trilogy is a must. So I will be purchasing the Burning Man from Kindle and continuing the journey.

[WAYNE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

Good story with a good fast paced plot and interesting characters,I could not put it down once I started reading....!!!

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 4 out of 5]

hard to get into but it was good about half way through, and the end, ended weird, but i think their are another two books

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like all of the trilogies first books, this one kept me intrigued from beginning to end. Unlike the other two, the surprise factor was less but that's the challenge of multiple trilogies. Chadbourn was still able to keep me on the toes, with an unguessable ending and 100 questions that you won't get all the answers to yet. Another epic plot that I look forward to delving into more in the next two books.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review here:

http://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/2...

It's a good read, even as it switches around much of the narrative from the prior trilogy. And we even get treated to a scene involoving Loki being corrupted by Spiders during th eBlitz. That alone made it interesting.

[Courtney]

I DNFED at page 136. I picked up this book because it was in Celtic Britain and involved the Tuatha de Danaan (spelling?). The plot itself seemed interesting, even though it was quite a generic "good vs.evil".

I DNFed because the writing was terrible. The character had absolutely no depth and no personality. I don't think he reacted properly to his situation at all (woke up in a strange time and then has part of his memories sucked out). I read the book because it sounded like a lot of the time would be spent in Celtic Britain. Well, after 60ish pages we jumped into the otherworld.. Then 300 AD Rome. At that point is when I decided to bail.

I think this could've been a great story, but by a different author.

[Honey · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNFed!! So I picked up this book mainly because I was in the mood for some fantasy and when I saw that it was book 1 in a trilogy, I got quite excited about potentially starting a new series. The blurb on the back mentioned time travelling, gods and magic. Everything sounded perfect and so I delved right in. I got over halfway through the book before finally calling it a day. The pacing was all over the place, skipping months at a time within a single paragraph. Jack, our main protagonist, would meet someone and within ten pages they'd be dead. I get the feeling we're supposed to be sad when these deaths occur, but I'm not because we barely met them ten pages ago and know pretty much nothing about them! The whole time I was reading I just kept feeling like I was missing something. I felt like I was being thrown into this fantastical journey with absolutely zero build up. So eventually I actually came onto GoodReads to see if other people also had a hard time. That's when I discovered that even though this book is number one of the Kingdom of the Serpent trilogy, Kingdom of the Serpent is actually the third in a series of trilogies. So Jack, his world and other characters in this book were already introduced in a previous series and this is a continuation of their story. Which explains why I felt like I was dropped into the middle of something, instead of being introduced to something. This isn't completely the authors fault I suppose, maybe if I had read the other books I would have gotten on better with this one. However I always think that a mark of good book, is when it makes you want to read more! But upon discovering that there were two more sets of trilogies before this one, my first thought wasn't to run out and grab them so I could understand this book better. In fact it was the complete opposite! The thought of having to slog through six more books similar to this one, was actually the final nail in the coffin and it was at that point I DNFed. I didn't want to read the other series and without them to provide more background to what was going on in this book, there seemed little point in finishing it.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging and challenging read with a very distinct style that lived up to the quote from The Times emblazoned on the cover, 'A sumptous feast of fairytale, magic, dark gothic horror and romance'.

This is the tale of Jack Churchill, 'Church', who finds himself transported mysteriously back to 100BC and a Celtic Tribe, far from the woman he loves. So begins a journey to discover his identity and to make his way back to his beloved. On the way we plunge through a number of different time periods, meeting a number of others like him. The history sounds like ours, but isn't always. Things are being changed, challenged by the forces that rise up against Church and his companions.

I enjoyed this book a lot - although having now discovered there was a previous series I wonder whether somethings might have been clearer had I read this first. The moving through time periods, some much explored in similar novels, others not so, was fun, although occasionally I wished that Chadbourn would settle in one a bit longer - although I suspect that sense of disorientation was something he was after. This is also seen in the style of writing which gives the book a distinctive flavour. He regularly changes the way he tells the tale, switching between the characters, moving from the events being told in the present to their being narrated in hindsight, or even simply alluded to by one of the characters in another discussion. It is a complicated plot with many characters and elements to be considered, leaving you wondering if you have grasped what it is really about - but again, that may well be what is intended.

The theme of time-and-or-continent-hopping hero or tragically separated lovers is nothing new, but the way this tale is told has a very fresh feel to it which caught my imagination. This is not your regular run-of-the-mill time fantasy of which there are now sadly all too many. I will be looking out for the sequel.

