What readers think of Fallen Land, plus links to write your own review.

When I review a great book I always regret that I can't write well. All I can say is this is one of the best books ever. It is extremely rare to find a book that you want to read every word because you are afraid you will miss something amazing. I know in my crazing overwhelming world, my time to read is limited. I often find my self speed reading. I did not want to with this book. For example, there is a description of the characters finding a decaying body. Ava wanted every body buried so their souls could be at peace. Callum tried really hard to please her but the limbs of body kept falling off. This sounds gruesome but it was actually a sweet moment. I actually laughed out loud picturing the scene. When I tried to explain to my husband he really thought I had lost it. The tale of the consequences of war is heartbreaking but the good people the couple met during their flight from the Colonel was heartwarming. Thank you BookBrowse for the perfect read. I will share this book with my sister and track this author. Really hope to see more novels from Mr Brown. Never thought I would love a horse thief!

Violence amidst great beauty. Two amazing young characters, Callum and Ava, and a wonderful trusty horse named Reiver. On the run from bounty hunters under the mistaken notion that Callum had killed their renegade Colonel. Nearing the end of the Civil War, there is much destruction, woods full of starving men, men who kill and steal for food, there is danger behind and ahead of them. From the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina they hope to make their way to the Georgian Coast, running into the devastation of the burning of Atlanta and the results of Sherman's march to the sea.

The writing, descriptions of the scenery are beautiful, the violence graphically depicted. One feels that they are right there, at that time, ruining from and to an unknown future with Callum and Ava. Survival is key, starvation and death a reality. Yet, amidst the destruction there are a few simple kindnesses from characters who are not in the story long but leave a big impression. I usually hate pat endings, but I so wanted them to have a happy one. Of course, I cannot tell you if they did, wouldn't be fair. This book is suspenseful, chillingly real, evoking strong feelings, a book that will stay with you long after books end.

War is brutal, violent and devastating as Taylor Brown expertly depicts in Fallen Land. And then comes Ava, the gutsy heroine of the novel. Along with Callum, her love, they flee a band of bounty hunters to safety during the final days of the Civil War. Fallen Land is populated with characters you are not soon to forget and landscapes that the author paints with words that are strikingly vivid and real. Taylor Brown's writing is achingly beautiful, sparse, and haunting. His choice of words at times perfect. The land and the steadfast horse, Reiver, that Callum and Ava travel on serve as a striking contrast of ruin and beauty. Fallen Land is a novel reminiscent of Cold Mountain, in it's honesty and brutality with an unforgettable story that follows the journey of young love during a most tragic time in our history.

There are many ways to develop a coming of age tale. Taylor Brown's Fallen Land takes young Callum on a frightening journey through war-torn southern states in the late War Between the States. We come to recognize him as a lost soul, looking for some normalcy amid chaos. Though not as dark as Cormac McCarthy's The Road, this story is chilling enough. We share Callum's fear; we sense the pursuers hot on his trail; we feel the chill in his bones after another night on the trail. The author is adept at establishing mood, and descriptive passages are quite poetic. I think this book has appeal for the general audience, from mature teens on up. Violence is graphic throughout, and there are some sexual references. This is an easy read, which I enjoyed.

It's always gratifying to read a debut novel and feel hopeful for the author's future works. "The Fallen Land" by Taylor Brown is a gritty, bone-chilling saga about a young couple struggling to survive against impossible odds during the wretched, sad last days of the Civil War. Callum and Ava are homeless and on the run from a merciless one-armed bounty hunter. It is, in part, a tender love story, but one that is built on gristle, bone, heartless cold, and bitter revenge. Brown weaves his descriptive prose in a way that keeps the story moving at the steady pace of a war-deployed thoroughbred. The result is writing that fairly crunches like frozen scrub underfoot. The scenes of carnage and cruelty are stark and gory, awash in evil but devoid of the cartoon violence that is often featured in books and movies today. "Fallen Land" has been compared to "Cold Mountain" and the works of Cormac McCarthy. I would throw in a dash of "True Grit" for good measure to describe an exciting debut that promises great things to come.

I fell in love with this book. Mr. Brown is gifted with a descriptive sense that makes you feel you're in the book experiencing the ride of your life! He is an eloquent writer and you accept even the most violent parts as necessary to the flow of the story. How can he know and convey so much, when he was not alive during this period. He made me cry and that is not easy to do. A magnificent choice for individuals and Book Clubs.

Two orphaned teens and a noble horse flee bounty hunters, renegades, the desperate, the displaced, the hungry, and a terrible prophecy. I love historical fiction, especially when I learn something new. This is a time/era/story I knew very little about, told in such a totally engrossing novel. Brilliant writing, not a single wasted word. The writing is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy, and yet in many ways this is a more powerful read. The writing is more poetic and the characters are more engaging, fleshed out. It was very hard to put this book down as I fell in love with the three (yes, 3 - I loved Reiver!) characters on the run.

In the bleak landscape of this war ravished part country there is danger and horror at every stop and yet there is kindness and dignity as well. It is the first time I have read such a moving and devastating accounting of what this part of the South was like during this brutal war. It was hard not to imagine and cast the amazing movie this could be - but definitely read the book first!

In this novel, the author took me on an amazing journey through time, and it was done beautifully by the use of his words.

This book is descriptive in a way I am not used to, as it was not overly wordy. Yet the images created were clear & precise.

It takes place during the civil war, but is really a beautiful love story about a very young young couple, brought together by a single accidental circumstance.

What I enjoyed was that I never felt like I was reading either a love/romance novel, or a history book. However, I finished with the satisfaction of having experienced both.

The book seemed to gently carry me through from the moment I started reading to the end. Never a dull moment, lots of adventure, and a fine use if what might have been the way language was used during the time period.

Truly a unique approach to a novel!