Customer Reviews

Eye of the Raven: A Mystery of Colonial America

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Eye of the Raven is the second novel that describes the adventures of Duncan McCallum, the last of his Scottish clan, and his kinship with the woodland tribes in North America in the years before the American Revolution. While you will be entertained, you will also come away from this book with a heightened awareness of one of the most pivotal periods in U.S. history. This is a terrific book on many levels; there's mystery, with Duncan's medical training giving him the ability to "read the dead" and follow the trail of more than one murderer; there's the little-known story of the affinity between the Scots, defeated by the British at Culloden, and the native American tribes; there's the complexity of the relationships between the European powers (French, English, German, Scots; indentured servants, aristocrats, missionaries, surveyors, traders, soldiers) and the Indians (Huron, the six nations of the Iroquois and many more) and the parts played by African slaves; there are heroes and villains; there's an unlikely young African heroine; and there's just a tremendous sense of the intricacies of American and world history in the 1750s and 1760s. The action moves from the Susquehanna River to Philadelphia following a struggle for land and resources between Virginians, Pennsylvanians and a dastardly New Yorker and introduces the reader to many unique characters and contrivances. I can't wait for the third volume that will perhaps reunite Duncan with his love, Sarah Ramsey, introduced in the first novel, The Bone Rattler. Highly recommended.

When I finished the Bone Rattler by Elliot Pattison, I knew that I had read a masterpiece. With some trpidation I opned Eye of the Raven, knowing how hard it is to follow-up a great work with its sequel. Well, I am pleasedd to say that Eyes of the Raven has matched my opinion of the Bone Rattler.

Pattison has done an incredible job translating the culture of the Iroquis as it comes up against the pressures of Colonial expansion. In Eyes of the Raven, the elements of a murder mystery are combined with the detailed descriptions of historical fiction to truely transport the reader to a different time. As in Achebe's Things Fall Apart, the damage to native culture from contact with Western expansion is a key element in the Eyes of the Raven. However, Pattison has left the reader with the assurance that, for at least a short period, the native culture will win out.

Eliot Pattison has knocked another one out of the park. His book, "Eye of the Raven," is a lengthy examination of American colonies, Virginia and Pennsylvania, and evil land grabbers sounding all too much like contemporary business interests of the realtor-mortgage holder/land developer stripe. In this story, Duncan McCallum, the Highland Scot, is imprisoned and indentured to Lord Ramsey, a figure portrayed as evil as the Marquis de Sade.

This historical novel is about the lust for land of the colonies and the thinly disguised greed of those who would steal it, ultimately defrauding indigenous peoples, the true owners of this land as far back as history is known. Only a writer as facile as Pattison could orchestrate the large number of back stories and subplots generated by this effort. At heart, "Eye of the Raven" involves a huge land grab on the part of European settlers who want land owned by the six nations, the Susequehanne, Onandaga, Huron, Iroquois,etc. On the other side, we have secret meetings and bribes from prominent colonials who pay off some tribes and individuals to gain precedent in the land sales. "Eye of the Raven" begins with the plight of Duncan McCallum's wrongly assigned inedenture and the powerful sadist who looks forward to torturing him. At center is a "Warriors Path" a trail that roughly traces the perimeter of the vast tract of land to be sold. On the path certain sacred monuments, inscribed trees, become the altar upon which surveyors are discovered slain and tortured. In the process of discovering the murderers, falsifying land grants, freeing stolen slaves and convening a six nations council to make a treaty about the land, murder and kidnapping become almost expected in this nail biter of an epoch. One cannot help but be awestruck by author Pattison's
knowledge of the native lore and languages of the indigenous people of America. On one hand, I sometimes felt the book to be too long, but the presentation of ritual and rite in tribal spirituality was so interesting I couldn't stop reading. In that vein, the vision of the shamans, Conawago and Skanawati, is fascinating, and finally touching.

In addition to the intellectual gift that Eliot Pattison brings to us, he is also a first class writer who presents creative descriptions of nature, e.g., "the wilderness unfolded mile after mile" and "their canoes aimed like arrows at the heart of the Iroquois nation" and characterization, e.g., "Duncan found a small sad grin tugging at his mouth." Dozens of these gems through the text add to the reading pleasures of "Eye of the Raven."