[Samuel Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fantasy should be fantastical in its very nature, but here lies the issue with the genre itself. If a book is too fantastical, what can you believe? For a fantasy world to work it must create its own set of laws and the author must tell the reader what these are, that way wonderful things can happen, but at least you know there are limits. ‘Jack of Ravens’ by Mark Chadbourn is a prime example of a book that sets no limitations and for this reason undermines itself. How can we possibly care about what is happening with our hero when any character can suddenly pop out of a fairy hole and save the day?

There are elements of ‘Jack’ which are very interesting; it splices urban fantasy with a time travelling adventure. These things should be right up my alley, but it introduces another ingredient; fairy magic. This is the sort of whimsical nonsense that means a writer does not have to think about what they are doing as they can quickly write themselves out of a hole by making something up. There appears to be next to nothing stopping some of the characters leaping around in time and space. This is not only confusing, but makes it hard to feel trepidation.

When the book does settle down for a decade or two the book improves. 70s San Francisco and the World Wars are used well. However, when the book drops into the various magical courts it loses all of what is up and what is down. This may be the point at times, but by not binding the magic in some formal way Chadbourn has left the possibilities too open. The story unravels and as it is part of a series, it has no end. Perhaps book 2 will stay in the modern era and the story will settle down, as it is, book 1 is a mess.

[Nixs · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay,,well this is my second review and i have finally decided to start writing reviews for all the god damn books i have ever read...quite a tall order...
well this review...even if its a review, will be more on my thoughts than piece by piece dissection of the prose and the novel...so don't expect much and of course...READERS BEWARE THERE MIGHT BE FEW SPOILERS...that done...back to topic.
I actually went for it as i had all the time in the world to waste AND that i had nothing remarkably sensible to do...
i definitely like the idea where the main lead gets back transferred to Celtic area few 1000 years back...i have read and seen few time travelling books and all have basically the same story..where the guy goes and makes a time machine and gets stuck in some stupid adventure and blah blah blah..so this was definitely something fresh( at least for me)

plus adding all the myths and faeries like this...excellent idea...
the only thing i found a bit confusing was all the time jumps..where after 2-3 pages into the chapter you realize that " oh ! when the hell did we leave Victorian age for WW 2? "
Apart from this minor problem rest was fine...
so its definitely an awesome read...and well go for it..


oh and people who are busy thinking "then why the hell did he give three stars?" For them...i said the book was good as in fine...not exactly excellent where you finish it and before you know you are back to page 1, rereading it...
happy reading.. :))

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not realizing that this was a prequel-y series to a previous series (the Age of Misrule) written by the same author, I was at first a little confused about who the characters were, but was able to quickly fall in the rhythm of the storyline and found that through introductions to new characters a lot of my questions about Church and the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons were answered. At times this book did read like a list of historical time periods and random factoids, but I really loved the weaving of Roman, Celtic, Norse, and urban fantasy into a cohesive adventure story. Church, True Thomas, Niamh, Jerzy, and the host of minor characters are described in painstaking detail. It honestly read like watching a movie unfold in your head. If you are fans of C.S. Friedman and Charles DeLint I can definitely recommend this book to you. Like Friedman's books be prepared to say "goodbye" to characters that you start to like. Not all of them die suddenly, and I won't tell you which ones do, but it is certainly a stylistic choice that Chadbourn has followed. I am looking forward to finishing the Kingdom of the Serpent series and picking up the Age of Misrule to fill myself in on Shavi, Laura, Ruth, and Ryan.

[Penney Nile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just completed reading this and its companion books, 'The Burning Man' and 'Destroyer of Worlds'. I found the three of them at the library, and I thought, 'Oh, I finally have gotten in at the beginning or the story!' NOT! Apparently, Church's story begins in 'World's End' from the Age of Misrule series (which I intend on reading as well'). The fact that I started with the middle in a series is nothing new for me... I got into 'The Belgariad' and 'The Mallorean' in the same way... which goes to say, that a good book is a good book, no matter where in a series it comes. 'Jack of Ravens' presents an awesome journey through time and space, and covers a whole range of mythologies in the process, plus, it adds a couple of historical people who become key characters of the story. I found it and the other two books well worth the read, and would recommend them to anyone who enjoys fantasy.

[Noel G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stuff - i like the slow build ups in this series. I know many people that would get bored with it, but personally i find that it actually strengthens the character in your mind, which of course makes their actions and emotions all the more real and understandable.

