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Becoming
Becoming is the seventh book in the Black Womb series and features the beloved characters facing their most difficult challenges yet. Easily accessible to all readers, great for science-fiction fans and adventure fans.
202 pages, Paperback
First published April 16, 2011
6 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Ledrew
70 books63 followersMatthew LeDrew has written over twenty novels, some of which have gone on to become Canadian and international bestsellers.
Since 2007 he has traveled all over Canada promoting his work as well as teaching seminars on writing and publishing.
He currently holds a Canada Council for the Arts Research and Creation Grant and an ArtsNL Professional Projects Grant for the completion of his first two Newfoundland-set novels, a treasure-hunt novel and a literary fiction novel exploring toxicity within the Newfoundland arts scene, respectively.
He holds an Honours Degree in English from the Memorial University of Newfoundland with a minor in Anthropology. He studied Journalism at College of the North Atlantic in Stephenville, Newfoundland. He has worked with Transcontinental Publishing as well as student-youth magazine The Troubadour.
He has been called "the face of Newfoundland Genre writing" and is one of the most successful authors working and living in his province today.
Since 2007 he has traveled all over Canada promoting his work as well as teaching seminars on writing and publishing.
He currently holds a Canada Council for the Arts Research and Creation Grant and an ArtsNL Professional Projects Grant for the completion of his first two Newfoundland-set novels, a treasure-hunt novel and a literary fiction novel exploring toxicity within the Newfoundland arts scene, respectively.
He holds an Honours Degree in English from the Memorial University of Newfoundland with a minor in Anthropology. He studied Journalism at College of the North Atlantic in Stephenville, Newfoundland. He has worked with Transcontinental Publishing as well as student-youth magazine The Troubadour.
He has been called "the face of Newfoundland Genre writing" and is one of the most successful authors working and living in his province today.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 14, 2017
In my reviews thus far for Matthew LeDrew’s good – but inconsistent – Black Womb series, I lament that I am often left with more questions than answers. The latest book, Becoming, does have mysteries of its own but finally places some of the puzzle’s missing pieces. The way everything comes together, LeDrew’s continued evolution from pure storyteller to writer and a smashing good tale make this 2011 release the best of the saga to date – and arguably the best Engen Books have published.
At this point, you should be familiar with the story’s background and elements so I shall focus solely on the content of this novel. Consider yourself warned.
So, we visit Coral Beach for the seventh time but Xander Drew and pals are anything but lucky. Xander learns more about his past and settles into his present – until his future changes in the blink of an eye. A father passes his breaking point and seeks ‘justice’ with his no-good associates. Finally, a comatose Adam Genblade lives his greatest nightmare over-and-over.
I must commend the tying of many loose threads. In fact, some frustrating aspects of past books, particularly Ghosts of the Past, were lessened though not absolved. Here is a breakdown of what we learn in this novel: a little about Xander Drew’s back story, with hints of more to come; the makeup of the local Tee’s gang; Engen, in particular the sheer enormity of the organization; Circe, the rival that engaged in a biotechnological arms race with Engen... and more.
The most notable element that falls within the “more” classification is Genblade. This book elevated him from smarmy, one-note killer to an actual character. His dreams, his past relationships... we effectively see his origin. Suffice to say that this novel’s title, Becoming, has more than one meaning.
I’ve never always understood Genblade but I could accept his actions. There were more troublesome members of the cast, most notably Xander’s immediate circle. This time, I liked – or at least understood – nearly every character.
Unfortunately, some flaws do pull Becoming down from even loftier heights. Some odd and possibly outdated pop culture references aren’t necessary to the story and could be removed without affecting anything of import. A few conversations could be moved around to improve pacing, especially during an explosive sequence within the school in the book’s latter half.
The most noticeable blemishes occur at the end: a bit of medical inaccuracy could be jarring to some people. Furthermore, there are a disproportionate number of ‘women in refrigerators’ in the Black Womb series. On a similar note, this book also has a case of ‘dead man defrosting.' I suspect the latter rule won’t flip and apply to the major character who passed away in this novel. Do these detract from my personal enjoyment? Not really, but I would like to see LeDrew experiment with a different MacGuffin in the future.
Becoming is certainly impressive: it closes the right doors and guides us toward exciting new paths. In November, the next volume will be published and I am more confident in the future of this series than I was a few books back – maybe more confident than I ever have been.
At this point, you should be familiar with the story’s background and elements so I shall focus solely on the content of this novel. Consider yourself warned.
So, we visit Coral Beach for the seventh time but Xander Drew and pals are anything but lucky. Xander learns more about his past and settles into his present – until his future changes in the blink of an eye. A father passes his breaking point and seeks ‘justice’ with his no-good associates. Finally, a comatose Adam Genblade lives his greatest nightmare over-and-over.
I must commend the tying of many loose threads. In fact, some frustrating aspects of past books, particularly Ghosts of the Past, were lessened though not absolved. Here is a breakdown of what we learn in this novel: a little about Xander Drew’s back story, with hints of more to come; the makeup of the local Tee’s gang; Engen, in particular the sheer enormity of the organization; Circe, the rival that engaged in a biotechnological arms race with Engen... and more.
The most notable element that falls within the “more” classification is Genblade. This book elevated him from smarmy, one-note killer to an actual character. His dreams, his past relationships... we effectively see his origin. Suffice to say that this novel’s title, Becoming, has more than one meaning.
I’ve never always understood Genblade but I could accept his actions. There were more troublesome members of the cast, most notably Xander’s immediate circle. This time, I liked – or at least understood – nearly every character.
Unfortunately, some flaws do pull Becoming down from even loftier heights. Some odd and possibly outdated pop culture references aren’t necessary to the story and could be removed without affecting anything of import. A few conversations could be moved around to improve pacing, especially during an explosive sequence within the school in the book’s latter half.
The most noticeable blemishes occur at the end: a bit of medical inaccuracy could be jarring to some people. Furthermore, there are a disproportionate number of ‘women in refrigerators’ in the Black Womb series. On a similar note, this book also has a case of ‘dead man defrosting.' I suspect the latter rule won’t flip and apply to the major character who passed away in this novel. Do these detract from my personal enjoyment? Not really, but I would like to see LeDrew experiment with a different MacGuffin in the future.
Becoming is certainly impressive: it closes the right doors and guides us toward exciting new paths. In November, the next volume will be published and I am more confident in the future of this series than I was a few books back – maybe more confident than I ever have been.
June 6, 2015
Finally some answers to questions that have been bugging me for a couple books now. Though for how pleased I am to have been proven right in some of the assumptions I had, how this book plays out made me incredibly sad. It was painful to see what happens to some people who honestly do not deserve it, but then in a way this ending was coming for a while now and it cuts into Xander far more then someone just reading his story.
I feel for the characters here so much that I actually found myself tearing up as I finished the last page. This book has a lot of powerful emotions tied into it, so be careful how much of your heart you put into all the present characters as you read on in the Black Womb series.
I feel for the characters here so much that I actually found myself tearing up as I finished the last page. This book has a lot of powerful emotions tied into it, so be careful how much of your heart you put into all the present characters as you read on in the Black Womb series.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews