Murder of Crows

The Icarus Trilogy #1

by Kevin Kauffmann

What would you consider freedom? For some, it's choosing their way to die.

Murder of Crows is based in a not-so-far-flung universe where humanity did not reach the stars but instead found itself mired in corporate takeovers. Since interstellar travel was never developed, asteroids were towed into orbit around Earth and terraformed into smaller planets to deal with excess population. While most of the asteroids were designed for colonization, Eris was destined for constant commercial warfare. Most people just call it "War World" after their favorite show.

In this new age of gladiatorial combat, the athletes are divided into teams and each person is cloned prior to the games. When they die, their consciousness and memories are transferred into new clones and the process begins all over again.What the rest of humanity doesn't realize is that each death and resurrection is incredibly painful and disorienting, let alone the monetary cost that is forced upon them.

Rarely do any of them make it off the asteroid.

Drawing on themes of grief, freedom and coping with an uncaring world, Murder of Crows tells the story of one of the best teams in the system, centering on the trauma these men and women experience as they die for public entertainment.

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Author's note: As of June 14, 2016, Murder of Crows has been updated for a sixth time to deal with certain proofreading and editing missteps. It should be a much better read this time around.

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction

270 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2012

About the author

As a kid, Kevin Kauffmann would spend most days creating worlds and adventures for action figures and old Transformers. After grabbing a degree from UNC-Chapel Hill, he decided that creating worlds should be more than a hobby.

The Icarus Trilogy, a sci-fi tale about futuristic gladiatorial warfare, was Kauffmann's first series, but he has since gone on to tell stories in many different genres. His Forsaken Comedy is a dark fantasy trilogy about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and his latest, Ouroboros, has received high praise for its representation of hallucinogen use and self-destructive behaviors.

Starting in 2024, 25&Y Publishing will release two novels and a collection from Kauffmann, the Misadventures of Rumpelstiltskin the Third, Daytrippers and Evenin' Flow, and he is the Narrative Director for Exfinitum, an upcoming card game from Yoton Yo Studios.

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent first novel that lacks a real narrative thrust. The central premise is serviceable enough: an asteroid hosts televised gladiator-type games for convicts and people seeking fame/fortune. Those killed in the games are resurrected to fight again.

That premise is also the novel's downfall because the prospect of resurrection vitiates any risk the characters face in the daily battles. Yes, there is some disorientation and discomfort with having your brain and memories downloaded into a new body, and some don't handle it well. But otherwise, there's no real sense that the battles mean anything to the characters or to the larger world or any risk in failure.

Kauffmann introduces too many characters and none really serve as protagonists or antagonists...they just fight and fight and fight to no end. A short book that felt longer than it should have.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is just on the right side of 3 Stars for me. While I liked the plot line and the story itself at times it felt like the writing was a bit rough and the way in which the story shifted could be bit tiresome with how it jumped between characters and timeline. Made it hard at times to know how long had passed between different scenes. The characters themselves for the most part were done nicely and their personalities seemed to fit well with what I pictured they would be going through if forced into the situation and life they are in. Will check out the next book to see how Kauffmann continues the trilogy.

[Ilona Fenton · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story line had potential and I had high hopes for a good read. However I was disappointed as there were a lot of scenes of needlessly gruesome and violent death, and that was in only the first chapter or so. I didn't finish the book, and I doubt I ever will. The writing wasn't that bad and I know the main theme of this book was war and that's why there was so much violence, but for me there were too many depictions of the 'soldiers' deaths and resurrections.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

~~minor spoilers/allusions ahead!~~

Okay, so this isn’t the prettiest book. It’s evidently self-published and shows all the signs thereof, but if you can get over the pretty jagged and occasionally sporadic writing style, you’re in for a treat.

Some scenes are written much more clearly than others - you can tell where the author poured his heart into the pages and where he was trying to get the plot along to the next event.

That said, he still does a good job of characterizing so many unique individuals in rather short book.

Coming out of the book, I have a soft spot for almost every named character in the book. Except for one, but he was meant to be hated.


So, what I did think of the story? Well, that took me for surprise. I was expecting epic battles and shootouts, and sure we do get a fair share of warfare but most of the conflict here is emotional, and it’s just done so well for what this book seems to be. It feels like a passion project that the author wanted to use to convey a certain emotional message, and he delivered. From young Roberts to newbie Jenkins and all the way up to old-man Carver and the lovable oaf Feldman, these guys go through their own emotional path - which currently is incomplete, as this is book one.

It was sad watching Jenkins’ emotional journey, honestly. I knew it could conclude in one of two ways given the naming convention for the chapters, so hey I had a 50/50 shot and one could say Jenkins took that shot himself, but that scene was still heartbreaking. Especially given the main gimmick here is that the Commission is basically pre-nerf Mercy and no one ever dies.

[Mad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The slow-motion Murder of a Crow begins ...

This is a story about Ryan Jenkins, a thief from Earth, who made a bad choice. The system gave him an easy out. 6+ months of being a reality star, on the War Planet Eris, instead of a 20 year hard labor sentence, but ...he discovers he has chosen poorly as his entire life unravels from one battle to the next.

