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The Amory Wars #2
Year of the Black Rainbow
The origin (prequel) story of Coheed and Cambria's epic series, known widely as "The Amory Wars."
Welcome to the worlds of Heaven's Fence, where a lattice of mysterious energy known as 'the Keywork' binds and sustains life on a triangular network of planets--from the bleak and hellish Howling Earth to the spare beauty of Bendelesh. Beneath the Keywork's glow, under the governance of the twelve grey-skinned Mages and the watchful gaze of the winged Prise, humanity goes about it's daily life unaffected by the goings-on of the higher powers at work in the universe. Until the day when the ambitious Wilhelm Ryan, newest member to the brotherhood of Mages, acts on his growing discontent at being branded another ordinary Mage, ruling over one lowly Sector. Shrewd and silver-tongued, Ryan launches the Mage Wars: a devastating campaign to win control of the entire Fence and take on the legendary mantle of Supreme Tri-Mage, a position likened to God himself.
Dr Leonard Hohenberger, the Fence's top scientist is summoned by the Prise to stop Ryan. His creations, Coheed and Cambria, are thus born and lead the battle to save Heaven's Fence.
Welcome to the worlds of Heaven's Fence, where a lattice of mysterious energy known as 'the Keywork' binds and sustains life on a triangular network of planets--from the bleak and hellish Howling Earth to the spare beauty of Bendelesh. Beneath the Keywork's glow, under the governance of the twelve grey-skinned Mages and the watchful gaze of the winged Prise, humanity goes about it's daily life unaffected by the goings-on of the higher powers at work in the universe. Until the day when the ambitious Wilhelm Ryan, newest member to the brotherhood of Mages, acts on his growing discontent at being branded another ordinary Mage, ruling over one lowly Sector. Shrewd and silver-tongued, Ryan launches the Mage Wars: a devastating campaign to win control of the entire Fence and take on the legendary mantle of Supreme Tri-Mage, a position likened to God himself.
Dr Leonard Hohenberger, the Fence's top scientist is summoned by the Prise to stop Ryan. His creations, Coheed and Cambria, are thus born and lead the battle to save Heaven's Fence.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 13, 2010
217 people are currently reading
1217 people want to read
About the author
Claudio Sánchez
127 books397 followersClaudio Paul Sanchez III (born March 12, 1978, in Suffern, New York, United States) is an American writer and musician of Puerto Rican and Italian descent best known for being the lead singer and guitarist for the alternative/progressive rock group Coheed and Cambria. He is the creator of the comic book series The Amory Wars, as well as Key of Z and Kill Audio, both co-written with wife Chondra Echert. Sanchez co-authored the novel Year of the Black Rainbow with Peter David.
From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio...
From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
June 13, 2014
I'm honestly not sure what to say about this book. It's definitely not something that a non-Coheed and Cambria fan would enjoy unless they have very low reading standards. It's written poorly, particularly when it comes to descriptions of action or internal monologue. The dialogue is a bit better, but still cringe-worthy at times. It's hard to say how much of the book Claudio directly had a hand in. My suspicion is that he handed off the story in screenplay format and thus wrote all the dialogue but none of the prose. If that's the case then it's really sad that he couldn't have found a better co-author because Peter David's prose is pretty terrible throughout, marring what would otherwise be a very exciting and entertaining (if not particularly thought-provoking) story.
Still, as deeply flawed as it is, Claudio's singular vision shines through and makes this a poorly written, but still entertaining book, especially the last third. It was the first Coheed and Cambria fiction I've read, and it filled in a lot of holes about the world of the Amory Wars for me. I've heard the comics are way better and, after reading this, I am actually extremely excited to read them.
TLDR; Worth forcing yourself through if you're a huge Coheed and Cambria fan and want to know more about the world, or want to know the setup for the comics before reading them. If you're not a big fan, it's probably not worth your time.
Still, as deeply flawed as it is, Claudio's singular vision shines through and makes this a poorly written, but still entertaining book, especially the last third. It was the first Coheed and Cambria fiction I've read, and it filled in a lot of holes about the world of the Amory Wars for me. I've heard the comics are way better and, after reading this, I am actually extremely excited to read them.
TLDR; Worth forcing yourself through if you're a huge Coheed and Cambria fan and want to know more about the world, or want to know the setup for the comics before reading them. If you're not a big fan, it's probably not worth your time.
March 14, 2016
Such an amazing story! Claudio has such a knack for story-telling (he always has!) and I'm so glad he took on this endeavor, along with the album. His efforts were more than worth it--I can't explain how much the story means to me and how much it moves me--every aspect of it has so much beauty and depth to it. Anyone who sees this novel as strictly 'sci-fi' or strictly about 'war,' is completely incorrect. If you had to put it under a category, it would probably be 'sci-fi' (although I don't read much of sci-fi so I wouldn't be the best to constitute for which books fall under this specific genre), however it's much more contemporary and it's much more advanced and developed to be put under a category. The ideas and basis of the story are too exceptional to be put a limit to by naming the book in a certain genre. This is so hard to explain in words when it's really just an unexplainable, overwhelming connection that all true Coheed fans possess whenever they hear that first song or sing those firts few lines..
The beauty of the novel is that it clarifies the bits and pieces that the fans have come to understood but not put together fully, but the novel really does that for us. And since it's the origin of the story, the story is not technically over, but the novel does have a conclusion that could give off a little bit of that vibe (and also since this may be the last project Coheed takes on-- hopefully not! I would be so devastated if any of this ever ended for good), but regardless, the story lives on in our hearts forever... And that's what makes it so amazing.
The beauty of the novel is that it clarifies the bits and pieces that the fans have come to understood but not put together fully, but the novel really does that for us. And since it's the origin of the story, the story is not technically over, but the novel does have a conclusion that could give off a little bit of that vibe (and also since this may be the last project Coheed takes on-- hopefully not! I would be so devastated if any of this ever ended for good), but regardless, the story lives on in our hearts forever... And that's what makes it so amazing.
April 30, 2010
Coheed and Cambria is one of my favorite bands and Claudio Sanchez's graphic novels, while not the best paced nor the most articulate, are wonderful because they have the music to flesh them out and make them personal. This novel was decent for that same reason.
While the comics can be difficult to understand, the novel was plain english and informative, as novels have the leisure to be. The story was fun but the writing was not all that great. Many times I cringed at wording, structure of chapters, and the way characters spoke to each other - which was not natural at all. Sometimes it even felt uncomfortable.
All in all, Sanchez has a big picture story he's trying to tell and this prequel does a fine job of informing us of what we were missing before. I just wish he was better at writing dialogue.
While the comics can be difficult to understand, the novel was plain english and informative, as novels have the leisure to be. The story was fun but the writing was not all that great. Many times I cringed at wording, structure of chapters, and the way characters spoke to each other - which was not natural at all. Sometimes it even felt uncomfortable.
All in all, Sanchez has a big picture story he's trying to tell and this prequel does a fine job of informing us of what we were missing before. I just wish he was better at writing dialogue.
October 30, 2010
I am a huge Coheed and Cambria fan. I've read all the comics that have come out. I've spent years supporting them. So when I give my opinion on this book is educated. It was meh...
There were chapters that were genius; "Pearl of the Stars" and "Guns of Summer". They were truly literary quality writing. The rest of the book was entertaining as well so that was not the issue.
My biggest issue is the gap between the "Epilogue" and "Second Stage Turbine Blade". There better be another book/album coming as there is no explanation for a lot of items in between those time periods.
This did not answer many questions, but rather only one: Why was Monstar created? It did raise another question that is even larger in my opinion: What role do the dragonflies play in the virus and where does Whilhelm Ryan obtain them? There are other questions raised to like how is House Atlantic rebuilt? How does Whilhelm Ryan obtain power again? What is the Black Rainbow? Are Claudio, Maria and Matthew IRO-bots? Were they created just like Josephine, or did Coheed and Cambria actually give birth to them? And why suddenly did Khrom decide to serve Wilhelm?
There are other issues from an English majors point of view: grammar, the writing and lack of editing properly (there were way too many typos) but I'll let those slide.
This book does not fit with the whole story line, and creates a lot of plot holes. I suggest every fan of the actual story read this and come up with your own opinion, but in my opinion this falls short of where I would have liked Claudio to take me, and anyone else, as long time supporters.
There were chapters that were genius; "Pearl of the Stars" and "Guns of Summer". They were truly literary quality writing. The rest of the book was entertaining as well so that was not the issue.
My biggest issue is the gap between the "Epilogue" and "Second Stage Turbine Blade". There better be another book/album coming as there is no explanation for a lot of items in between those time periods.
