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Seven Crows: Preludes and Lamentations
One crow for sorrow,
Two crows for joy,
Three crows a girl,
Four crows a boy,
Five crows for silver,
Six crows for gold,
Seven crows a story,
Never to be told.
– anonymous folk poem
Seven orphan children;
Bron: poor child of sorrow and resolve in the face of a town of bullies. Mab: capricious child of boundless mirth, and fierce protectiveness. Kendra: young girl struggling to find herself in the whirlwind of an exclusive school. Akeem: a reader of what should not be, withdrawn and scheming. Onshuuko: a student of perfection and tradition, haunted by demons. Nathaniel: a “good” boy, struggling with his own power and just trying to remain good. Unknown: perhaps the biggest mystery, will this story ever be uncovered?
Bound together by fate and a mysterious friend that only they can see, these seven have been separated ever since the incident that left their orphanage in ruins. Years later, something powerful and frightening begins to awaken within them, darkness stirs around them, and they are propelled out into the world to find each other once again. This is only the beginning...
Bound by fate,
Seven Crows awaken
to power and tragedy.
Two crows for joy,
Three crows a girl,
Four crows a boy,
Five crows for silver,
Six crows for gold,
Seven crows a story,
Never to be told.
– anonymous folk poem
Seven orphan children;
Bron: poor child of sorrow and resolve in the face of a town of bullies. Mab: capricious child of boundless mirth, and fierce protectiveness. Kendra: young girl struggling to find herself in the whirlwind of an exclusive school. Akeem: a reader of what should not be, withdrawn and scheming. Onshuuko: a student of perfection and tradition, haunted by demons. Nathaniel: a “good” boy, struggling with his own power and just trying to remain good. Unknown: perhaps the biggest mystery, will this story ever be uncovered?
Bound together by fate and a mysterious friend that only they can see, these seven have been separated ever since the incident that left their orphanage in ruins. Years later, something powerful and frightening begins to awaken within them, darkness stirs around them, and they are propelled out into the world to find each other once again. This is only the beginning...
Bound by fate,
Seven Crows awaken
to power and tragedy.
196 pages, Paperback
First published July 31, 2013
1 person is currently reading
381 people want to read
About the author
Justin Killam
3 books9 followersGamer, Writer, Philosopher, Publisher, Teacher, Novelist, Theologian, Author, Game Designer. A storyteller all of his life, Justin first got into weaving tales while playing classic pen and paper RPGs like D&D, VtM, and his own home brewed awesomeness. Creating stories interactively with a group of friends, spending hours obsessing over every facet of a character and their development makes character driven stories an absolute must. Combining storytelling with gaming is still a huge part of his life, when he can fit it into the busy schedule of being a husband and teacher in his home town of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Seven Crows is his first novel, set in a world that has been developing within his mind since studying Theology and Philosophy at STFX.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 9, 2013
A unique read told from an innovative central character, Seven Crows lays out the story of seven young characters who are mired in separate circumstances, and each child is in substantial peril in Killam's world. What's innovative is the vehicle he used to carry the story forward: Chaid, the imaginary friend of all the characters, who is unseen to everyone except the children. As you read through, the questions that emerge about Chaid keep you worried through the story, and Killam does a great job of maintaining your intrigue about Chaid's methods, motivations, and intent. Chaid's intentional language, his kindness, and his approach are sublime and captivating, especially for a reader who may not trust him.
Each child is just different enough to pace the story well as you try to puzzle out where the plot is going. You'll find your favourite "Crow", and I found myself worrying about certain characters I had read about earlier while finding out about new ones; a given mark of a good author.
With a nice twist at the end that reveals unanswerable questions about Chaid until the next book, Killam does a great job of locking down his story without dragging you through any plot issues. The reader can tell he has crafted a larger story here, and that you're in good hands. I read Seven Crows in about ten hours total, and didn't notice.