This book, the first in a trilogy, sets a very dark and gloomy atmosphere, often lit by the final flash of explosives amidst a battlefield strewn with the abandoned dead. Leave no man behind? Ha! As such, I don’t recommend this for teens. However, as someone who actually struggles with some of the mental issues addressed herein, I found this story to be strangely encouraging. How will I choose to face my next face plant? Do I have the courage to work thru the pain with a smile, or even ... skipping? I’m hoping the plot improves but this book laid a necessary foundation, if I’m guessing the next plot twists correctly. Battle plans are often the first casualty after all. (Ergo, 3 of 5 stars, for hope.)

[N · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oi, what a slog this was. I only made it to page 50, and it was chock full of unnecessary detail—not just unnecessary, but irrelevant and distracting. Ryan considers a plastic utensil for a full minute, thinks about why it’s not metal, then shelves that thought. Unfortunately for us, the narrator decides not to let us shelve that thought, because another character starts to think about it, too. Just in case you hadn’t had your fill of pondering plastic utensils, the narrator then goes on to describe even more about plastic utensils from an omniscient viewpoint, letting us know the bureaucratic reasons behind their being plastic. All this, after a guy just got killed and resurrected, so you know, I guess the utensils thing is coming up for plot reasons? I can’t believe I’m less than a quarter of the way through this.

[Larry W. Spoonamore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

Enjoyed the book it reminded me of some of my own memories last and not in a bad way read between the lines and a lot of us will see that . Thanks for the memories . Hope don't get discouraged and stop writing along the same lines

[Devon Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

Kept me spellbound the whole way. Read the whole series in just a few days. Look forward to more like this.

[Erik Sapp · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started out really good. About 25% of the way in, it turned into a slog. There's too many characters. The author tried to develop all of them, but there are just too many. It wasn't hard to keep them all straight, but they just weren't very interesting. There were too many battles, and they quickly became tedious. (There are supposed to be battles every other day, but detailing them all was too much.) The author created an interesting setting, but could not develop it as much as it deserved to be. It's also clear the author is trying to set up the next book in the series.

About 75% of the way, I started having to force myself to read more. I wanted to, because I wanted to see how it ended. I made it, but that was a slog I don't want to experience again.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Murder of Crows to be a quick, enjoyable read. Kauffmann has some really good ideas and expands on them well. The structure is very interesting, following several characters but really revolving around Jenkins and his own personal struggle. As a sci-fi I would consider it pretty light, more using the future setting to develop his story and characters rather than using characters and a basic, throwaway plot to explore an apocalyptic future. I find the character development and internal struggles the strongest point of the book, as not one or two but many of the characters are developed into a large cast of fuller characters. I think this all serves to create a rich experience in a believable (albeit frightening!) potential future.

There are many intense, violent scenes but I didn't find them to be overtly gruesome. Kauffmann uses the bleak situation of the soldiers to further develop their stories. The book does include strong language and fairly graphic descriptions of the soldier's deaths, but instead of detracting I find the brutal clarity to be refreshing and helpful as I try to grasp the experience the characters are going through from my comfy nest of pillows. The characters are all flawed, none of them perfect people, and every one of them has his debts to pay, whether he plays in the war Games or not, and I think this adds to a believable universe.

I will say while the writing was smooth and quick, there was a tendency to go off on a tangent which some readers may have difficulty following, and sometimes the dialogue becomes 'unlabeled' and it's really up to an attentive reader to keep up with who is talking. Some of the writing and phrases could get a little repetitive and there were a few editing errors.

The plot itself could be felt at first as a sort of dragging underlying presence. Something was building but it was unclear what at first. While this can be deterring to some readers, I actually found this to be in keeping with the story. Instead of an omniscient eye on the soldier's world, you find yourself slogging through Eris itself, learning with the characters instead of knowing and waiting for them to catch up to you, the all-knowing reader. While as a strategy I think this doesn't usually work, I believe it has a place in a novel like Murder of Crows. It really picks up later in the book and the end is very strong, leading right into the next book. There is great continuity and while there remain a few points the author could improve upon, I found this to be a very enjoyable read as well as it's sequel, and I look forward to reading the third installment of the trilogy and other works by this author.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was quite surprised that most people didn't seem to really like this book. The story was quite good, and although the book was quite nosy at some points, that usually doesn't stop people from reading most books. In fact, I found that though at first it didn't really mainly focus on Jenkins, I liked that. It had a good way of developing the characters of his other teammates, and exploring how each of them ticked. I think I especially liked how the author explained that though Warner was a jerk, he explained how he worked and wasn't such a bad guy. Honestly, with others books, the character are a just bit to black and white. In essence, there isn't really any black and white--- right or wrong in this world, and to believe that people are fully evil is naive at best even in stories. I say that because we're constantly changing in what we believe is correct, if anything, right and wrong can only be judge by perspective, and even than it's tricky.

So anyway, I liked that the author not exactly endeared the reader to the character, but shaped them into people and not random people wandering around the pages.

But what I really like was after explaining what the team was, the author quite solidly focused on Jenkins, instead of just floating around.

