Book Review: Crowtower by David Rae

Set before the events of Crowman, Crowtower is the story of Utas, the High Priest of Vatu, and the endless cycles of his life within the tower in a land of darkness when the sun only shines for one day every year.

There is something about Rae’s writing that draws me in, no matter which of his works I’m reading. There’s humor, yes, and a grounding in reality that makes me feel the soil beneath my feet and suspends my disbelief. There is also always an element of something deeper that fleshes out the world and characters into three dimensions and lets my reader’s mind soar into the intellectual and spiritual spaces, providing a satisfying experience.

Crowman is one of the most unique novels I’ve read. Part fable, it presents an extraordinary world and the people who struggle to exist within it. At times those characters are archetypes, at others they’re breathing, bleeding friends. It is a masterpiece.

Rather than following on directly from the end of Crowman, Crowtower takes us back in time to learn more about the major players and the dynamics of the world they’re all trapped within. I found the narrative more accessible than its predecessor, but the scope of this novel is turned up to 11.

We follow Utas, high priest to the god of darkness, Vatu, caught in a cycle of death and rebirth, constantly the favorite child, constantly hated by the other priests who are also doomed to this nightmare.

In Crowman, I felt I was part of the everyday folk, merely trying to survive and having no control over a world run on the whims of the rich and powerful living in the city of the sun.

Crowtower shows the other side of this story, depicting the struggles of the ones who make the world and call the shots. It’s a very different dynamic, going from the powerless to the powerful, and it creates a totally different tone to the story, along with new problems and conflicts.

I loved the explorations of free will in this book, along with the themes of identity and personable responsibility. This is a very spiritual book, and I found it very intellectually satisfying.

Rae’s writing is spot on. His beautiful descriptions combined with succinct prose means he juggles complex ideas, symbolism and action without losing the reader.

I enjoyed being back in this world, and I loved learning more about it and the characters, but, while I sympathized with Utas, I can’t say I particularly liked him. Unfortunately, this left me detached from his story at parts in the second half of the novel where I felt the pacing slowed and there was some repetition of his dilemma.

However, overall I enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading both it and Crowman in preparation for Crowbait, the final installment in the trilogy.