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Raze: Mother, Maiden, Crone
Blood soaks the earth. The ground is carpeted in corpses. Carrion birds feast as power-crazed warlords indulge their bloodlust in never-ending battle. An ancient convent watches over the ceaseless struggle. A sanctuary from war, the Convent of Sacred Visitation offers care, medicine, and healing to any who seek their aid. Within these walls, no creed nor code nor fealty is recognized. Through the haze of battle, two strangers arrive at the convent’ s gates. One is a healer. The other is a warrior. They have treachery, thievery, and murder on their minds. But lies and betrayal and corruption are not unknown to the Sisterhood of Sacred Visitation. The secrets hidden in the depths of the convent have brought death to many who have sought to bring them into the light. And an antediluvian evil is stirring in the realm— an ancient hunger roused by the ever-growing miasma of warfare, strife, and slaughter. The time of the Razing has dawned.
144 pages, Paperback
Published October 24, 2023
1 person is currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Cullen Bunn
2,106 books1,059 followersCullen grew up in rural North Carolina, but now lives in the St. Louis area with his wife Cindy and his son Jackson. His noir/horror comic (and first collaboration with Brian Hurtt), The Damned, was published in 2007 by Oni Press. The follow-up, The Damned: Prodigal Sons, was released in 2008. In addition to The Sixth Gun, his current projects include Crooked Hills, a middle reader horror prose series from Evileye Books; The Tooth, an original graphic novel from Oni Press; and various work for Marvel and DC. Somewhere along the way, Cullen founded Undaunted Press and edited the critically acclaimed small press horror magazine, Whispers from the Shattered Forum.
All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.
And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.
Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.
All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.
And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.
Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 8, 2025
More of a 3.5 out of 5 stars than anything.
Raze: Mother, Maiden, Crone takes place in a land with constant warfare. So constant that bloodied and dying men try to make their way to the Convent of Sacred Visitation to be taken care of by the holy sisters there. However, very few men ever leave alive, most of them dying while being tended to. Matron Clarissa makes sure of this, but the visions of doom and death from the novice Anna and the sulking about of her rival the abbess Elaynne impede her. Something is coming. The Razing, an ancient being of death, is coming. But not before a mysterious healer named Siris and wounded swordsman named Kast show up at the convent's gates. Siris and Kast clearly want something, but they're unaware of what lives within the depths of the convent.
This is a newer sword and sorcery title with horror elements. I'd say it's a diamond in the rough overall. The general story, brutal violence, unsettling situations and morality, and grimness of the world are well-down, but certainly other elements prevent the book from sticking the landing just right. I should also note that this book contains a short story, also by Cullen Bunn, entitled "The Bloodletter's Prayer," which, I think, takes place in the same world as Raze, but I'm not 100% certain.
Let's start with the characters.
Raze is mostly told through the eyes of Matron Clarissa, Sister Elaynne, Siris, and Kast. I think out of all of them, Clarissa is the most interesting and whom I think had the most satisfying arc even though she's technically an antagonist--our main "heroes" aren't really much of heroes--and a terrible person. Clarissa uses her position as head of the order and the convent's role as a hospitaller to steal coin and whatever other precious things the dying soldiers have on them and store them away. She is a shrewd woman who thinks of every obstacle that she will face, save for her own pride, and does terrible things to get them such as making the other holy sisters brutally kill people and torturing people. Albeit the end of her arc is a bit rushed, she does have the most satisfying arc--and well-deserved fate.
Sister Elaynne's arc was a bit disappointing. She's clearly the only holy sister who sees the corruption in the order and wants to return it to its true duty. Her rivalry with Clarissa was interesting to watch as it gave us a little bit of the internal politics of the convent. Sadly, Elaynne's arc, in my opinion, ended prematurely . While I didn't really foresee Elaynne getting a happy ending, I felt like Bunn could've done more with her, show her more as the dual opposite of Clarissa. What a waste.
Siris was interesting in a very dark and twisted way. She's Kast's on-and-off partner (and lover) and she definitely takes delight in pain. Both causing it to others and receiving it herself.
Yeah...
