Year of the Black Rainbow (The Amory Wars Book 1)

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It was the first Coheed and Cambria fiction I've read, and it filled in a lot of holes about the world of the Amory Wars for me. I've heard the comics are way better and, after reading this, I am actually extremely excited to read them. TLDR; Worth forcing yourself through if you're a huge Coheed and Cambria fan and want to know more about the world, or want to know the setup for the comics before reading them.

If you're not a big fan, it's probably not worth your time. Apr 29, Jared Mason rated it liked it. Coheed and Cambria is one of my favorite bands and Claudio Sanchez's graphic novels, while not the best paced nor the most articulate, are wonderful because they have the music to flesh them out and make them personal.

This novel was decent for that same reason. While the comics can be difficult to understand, the novel was plain english and informative, as novels have the leisure to be. The story was fun but the writing was not all that great. Many times I cringed at wording, structure of chapte Coheed and Cambria is one of my favorite bands and Claudio Sanchez's graphic novels, while not the best paced nor the most articulate, are wonderful because they have the music to flesh them out and make them personal.

Year of the Black Rainbow (story)

Many times I cringed at wording, structure of chapters, and the way characters spoke to each other - which was not natural at all. Sometimes it even felt uncomfortable. All in all, Sanchez has a big picture story he's trying to tell and this prequel does a fine job of informing us of what we were missing before. I just wish he was better at writing dialogue. Apr 08, Paige rated it it was amazing Shelves: Such an amazing story!

Claudio has such a knack for story-telling he always has! His efforts were more than worth it--I can't explain how much the story means to me and how much it moves me--every aspect of it has so much beauty and depth to it. Anyone who sees this novel as strictly 'sci-fi' or strictly about 'war,' is completely incorrect. If you had to put it under a category, it would probably be 'sci-fi' although I don't rea Such an amazing story! If you had to put it under a category, it would probably be 'sci-fi' although I don't read much of sci-fi so I wouldn't be the best to constitute for which books fall under this specific genre , however it's much more contemporary and it's much more advanced and developed to be put under a category.

The ideas and basis of the story are too exceptional to be put a limit to by naming the book in a certain genre.

This is so hard to explain in words when it's really just an unexplainable, overwhelming connection that all true Coheed fans possess whenever they hear that first song or sing those firts few lines.. The beauty of the novel is that it clarifies the bits and pieces that the fans have come to understood but not put together fully, but the novel really does that for us.

And since it's the origin of the story, the story is not technically over, but the novel does have a conclusion that could give off a little bit of that vibe and also since this may be the last project Coheed takes on-- hopefully not! I would be so devastated if any of this ever ended for good , but regardless, the story lives on in our hearts forever And that's what makes it so amazing.

Dec 22, James Chatham rated it it was ok Shelves: The premise, while interesting, is really the only thing going for the book as the dialogue is unfortunate and the overall writing style is awful. This book most likely will have little to no appeal to anyone not already a fan of the Amory Wars universe the sci-fi universe in which most of the albums Claudio Sanchez has released with his band Coheed and Cambria take place. It isn't written particu review update: It isn't written particularly great - the prose is clunky at times and the authors try a bit too hard to include lyrics from some of Coheed's songs.

However, as a huge fan of the band and its concept, I found this book immensely enjoyable. Once the plot started in earnest, I was hooked and didn't want to put the book down. The concepts integral to the overall plot of the Amory Wars - the Keywork, the Mages, and the Prise - are all explained in this novel. As a whole, this book provides an exciting story, as well as a wealth of insight into Coheed and Cambria's album of the same name. Sep 04, Joe rated it liked it. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I am a huge Coheed and Cambria fan.

I've read all the comics that have come out. I've spent years supporting them.

Year of the Black Rainbow

So when I give my opinion on this book is educated. There were chapters that were genius; "Pearl of the Stars" and "Guns of Summer". They were truly literary quality writing. The rest of the book was entertaining as well so that was not the issue. This did not answer many questions, but rather only one: Why was Monstar created? It did raise another question that is even larger in my opinion: What role do the dragonflies play in the virus and where does Whilhelm Ryan obtain them? There are other questions raised to like how is House Atlantic rebuilt?

How does Whilhelm Ryan obtain power again? What is the Black Rainbow? Were they created just like Josephine, or did Coheed and Cambria actually give birth to them?

And why suddenly did Khrom decide to serve Wilhelm? There are other issues from an English majors point of view: This book does not fit with the whole story line, and creates a lot of plot holes. I suggest every fan of the actual story read this and come up with your own opinion, but in my opinion this falls short of where I would have liked Claudio to take me, and anyone else, as long time supporters.

Aug 19, Miketbb rated it it was amazing. So I read the limited edition paperback version, which is identical to the hardcover that comes with the special edition of the album of the same name, and I must say that "Year of the Black Rainbow" is one of my favorite books I've read in current months.

Claudio's imagination plus Peter David's solid, comic book-style story structure really did feel like I was reading a novel adaptation of a comic book, which makes the experience of the book feel very cinematic and easy to read. The story truly, despite some grammatical and punctual errors, can stand alone. But the end of the book was very enticing for me to go out and buy the Amory Wars comics, and believe me, I'm a huge comic book fan.

Go pick this up wherever you can track it down. It's a solid read that isn't terribly long, but not too short, and tells a story that really is in the vein of Star Wars and the original Human Torch comics from the 30's and 40's. Jan 13, Michael rated it really liked it. This is a prequel story to the fantastic Amory Wars graphic novel collection and this is probably one for the die-hard fans to really enjoy.

I have the hardback copy and for me the paper style was excellent with its rugged edges and unusual quality, but then that's probably just me liking that sort of thing! It's fast, easy to read and perfect for escaping from everyday life. Nov 23, Brenda Ayala rated it liked it Shelves: I'm less a fan of this than I thought I would be.

It's needlessly thick with details that aren't necessary, and the gore is so substantial even I got tired of it. The dialogue isn't the best thing ever, but the solid story beneath it all has real value. Great idea, unimpressive execution. They should stick with graphic novel form. Honestly I feel that giving this book 3 stars is a bit too generous. As a longtime fan of Coheed and Cambria, I try not to be bias when it comes to the criticism of this book. After rereading this six years later since the first time I ever picked up this book, I realized how bad it is.

The story is interesting but I had to force myself to finish this book because of how bored I got of it. Also the unnecessary amount of details and the repetitiveness of certain phrases. When rereading, I realize Honestly I feel that giving this book 3 stars is a bit too generous. When rereading, I realized this is how I wrote when I was in middle school and I hate saying that but the way the similes were typed out reminded me of it. If you love Coheed and love Amory Wars, I would stick to the comic books because those were more interesting than this.

Having found the subsequent graphic novels online, I decided to splash out on the ebook and read that first. I enjoyed the story and setting up the background to the later graphic novels. I had possibly expected more of a clear link between the book and the corresponding album which is my least favourite of theirs so was a little disappointed by this. Overall, I am very glad I read this and appreciate the whole series a lot more now. I will always prefer prose to graphic novels for the ability to create my own vision of the worlds.

Dec 13, Jessica Christian rated it really liked it. The story telling by the author is impressive and themes regarding life and love are brought into focus without being too heavy. I had a hard time not reading this novel whenever I had a free moment because I was hooked on the story and where it was going. Being an amory wars fan for a decade and a coheed fan for even longer, this book gives you some insight on what happened before TSSTB and opens the Keywork universe and Heaven's Fence a little wider.

I was hooked after the first paragraph! Great story and very well developed characters. Claudio is prolific in the arts of sci fiction. I can't wait to read comics now. Aug 30, Krystl Louwagie rated it really liked it. This is the first and maybe only? It's co-written by the creator of the whole Coheed and Cambria story, lead singer for them. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but there did seem to be more concentration on plot than characters. Th This is the first and maybe only? There were also a couple of things I don't believe the characters actually would have done, they just needed to be done for the story line, but I suppose people could do crazy things when they're in love.

There were some very nice dark and twisted elements. It explains the origin of Josephine, the Monstar a virus , and the dragonfly with the stinger, etc.

Amory Wars Returns at BOOM! Studios | CBR

Things in the book make sense, when in the comic I can't always figure out why certain plot points are there, or what the need is for certain characters that don't live long and don't do anything important. There didn't seem to be pointless characters in the novel. It kept me interested and I read through it fast. I didn't think the novel was going to be very good-it pleasantly exceeded my expectations. I still think it could do fairly well independent of the music or comics fan base. I think they should sell it as a book by itself-maybe they will eventually I would love it if there were more novels of this kind-though I don't think there will be.

Aug 23, Ben Cardenas rated it it was amazing. The book basically tells the creation story and the incredible story of Heaven's Fence. One aspect of this book that is constantly overlooked is the family structure that is in place, Leonard, Pearl and Joseph their son have a great life if it were not for the Red Army and Wilhelm Ryan. This book is a great read for anyone interested into sci fi or even a dystopian novel. It reads as quickly as the rest of the series that are in comic book format with almost three times even without the pictures.

This book takes the honor of being my favorite book of all time. I am just too big of a fan of the band and the saga to let this artfully crafted book not take that spot. I have invested way too much time into this series and was not let down by the novel. This book can be analyzed in several different ways including looking at Joseph as the representation of a young adult in the saga. He goes though many of the same things any normal teen goes through, and is the reason for the whole saga.

Sep 19, Kevin rated it liked it Shelves: For his first real venture into prose, Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez delivered a suspenseful and captivating chapter in The Amory Wars saga. As far as the story goes, Year of the Black Rainbow acts as a prequel story in the same fashion as Star Wars; it tells the tale of how the band's namesake characters come to be, fall in love, and ultimately how their lives inevitably take a turn for the worse, all as the ambitious Wilhelm Ryan slowly becomes total dictator over Heaven's Fence.

It's a story rich with action, tragedy, love, war, and mystery. As the book was co-written by Peter David, it's not clear how much of the writing style is that of David's and how much of it is Sanchez's. Either way, the book is not without its flaws in terms of the writing. Some pages had this reviewer cringing -- either through ridiculously cheesy dialogue or over the top descriptions of events.

The pacing was also awkward in several places and unfortunately break the novel's otherwise smooth flow. However, for this reviewer, these flaws are minor. It's probably fair to say that the most devoted and loyal of Coheed and Cambria fans would enjoy this chapter of the mythos. However, even those unfamiliar with the band or The Amory Wars could easily enjoy Year of the Black Rainbow -- a wonderful precursor to a well-crafted mythos that will excite readers enough to discover the rest of it for themselves.

Nov 06, Jayme rated it it was amazing Shelves: For anyone who loves Coheed and Cambria, this book will forever change how you listen to their music. Whether you like it because it gives you a depth to characters you've never really known well before or you hate that it gives away too much, be warned that it will give you a different view of the music. It just kind of made sense from there.

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Studios series represents the third chapter in the unfolding epic, following the events of "Year of the Black Rainbow" and "The Second Stage Turbine Blade. It also deals with outstanding father issues that various of the characters have with certain individuals - Claudio with his father, the late Coheed; and also the new characters of Sizer and Chase, with their father Inferno, who is Coheed's brother and the only one of these trio of original heroes to have survived to this point. So he looks like he's in his 20s.

Whereas Chase, although she has aged intellectually, looks like she is about a ten-year old girl. Sanchez, who had written the previous "Amory Wars" series on his own, said of the new series co-written with David, "It's really good so far. We've had this story plotted out and written out for years. In finding Peter, we found a great partnership. He really helped the story grow. He's cleaning up a lot of things, and a lot of communication, a lot of the questions he had, I think strengthened a lot of the characters," Sanchez said. And something I always wanted out of the others.

Both David and Sanchez noted that "In Keeping Secrets" would feature Claudio in a much more central, active role than he'd had been in previously - but in discussing the "Amory Wars" hero, Sanchez showed a bit of embarrassment. It's all 'cuz I sang my name in that one damn song! But, speaking of the character, "Everybody believes him to be this messiah, that he's going to fix everything. When in reality, the character is actually the great destroyer.

He's kind of coming to grips with that.

His story kind of ends on a better note, but bad things are going to happen. Ian [Brill] has been a great editor, a fun personality to work off of. My wife, who was a co-collaborator, did a lot of communicating with them, and she just found a lot of comfort working with them, with Matt [Gagnon], and everybody. Ross [Richie] is a great dude, everybody there.

It just felt like the right place to be," Sanchez said. As to whether there are plans to complete or re-do volume four, "Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star," which was released as two albums and one graphic novel, Sanchez said, "I'd like to. I just feel like there's so much more story that hasn't been told in those ten issues. There's so much more backstory. In the Sketchbook, there's a lot of programmed memories spoken of. They're kind of major, some of those things.

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