Narrated by Shaaman Casey
Summary:
Jupiter/Calabar is a slave whose master dies. He has a particular skill for judging indigo, but his master’s son sees no value in that because he plans to turn the land into tobacco farmland. Thus, he sets the man free and kicks him off the property.
Additional Comments:
- I’ve heard 2 of the other Tales of a Revolution series. While I’d give the series as a whole a solid 4, this particular story is fantastic. (The NJ one was okay – way too much period specific language – and the West FL one was a tad boring.) The rating I gave this book is not just me judging being politically correct. Of the series, I found it the most interesting in terms of plot and characters and inclusion of history.
- The point about the owner immediately freeing Calabar instead of trying to sell him first seems a stretch. I suppose it was necessary to the plot, but even a sentence or two about him trying and failing would have made that a tad more realistic. The master (Young Green) is described as a penny pincher, so letting money walk off in the form of a healthy slave doesn’t seem true to his character.
- Race relations are a tricky topic to tackle, especially when depicting the dark time in American history where slavery ruled a large section of the country.
- Calabar’s journey from slavery to freedman is largely blessed by a fairy god-mother in the form of a kind merchant who sort of takes him under his wing, stands up for him, and defends him whenever he can.
- There’s a happy ending of sorts, but it’s still somewhat realistic in that not everything goes Calabar’s way. He and his family face some very tough things headon.
- Narration: Well done. I love the narrator’s voice and it’s absolutely perfect for the book. He handles different voices well.
- Side Note: Every audiobook, the author reads the thank you personally. While he’s a fantastic writer, he also works with an excellent narrator and should probably just let the man read that part. It’s jarring to hear a completely different voice suddenly break in with a historical note or whatnot.
Conclusion:
Great entry in a good series.
Associate links to follow…
(If you click through and buy something, there’s the chance I’ll earn like $0.04 ….)
Amazon Prime
The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.
If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.
Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.
Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.
OR