This did not answer many questions, but rather only one: Why was Monstar created? It did raise another question that is even larger in my opinion: What role do the dragonflies play in the virus and where does Whilhelm Ryan obtain them? There are other questions raised to like how is House Atlantic rebuilt? How does Whilhelm Ryan obtain power again? What is the Black Rainbow? Are Claudio, Maria and Matthew IRO-bots? Were they created just like Josephine, or did Coheed and Cambria actually give birth to them? And why suddenly did Khrom decide to serve Wilhelm?
There are other issues from an English majors point of view: grammar, the writing and lack of editing properly (there were way too many typos) but I'll let those slide.
This book does not fit with the whole story line, and creates a lot of plot holes. I suggest every fan of the actual story read this and come up with your own opinion, but in my opinion this falls short of where I would have liked Claudio to take me, and anyone else, as long time supporters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2010
POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT. So I read the limited edition paperback version, which is identical to the hardcover that comes with the special edition of the album of the same name, and I must say that "Year of the Black Rainbow" is one of my favorite books I've read in current months. Claudio's imagination plus Peter David's solid, comic book-style story structure really did feel like I was reading a novel adaptation of a comic book, which makes the experience of the book feel very cinematic and easy to read. The story truly, despite some grammatical and punctual errors, can stand alone. So you DO NOT NEED TO READ THE COMIC BOOKS BEFOREHAND. But the end of the book was very enticing for me to go out and buy the Amory Wars comics, and believe me, I'm a huge comic book fan. Go pick this up wherever you can track it down. It's a solid read that isn't terribly long, but not too short, and tells a story that really is in the vein of Star Wars and the original Human Torch comics from the 30's and 40's.
January 15, 2015
This is a prequel story to the fantastic Amory Wars graphic novel collection and this is probably one for the die-hard fans to really enjoy. I have the hardback copy and for me the paper style was excellent with its rugged edges and unusual quality, but then that's probably just me liking that sort of thing! It's fast, easy to read and perfect for escaping from everyday life.
December 14, 2015
I'm less a fan of this than I thought I would be. It's needlessly thick with details that aren't necessary, and the gore is so substantial even I got tired of it. The dialogue isn't the best thing ever, but the solid story beneath it all has real value. Great idea, unimpressive execution. They should stick with graphic novel form.
December 31, 2023
I'm not sure if I enjoyed this so much because it was really that good or because it answered so many questions that I was wondering about. I'm a big Coheed fan but have only recently gotten into the books/graphic novels. I started reading the graphic novels but was left with so many questions and was wanting more of the behind-the-scenes story. I only belatedly realized that this book was a prequel to the Amory Wars that I had just finished so reading this, there were so many "aha" moments for me. I couldn't understand why people loved the dragonflies so much until hearing about their beginnings. I really thought Hohoenburger was a bad guy for creating the Monstar and the moringa flies... I didn't realize it was to save Pearl, his wife, and to get her back from Wilhelm Ryan that he created it under duress.
A few things I liked - seeing the relationship between Coheed & Cambria in the early stages. The fact that when they learned of each other's code names, he asked her to call him "Sexy Beast" had me guffawing probably more than was necessary. I loved the world-building and hearing about Pearls' lab/greenhouse area. I didn't realize Inferno was so similar to Hohenburger and that he was so intelligent. The entire scene where we see Joseph's last moments and how his death affected both his parents was gut-wrenching but well-written. I didn't really see the point of describing multiple times about Ryans oozing face.. that was just gross.
The end of the book was a really great build-up. I loved the highly improbably but perfectly timed moment of Inferno sliding down the shield, hearing Ryan yell something, realizing it was not sound proof and him yelling "Camille" to activate Coheed & Cambria was a great scene. Specifically the "oh shit" moment that Deftenwolf had when he saw Coheeds eyes open for the first time.
Lastly, Josephine - such a sweet last parting gift of both Pearl & Hohenburgers DNA contributions to potentially save the world and Heaven's fence. I highlighted a lot of good moments that I wanted to remember through the course of the book. And now I'll have to reread Amory wars to really get a grasp of the story.
A few things I liked - seeing the relationship between Coheed & Cambria in the early stages. The fact that when they learned of each other's code names, he asked her to call him "Sexy Beast" had me guffawing probably more than was necessary. I loved the world-building and hearing about Pearls' lab/greenhouse area. I didn't realize Inferno was so similar to Hohenburger and that he was so intelligent. The entire scene where we see Joseph's last moments and how his death affected both his parents was gut-wrenching but well-written. I didn't really see the point of describing multiple times about Ryans oozing face.. that was just gross.
The end of the book was a really great build-up. I loved the highly improbably but perfectly timed moment of Inferno sliding down the shield, hearing Ryan yell something, realizing it was not sound proof and him yelling "Camille" to activate Coheed & Cambria was a great scene. Specifically the "oh shit" moment that Deftenwolf had when he saw Coheeds eyes open for the first time.
Lastly, Josephine - such a sweet last parting gift of both Pearl & Hohenburgers DNA contributions to potentially save the world and Heaven's fence. I highlighted a lot of good moments that I wanted to remember through the course of the book. And now I'll have to reread Amory wars to really get a grasp of the story.
November 17, 2020
I've loved Coheed and Cambria for a few years now, and have long had a passion for concept and narrative-based music.
As with most of the Amory Wars media, the world, characters and overall narrative in this book are fantastic. Claudio's ideas and creativity are seemingly limitless and show a genuine passion for science fantasy.
Unfortunately, the line-by-line writing style just doesn't hold up, especially in the dialogue. It's by no means hard to read, but that's mostly because the prose leaves very little to the imagination. If you're easily annoyed by tropey or YA-esque writing, you probably won't enjoy Year of the Black Rainbow.
A must-read for a Coheed and Cambria fan, and definitely a kick for those who enjoy sci-fi and extensive world building, but I wouldn't reccomend it to a literature purist.
As with most of the Amory Wars media, the world, characters and overall narrative in this book are fantastic. Claudio's ideas and creativity are seemingly limitless and show a genuine passion for science fantasy.
Unfortunately, the line-by-line writing style just doesn't hold up, especially in the dialogue. It's by no means hard to read, but that's mostly because the prose leaves very little to the imagination. If you're easily annoyed by tropey or YA-esque writing, you probably won't enjoy Year of the Black Rainbow.
A must-read for a Coheed and Cambria fan, and definitely a kick for those who enjoy sci-fi and extensive world building, but I wouldn't reccomend it to a literature purist.
January 25, 2018
Honestly I feel that giving this book 3 stars is a bit too generous. As a longtime fan of Coheed and Cambria, I try not to be bias when it comes to the criticism of this book. After rereading this six years later since the first time I ever picked up this book, I realized how bad it is. The story is interesting but I had to force myself to finish this book because of how bored I got of it. Also the unnecessary amount of details and the repetitiveness of certain phrases. When rereading, I realized this is how I wrote when I was in middle school and I hate saying that but the way the similes were typed out reminded me of it. If you love Coheed and love Amory Wars, I would stick to the comic books because those were more interesting than this.
August 28, 2017
As a fan of Coheed & Cambria, I have been itching to explore the world behind the songs for some time. Having found the subsequent graphic novels online, I decided to splash out on the ebook and read that first.
I enjoyed the story and setting up the background to the later graphic novels.
I had possibly expected more of a clear link between the book and the corresponding album (which is my least favourite of theirs) so was a little disappointed by this.
Overall, I am very glad I read this and appreciate the whole series a lot more now. I will always prefer prose to graphic novels for the ability to create my own vision of the worlds.
I enjoyed the story and setting up the background to the later graphic novels.
I had possibly expected more of a clear link between the book and the corresponding album (which is my least favourite of theirs) so was a little disappointed by this.
Overall, I am very glad I read this and appreciate the whole series a lot more now. I will always prefer prose to graphic novels for the ability to create my own vision of the worlds.
December 14, 2021
I thought the actual story was really solid. I've always been a fan of the Amory Wars universe, and I love the way that Claudio does world building in his novels and comics. However, the writing leaves a lot to be desired. The majority of the book is just descriptions of fighting that get tedious to read the more they go on. These stories work very well in a visual form, hence why I love the comics so much, but as a novel it just isn't very fun to read. The character arcs are pretty strong, and as I said before, the universe is very interesting. If you like the Amory Wars I would recommend this, however I will say that it is hard to get through.
October 8, 2018
An entertaining and well-written read
Whether you are a diehard coheed and cambria music fan or simply a fan of the comic series the Amory Wars, the prequel novel “The Year of The Black Rainbow” has something for everyone. Well written with equal parts humor and action, it is both an illuminating and entertaining novel that fills in the origin story of KBI and the world of Heaven’s Fence. Give it a read if you are into science fiction and/or excellently creative progressive rock.
Whether you are a diehard coheed and cambria music fan or simply a fan of the comic series the Amory Wars, the prequel novel “The Year of The Black Rainbow” has something for everyone. Well written with equal parts humor and action, it is both an illuminating and entertaining novel that fills in the origin story of KBI and the world of Heaven’s Fence. Give it a read if you are into science fiction and/or excellently creative progressive rock.
March 31, 2020
Reading this book has made me want to revisit the Amory Wars comics. Black Rainbow clarifies some questions about the rest of the story, but it does it in a disappointing way. The writing feels amateurish and there was some poor editing, which required rereading of certain parts of the book.
I walked away with a better understanding of the world of Heaven's Fence, and the role of Coheed and Cambria within it, but I was unimpressed with this story.
I walked away with a better understanding of the world of Heaven's Fence, and the role of Coheed and Cambria within it, but I was unimpressed with this story.
October 6, 2022
This book serves as a very nice companion piece to the epic music of Coheed and Cambria. It neatly puts together several of the pieces that make up the songs that I’ve listened to for years and besides all of those high points, it serves as a very well written science fiction novel that seems to beckon the reader to come along on a trip into this vast and somehow familiar universe. If you like science fiction and prog rock…definitely give this one AND their music a try!
August 10, 2018
Great book for COTF
I loved this book. Being an amory wars fan for a decade and a coheed fan for even longer, this book gives you some insight on what happened before TSSTB and opens the Keywork universe and Heaven's Fence a little wider. My only gripe is that i couldnt find a hardcopy under $200.
I loved this book. Being an amory wars fan for a decade and a coheed fan for even longer, this book gives you some insight on what happened before TSSTB and opens the Keywork universe and Heaven's Fence a little wider. My only gripe is that i couldnt find a hardcopy under $200.
June 1, 2019
I certainly did not expect to have a copy of this prequel to the whole The Amory Wars series. It delivered great storytelling, bringing us back to the hits of Coheed & Cambria. Now, time to read the graphic novels that follow.
June 12, 2020
I think in all this story just isn’t exciting enough to have gotten a full novel treatment. Also this is my least favorite album from the band, and I just couldn’t get into it. Typos, weird syntax, and some huge plot holes and confusing bits made this more a chore to finish than something I really wanted to be reading.
November 11, 2019
As a fan of Coheed & Cambria and the lore, I'd maybe go as high as 4 stars. If I separate myself from that though, it's no higher than 2 stars - so feel like the fairest way is to meet in the middle at 3.
June 28, 2020
The prose is pretty bad at times and this probably would have been better served as a graphic novel but still a solid read that fleshes out the corresponding Coheed album. Looking forward to checking out the comics.
February 1, 2021
At times 3, at times 4 - this book ultimately wrapped up nicely and left me with a feeling of "damn...", so I suppose it deserves the full 4 stars.
A must read for Coheed & Cambria books. I can't wait to dive into the graphic novels next!
A must read for Coheed & Cambria books. I can't wait to dive into the graphic novels next!
October 9, 2018
I was hooked after the first paragraph!
Great story and very well developed characters. Claudio is prolific in the arts of sci fiction. I can't wait to read comics now
Great story and very well developed characters. Claudio is prolific in the arts of sci fiction. I can't wait to read comics now
March 22, 2019
Loved it
Its the only book i have read that has a sound track. Love the music as much as the story. Both leave me wanting more.
Its the only book i have read that has a sound track. Love the music as much as the story. Both leave me wanting more.
July 30, 2019
As far as sci-fi goes, really enjoyable. Claudio Sanchez has a knack for imaginative worlds and the lore of this one is fascinating. I wish the Amory Wars comic books were novelized.
December 30, 2019
10\10
Great book! Can't wait to read the next one soon. The entire time it had me glued. 10\10 would recommend.
Great book! Can't wait to read the next one soon. The entire time it had me glued. 10\10 would recommend.
April 6, 2020
3.5 stars
February 19, 2021
Everything I wanted it to be. What a beautiful story. I am such a fan of the band, and the story that goes with it all, that this just gives me goosebumps.
June 24, 2021
I loved this book, it added so much needed depth to the story that’s been told primarily in songs and comics up until now.
January 19, 2023
It's good if you're a Coheed fan
May 17, 2023
I DNF this. Just wasn’t my cup of tea. Lots of gore. Still love the band and their music though ❤️
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews