Customer Reviews

The Crow: Shattered Lives & Broken Dreams

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anyone who has seen the movie will love this book. The stories are well told and organized with some wonderful artwork and poems inbetween. I found only one story that I wasn't happy with and another that I could not connect to the crow at all. The stories are not at all like the movie. Most are almost an interperation of the Crow and his spirit. Wonderfull artwork. Well worth the money for it. I was not disapointed and I don't think anyone else would be either.

This O'Barr and Kramer edited book offers a unique blend of art, poetic verse, and short stories, combined into one volume. O'Barr contributes to all three mediums. His story, "Spooky", is a disappointment. O'Barr uses the same "guy and woman get killed by gang and guy comes back" story. It would have been nice to see him use another set of circumstances, perhaps even using a female avatar since he has been reported to be a very big proponet of one making it to the bigscreen. There is more potential original story in his "October" storyboard that was shown in the last KSP Crow comic. All in all the other stories are good, Chet Williamson as always spins a very good tale. A warning, not all of the stories use the Crow premise. They are more a collection of pain, suffering and revenge, than specific stories in the Crow arena. You must enjoy dark stories for this book to keep your eyes from closing. For those of us that do like them, it is a good read.

This is one of the best new Crow books out right now. Besides that, it is also a great compilation of individual works for any genre. James O'Barr's new story is just as emotional as ever, and the poems, drawings, and stories from other writers such as rock n' roll icons like Henry Rollins and Iggy Pop (coincidence that they were both on Crow soundtracks?), and literary greats like A.A. Attanasio and Alan Dean Foster. If the TV series were more like this book, it wouldn't suck so bad. More books such as this should be made along with the new novels. This is a great read for anybody who wants to read about pain, retribution, and love. This is a great read for anybody period. Get this book!

A book comemorating death? Would one buy something as such and still be rendered a person of sanity? The answer is yes on both accounts. The book The Crow: Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams is just that. Edited by the creator, the book takes you on numerous adventures scribed by different writers on the mythos of the crow. Most of the stories deal with the same contextual theme of wrongful death, sadness and a way of making things better where things have gone wrong. The book succeeds in a number of aspects and truly brings out the vengeful spirit that is the Crow. Though the character was created in the early 80s, it has grown to fame by the release of two successful movies, one in which was immortalized by the late Brandon Lee. One might ask what is the difference between The Crow and the Marvel comic character, the Ghost Rider, which also serves as a vengeful spirit. While the latter seeks vengeance for things gone wrong, the former has the special attribute that it can be anyone or even anything that can pick the mantle of the Crow. Anyone can become his or her own special spirit of retribution.

Most of the stories and poetry are well-written though some are just too far fetched to be taken seriously, a number of stories delve more into fantasy than your regular fiction. A number of stories, however, capture your mind and heart from the instance you read them. Stories that traverse the here and now. On how things should have been, but aren't. James O'Barr's piece, "Spooky, Codeine and the Dead Man" is a perfect example of such. Another story would be "Moving Toward the Light" by Rick R. Reed, a though-provoking piece about pain and hurt. The story is extremely graphical and can truly touch the reader and make him witness first hand the descriptive pungent exploitation the character experiences. The story makes you think and wonder, can this truly happen in a world of today, and the answer to that painful question is an excruciating yes.

The book is a must read for not only horror fans, but those who truly believe that there are outside forces controlling the paths each one of us takes, a power that can right where things have gone wrong, horribly wrong.

I wasn't at all dissapointed that all the stories did not directly deal with the crow- they were a wonderful collection of stories about pain, fear, loss, revenge and of course love. I am sorry to hear that "The Real Thing" was not in the paperback edition, I thought it was a great story. I also loved "Wings Burnt Black". Now that I think of it I love too many of the stories to mention them all... you won't be dissapointed if you buy this one.(for crow and horror fans only)

This is an an anthology so it will naturally have stronger and weaker moments. It's the nature of the beast when there are so many different readers. That said the writing is consistently good and it is exciting to see big names from genre fiction playing with the Crow myth.

Fairly dark and some stories are full of absolute despair. It is full of passion and some horrible moments of vengeance. But that is what one would expect.

Some outstanding stories, some not so grand but on the whole a broody and interesting read.

This is a good addition to 'The Crow'. However I did find some of the stories a little tedious and one or two just plain boring, and that is why it only gets 4 stars. Perhaps I found these less good because they weren't directly about The Crow, and more realted to the theme of revenge and death.

But a poem by Henry Rollins, and 'Spooky Codeine And he Dead Man' by O'Barr himself, and 'Twice By Fire' by Ramsey Campbell, this book gains its four stars, plus th great works by other writers, too many of which there are to mention.

I advise you buy 'The Crow' before this book, as a lot of the stories refer to things in 'The Crow'.

A good book for fans of The Crow and James O'Barr, as well as fans of dark fantasy/horror.

I really loved this book and I think they should have movies on some of the stories. I would recommend this to fellow Crow fans and Dark Fantasty. :)

Andrew Vachss story, "The Real Thing", which was in the hardcover version, is not contained in the softcover version. The story is available in his collection Everybody Pays.

Out of the darkest depths of every man's heart comes a time when hatred is more powerful then love, but love is what sustains hateful revenge. In this compilation of short stories by various writers and poets, all of which center around J. O'Barr's masterful creation, the question of the preciousness of life and the evolution of love is addressed but never answered. It's not supposed to be. It's up to the reader to make that decision. Several of the short stories("The Red Sea", "The Triad")address such issues as the irony of vengeance and the futility of abandoned justice. "Spike Team" takes on an almost Lord of the Flies atmosphere to it; however, the depravity of man, manifested through childhood, is not as misguided but focused in this short story. Most of the other short stories ("China Doll", "Spooky, Codiene and the Dead Man",etc.) take on the regular Crow theme of love and the fine art of tipping the scales of horror so as "to make the wrong things right." The poems, also, are captivating, at times confusing, sad, and triumphant. I was, however, disapointed in how some of the stories seem segemented or incomplete while others were just drawn out and confusing. And I would have enjoyed it more if such authors as Stephen King and Dean Koontz put their tell-tale spin on the infamous Crow. Yet, all in all, anyone who as ever been mezmerized by those black-slashed eyes and permanent black smile will not be diappointed by this collection of poetry, art, and short stories.