Black Crow, White Snow

By: Michael Livingston

Narrated by: Janina Edwards

Length: 2 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

In a world where women hold all the power and men have barely been an afterthought, an intrepid shipmistress must put aside everything she knows if she is to save her people.

Bela is at the helm of the Sandcrow, a ship sent from calm seas to the far frozen north in search of a legendary power that could turn the tide of war. Locked into ice, the Sandcrow is lost. Now, for the shipmistress and her crew, a desperate voyage becomes a chilling struggle for survival against nature, fear, and prejudice.

If Bela can lead them to their ultimate destination, will the magic they find be their redemption - or their destruction?

©2019 Michael D. Livingston (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

Women vs Nature

'Black Crow, White Snow' tells a story from the point of view of Bela, the captain of a tall ship. The story opens right in the middle of the action, with the ship being trapped in ice, during a storm. Valiantly the crew try to free it, but the ice crushes the ship and leaves less than a dozen crew alive, trying to survive the frozen tundra and complete the mission that took them to the ice originally.

It is a women vs nature story, a group surviving the elements and the beasts that call the frozen wasteland home. It is set in a world that is matriarchal, where woman are the strong sex and are in charge. At times characters voice ideas of being 'as weak as a man', or there being some shame at having been 'rescued by a man' or similar. The group is pretty much all women, with one exception. The original mission, the reason for them being there, and the events of the world beyond the immediate is not discussed much and is generally left out.

The writing itself is great. The description of the ship breaking in the ice is visceral and brings the event to life. Other descriptions equally so, bringing the cold world off the page. However, it is fairly short and the group of survivors is large enough that most of them really get great characterization. combined with the narration (more on this later) it means that the majority of the group of survivor just becomes a interchangeable group of companions. The main exceptions being Bela, the point of view character, and the man in the group - a poet and storyteller rather than a warrior and sailor.

Narration by Janina Edwards is good, but not great. She speaks with a Caribbean (?) accent that suits the tall ship theme of the book well. While it isn't about pirates, to me the accent makes me think of pirates and tall ships. My main annoyance is that she doesn't really differentiate voices and characters. Some have minor changes (being softer or gruffer) but it is generally very subtle, so a lot of the characters just blend together, especially in group conversations. Otherwise she is well paced, clear and engaging.

There is no music, sound effect or other things included in the production. It is a straight reading of the short story text.

Good Short Story

Black Crow, White Snow is a nice short story, taking you through an adventure. As would be expected of a good short story, it leaves you wishing there was more. I was surprised at how Michael Livingston quickly shows you enough about the protagonist to make you care what happens to her.

Janina Edwards does a nice job with the narration. I could just listen to her all day long. :)

An excellent tale to teach future generations.

this is a fantastic story, a tale of adventure on the high seas on ice instead. the ending has a moral worth hearing, having a matriarchal society suffering similar problems to our own.

Reason to hope...

I'm a little disappointed by the poor reviews. This a great well thought out story. It is very easy to fall into the mental images of the story and the narrator provides the perfect accent and tone, making it all believable. While there was some initial reverse sexism, it didn't stand the test of the full story. It's a great choice, especially for a free read.

Finished with the need for more

Would love to read more of this kind of book. I love how things progressed.

too many bear scenes, characters not deep enough

The bears got repetative. Wanted to know more about the characters. Story was ok. wouldnotreadbooknumber2

Amazing world-building and characters

From the start, this story is exciting and fascinating, as every line is designed to reveal just a bit about the world in which Livingston’s characters live.

Bela is a strong personality, respected by her crew, and unafraid to make tough decisions to ensure their safety. Simultaneously, she is thoughtful, and not wholly devoted to the way of life her society has taught her

Great story, and I'm looking forward to reading more in this world.

A Great Story!

A capturing short story. I would love to read/listen to more! And as a note, watch out for those Damn Polar Bears!

Engrossing tale

I loved this engrossing adventure tale, which challenges conventional roles. The characters were well defined and I could clearly picture them based on the authors attention to detail. Great narration as well.

Good start to a series

When I started listening I was not sure if I would like it but as I walked the dog and listened it grew on me.

I see good potential in the story line of sailing ships and war with flying ships and a bit of magic. Try it and I think you will want to hear more