The Crow: Temple of Night by S.P. Somtow

The Crow: Temple of Night Reviews

• 
  BookMarc

  My favorite movie of all time is 'The Crow' and so it should come as no surprise to learn that I have flighted my way through every piece of related literature that I could get my hands on. Part of that literature included a series of six individual novels that were published by Harper Collins by six different authors which included S.P. Somtow, Poppy Z. Brite and A.A.Attanasio. These novels varied in their approach to what is the standard theme of the Crow series, hero/heroine dies and comes back from the dead to exact revenge and put the wrong things right, and for his novel Somtow chose a deeply sexual setting in the sordid world of the Bangkok sex industry. From the back cover...
  
  "Turn-of-the-century Bangkok is a glittering modern city where high-tech industry and ancient mystery meet. It is a powerhouse of international finance by day...and a playground of depravity by night. The Klong Toey shantytowns are home to shadowy erotic emporiums, where millionaire celebrities act out their darkest sexual fantasies, protected by money, influence, and American diplomacy.
  Enter a young American journalist, assigned to expose the latest cover-up. Stephen is about to break the two cardinal rules of journalism: Don't fall in love. And don't get killed..."
  
  Usually, the basis of the Crow is that the main character will be killed early in the story and then the story will revolve around that character coming back from the dead and trying to gain their own form of justice against the perpetrator. 'Temple of Night' differs from most others in that the main character who will come back from the dead doesn't actually die until around three quarters of the way through the book. The focus then is upon a character by the name of Dirk Temple who lives out his every desire with prostitutes in Bangkok. As he lives out his fantasies they become more and more twisted, in relation to the violence and abuse he can bestow upon a prostitute, until he's ultimately raring to go all the way and kill to fulfill his sexual desires. The prostitute he chooses for his ultimate sexual fantasy happens to be loved by an American journalist, Stephen Lelliott, investigating the seedy Bangkok sex industry and it is he who will be the avenging angel. From the movie, 'The Crow'...
  
  "People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right."
  
  I love the notion of 'The Crow' in its portrayal of love transcending death and to me at least that is the ultimate in romance. I mean, what can be more romantic than one's soul not being able to rest due to an atrocity committed against a loved one and coming back from death itself to make things right? That, my friends, is true love.
  As for this novel you would be correct in assuming that I very much enjoyed it. If there was one problem then it would be the very late incorporation of the classic elements that make 'The Crow' genre what it is. However, the story itself doesn't suffer too much because of this and it is a captivating and, apparently, a very real look into an unspoken side of the sex industry that exists in Thailand. Steeped in Thai culture and its spiritual beliefs you don't have to be a Crow fan to enjoy 'Temple of Night' and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a dark read and disturbing subject matter. It is not for the faint of heart or people easily offended by excessive sexuality and sexual violence.
• 
  BrokenMnemonic

  I liked this much more than I expected to; the various Crow spin-off novels have been a bit hit and miss for me, in part because I have such strong feelings for the original comic. In this case, the author managed to mix in a lot of symbology related to existing in different worlds and being torn between them that I really liked, and this book felt as much like an exploration of the spiritual and supernatural as it did a story about love and revenge. I liked the juxtaposition of the different narrators against the chaotic backdrop of Bangkok, pulling together people of different social classes, backgrounds, beliefs and outlooks and somehow making it all work. I can't say I was entirely comfortable with the fairly brutal depictions of the sex trade, but I appreciated that - in some ways, the antagonist became even more horrific because of how banal he made much of the sex trade seem, and depicting him as being in some ways as much an avatar of a primordial force as Stephen and the Crow made him feel like a chillingly evil force beyond generic thuggery - or even "simple" murder.
  
  My favourite narrator was actually Linda Dusit, Stephen's aunt; for all that she was placed in the position of being an observer for much of the novel, I found her acceptance of the spiritual and mythological aspects of what was happening to be a great contrast to the way most characters in the Crow novels refuse to accept what was happening around them. Plus, it's great to have a central character who's an elderly Thai-American female shaman who's accorded considerable respect by those she meets. I know I was asked to accept that Stephen and Dao were in love at first sight, but given the mythology the story was working with and the extensive commentary on Buddhism, the idea of Stephen and Dao being reincarnated repeatedly made it feel more plausible than it would in a more Western-centric novel. Definitely one of the best secondhand book purchases I've made in a while!
• 
  Carly Nicholas

  This book was okay, It was probably my least favourite, however I did like the evil character that is a serial killer Dirk Temple and the woman that is psychic/a shaman.
  This book is based in Thailand, it is about a Journalist named Stephen Lelloit and his wants to make a documentary or tv show about the sex industry in Thailand but it is a little exploitative of the women that he talks to.
  His grandmother Linda Dusit who is the Shaman, can astral project herself into the spiritual/astral realm while there she senses an evil presence which is Dirk Temple.
  Dirk Temple who is my favourite character because he is depraved and psychotic, he goes on a killing spree so he can metamorphose into a godlike being and then rule over human beings to collect their souls.
  However things don't exactly work out for him so eventually he is punished. One of his murder victims and her brother are finally set free.
• 
  Rick

  The original comics that started the Crow franchise were well done, an excellent work even if it was cathartic in nature. The first movie was a wonderful adaptation, but for me at least every thing that has come out since is garbage. With one exception. Temple of Night actually succeeds where every other "sequel" has failed. It touches your soul. The entire point of the Crow is not about getting revenge, it's about moving beyond the fetters that your anger forces upon you, that chain you to your past life. Somtow takes his familiarity of Egyptian, Native American and Thai mythologies/religions and turns them all inside out while still pointing out the similarities. This book is a perfect example of how and why creativity can overcome the stigma of the usual sequel; and while this is not Somtow's strongest work, it is still pure Somtow.
• 
  A. E. S.

  Far better than Clash by Night, its imagery is a paradox of the old, the new, the beautiful and the filthy. Some of its mythological parallels were a little much, but I did enjoy it.
• 
  Rabbit {Paint me like one of your 19th century gothic heroines!}

  Rating: 3.5 stars
• 
  Tom Lawrence

  Goes deeper into the sex industry than I cared to read about.