The writing in this story is not the best, but I liked it and even though people didn't seem to really love this book, I say give it a shot, at worst you'll find it okay.

[Thesalus · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the book has no plot to speak of, it offers an interesting chronicle of a burgeoning existential crisis, but within an obvious context of contention that will undoubtedly be resolved in the remainder of the trilogy. Ryan Jenkins is a gladiator in the War World games, the circus du jour that the Trade Union set up to for nebulous reasons of pillaging the Earth to fabricate inhabitable worlds for the highest bidders. With each death, they are painfully resurrected in a new body for the next spectacle. His team mates-a menagerie of personalities in the various stages of grief-line up one by one as unwitting conspirators in the dissolution of "boy soldier" Ryan Jenkins.

Dialogue was difficult to follow as the point-of-view may switch without warning mid-conversation and dropped or overloaded epithets do nothing to ameliorate this confusion.

Overall, the book was an insular thought experiment on an interesting concept with shaky execution and little knowledge of the world at large. The latter can be explained by the enforced seclusion of the gladiators, and I expect that the remaining books in trilogy will address this as the scope broadens.

[Audree · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ah! The story line had potential, but there were too many things I didn't like about this book. For one thing, the author swore and cursed too much for my taste. There were a lot of scenes of gruesome and violent death, and that was in only the first chapter or so. I couldn't finish the book, and I don't think I ever will. This is the lowest rating I think I have ever given a book. The writing wasn't that bad, reminded me of what one of the BBC network shows would have been if they were a book and knowing nothing of the author, I could tell he wasn't American with his use of the meters and kilometers for measurements. I know the main theme of this book is war and that's why there was so much violence, but it made me wince at some of the depictions of the 'soldiers' deaths. IF you can get past that and the author's use of all those four letter words, maybe it could be a good book, but for me it wasn't, so read at your own risk.

[Hunter (Totally NOT a communist ☭) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I never finished this book, and I know I never will. It's been long time since I've put down this book, so I don't remember too much, including a plotline. I don't think there was a very clear story.
I also hated how much the author swore and cursed (but I still hear more at my school).
The violence didn't bother me because I play a lot of fighting games, and the plot synopsis mentioned fighting, so I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. The action was defiantly exciting, but I think I'll re-read some action books with a good plot instead of this.

[Allan Ashinoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I downloaded this book because it was a freebie from Amazon - I was plesantly surprised. I found the concept of the book interesting and the author kept my interest. The only issue I has was that, for an action oriented book, it felt drawn out (this could be a matter or personal prefernce). Although I can't rave about this book, I did enjoy it enough to read the next two books the series (also downloaded for free).

[Y.I. Washington · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the plot, characters and surprises were good, I found the writing a bit lacking. I am hopeful that his writing will improve because this is a great story line. I will read the next book.

Kauffmann's constant repetition of the same adjectives wore on my nerves. There were also a few editing mistakes.

I do hope to see improvement in the next book.

[eden Hudson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the concept for this story (squads of prisoners warring with each other for the entertainment of the masses, then being cloned and regrown when they're killed in battle), but the constant jumping from one character's perspective to the next (occasionally within the same paragraph) was too confusing for me to follow and made it hard to get invested in anyone.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, what can I say. I got this as a free book, and I can certainly say I don't regret reading it. However, I couldn't help but be dragged down by the general poor prose. As the book continued on, it continuously got better and better, likely the result of the author settling in to the story. I look forward to reading the rest of the series, hopefully they'll tickle me just right.

[Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is VERY slow to get into, but once you finally figure out what is going on (lots of names and little differences between people) it becomes interesting. Worth reading just to get to the second book in the series.

[Chuck Gass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good premise. A lot of action. But the writing was hit and miss. Sometimes the characters were inconsistent. For big tough guys there was too much sniveling and crying. Still enjoyed it though.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Head to an asteroid for a sci-fi adventure, I liked this book with it's futuristic look at things. Fighting and clones make the reader wonder if something like what happens isn't too far in our own future. I f you like sci-fi like star wars you will enjoy this book.

[Claudia Hendrikz · Rating 5 out of 5]

War World

War World

depressing, horrifying....but a great book, I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series! If you like fantasy and sci-fi, I recommend it!

[Kandee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on a post apocalyptic setting. I liked the story, but the blood and guts part isn't my thing.

[Brandon Gorham · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. I wouldn't run out to get it but I never put it down either.

[Matt Kelland · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's probably a great read if you're (a) a teenager (b) a fan of sci-fi war games like Halo or Warhammer 40k. But I'm not, and this didn't work for me. Maybe 30 years ago.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to get into this book and the writing is not the greatest but I did enjoy it after a while. I will read the second one.

[Mark Schaefer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story, short and not very well developed though.

[Clayton · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting idea, character-driven, but both plot and language use could use considerable polishing. I really thought the story was going to go somewhere, but it kind of just petered out.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Few typos and the lack of contractions was a little maddening, but other than that, I enjoyed it. Interesting characters in a despicable environment. Starting the second book now.

[Mari]

not reading, clicked by mistake