The Silent
by Jack Dann
84 Members (2.88)
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From the critically acclaimed author ofThe Memory Cathedralcomes perhaps the most powerful, haunting, and unforgettable novel of the Civil War--or any war--ever written. Provocative, poetic, and disturbing, it introduces us to a young narrator, Mundy McDowell, whose voice rivals any in literature, bringing poignantly to life the surreal horrors of battle and its spiritual cost to human survival. I was scarce twelve the day the damn Yankees invaded the valley. I seen a lot that day I ain't show more never gonna forget. Men blown apart, screamin' and dyin' all around me. I was wandering in the woods like I wasn't supposed to and wound up right in the middle of the battle. And that's what I suppose saved me. When I got back home the main house was burning to the ground. I saw two men wearin' bits and pieces of 'Federate and Yank uniforms. They killed Poppa right off, and Mother they dragged into the front yard before they killed her too. I reckon that was the day I first got the knack of being invisible. The spirit dog seen me right off, though. He was big and black and smelled like burning. His eyes were like red coals and everywhere he went, it seemed death followed. Him and me, we mostly traveled together after that. I passed through midnight fields of dead and dying soldiers, reeking makeshift field hospitals worse than hell itself; climbed into the mountains where the runaway slaves hid; and walked through towns shattered by the passage of the war. I met a lot of people, some of them living and some of them just memories. There was Jimmadasin, the slave who died on my account, and Mammy Jack, who taught me to see visions; the gallant Colonel Ashby, who let me ride by his side, and, of course, the mulatto whore Lucy, who saved my life twice. Last but not least, there was mad but brilliant General Jackson, who was probably responsible for putting more men in their graves than any other during the Shenandoah campaign. Whether he was a hero or a demon I never did determine, but I wish I had never met him at all. And through it all I remained silent. The power of speech left me the day my parents were killed and I first saw the spirit dog. You see, the whole time I was wandering through that valley of death I was deciding on whether to go back to being human or to become a spirit myself, and that's what this book is all about. From the Hardcover edition. show lessTags
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166+ Works 7,123 Members
Jack Dann is a science fiction writer and editor who was born in 1945 in Johnson City, New York, and now lives on a farm in Victoria, Australia. He is a multiple award winning author who has written or edited over 65 books, which have been translated into thirteen languages. His short stories have appeared in major magazines and anthologies show more including Omni, Asimov's F&SF, Penthouse, and Playboy. His historical fiction novel about Leonardo da Vinci, The Memory Cathedral, won the 1996 Australian Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel and was number one on the Age bestseller list. His novella 'Da Vinci Rising', which integrates several sections of The Memory Cathedral with some new material, won the 1996 Nebula Award, making him the first Australian resident to win this award. He has received the Australian Aurealis Award twice, the Ditmar Award three times, and the World Fantasy Award. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Bastei Lübbe Taschenbuch (14638)
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- The Silent
- Original publication date
- 1998
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 84
- Popularity
- 378,652
- Rating
- (2.88)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 2
