Customer Reviews

Cybermancy (Ravirn, Book 2)

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The mweb (magical web) was created by Necessity. It connects all the infinite worlds of probability. Without it, the multiverse would be like a hard drive without a directory. Ravirn was designed to maintain it. He is a hacker and sorcerer. He WAS the prince of the middle house of Fate. In fact, the Fates are his great-aunts. These three are not the old hags most humans believe. They are more like Amazonian-to-the-extreme huntresses. Clothos is the spinner of life threads. Atropros wields the shears. But it was Lachesis who revoked Ravirn's name and cast him out of the family. Interestingly enough, Clotho declared him a legitimate force for chaos and gave him the new name of Raven. A name he HATES.

Melchior is Raven's webgoblin. (Sort of like a familiar.) He can take the shape of a goblin or a laptop. Cerice is Raven's girlfriend. Until recently, Cerice had a webpixie named Shara. Shara could take the form of a pixie or a PDA. Shara sacrificed herself to save Raven's life. Cerice is not only hurt emotionally at Shara's death, but is also academically shattered. You see, Cerice is finishing up a doctorate in Computer Science. The little PDA has all six years of Cerice's work on it and is currently residing on the wrong side of the River Styx.

So Raven must trick Cerberus (the dread guardian of the underworld and Raven's card buddy), hack into the computer of Lucifer's, and rescue Shara. Impossible for anyone else, but not Raven. However, this is where all ... well ... Hades breaks loose. Since her rebirth, Shara has begun acting a bit strange. The mweb is fraying and will soon disappear. Persephone is dealing some sort of goddess blackmail with Raven; and this is all just the beginning.

Everyone has been despairing of Raven's common sense for years. He seems to always be taking on higher entities than himself. And Raven is about to prove them all correct ... again.

***** Author Kelly McCullough has the most remarkable writing talent I have ever read, in a "myth-fanta-sci-full" sort of way. (Yes, that is a real word. Look in the dictionary and see where I penciled it in.) Not satisfied to write a single genre or to use a sub-genre already made, he has created a new template that others will build stories upon in later years. But know this, McCullough is the original and unparalleled. An outstanding addition to this newbie genre! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Kelly McCullough continues to rack up big points with his ongoing science/fantasy series starring Ravirn, a child of the Fates from Greek mythology. The first book, WEBMAGE, was an excellent story, introducing a smart-mouthed, quick-thinking, magnet for trouble that reminded me a lot of Roger Zelazny's signature characters.

Like Zelazny's Corwin of Amber and Jack of Shadows, Ravirn tells his own story in a first-person narrative that explodes onto the pages and keeps moving along at a brisk pace. Since I'd read the first book, the second book, CYBERMANCY, didn't offer any challenges to lock into the world. I felt like I was stepping back into a gathering of old friends. That's how you know you have excellent characters - when your readers can drop back in and never wonder once who is who.

I call these books science/fantasy because McCullough insists on making technology and magic both driving factors of the series. Not only is Ravirn a child of the Fates who's gifted with awesome magical abilities, he's also a computer geek that knows his way around hacks and cracks. As steeped as I am in computer-speak, I was sometime challenged with having to keep up with the amount of information in Ravirn's narrative, but even when I lost the thread of something (I blame my ADHD, not McCullough's writing) it didn't take me long to catch up.

Even cooler than that, though, Ravirn turns out to be an emerging chaos god who's about to hang a shingle in the Greek pantheon. That story alone is worth the price of the book.

There are lots of stories in the second book of the series, though. Ravirn's friendship with Melchior -- the webgoblin he created, designed, programmed, and eventually gave independence to - is still at the forefront of the adventure. Likewise, Cerice - Ravirn's lady love - returns with a host of new issues as well. Her webgoblin's name is Shara, but she has a tendency to take a human form that looks an awful lot like Mae West, complete with ample charms and double entendre enough to make a sailor blush.

At the end of WEBMAGE, Shara inadvertently got trapped in Hell. Hades, that is. Cerice is as dedicated to Shara as Ravirn is to Melchior. So you know that Ravirn has to journey to Hades, risking certain death in the Land of the Dead as he outsmarts Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades. Thankfully, Ravirn has been playing cards with the dog/s for some time, so he knows a thing or two.
The story quickly takes shape as Ravirn attempts his feats of derring-do for his lady love. Who might not even love him in the same way he loves her. I really got into all these balls McCullough kept throwing in the air. There's always a new reason to keep turning pages. One of the strongest aspects about the books that I enjoy is the fact that McCullough plays fair with the whole Greek mythology. More to the point, if not for one of the most basic myths, this story would never even have taken place.

