Touch the light. Hold the light. The light burns. The light runs away. Hold the light. Lock the light away.
The great spirit Vatu keeps the Sun in a box, where no thief can steal it. Once a year, the box is opened and life springs across the dark lands. The whole world belongs to Vatu. He is darkness, he is master of all. There is no hiding from him.
But Utas must try, for his daughter's sake. She is sick from darkness, and yet she glows with a mysterious light. If Vatu can find them, he will destroy them, or worse, drag them back into his mad, dark world. Torn between duty and mercy, between justice and freedom, Utas tries to escape, but it seems inevitable that the darkness will reclaim him.
For the greatest mercy and the greatest punishment Utas can suffer is to return to his true self.
Industry Reviews
"A conceptual and intriguing fantasy novel with plenty of clever secrets to uncover... There is a cinematic and emotive quality to this coloring of the work, making it easily imagined in the reader’s mind, and all the more painful and poetic when things go wrong. Overall, Crowman is a fantastic work with plenty of surprises for the diligent reader and is highly recommended for fans of intelligent and conceptual fantasy fiction. ?????" - Readers' Favorite
"What can I say about Crowman? A myth I’ve known all my life, but only read for the first time. Symbolism that speaks to the hollows in my bones. Language that is spare and beautiful at the same time. A narrative that is both a riddle and simple. When the darkness consumes all, does this group of strangers stand a chance? Rae’s debut novel is a triumph. I can’t wait to read more of his books." - Iseult Murphy, author of Return to Hades and Other Adventures
"David Rae's Crowman is a wonderfully curious tale with allegorical and mythological elements." - Terrie Leigh Relf, author of Sisterhood of the Blood Moon