She wants the treasures hidden somewhere in the convent, but she enjoys seeing the holy sisters quibble among themselves and frightening them herself. She's even impressed by the cunning of Clarissa and Elaynne and even more impressed by the brutal machinations of the former. I don't think I've seen too many fantasy protagonists, let alone female ones, who are sadomasochistic. There's scene where Siris gets into a spot of trouble and is tortured relentlessly and she starts to experience visions...and she enjoys it. In contrast to Kast, she's a bit more in touch with hidden preternatural world, but she overall seems a little mentally unhinged.
Despite enjoying reading her perspective, it left me with questions. Why is Siris like this? Obviously, this is a sword and sorcery novella, and short S&S stories rarely give you a long, descriptive psychoanalysis of the characters. Nonetheless, you still get something. Even in The Weird of the White Wolf by Michael Moorcock, you still get a reason as to why Elric is so pessimistic and constantly relies on his demon sword despite the stories in that collection being even shorter than Raze. Why is Siris like this? I felt like Bunn could've maybe added a brief line or paragraph giving some sort of hint or detail as to why she thinks the way she does.
Kast is was kind of interesting, but not as interesting as Siris. He's the typical amoral, muscle-bound warrior who's in it for the treasure. Like Siris, he cares little for other people's lives, not even for a kind holy sister who tended to him. Heck, he even casually dismisses Siris when he hears her being tortured; at least he has a reaction to it unlike the other spoilery moment I mentioned above.
Ultimately, I think this is the point of both Siris and Kast: they are genuinely selfish people who don't care about others and barely even care for each other. And on that end, I have to applaud Bunn. After years of constantly hearing about morally-grey characters who ended up not being all that convincing and are wishywashy, I finally read two characters who genuinely not good people. When the bloodshed finally happens, Siris and Kast have zero care for those around them, which, unfortunately, leads to another spoilery disappointment of mine.
Still Siris and Kast's story ends with an interesting turn of events and I hope there's a sequel, as this is called book 1, and it seems like there's more to be told. Also, I hope Bunn can improve upon things in a second book.
As for the titular character of "The Bloodletter's Prayer," he too is interesting and maybe slightly more moral than Kast and Siris. He only kills if he absolutely needs to do. His story involves taking a young boy who is a Prayer Vessel--one who people say their prayers to and then he directs them to the gods--across the land to a temple of a specific god. The Bloodletter does horrible things for a meager victory, but it appears he doesn't want to do them, not even at the climax of the story. Yet I know very little more about him at the story's end. Also, I'm not sure what the point of his story was. That some people will go through with the most excessive plans to get some meager coin? I will say the worldbuilding in "The Bloodletter's Prayer" is a lot more interesting than Raze's. A desolate world ruined by war between the gods who now remain mostly hidden. That's interesting! But again, there was only so much.
The prose and pacing of both of these tales are probably the strongest parts. Quick and sparse, but still filled with enough detail to keep the atmosphere and dread. That being said, I don't think it would hurt if both stories would've been a little longer for some more breathing room.
I think of this book like a horror B-movie that's a cult classic. It's got its flaws sure, and there's potential for the creator to grow, but it's still entertaining at least.
Raze: Mother, Maiden, Crone takes place in a land with constant warfare. So constant that bloodied and dying men try to make their way to the Convent of Sacred Visitation to be taken care of by the holy sisters there. However, very few men ever leave alive, most of them dying while being tended to. Matron Clarissa makes sure of this, but the visions of doom and death from the novice Anna and the sulking about of her rival the abbess Elaynne impede her. Something is coming. The Razing, an ancient being of death, is coming. But not before a mysterious healer named Siris and wounded swordsman named Kast show up at the convent's gates. Siris and Kast clearly want something, but they're unaware of what lives within the depths of the convent.
This is a newer sword and sorcery title with horror elements. I'd say it's a diamond in the rough overall. The general story, brutal violence, unsettling situations and morality, and grimness of the world are well-down, but certainly other elements prevent the book from sticking the landing just right. I should also note that this book contains a short story, also by Cullen Bunn, entitled "The Bloodletter's Prayer," which, I think, takes place in the same world as Raze, but I'm not 100% certain.
Let's start with the characters.
