Customer Reviews

Shadowrun 20: Black Madonna

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

 

 

Well, I wouldn't call it poorly written - I found the verbal byplay between the characters hilarious (Streak alone might be worth reading the novel for).

I wouldn't go so far as to call the book "religiously bigoted," but I definately agree that if any other religion was portrayed as false FASA would have been "highly unlikely" to publish the novel under the Shadowrun aegis. After all, the entire Shadowrun universe was carefull crafted with the assumption that all beliefs were equally valid (belief itself being what matters) - to then say "all beliefs are equally pussant in the SR universe, except Christianity which is a hoax" seems odd at best (I would suggest, however, that if the fine folks at FASA are going down this road they should at least show some courage and really do it - it's a telling sign that none of this has shown up in any SR FRPG materiels. Faint of heart I suppose).

The thing that really annoyed me, however, was the smug undertone, especially from "Brightlight" (a highly annoying character, his goals asside), along with the unstated premise that anyone of Leonardo da Vinci's genius couldn't *possibly* be a mere human/mortal, but *must* be an Immortal Elf. Speaking as someone who, for the most part, actually doesn't dislike these chaps (Harlequin, Ehran, et al), I still find this distastful.

In summary, IMO the book starts off intriguingly, but doesn't really have much to do with the Shadowrun universe (asside from some name dropping, I.E. references to Renraku or wired reflexes, everything else seems detatched & disconected - this could be any Cyberpunk story, without the punk that is), ends rather flatly, and doesn't end in a convincing way. In my opinion, that is because the subject matter isn't appropriate for a novel - not that questioning the recieved wisdom of the church is by itself not P.C., but because if Sargent & Gascoigne want to explore this theory it needs to be done in a more convincing manner - lay out the evidence, deal with counter arguments, etc. In other words, this is a topic that is unbelievable in novel form (even in a universe of dragon presidents & NAN revivals etc) - which means the reader (or at least this reader) loses suspension of disbelief as the book reaches it's supposed climax, the time when it is most important that the reader remain gripped by the storyline.

I admire the audacity of the writers, but they fell short.

I have Recently began reading SR novels after playing shadowrun for the past 4 years. It never accured to me that the novels could introduce something new to my experience, well i was wrong it does add a new side - the not down to earth view. This novel was a bit detached from the day to day struggle of a shadowruner , It gave a different prespective to the SR Janeiro but that's as far as it got.

I did enjoyed the high level politics ( Vatican, Secret cults etc' ) and the feeling of the big brother watching you .

I kept looking for that down to earth reasoning and all i got was a lot of talk ,speculation and one way blind alley storyline. The matrix descriptions where a bit dry and the hacking itself was boring. I could not relate to the "heroes" and the plot got thicker and thicker until the unresolved , unclear and abrupt end of the book that left me unsatisfied .

All in all a disappointment.

i found this book to be very entertaining and in very much in the shadowrun vein. i loved the return of this particular set of characters.if you're looking for heavy reading, go check out some ayn rand,{"atlas shrugged", which i think every american should read) ,shadowrun books are supposed to be quick and fun. dont over-anylyze them.

After having read this soon after it came out, has anyone else noticed that this book was redone - minus the Shadowrun Setting - as The Da Vinci Code? Bloodline of Christ discovered by Globetrotting band of eccentrics by examining Renassiance Art. Whereas the Authors of "..Holy Grail.." have sued the Da Vinci Code authors, Carl Sargent has a much better case.

It was also interesting to see the dificulties that this work put on future authors of Shadowrun Universe books - since the Leonardo Charachter is such a force in that world completely un-hinted at until this novel. Not particularly well written - DEFINITELY not the Gritty Cyberpunk Shadowrun of Nigel D. Findley, but an interesting read.

The Entire concept I found Offensive and highly implausable (hey...vatican nukes anyone?) MG &CS have always been below average writers who must have an in with SOMEONE at FASA to keep getting paid for their wastes of paper. If any other religion was portrayed as false by those two, FASA would have spiked the book there and then. But I guess Catholicism is an easy target.

I am a huge fan of Shadowrun novels and sci-fi in general, and I've found this to be one of my favorite books. The authors (there are two) perfectly blended the ideas of the Shadowrun world with the concepts of Christianity. They also through in the twist of an immortal Leonardo De Vinci. The book is very hard to put down. I found myself reading the pages of Black Madonna into the early hours of the mourning. This is definitely a book for every sci-fi or fantasy fan to read. Black Madonna contains a lot of originality and creativity. Quite simply, this is a must-read. Don't miss it.

As part of the Shadowrun-series, this book continues the adventures of some great characters who actually have brains instead of "absolute power". It is indicative of the rapidly increasing number of crossovers between Shadowrun and Earthdawn, but can still be read without insight into Earthdawn.
One of the authors - Carl Sargent - is a professor at Cambrigde Univ. and clearly invested a lot of time and energy in investigating the plot ... which, no matter how far-reaching, is not just a figment of his imagination. For those who like to take an idea further, they should ckeck out non-fiction books like "The Templar Revelation" an "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" ... to get enough foor-for-thought to last months.

Short and sweet:

Read the book just because of the character Streak - I ain't kidding, he makes the book worth reading.

Character descriptions are vague. Interactions between main chars and 'enemies' are poor and confusing. The concept of 'shadowrunners' (which these guys definitely are NOT) living in luxury is a refreshing change from the 'live-in-squallor' standard of most runner-types. I hate the Vatican so I took some pleasure in the idea that they would flex their muscle in the world of SR just to prevent the masses from learning something OTHER than what has been spoon-fed to them by Christianity. The writing style conveys the sense of the dark and gritty world of London. This book would have rated a Five had the descriptions and interactions been better.

I read the book in German and I was kind of surprised since I had actually expected it to be a Shadowrun book. Well - it's not, at least in my opinion. There are not, as the authors themselves state at one point, any actual shadowrunners in it (apart from the Elf mage, who doesn't really behave like a Shadowrunner). The best part in it is Streak - his comments are definitely the most enjoyable parts of the story! Also, the atmosphere is all kind of wrong - Shadowrunners do not live in the posh part of London. Besides, the book has no real ending - it doesn't explain how it is possible for Leonardo to be an Elf although there weren't any Elves in the Middle Ages. I think the fact that Leonardo is an Elf proves about anything else stated in any other Shadowrun book wrong. So, if you're particularly interested in Leonardo da Vinci or Religion and if you don't mind a Shadowrun book without any Shadowrunners in it, you might enjoy it. Otherwise - look out for the Secrets of Power trilogy (or anything else that has Dodger in it).