Four stars due to some (minor) editing issues, but that's just me being picky. Nothing to do with the quality of the storytelling or characters.
A fine debut novel from an imaginative new writer who has employed an innovative narrative style to pull his readers in. I am definitely purchasing the sequel.
Highly recommended.
Each child is just different enough to pace the story well as you try to puzzle out where the plot is going. You'll find your favourite "Crow", and I found myself worrying about certain characters I had read about earlier while finding out about new ones; a given mark of a good author.
With a nice twist at the end that reveals unanswerable questions about Chaid until the next book, Killam does a great job of locking down his story without dragging you through any plot issues. The reader can tell he has crafted a larger story here, and that you're in good hands. I read Seven Crows in about ten hours total, and didn't notice.
Four stars due to some (minor) editing issues, but that's just me being picky. Nothing to do with the quality of the storytelling or characters.
A fine debut novel from an imaginative new writer who has employed an innovative narrative style to pull his readers in. I am definitely purchasing the sequel.
Highly recommended.
August 6, 2013
The first in a series of novels that straddles the line between young-adult and adult. It is an Urban Fantasy / Horror novel based on a setting that I have been developing for over a decade and will be releasing a pen & paper Roleplaying Game for. The initial inspiration for the novel was a poem I ran across online, called Seven Crows.
One crow for sorrow,
Two crows for joy,
Three crows a girl,
Four crows a boy,
Five crows for silver,
Six crows for gold,
Seven crows a story,
Never to be told.
– anonymous folk poem
Each chapter introduces one of the seven characters, based on the corresponding line in the poem. The story introduces each of the main characters, introduces many aspects of the setting, and weaves the stories together to tell a singular story that will continue in the next novel.
Seven Crows is available on Amazon as a paperback and kindle. It is going through the publishing process of smashwords to be available on other eBook formats.
If interested in being a beta-reader or playtester for my upcoming work, please e-mail me at apoc@huntandkillam.com
Please review my work (Goodreads or Amazon) and thank you for your support.
One crow for sorrow,
Two crows for joy,
Three crows a girl,
Four crows a boy,
Five crows for silver,
Six crows for gold,
Seven crows a story,
Never to be told.
– anonymous folk poem
Each chapter introduces one of the seven characters, based on the corresponding line in the poem. The story introduces each of the main characters, introduces many aspects of the setting, and weaves the stories together to tell a singular story that will continue in the next novel.
Seven Crows is available on Amazon as a paperback and kindle. It is going through the publishing process of smashwords to be available on other eBook formats.
If interested in being a beta-reader or playtester for my upcoming work, please e-mail me at apoc@huntandkillam.com
Please review my work (Goodreads or Amazon) and thank you for your support.
July 8, 2014
It was weird, dark and really quick.
A collection of dark, paranormal stories that are a flash to get through and are enjoyable.
A collection of dark, paranormal stories that are a flash to get through and are enjoyable.
December 18, 2017
Mr.Killam is my grade 10 English teacher and we got to read this amazing book in his class. This story made me want to come to school I looked forward to coming to school to listen to this book. The best part is it was being read by the author himself. Mr. Killam tells an amazing story in this book. It was very exciting and thrilling and the character development was really amazing. This book is easy to pick up but impossible to put down. The book made me feel emotions, I felt emotions towards the characters of the book, but mostly Bron as he was the one I related to the most. This was so enjoyable and engaging, there were never times that the book was stretched too long, The book is very well thought out. I cant wait for the second one.
May 28, 2020
Justin Killam was my English teacher for grade 12 and we read some of this book in class. It was awesome so I told my mom about it she got us a copy. It is one of my favourite paranormal books! Excited for more from him. He has inspired me to start publishing my own books.
September 13, 2021
I read this so quick that I forgot to track it. It is such a good story and every chapter has you in suspense. Cannot wait for the next book by this author. Do not sleep on this one. Go get yours from Amazon today trust me.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews