At once lyrical and spare, Song of The Crow is a literary feast. I especially enjoyed journeying through the perspective of the crow "I Am" as he grew from bald and gangly dawdling in the nest to flapping through the realm of the "beastmen" and their often-incomprehensible beliefs and behaviors. How interesting that his first encounter with these creatures would be of one of them chopping down his very own tree--his life--for the building of a saving ark in which he would not be invited to ride. This is far more than a re-telling of a biblical story, but also a meditation on survival, religion, freedom of choice, and humankind's circle of oft-repeated foibles and failings--the environmental implications of which are timely, indeed, as we face the growing possibility of our own great flood. Bravo to Mr. Maheu and Unbridled Press for a brilliant debut! I will look forward with great interest to this new author's next endeavor.

I didn't really know what to expect from the title of this book, but it certainly was not what I could have even imagined. This is truly a work of a very vivid imagination and a very skilled writer. The images are so clear that you can almost hear the water slopping around the hull of the boat.

The descriptions of the beastmen (Noah and his family) are brutal--a realistic portray of primative peoples. The descriptions of the land, water, and air are poetic. The conversations of the crows are believable, meaningful, and insightful providing a unique look at the old story of Noah's ark. This is not a children's Sunday School version of the story. But rather it provides new dimension to an old tale emphasizing the relationship of man, animals, God, and the elements.
It was difficult to follow at times, the crow's relationship to the other crows and other animals was at times confusing. That is especially true when the bird died and its soul became a part of the entity responsible for the death. However, this is a book to be read again; once one had a better feel of these relationships, the story might take on an even clearer meaning.

In short, this is not an easy read, but it is certainly interesting, creative, and not like anything else.