The Black-Eyed Susan tells the story of a captain we heard about in the two first novels of On Dark Shores. The Lady and The Other Nereia both mention a captain that was tricked by Mr. Copeland and later killed by his bodyguard Blakey as a consequence of forfeiting his loan.
We get a look into the workings of Mr. Copeland’s mind. His mind is not a pretty place to be. We also get a closer look at Blakey’s character and a deeper understanding of the choices that have been made.
The Black-Eyed Susan is only a few pages long, but those are incredibly enjoyable pages.
Cover artwork based on a photo by Jeffrey van RossumJ.A. Clement is the author for the novel The Other Nereia. The Other Nereia is book no 2 of the On Dark Shores serial. I see an omnibus of books no. 1 and no. 2 has been released.
I enjoyed The Other Nereia as much as I enjoyed The Lady. Clement kept her minor-tone throughout the novel. Flowing authors make my reading experience about as enjoyable as sinking under water. There is just something about feeling the water close over my head that makes my head so happy it wants to stay there forever. See what you did to me Ms. Clement.
In trying to run away Nereia woke a feeling of community in Scarlock that had been missing for quite a while. Mr. Copeland senses this and it stirs his paranoia and insanity even more. Poor Blakey (yes, I feel sorry for him and his mom) is left trying to make things less awful for the population. Poor Nereia is left with very few choices in what to do. Novel two is a terribly wonderful novel.
Having read as many books as I have, I still find myself caring for the characters and being able to dive into worlds created in another person’s mind. If that isn’t magic, I don’t know what is.
First of all, I want to congratulate J.A. Clement on her choice of cover artist. Fena Lee captures the spirit of The Lady perfectly in the mood of her cover creation.
I loved The Lady. There, that really should be all you needed to hear, shouldn’t it. After all, my taste in books is superb and anything I like others must too. Or not.
Let me list the reasons why:
J.A. Clement flows. The Lady is a minor-toned novel (musically speaking) – exactly like the cover.
J.A. Clement’s characters grow on you, even Mr. Copeland. He is a sociopath. I know of no other words to describe him. Well, I do, but sociopath is the most descriptive one. His bodyguard has a reputation of breaking bones and possibly even killing people for Mr. Copeland.
The Lady is the Mother of the Shantari. She has made an awful choice (as in for herself) and is feeling a lot of pain.
Our main character is Nereia, another person having to make choices that will demand a high price. But sometimes you don’t really have a choice in life. You just do your best and hope the tides of fate will turn.
I have one complaint about The Lady. It was toooooooooo short.
A warning. This is a serial. You all know that means that you are left with a cliff-hanger. Fortunately book no. 2 in the serial is out along with a short-story giving some background information on one of the characters.
humanitysdarkerside 