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5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
A Compelling and Compassionate New Voice Nov 30, 2007
By Valerie Puntney
"Valjean"
I'm in love with the Grim Reaper, and Linda Cowden is responsible. After all, who could resist the darkly handsome, at times darkly humorous saxaphone-playing entity who has become a tortured "soul", struggling with the ethical consequences of his increasingly personal involvement in human affairs - in one particular case, an affair of the heart?
Grimmie is the protagonist, and such a fully fleshed-out, believable one that it's difficult to remember the death's head that lies beneath. But that too is a part of this tale. Along the way he encounters a host of memorable supporting characters including two wise women of a certain age who become his confidantes, a young woman seemingly gifted with psychic talents he's known virturally since conception, a daring-do doomed Viet Nam soldier and a Christian fundamentalist extremist who are just a few of those so convincingly limned by Cowden's pen. In my view, her characters are the real miracle of this book, each posessing such psychological integrity. The author is so very capable of inhabiting each with great authenticity.
But character development is far from "Grimmie"'s only strengh. Cowden's fresh new voice weaves a tapestry rich with dark overtones, sly humor, beautifully detailed settings and some highly original plotting and story lines. She has captured the current Zeitgeist too, pulling in elements of the arcane, the psychic, the otherworldly and the downright horrific. But above all, it's the humanity of the story that shines forth. The author creates a world that, though based in fantasy, seems so entirely plausible and wonderfully nuanced that you won't want to leave it. It's sure to mesmerize.
So enjoy a great read. You may just get to claim the added bonus of bragging rights for having been one of the first to discover and revel in a marvelous, smart and original talent.
I hope "Grimmie" will be the first of many great adventures for the intellect, the senses and the emotions.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Grimmie Mar 04, 2008
By Carolyn J. Taley
"Sweet Violet"
What can you say about the Grim Reaper?.....Well, throw away all your preconceived notions and opinions as you delve into the pages of Grimmie by Linda S. Cowden.
You will be caught up in the richly descriptive lives of all the characters and especially Corwin Grimm, the Reaper, as he struggles with before now, unknown "human feelings" such as sympathy, respect, friendship and most of all love, as he goes about his day-to-day claiming of the harvest.
You will find yourself, maybe unbelievably, cheering and encouraging him in the rightful retribution of sanctions against the utmost evil side of humanity and crying in sympathy as he MUST take those in death that he calls friends or of the innocents of mankind.
I have been a fan of Linda S. Cowden since reading some of her short stories and Grimmie shows off her talent as an author to a much greater degree. She will make you see the Grim Reaper in a new light and perhaps, make you remember after all, that he is in fact, an Angel doing a job assigned by a higher power. As always, she leaves you waiting in great anticipation for her next work!!
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
The Grim Reaper Has a New Face Dec 03, 2007
By Melody R. Ringo
"Freelance Writer"
Grimmie reaps more than mere expired human souls in this fascinatingly fresh, yet often morbidly dark tale of the age-old struggle between good vs. evil, light vs. darkness, life vs. death. Twenty-first century humanity comes alive in author Linda Cowden's characters who, although born with free will, blindly make analogous and fateful choices like those of their ancestors, and must cope with the resulting consequences-for better or for worse.
But something is strangely different in Cowden's highly imaginative depiction of the Reaper's story. This time, a lone saxophone serenades the restless harvest. New rules emerge as an evolved Reaper tests not only the limits of his eternal undertaking, but also a burgeoning sense of vigilantism, by exploring dangerously intimate encounters with those on this earthly plane.
An ominous wind encircles the globe, as one by one the characters discover their personal destiny is mysteriously entwined with Grimmie's. The author is adept at building a plot filled with suspense and intrigue, like gathering storm clouds on a distant horizon.
Cowden masterfully spins an elaborate web, successfully capturing deeply alluring characters, wrapping each one in imperceptible threads of a tightly woven plot. Where else would you find a Roman Catholic priest, a prostitute, a mystic, an Evangelical minister and rival Wicca covens between the covers of one book? Some wrestle personal demons, some battle impossible circumstances; still others grapple with issues of morality, injustice and destiny. All, while invisible spiritual forces propel the story to a brilliant and unexpected conclusion, inexorably tied to the eternal circle of life.
This story is one sure to leave readers breathless, but yearning for more.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 A stellar first novel by newcomer Linda S. Cowden. Nov 30, 2007
By S. W. Smith
"Regular Guy"
In what I hope to be a long line of great story telling, Cowden weaves a rich tapestry of urban fantasy set in modern day New York City with detailed, realistic and well developed characters. Her descriptions are lush and effortlessly impart everything necessary to create the proper proscenium of the mind where her actors are free to explore their environments while remaining true to their natures.
Grimmie is more than an exploration of the human condition; it is a delightful and dark examination of one of life's greatest truths:
Everything in life is a choice. Choose well.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
What a nice change of pace! Jul 20, 2008
By Kimberly Raiser
"Author of critically acclaimed The Family Bones"
What a refreshing view at the Reaper. Cowden's imagery is wonderful and inticing. Her characters are well developed, intriguing and keep you coming back for more!!!
Kimberly Raiser Author of "Stranded"
See all 8 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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