Fallen Land: A Novel

Aeschylus said that the first casualty in war is truth. In just about any war the politicians, the press and the other powers that be beat the drums and spout rhetoric aimed at making the people enthusiastic about the coming conflict. This can also be seen in books and movies. At the beginning of a war, they are likely to be inspirational and full of patriotic fervor. But when the war drags on longer than expected and casualties and costs mount, public enthusiasm fades and so does the hawkish sentiment seen in books and movies.

The Civil War has been over for 150 years yet Taylor Brown’s debut novel is still timely. Americans have been at war for going on fifteen years now, longer than at any time in our existence, and we have grown show more tired. We have seen the pride of a generation perish in distant lands for reasons we have come to question. Just as M*A*S*H used the Korean conflict to call into question our actions in Vietnam, Fallen Land, by Brown’s portrayal of a road trip through the wasteland created by Sherman’s march to the sea reminds us that the devastation of war is visited on more than just its soldiers.

Callum and Ava’s flight from bounty hunters is compelling tale that brings them and the reader into contact with many people whose lives have been disrupted or destroyed by war. I cannot recommend it too highly.

*The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire. show less

Violence amidst great beauty. Two amazing young characters, Callum and Ava, and a wonderful trusty horse named Reiver. On the run from bounty hunters under the mistaken notion that Callum had killed their renegade Colonel. Nearing the end of the Civil War, there is much destruction, woods full of starving men, men who kill and steal for food, there is danger behind and ahead of them. From the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina they hope to make their way to the Georgian Coast, running into the devastation of the burning of Atlanta and the results of Sherman's march to the sea.

The writing, descriptions of the scenery are beautiful, the violence graphically depicted. One feels that they are right there, at that time, ruining from and show more to an unknown future with Callum and Ava. Survival is key, starvation and death a reality. Yet, amidst the destruction there are a few simple kindnesses from characters who are not in the story long but leave a big impression. I usually hate pat endings, but I so wanted them to have a happy one. Of course, I cannot tell you if they did, wouldn't be fair. This book is suspenseful, chillingly real, evoking strong feelings, a book that will stay with you long after books end.

ARC from publisher. show less

"They had long ago forsaken the war of newspapers for the one they carried everywhere with them, and which had no colors, no sides, and which could be fit neatly to any new opportunity that presented itself: ambush, pillage, torture." - Fallen Land, Taylor Brown

Taking place at the end of the Civil War, Taylor Brown's debut novel, Fallen Land, follows the story of Callum and Ava as they race across the South toward the home of Callum's distant relatives while being pursued by a band of nefarious men intent on punishing Callum for a crime he didn't commit. Along the way, Callum and Ava encounter a land and people devastated by the war.

"Wonder what future people will think," said Ava. "Finding all this. The trees all gone, all these irons show more dug up from the ground. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe."
"Nobody's like to forget this," said Callum. "Not soon, I reckon."
"I don't know," said Ava. "You'd be surprised what people'll forget."

Brown is an extraordinarily talented writer. Certain passages were so beautiful, and I loved the story line over all. However, there were times when I found my mind drifting. Other reviewers have said Brown was "trying too hard". I'll have to agree to an extent. And while I enjoyed the story, I would have loved to see more interaction between Callum and Ava and less descriptions of the landscape.

I vacillated between a 3 and 4 star rating for this one, but landed on a 4 because I have a soft spot for Civil War stories. I remain in awe of what our country went through, and how primitive the conditions were for those traveling through the South at the time. Callum and Ava's story sounds like it wouldn't have been out of place in the 1600's instead of the 1860's.

4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less

Two orphaned teens and a noble horse flee bounty hunters, renegades, the desperate, the displaced, the hungry, and a terrible prophecy. Brilliant. As others have noted the writing and story are reminiscent of [b:Cormac McCarthy: All the Pretty Horses, No Country for Old Men, The Road|7970748|Cormac McCarthy All the Pretty Horses, No Country for Old Men, The Road|Sara L. Spurgeon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348807161s/7970748.jpg|12087793] and yet in may ways this is a more powerful read. The writing is more poetic, the characters more likable. It was very hard to put this book down as I fell in love with the three (yes, 3 - I loved Reiver!) characters on the run.

In the bleak landscape of this war ravished part of the South there is show more danger and horror at every stop and yet there is kindness and dignity as well. This is the first time I have read such a moving and devastating accounting of what the region was like during this terrible war. It was hard not to imagine and cast the amazing movie this could be - but definitely read the book first! show less

A book that is unflinching in the face of horrible stuff, Fallen Land doesn’t hesitate to explore the full horror of war and tragedy. So keep that in mind when reading this title or previewing it for younger readers; not everyone would be able to handle the imagery and themes explored within. Yet, if you can get past that, this is a gripping tale of survival, betrayal, war, and love.