In 1760 thanks mostly to his new friend Nipmuc tribal Shaman Conawago, Duncan McCallum has begun to move past the British massacre of his clan back in Scotland. Traveling together, they find the corpse of affluent Virginia militia commander Winston Burke nailed to a tree with a gear wheel buried into his chest. Because he is an Indian, local Pennsylvanian Colony authorities suspect Conawago killed Burke; who is not the first victim to die this way, as other surveyors have also been brutally killed.

The colonial authorities and the British military leaders assume someone opposed to a treaty between the Iroquois and the British is the culprit, which enhances the belief Conawago is the killer. Still they write it off as another death due to the war with the French. However Burke's outraged cronies demand immediate justice, colonial style. They do not require a trial to hang Conawago which leaves it to McCallum to rush his investigation in order to save the life of his friend.

This is a superb Colonial American mystery due to a powerful cast who brings the era alive especially not widely known tidbits all inside a terrific whodunit. The story line grips the audience from the opening act as Duncan and the Jesuit trained Conawago come across the corpse, which by reporting it leads to trouble. Sub-genre fans will enjoy this taut thriller as time is running out before mob justice lynches Conawago .

Harriet Klausner

Edgar-winner Pattison time travels the reader back to 18th Century North America. He captures the vastness of the new world while navigating through the customs and motives of the empires competing for the wealth of the land. He assigns a crafty nobility to the indigenous tribes whose way of life are under threat. Both the English and French are portrayed as blunt and brutal.

This sequel emulates what made 2007's Bone Rattler immensely enjoyable - how so much actual history can be absorbed through a detective story comprised of rich and intriguing characters. As he states in his author's note, it was a time of great change acted out by heroes, saints, and villains. And given the period and plot, the lines between these types blurred and merged as cultures clashed.

His style definitely improved in this second effort but it seemed to pursue too many angles so the story dragged in places. Yet, overall Pattison conveys an earnest lament for how North America was settled and packages it in a compelling mystery series that both entertains and informs.

Writing is not first rate but the mystery is entwined in actual history and is interesting for the indian/colonials clash

Treachery, averice, hate, and a lust for power make this second tale of Duncan and Conawago a thrilling journey into the colonial days of early America. This is an intriging story of how the English and other Europeans schemed to steal the ancient lands of the Six Nation Indian tribes from their rightful owners...the Indians. It is the story of a vast land grab by the early wealthy men from Virginia and Pennsylvania, and puts into perspective the beginning of the end of the way of life for the Indian nations. This is the timeless story of man's inhumanity to man in the name of righteousness, whose real name is greed.

If you enjoyed the previous book in this mystery series, you will enjoy this one just as much. Even though this is a fictional account of life in the early days of America, it has enough fact that it can tell us a little about the life of the Iroquois and their beliefs, as well as a bit of how other bands of Indians lived.

Eliot Pattison writes in a joyous, lyrical manner that is pure pleasure to read and I do hope that he has another mystery of Colonial America coming to us soon.

Exceptionally well written. Had also read the prior book dealing with the same people..."The Bone Rattler". Interesting perspective coming from the historical angel of the French and Indian War and the early impact with the different cultures and how they perceived the native americans and the colonization of the New World. The mystery is very subtle and underlying and always keeps you guessing.

Eliot Pattison's Eye of the Raven is, as far as I can tell, incredibly well researched. It is like a history lesson laced together by a believable (yet thrilling) plot and characters (again believable, although the hero of the story has almost unbelievable resilience!)(many characters are based directly on historical figures, even to their names). Great fun adventure/mystery, with both history lesson and values of compassion and integrity an integral part. I wish to add that all of Pattison's novels are like this -- I recommend them all, especially if you are interested in the subject matter on which they're based. Just my opinion (my partner's, too).

As the other reviewers have noted, this is a very gratifying novel. I think the review by A. Prentice is particularly good, especially in describing the many characters, groups, plots, and geographic locations in the book. And therein lies my mild complaint: I would have liked to see a list of characters and a good map in the front of the book!