Raze is mostly told through the eyes of Matron Clarissa, Sister Elaynne, Siris, and Kast. I think out of all of them, Clarissa is the most interesting and whom I think had the most satisfying arc even though she's technically an antagonist--our main "heroes" aren't really much of heroes--and a terrible person. Clarissa uses her position as head of the order and the convent's role as a hospitaller to steal coin and whatever other precious things the dying soldiers have on them and store them away. She is a shrewd woman who thinks of every obstacle that she will face, save for her own pride, and does terrible things to get them such as making the other holy sisters brutally kill people and torturing people. Albeit the end of her arc is a bit rushed, she does have the most satisfying arc--and well-deserved fate.
Sister Elaynne's arc was a bit disappointing. She's clearly the only holy sister who sees the corruption in the order and wants to return it to its true duty. Her rivalry with Clarissa was interesting to watch as it gave us a little bit of the internal politics of the convent. Sadly, Elaynne's arc, in my opinion, ended prematurely . While I didn't really foresee Elaynne getting a happy ending, I felt like Bunn could've done more with her, show her more as the dual opposite of Clarissa. What a waste.
Siris was interesting in a very dark and twisted way. She's Kast's on-and-off partner (and lover) and she definitely takes delight in pain. Both causing it to others and receiving it herself.
Yeah...
She wants the treasures hidden somewhere in the convent, but she enjoys seeing the holy sisters quibble among themselves and frightening them herself. She's even impressed by the cunning of Clarissa and Elaynne and even more impressed by the brutal machinations of the former. I don't think I've seen too many fantasy protagonists, let alone female ones, who are sadomasochistic. There's scene where Siris gets into a spot of trouble and is tortured relentlessly and she starts to experience visions...and she enjoys it. In contrast to Kast, she's a bit more in touch with hidden preternatural world, but she overall seems a little mentally unhinged.
Despite enjoying reading her perspective, it left me with questions. Why is Siris like this? Obviously, this is a sword and sorcery novella, and short S&S stories rarely give you a long, descriptive psychoanalysis of the characters. Nonetheless, you still get something. Even in The Weird of the White Wolf by Michael Moorcock, you still get a reason as to why Elric is so pessimistic and constantly relies on his demon sword despite the stories in that collection being even shorter than Raze. Why is Siris like this? I felt like Bunn could've maybe added a brief line or paragraph giving some sort of hint or detail as to why she thinks the way she does.
Kast is was kind of interesting, but not as interesting as Siris. He's the typical amoral, muscle-bound warrior who's in it for the treasure. Like Siris, he cares little for other people's lives, not even for a kind holy sister who tended to him. Heck, he even casually dismisses Siris when he hears her being tortured; at least he has a reaction to it unlike the other spoilery moment I mentioned above.
Ultimately, I think this is the point of both Siris and Kast: they are genuinely selfish people who don't care about others and barely even care for each other. And on that end, I have to applaud Bunn. After years of constantly hearing about morally-grey characters who ended up not being all that convincing and are wishywashy, I finally read two characters who genuinely not good people. When the bloodshed finally happens, Siris and Kast have zero care for those around them, which, unfortunately, leads to another spoilery disappointment of mine.
Still Siris and Kast's story ends with an interesting turn of events and I hope there's a sequel, as this is called book 1, and it seems like there's more to be told. Also, I hope Bunn can improve upon things in a second book.
As for the titular character of "The Bloodletter's Prayer," he too is interesting and maybe slightly more moral than Kast and Siris. He only kills if he absolutely needs to do. His story involves taking a young boy who is a Prayer Vessel--one who people say their prayers to and then he directs them to the gods--across the land to a temple of a specific god. The Bloodletter does horrible things for a meager victory, but it appears he doesn't want to do them, not even at the climax of the story. Yet I know very little more about him at the story's end. Also, I'm not sure what the point of his story was. That some people will go through with the most excessive plans to get some meager coin? I will say the worldbuilding in "The Bloodletter's Prayer" is a lot more interesting than Raze's. A desolate world ruined by war between the gods who now remain mostly hidden. That's interesting! But again, there was only so much.
The prose and pacing of both of these tales are probably the strongest parts. Quick and sparse, but still filled with enough detail to keep the atmosphere and dread. That being said, I don't think it would hurt if both stories would've been a little longer for some more breathing room.