As i read the second book first, i of course had a few surprises ruined for myself, but the story was strong enough to pull that through and still make it interesting. The story of how Shavi, Laura and Ruth come together and then join with Church, as well as the incident that turns Vietch, were all as good as i hoped.

Mark Chadbourn has become a favoured author of mine for when i want to immerse myself in a world other than reality for a few hours.

[Alisa Hedden · Rating 4 out of 5]

An epic fantasy adventure in the making. In a battle between hope and despair, creation and destruction, this demonstrates that lowly humans can actually affect the ultimate outcome. Spreading from our time back to before the building of Stonehenge and back again, spanning the globe from England, across America, into Italy, Vietnam and places in between. From our world to the Far Lands (as well as asking who really killed Kennedy). Showing that we are all tied together. So, maybe the ultimate question is, since we are all going to die eventually, what would you sell your death for? Or as a fictional character put it (in a different British authors work) “Small chance of success, certain death. What are we waiting for?
© Night Owl Reviews

[Taldragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

kindof follows on from Mark Chadbourn's previous trilogy - you _can_ read it without the previous one, but it'd be confusing.

it's a whirlwind trip through history for Jack Churchill, trying to get home to the woman he loves while saving the world, becoming several legends and doing his best not to get killed :)

i'm beginning to think i'd classify Mr Chadbourn's books as "magical realism", as they deal with our world...as it could be, as a world where myths are not vague stories of long-ago but coded information and oral history that affect the present far more than we (in our Age Of Reality) wish to accept.

[Siavahda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first in Chadbourn's sequel series to the Age of Misrule trilogy. The Brothers and Sisters are back; but only Church - Jack the Giantkiller - remembers even part of who they are. Sent thousands of years into the past, Church will have to play with the deadly and unknowable Tuatha de Danaan if he can have any chance of surviving to the present day - to be reunited with the woman he loves.

But beneath this suprisingly well-written fantasy sequel is a solid base of gnostism, mythology, and the secret history and truths encoded in the world's stories, waiting to reach out to the reader and make a real difference. Definitely not a let down.

[DC]

{Oh my goodness. I FINALLY finish this book, and what do I see at the end? A darn cliffhanger after all that! ACK!}

I took this book up because the synopsis on its cover promised magic and fantasy. I did not expect to get an amazing plot, traces of English history & mythology, and legendary characters into the bargain.

[At current, I'm more than half-way into this, and I'm really loving this. Oh, what I'd give to read this book in one sitting(!), but I'm afraid I don't have the time to do so. It's also somewhat physically large and quite heavy (heh), so it can get burdensome to carry around. STILL! My hands itch to turn its pages D:]

[Cat Tobin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read like an unapologetically Mary Sue-ish romp through someone's favourite periods of history, told in a sadly formulaic way: "Jack seduces the cool woman and the Celts are in awe of him, then his enemies screw it up and knock him unconscious because he's vulnerable, yo"; "Jack seduces the cool woman and the Romans are in awe of him, then his enemies screw it up and knock him unconscious because he's vulnerable, yo"; "Jack seduces the cool woman and the Tudor English are in awe of him, then his enemies screw it up and knock him unconscious because he's vulnerable, yo".

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

An average imitation of Holdstock and the research wasn't great - tends to regurgitate obvious Celtic mythology stuff.

The story is probably an interesting one, but I didn't like the style of writing.

[Paul Sysiak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this but i wish he'd spread it over a few volumes and explored the characters more and the periods Jack found himself in. Also - disappointing with Veitch in the end....but you never know what'll happen in the next one - time being fluid and all!

[Jacinta Hoare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled a bit with this book and found it easy to put it down to do other things. However I did like the fact that this was a departure from the fantasy formula that I have been reading lately.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating story. I really liked it. One thing though, one character was very foul mouthed, she used the "f" word a lot. I hate when I really love the storyline, but have problems like that. Thank goodness she was not in the whole book!

[Cherie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book. I never really engaged with it and would not have finished it except I volunteered to review it for a committee that I am on. I thought it was choppy and it dragged for me. All the characters were whiny and the bad guy was called the Libertarian of all things.

[Bronwyn Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stumbled across this in the library one day and thought I would give it a go. I started it and could not put it down. Now I'm trying to look for more books by him but this is the only book by the author in my library system. Loved the book but now I'm crushed I can not find any continuation.