People who haven't tried the series really don't know what they're missing. McCullough has true world-building skills, a great sense of Greek mythology, and the eye of a thriller writer. The blend of technology and magic is absolutely amazing, and I'm surprised no one has thought to do it quite like this before.

The first-person narrative pulls readers in quickly and introduces them to the action and the world effortlessly. I like the humor, the puns and the jokes, a lot. It fits the characters perfectly. And now, with Ravirn's mysterious future slightly more clear, I can't wait to see where the third book takes him. I'm definitely going along for the trip when the book comes out.

Jumped into it after enjoying the first book. Had fun with it all the way through. Another roller coaster ride with a guy who's heart's in the right place, but who has a knack for making enemies by doing the right thing. He really is the poster boy for saying "No Good Deed Ever Goes Unpunished". The more he helps the more things seem to get out of whack. I think we all can relate to that in some way.

Ravirn's character develops more here, as he's trying to fix his past mistake, save a damsel in distress, deal with crazy relatives and come to terms with his new name. And what is the new name "Raven" that Clotho gave him all about? What does it have to do with him, and does he even want to know?

Well, probably not, but in Ravirn's world, Fate really is a Bi*ch!

The Ravirn series started off well and only gets better. The mix of tech and magic is interesting, but the author never neglects story or plot along the way. Read the whole series.

Ravirn has decided to travel through Hades to bring back his girlfriend's webgoblin. But all does not go according to plan. And when the webgoblin returns, she is not the same as before.

Picking up where WebMage left off, Ravirn has been renamed "Raven," which he hates. But along with the name, Ravirn discovers that he has come into new power as well. And as if it weren't hard enough figuring out why the mweb as disappeared, with blame pointing to him; Ravirn also has to deal with his girlfriend's indecision in their relationship. The guy goes to Hades for you, and you have to think about it? Personally, I think he should have dumped her and not looked back.

Again, fusing Greek mythology and science fiction, this unique subgenre keeps up all of the fast-paced adventure as before. Ravirn is an expert hacker and web mage, and is just discovering what his new name means. Along with his trusty sidekick and webgoblin, Ravirn and Melchior must face the mythical Furies and Hades itself. Infused with plenty of humor, this series is a lot of fun with many unique and entertaining characters.

Ravirn has barely avoided being killed. Unfortunately staying alive means that something has changed: he is no longer himself. He's Raven. Who that is, he doesn't really know yet...

Careful (or rather not entirely careful planning) is key to him rescuing his girlfriend's cybergoblin from Hades (the place). In that process Persephone (the beautiful, most magnificent, source of spring, summer and autumn whose annual disappearance from the world into captivity of Hades - the god - leaves nothing but winter) releases a tiny little virus that rapidly exceeds its parameters and basically threatens the very fabric of reality.

This is the Adventure of Ravirn, the Raven. His journey with his friends, fair maiden Cerice, her cybergoblinette Shara, his cybergoblin Melchior, a few Cyclopses, Zeus and the world's most dangerous dog Cerberus to right one of time's gravest injustices - the confinement and abuse of her whose presence brings spring. It's a pretty darn good adventure!

This second (most excellent and close to super-superb sequel) further develops McCulloughs new flavor of cybermythology (cyberthology?). It's starting points are similar to his fellow Wyrdsmith Lyda Morehouse; her mixing of cyberpunk with religion he turns into a subtle blending of cyberpunk with Greek mythology. It reads very well: the characters are fun, the story engaging and the problems addressed serious - if you want them to be. In the blend, there's a profound, deep and lingering aftertaste of pure Zelazny; there's a shade of Amber in this story-telling.

I didn't expect to enjoy Web Mage since I am not 'into' computers - except the basic need to know stuff. My preferred fantasy is Lackey, Butcher, McCaffery plus but I thoroughly enjoyed both Web Mage and this excellent sequel. I completely agree with previous reviewers who have done a great job of describing the contents of the books. I just wanted to add that both are real page turners. Ravirn / Raven is an engaging hero and the computer / hacker stuff while probably authentic enough to satisfy the cognoscenti doesn't overwhelm the ignorant (like me) or the story line. Other characters are perhaps not quite as well rounded - but that may be the down side of first person narrative. I look forward to more stories!

Ever wondered what happened to the pantheon of Gods from Greek mythology? Well, wonder no longer because they've gone fully digital in the twenty-first century. And it puts a totally new spin on words like 'spell-checker' when magic gets mixed with computer code and hacker merges with sorcerer.
"Cybermancy" is the sequel to "WebMage", in which writer Kelly McCullough first introduced us to Ravirn, descendant of the three Fates. Ravirn, or Raven as he is now often called since the events of the first book, is one hell of a hacker (pun intended!). This time he is going to need to push all his vaunted skills to the utmost because he needs to hack into Hades to retrieve his girlfriend's webgoblin Shara; in Shara's memory is locked all his girlfriend Cerice's research on her doctorate in computer science.
The catch? For him to bring that off, he needs to face Cerberus, the three-headed Hound of Hell which guards the River Styx and the Gate of Hell, which none may pass through save death. And Ravirn would much prefer to do that alive and in the flesh. Seems like an impossible task? Well, he does have help in the tiny shape of his trusted side-kick Melchior, his shape-changing, self-aware laptop (aka webgoblin). Having given him a subroutine designed to provide a touch of sarcasm and back talk, he long ago exceeded his specs and developed a soul. Not to mention a wicked sense of humor and a tendency to speak his mind.
Can Ravirn bring it off without crashing the mweb (the magical Internet that ties all the infinite worlds of possibility into one gigantic matrix and keeps reality running)? Or without getting stuck on the wrong side of the Styx?
Well, one thing for sure: if he does succeed in "getting out alive", all Hell will definitely break loose and he'll have made Hades, the Lord of the Dead himself, into an immortal enemy. Oh yes, and the Fates, the three crones who measure out the destiny of every living being, are just waiting for him to make a misstep since their previous confrontation so they can fall on him like the proverbial ton of bricks. Although, they'll leave the "coming down on" to the Furies, the three sisters Tisiphone, Alecto and Megaera, female personifications of vengeance who make harpies seem like nice, friendly Tweety-birds.
Kelly McCullough has created a new subgenre in science fantasy with a fascinating blend of magical, mythological and computer elements mixed into a rollicking adventure filled with wild and wicked humor and nonstop action (and a dash of romantic relief). Read it!

Mr. McCullough has returned with his character Ravirn (aka the Raven) in a world where computer technology meets Greek mythology. This makes for an interesting blend where Mr. McCullough shows he has a good understand of both and a good way of tell us his story. Cybermancy opens about a year after the close of WebMage with Ravirn playing cards with the different heads of Cerberus. Interestingly, each head has it's own personality in addition to Cerberus's. From there the action takes off with Ravirn entering Hades and attempting to leave. Unfortunatly, while there he unleashes a virus that attacks the very essence of Necessity.

My rating is a 4 to 4.5 star book. With Amazon I have to go with a solid number and in this case I'll round it to 4 stars. Given the fun Mr. McCullough has with this book it might be a little hard to believe that I'd round down to 4 stars but the action was a little slower than it was last time and there was a certain predictability to the book. I was a little disappointed with this and wish things would have flowed a little different. A major disappointment was watching Eris whimp out. I was also disappointed that Ravirn didn't grab toward Raven sooner than he did. Despite these minor disappointments, the ending is very good (the action picks up and brings some interesting opening for future books ( namely Athena, I'd also like to see him work Nike in). A very nice job Mr. McCullough!

Necessity created the magical web (mweb) in order to interconnect the infinite worlds of the multiverse as a means to keep chaos under control. Sorcerer Prince Ravirn of the house of Fate was chosen as the web administrator because of his superior hacker skills. However, as is his way, alienates his three great-aunts, the Fates (Clothos, Atropros, and Lachesis). Actually it was Lachesis who exiled her nephew and his best friend webgoblin-laptop Melchior from the family; while Clothos renamed him Raven of chaos.

Ravirn's (Don't call me Raven) girlfriend Cerice mourns the death of her webpixie-PDA Shara, who died saving her mistress; life. Making her grief insurmountable and driving Raven crazy is that Shara the PDA contained Cerice's doctorate in Computer Science. Thus her paper is on the other side of the River Styx with no way of retrieving it without trickery. Ravirn has a plan to fool his poker buddy Cerberus, the guardian of the underworld and hack into Lucifer's database to retrieve Shara. Ravirn succeeds, but the outcome proves different than he imagined. Instead of kisses, he finds the mweb is falling apart as if a worm is eating away one byte at a time and Lucifer is madder than hell that someone hacked into his computer. As his great-aunts predicted Ravirn has brought chaos into order and they fear that even worse he plans to fix his mistakes by deleting and rebooting the multiverse.

This zany mixing of computer technology with mythology is a cleverly designed satire in which the audience will have a great time following the antics of Ravirn in the mythological information age. The amusing story line spoofs American top secret paranoia as Ravirn hacks into Lucifer's protected database and abducts Shara from the other side while correcting his miscues with greater errors. Readers who appreciate something different will want to read this enjoyable insane sequel to the as much fun and crazy WEBMAGE.

Harriet Klausner