First off, the leads are perfect to tell this story through. An intriguing mixture of innocence in the face of war and scarred souls, both Callum and Ava are immediately relatable. Two youngsters thrown in very trying circumstances, they give a horrific story a human face and young soul. Exploring how the events of war impact their lives and change them show more kept me reading from page one.

The dynamic story of survival against marauders and the elements in Civil War Appalachia and Georgia kept me on the edge of my seat. Not for one second does the story let up. From the very first words describing a confrontation to the last big showdown, the reader just can’t help but turn the pages, eager to find out if Callum and Ava with survive the next chapter. With all the horrific imageries and themes explored, their survival didn’t feel like a sure thing by any means.

Personally, I’m actually glad that the author wasn’t afraid to go full bore on those imageries. It gives a graphic image of what a war-torn landscape would look like: blackened trees, a fire red skyline, cold mountain breezes, random corpses, and a citizenry that is on the verge of collapse. It brings a sense of immediacy and realism to the story that makes it even more powerful.

I wasn’t expecting like this work as much as I did. The characters, vivid landscape, and intense survival story all make this a win. I’d recommend this to any lover of Civil War tales and powerful tales in general. I look forward to more from this author.

Note: Book received for free via a giveaway on GR in exchange for an honest opinion. show less

"War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it.
The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over."
William Tecumseh Sherman

My initial reaction when I finished the book was to compare it to Cold Mountain. Not so much the book, Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier but the movie rendition. Both focused on the waning years of the Civil War and each described the protagonist's journey through a "fallen land" seeking refuge and the comfort of a peaceful existence; uncertain if such a place in fact existed.

The good, the bad and the ugly side of humanity is seen at its extremes during war. Heroes are remembered, villains' actions recounted and examined over and over in literature, the cruelties to the land and its people enshrined in memorials and show more photographs. This American civil war, viewed through history's eyes, is very much international as well.

Slavery, central to the fight, highlights the plight of those forcefully brought to the land. Others recent immigrants arrived by choice or circumstance. Displaced persons arrive escaping horrors aboard and seeking a life in the middle of our country's unspeakable strife. My own ancestors included three brothers from Canada who had migrated to northern New York escaping famine and disease. They joined the Union Army as teenagers in the early years of the war with the promise of a future in this country if they survived. Only one did.

In the Fallen Land, we meet a young teen, Callum, who in a few short years has fled an Irish workhouse, an American orphanage, and survived near death on the sea. This scrappy youngster soon learns what he must to survive yet the skills he acquires out of necessity could spell his demise.

Falling in with a band of desperadoes led by a self-interested mercenary known as the Colonel, Callum reveals his better angels when he strives to protect the 17-year old girl, Ava, from rape although suffering near fatal injuries from one of his compatriots in the process
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Without any background story we are left to wonder what draws Callum back to Ava's farm other than the need to be with her, but return he does...riding the Colonel's beloved horse, Reiver. Infuriated beyond reason, the Colonel tracks Callum back to Ava's farm where he hopes to recover his horse but arriving meets other maundering bandits and is killed.

Blamed by the Colonel's men for the Colonel's death, the wounded Callum and Ava begin a treacherous journey from Virginia to the coast of Georgia where Callum believes he has distant relatives. Ava's life story is no less tragic than Callum's and the two forge a close bond as they travel together through thick and mostly thin.

The description of their arduous trek, at times, seemed too contrived. It's hard to believe that a leaderless gang would continue tracking these two youngsters as long as they did through war and harsh weather merely for revenge. The ultimate villain, the slave-tracker brother of the Colonel hired to track the duo lends further intense drama to the story
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The descriptions of war and its horror are authentic. The violence so graphic you will want to turn your head away. The hunger so real you can feel it. The cold so brutal you will check your body for frostbite. Yet amid the scorched earth, small acts of kindness from strangers will reaffirm what Browning wrote in the poem Pippa's Song that "God's in his heaven, all's right with the world". You have to believe it.

Recommended reading. show less

So, like a lot of others, I think. I found some of the language took some getting used to, but once you got past that and focused on the story line, for me, it came alive. I loved it. It's a well written, well researched historical novel that pulled me in pretty much right away. I liked the characters, I related to them, and I think that's one of the highest compliments you can give an author -- saying their character's are relatable. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because of the language thing. I would recommend this book. Bravo, Mr. Brown! 4.5 out of 5 stars.