Product Description

"He avenges the innocent dead. He stalks the crimson road of the slain. He mourns lost love so ardently that desire and death become one. He is the dream-carrier of holy retribution. And in the name of love he delivers justice to the wicked."
--From the Introduction

With this chilling collection of stories and poems, J. O'Barr--the creator of The Crow--and Ed Kramer host an ominous array of interpretations of the gothic phenomenon by acclaimed writers well acquainted with the dark side, including Alan Dean Foster, Ramsey Campbell, Gene Wolfe, Storm Constantine, Nancy Collins, Andrew Vachss, Iggy Pop, and Henry Rollins.

Featuring original artwork by such top artists as Ron Walotsky, Rob Prior, Tom Canty, Tim Bradstreet, Don Maitz, and Bob Eggleton, The Crow: Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams evokes a modern night-world and its tormented denizens ensnared by unspeakable evil, enslaved by unquenchable longing, engulfed by the thirst for revenge, and enfolded by the enigmatic, eternal wings of The Crow.

Here a resurrected gunslinger gets a final showdown with his archenemy. . . .
A murder victim and a dying boy mete out poetic justice to a sadistic criminal. . . . A serial killer turned government assassin takes three abused children under his savage wing. . . . A tormented rogue cop literally fights fire with fire. . . . A wise talking crow guides the vengeful hand of a murdered girl's lover. . . . and much more.

For both the confirmed fan and the curious newcomer, this spellbinding, shocking, darkly sensual collection offers passage to an extraordinary literary realm: a place of macabre morality tales and existential adventures, of terror and tenderness--from which no reader can hope to leave unchanged. For when you take flight with The Crow, there is no turning back.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #636645 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10-19
• Released on: 1999-10-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Amazon.com Review
The Crow, a dark character created by James O'Barr, "warps together two of man's strongest emotions and desires--love and revenge," writes Ed Kramer in the preface to this anthology of theme stories and art. A black, nightmarish spirit with a harlequin mouth, the Crow was born to avenge the brutal slaying of his beloved. Incarnations of the Crow stalk time and space, bringing ruthless and horrible justice to rapists and murderers.

O'Barr and Kramer asked an incredible array of fantastic fiction writers to interpret this Goth phenomenon--from A.A. Attanasio to Gene Wolfe, Alan Dean Foster, Charles de Lint, Jack Dann, and Jane Yolen. Shattered Lives & Broken Dreams delivers chilling, graphic tales of mystic revenge, from some of the best modern fantasy authors. Poetry (from Henry Rollins and Iggy Pop, among others) and original art complete this ode to the Crow. Readers of the popular comic book series and fans of the movie starring Brandon Lee will find lots to chill and thrill them in this collection. --Therese Littleton

From Publishers Weekly
An antihero created in the comics almost 20 years ago, undead vigilante Eric Draven has become a major success in the world of cult character media franchises. Now Kramer (editor of Sandman: Book of Dreams) and Crow creator O'Barr have assembled a substantial anthology of original Crow-spawned stories, poems and artwork, including pieces by some of the most respected names in fantasy and horror. "Born of personal tragedy, the Crow wraps together two of man's strongest emotions and desires?love and revenge," Kramer writes. The best of these stories step beyond formula to show human souls tormented by loss and hate. Ramsey Campbell's "Twice by Fire" follows a reborn cop seeking redemption for a crime he committed that destroyed him and his family. Andrew Vachss and Nancy A. Collins stalk their usual terrain, he with a hard-boiled crusader taking on the kiddie-porn business ("The Real Thing"), she with "Variations on a Theme," starring her series character, vampire Sonja Blue. Other standouts include Gene Wolfe's haunting "The Night Chough," in which the crow who guides a man bent on revenge is much more than he seems, and the blackly comic "Carrion Crows," by Jane Yolen and Robert Harris. Last up but definitely not least is John Shirley's spiritually potent "Wings Burnt Black," the collection's deepest, most resonant?and most unexpected?tale, in which the Crow assaults Heaven in search of understanding and vengeance for the death of his beloved. This book is a must for Crow fans but also rich reading for any admirer of literate horror and dark fantasy.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Those familiar with the comic book or the movie The Crow know what these short stories will be: revenge fantasies about a brutally murdered guy who returns from the dead to destroy his killers. The revenant's face is painted with a black-and-white harlequin mask, he has a crow as a familiar, and he is an icon for the fans of morbid fashions and rock music known as Goths. Given the inventive fantasists whose contributions editors O'Barr (creator of the Crow concept) and Kramer have solicited, there is considerable variety in how the base material is treated. Arthurian fantasists Jane Yolen and Robert Harris medievalize the usually urban-grungy avenger. Storm Constantine makes him a sexual shape-shifter of sorts. A. A. Attanasio sends him to Hell. Each of the others--the likes of Andrew Vachss, Rex Miller, Charles de Lint, and Nancy A. Collins--offers a distinctive take. A different artist illustrates each tale, and every third entry is a poem (two of the poets are rockers Iggy Pop and Henry Rollins). Ray Olson

Customer Reviews

Vengeance has never been truly well written as it is here...
A book comemorating death? Would one buy something as such and still be rendered a person of sanity? The answer is yes on both accounts. The book The Crow: Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams is just that. Edited by the creator, the book takes you on numerous adventures scribed by different writers on the mythos of the crow. Most of the stories deal with the same contextual theme of wrongful death, sadness and a way of making things better where things have gone wrong. The book succeeds in a number of aspects and truly brings out the vengeful spirit that is the Crow. Though the character was created in the early 80s, it has grown to fame by the release of two successful movies, one in which was immortalized by the late Brandon Lee. One might ask what is the difference between The Crow and the Marvel comic character, the Ghost Rider, which also serves as a vengeful spirit. While the latter seeks vengeance for things gone wrong, the former has the special attribute that it can be anyone or even anything that can pick the mantle of the Crow. Anyone can become his or her own special spirit of retribution.

Most of the stories and poetry are well-written though some are just too far fetched to be taken seriously, a number of stories delve more into fantasy than your regular fiction. A number of stories, however, capture your mind and heart from the instance you read them. Stories that traverse the here and now. On how things should have been, but aren't. James O'Barr's piece, "Spooky, Codeine and the Dead Man" is a perfect example of such. Another story would be "Moving Toward the Light" by Rick R. Reed, a though-provoking piece about pain and hurt. The story is extremely graphical and can truly touch the reader and make him witness first hand the descriptive pungent exploitation the character experiences. The story makes you think and wonder, can this truly happen in a world of today, and the answer to that painful question is an excruciating yes.

The book is a must read for not only horror fans, but those who truly believe that there are outside forces controlling the paths each one of us takes, a power that can right where things have gone wrong, horribly wrong.

Crow fans will love it.
Anyone who has seen the movie will love this book. The stories are well told and organized with some wonderful artwork and poems inbetween. I found only one story that I wasn't happy with and another that I could not connect to the crow at all. The stories are not at all like the movie. Most are almost an interperation of the Crow and his spirit. Wonderfull artwork. Well worth the money for it. I was not disapointed and I don't think anyone else would be either.

A good combination of art, poetry & shorts
This O'Barr and Kramer edited book offers a unique blend of art, poetic verse, and short stories, combined into one volume. O'Barr contributes to all three mediums. His story, "Spooky", is a disappointment. O'Barr uses the same "guy and woman get killed by gang and guy comes back" story. It would have been nice to see him use another set of circumstances, perhaps even using a female avatar since he has been reported to be a very big proponet of one making it to the bigscreen. There is more potential original story in his "October" storyboard that was shown in the last KSP Crow comic. All in all the other stories are good, Chet Williamson as always spins a very good tale. A warning, not all of the stories use the Crow premise. They are more a collection of pain, suffering and revenge, than specific stories in the Crow arena. You must enjoy dark stories for this book to keep your eyes from closing. For those of us that do like them, it is a good read.