I think of this book like a horror B-movie that's a cult classic. It's got its flaws sure, and there's potential for the creator to grow, but it's still entertaining at least.
January 9, 2026
Cullen Bunn’s RAZE, Book One: Mother, Maiden, Crone is like opening your eye to a bright summer morning after sleeping peacefully all night. You can make out a few details, but your vision is limited to this small sliver or reality. However, you know that, once you wake up fully and take a look around, there’s a whole, real, physical world out there waiting for you.
RAZE is a book one and I don’t know how many more books Bunn has in mind for this series, but it’s very clear from this first one that he has an entire, fully developed world in mind. Book One is those first few seconds of cracking open your eyelid to see where you are. When I finished it, I could sense that wider world right outside the page, just waiting for me to explore the rest of it.
I am, admittedly, not a huge fantasy reader. But I’m a big Cullen Bunn reader and at the last comic convention I saw him at, this was one of the only items I didn’t already have, plus it was one of his few prose offerings; Bunn’s been churning out comic books by the hundreds for the last two decades, but hasn’t done much prose. Naturally I snatched it up. And this year I made it my first read of 2026. I regret nothing!
During a time of war, the Convent of Sacred Visitation is visited by two different characters, one, Siris, purports to be a healer, while Kast is a warrior who is bound by the rules of the convent to leave his violent ways behind while being tended to by the nurses and nuns. At least, that’s what’s supposed to happen.
At that doesn’t even mention the Razing, a world-altering event that’s chosen this moment, while the Sisterhood is under attack from within as well as without, to make itself known.
For a book this short (116 pages), there’s such a much bigger plot at work here and Bunn carries us along like a master world-builder (I mean, seriously, the number of books he has out on a regular basis, and they’re all so damn varied, you’d think he had a team of idea men working behind the scenes!). I’ve always known Bunn to be a writer’s writer, one of those guys who baffles me by his ability to juggle half a dozen ideas at once and to have them all be top notch work and nary a repeated plot twist or character sketch to be found. RAZE Book One: Mother, Maiden, Crone continues that tradition and further cements his place as the single hardest-working writer in the business. I am constantly entertained by his next offering, which always seems to be right around the corner.
RAZE is a book one and I don’t know how many more books Bunn has in mind for this series, but it’s very clear from this first one that he has an entire, fully developed world in mind. Book One is those first few seconds of cracking open your eyelid to see where you are. When I finished it, I could sense that wider world right outside the page, just waiting for me to explore the rest of it.
I am, admittedly, not a huge fantasy reader. But I’m a big Cullen Bunn reader and at the last comic convention I saw him at, this was one of the only items I didn’t already have, plus it was one of his few prose offerings; Bunn’s been churning out comic books by the hundreds for the last two decades, but hasn’t done much prose. Naturally I snatched it up. And this year I made it my first read of 2026. I regret nothing!
During a time of war, the Convent of Sacred Visitation is visited by two different characters, one, Siris, purports to be a healer, while Kast is a warrior who is bound by the rules of the convent to leave his violent ways behind while being tended to by the nurses and nuns. At least, that’s what’s supposed to happen.
At that doesn’t even mention the Razing, a world-altering event that’s chosen this moment, while the Sisterhood is under attack from within as well as without, to make itself known.
For a book this short (116 pages), there’s such a much bigger plot at work here and Bunn carries us along like a master world-builder (I mean, seriously, the number of books he has out on a regular basis, and they’re all so damn varied, you’d think he had a team of idea men working behind the scenes!). I’ve always known Bunn to be a writer’s writer, one of those guys who baffles me by his ability to juggle half a dozen ideas at once and to have them all be top notch work and nary a repeated plot twist or character sketch to be found. RAZE Book One: Mother, Maiden, Crone continues that tradition and further cements his place as the single hardest-working writer in the business. I am constantly entertained by his next offering, which always seems to be right around the corner.
April 27, 2024
Would have worked better as a comic book, I'd say (and the fact that the "bonus" short story is a better read than the titular novella is somewhat saddening, too). Basically a sword and sorcery heist number, with a lazy twist and some gratuitous gore (like I said, would have been better showing, not telling, in dark and bloody panels on shiny paper).
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews