Rating: 
Summary: OK sequel to great book
Review: "A Faded Coat of Blue" was phenomenal in the slow unveiling of the book's protagonist, the Welshman Abel Jones. Using the first-person voice, Parry brilliantly offered up a protagonist torn between duty and family, religion and humanity, war and peace. Over the course of the novel, Jones' past was revealed, and it contained surprising contradictions - he was once a bloodthirsty British soldier in India with an Islamic mistress and child."Shadows of Glory" is the follow-up to Parry's first book, and again features Abel Jones as a Union intelligence officer during the Civil War. This time, Jones faces a strange rash of murders in upstate New York, an area packed with restless Irish immigrants, mystics, and religious cults. Parry displays a side of the Civil War rarely seen in popular books: the bizarre plots and intrigue of the war, the unrest in the North among immigrants and high finance, and the pop culture of the time. Parry's books are refreshing to read after the other more predictable books in the mystery genre. But "Shadows of Glory" fails to match up to its predecessor, "Faded Coat of Blue." And how could it? Now that Abel Jones is revealed to us, his history exposed, Parry's books rely on plot for entertainment in an art where character development reveals the humanity in a story.
Rating: 
Summary: Civil War for grown-ups
Review: "Shadows of Glory" is the follow-up to Parry's first book - "A Faded Coat of Blue" -- and again features Abel Jones as a Union intelligence officer during the Civil War. This time, Jones faces a strange rash of murders in upstate New York, an area packed with restless Irish immigrants, mystics, and religious cults. Parry displays a side of the Civil War rarely seen in popular books: the bizarre plots and intrigue of the war, the unrest in the North among immigrants and high finance, and the pop culture of the time. Parry's books are refreshing to read after the other more predictable books in the mystery genre. "A Faded Coat of Blue" was phenomenal in the slow unveiling of the book's protagonist, the Welshman Abel Jones. Using the first-person voice, Parry brilliantly offered up a protagonist torn between duty and family, religion and humanity, war and peace. Over the course of the novel, Jones' past was revealed, and it contained surprising contradictions - he was once a bloodthirsty British soldier in India with an Islamic mistress and child. But "Shadows of Glory" fails to match up to its predecessor. And how could it? Now that Abel Jones is revealed to us, his history exposed, Parry's books rely on plot for entertainment in an art where character development reveals the humanity in a story.
Rating:
Summary: Bit of a letdown after "Faded Coat of Blue"
Review: "Shadows of Glory" is the follow-up to Parry's first book - "A Faded Coat of Blue" -- and again features Abel Jones as a Union intelligence officer during the Civil War. This time, Jones faces a strange rash of murders in upstate New York, an area packed with restless Irish immigrants, mystics, and religious cults. Parry displays a side of the Civil War rarely seen in popular books: the bizarre plots and intrigue of the war, the unrest in the North among immigrants and high finance, and the pop culture of the time. Parry's books are refreshing to read after the other more predictable books in the mystery genre. "A Faded Coat of Blue" was phenomenal in the slow unveiling of the book's protagonist, the Welshman Abel Jones. Using the first-person voice, Parry brilliantly offered up a protagonist torn between duty and family, religion and humanity, war and peace. Over the course of the novel, Jones' past was revealed, and it contained surprising contradictions - he was once a bloodthirsty British soldier in India with an Islamic mistress and child. But "Shadows of Glory" fails to match up to its predecessor. And how could it? Now that Abel Jones is revealed to us, his history exposed, Parry's books rely on plot for entertainment in an art where character development reveals the humanity in a story.
Rating:
Summary: A Novel of Extraordinary Quality
Review: A friend gave me this book as a Christmas present, and it turned out to be a remarkable gift. This is the most beautifully-written novel I have read in years. The plot and characters are haunting--Abel Jones is a brilliant creation, and Nellie Kildare is one of the few ethereal, almost ghostly "mad" women who come to convincing life on the page. As a one-time literature teacher, I recognize how very hard this is to bring off. These characterizations are masterful. The war's atmosphere, from the battlefield to the home front, is captured with flawless skill, and the suspense works on multiple levels. But what I found most enchanting about this book was the writing itself. The prose manages to be lyrical, even poetic, with ever tipping over into excess. It flows on the page with uncanny ease--an indication of very hard work on the author's part, as well as of genuine talent. Mr. Parry understands the use of language to a degree that sometimes seems lost today. The unerring rhythms and color of ethnic speech, the evocation of landscape, the delineation of characters in a few sharp strokes--all of this works at a classic level. This novel deserves prizes; however, given that it's labeled as a genre piece, I suspect it will be pushed aside by the usual, repetitious "in-crowd" novels. But forget the formal awards. Read this book. You will not be disappointed, no matter what your tastes in fiction. I only hope the author can continue to deliver work of this quality in the future volumes he promises. Very well done, indeed!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent civil war mystery
Review: By 1862, the United States is consumed by the internal conflict that is just starting to heat up and the Union needs no side skirmishes to distract its efforts. Chief of State Steward believes that the Irish living in the Finger Lakes region of New York are planning an insurrection that will damage the North by splitting it further and probably insuring the United States will never be unified again. The Feds send two observers into the area, but both are killed in Penn Ken. Steward turns to Welsh immigrant Major Abel Jones to openly enter the area under question to learn what is going on there. After a month's stay, the relatively new American citizen has found nothing to hint at rebellion. He reports to Steward that the Irish do not appear rebellious, but he feels some sort of trouble is been brewing. He returns this time to Penn Ken with a companion to uncover the nature of the problem and stop it before someone else is killed. Figures that were nationally prominent in 1862 make cameo appearances in SHADOWS OF GLORY, giving the novel a historical feel that it would lack without them. Owen Parry is an excellent storyteller who provides a wonderful tale with a historiographic perspective. The hero is a sign of his times, which foster courageous actions by him that could lead to his death, but he feels he owes that to his new country. Historical mystery fans and Civil War buffs will definitely want to read Mr. Parry's latest book that will provide them with much delight. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, wonderful book
Review: Great characters. Stunning atmosphere. Engaging plot. And some of the best writing I've encountered in years. I don't think I've ever read such a convincing evocation of the past--I was transported to an authentic Civil War America. This is much more than a "historical mystery." This is literature. And it's a very moving, stirring book, as well. Very, very highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: It doesn't get any better than this
Review: I didn't think it was possible to improve on Faded Coat of Blue, but Owen Parry has done it with Shadows of Glory. I hated to finish this remarkable book becaue I was getting so much enjoyment from it. The characters, the perfectly-rendered dialogue, the beautiful imagery are all wonderful. Parry is an immensely talented author.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely splendid!
Review: I have a single complaint about this novel, so I'll get that out of the way first: the character Jimmy Molloy, although well-drawn and amusing, is too much the stock Irishman in comparison with the originality of the other characters. Abel Jones, the narrator, is a brilliant, enchanting voice--much richer and more resonant than any other such "storyteller" in contemporary fiction--and, in this book, Nellie Kildare, the strange, mystical heroine, is hypnotic, tragic and unforgettable. The account of a stage performance of her psychic powers ends on a stunning note, and I literally dreamed about her the night after I finished reading this book. From soldiers and housemaids to immigrant tailors to Secretary of State William Seward, Parry demonstrates an uncanny gift of voice and characterization. Which brings me to my basic point: While this novel and its predecessor work fine as mysteries or suspense novels, or as historicals, they are much "bigger" than that. This is superb writing of a quality that transcends genre, and the prose is pure music. The descriptions of snow-swept moors and war-swept lives are so vivid they seem piercing--you really feel the icy winds and the fear--and many of the "minor" scenes are simply unforgetable, from an account of fishing up a drowned girl from under broken ice to a description of a Union doctor gone astray on the battlefield of Fort Donelson that echoes the opening of "The Charterhouse of Parma." The feeling of time and place is as convincing as anything I have ever read. Simply a splendid joy of a book, recommended for all readers who want more than pop junk, and I can't wait for the next book in the series!
Rating:
Summary: Civil War for grown-ups
Review: I have now read all three of the Civil-War-era novels available to date from Owen Parry and I thoroughly enjoyed each one. The books are gorgeously written, and the picture of the wartime United States that Parry is constructing is convincing, hypnotizing and remarkable. But, of the three novels, this is my favorite. I've noticed that this seems to be the most controversial book in the series, but, for me, it's just what a historical novel should be: realistic. There isn't a shoot-'em-up on every page. Instead, this is a book for grown-ups, one that skillfully portrays the society of the time--including the penchant for seances and spiritualism, which is described so eerily well that the reader can almost understand the appeal. While there are some wonderfully-done battle scenes from Grant's Fort Henry and Fort Donelson campaign, the heart of this book is character--Abel Jones (the finest narrator I've ever met on the page), Nellie Kildare, the "spirit girl," a bitter, ferocious Irish priest and plentiful renegades of every description. While this is, visually, a snow-swept book, it's thematically the darkest of Parry's novels, going beyond a historically-accurate mystery to peer deeply into the human soul. This novel should not be characterized as a "historical" or a "mystery." It's just superb fiction that transcends genre. And I know of no better portrait of bygone America. A beautiful book!
Rating:
Summary: Just Read It.
Review: I hesitate to write this review. Seems that whenever I come across something relatively unknown yet so different and so good you hope and pray it remains a true cult item, sharing the experience only with an inner circle you know will equally appreciate it...the reviewers and the talk shows and NPR and the general public soon thereafter just pile on, and ruin it all. An acquaintance whose judgment I value mentioned this obscure new writer, Owen Parry, to me last year, shortly after Parry's first book -- "Faded Coat of Blue" -- appeared. I was skeptical about the recommendation, since I've found most historical fiction to be little more than period costumes and backdrops over 20th century voices and values. Parry changed all that for me. Even more than the first Able Jones installment, Parry's "Shadows of Glory" is a mesmerizing experience. Merely to describe the book's rich plot or characters would be superfluous; Parry accomplishes so much more than just tell a terrific story. Parry's writing is absolute alchemy: from the opening words, you are physically thrown through the looking glass with all senses intact onto the frozen ground of northeast America in the brutal winter of 1862. In upstate New York, the Civil War - but for brief and distant glimpses of its rawest horrors - is a muted noise amid the intrigues, shadows, secrets, conspiracies, madness, and fear that attend regional obsession with spiritualism and rumors of an imminent Irish rebellion. Through the cadences and consciousness of its Welsh narrator, "Shadows of Glory" captures in time so perfectly both the mean landscape and the damaged souls populating it, that reading it becomes a virtual reality excursion. Beyond all this, "Shadows of Glory" -- modestly, almost deceptively, packaged as "a Civil War mystery" -- offers its lasting gift: a sublime and unforgettable meditation on the human condition, in all its darkness and redemptive grace. Parry's work leaves you a wiser and better person. It somewhat bothers me that Amazon's ratings can give books only up to five stars, because amid the forgettable & regrettable stuff out there tagged with the same, Parry's a class apart.
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