Sparrow Man

By: M. R. Pritchard

Narrated by: Phil Gilbert

This is a story about Meg Clark and what really happened the day she killed those seven men.

Meg Clark has turned out to be everything her father and the people of her little North Country town of Gouverneur, NY, have been saying her whole life: nothin’ but a piece of white trash. To hide her past, she spent her inheritance on the perfect little house with a white picket fence. Then something terrible happened and Meg got sent to county lockup so her fiancé, Jim, wouldn’t have to. And then everyone started waking up…dead.

Good thing escaping from County wasn’t hard. Jim told her exactly how to get free. Now Meg is running and the walking dead are following. In a last ditch effort to find weapons to protect herself, Meg finds Sparrow instead. A tall, strange man with a quirk. Sparrow is obsessed with feathers and the only goal that’s on his mind is finding an old barn on Route 37 with a snowy owl in its rafters.

Meg is headed to Kingston, where she and Jim agreed to meet if they ever got separated. But sometimes, crossing the border brings more than just freedom and protection and safety. Sometimes it brings questions that someone like Meg would prefer not to answer. And everyone keeps asking questions, including Sparrow. He thinks she’s hiding something and he’s not impressed by her stories of the sins she’s been committing all her life.

While Sparrow’s the one who’s cracked in the head, it never occurs to Meg that she could be the one who’s not remembering something. Like what really happened that day she killed those seven men?

Enter the Veil of Shadows. When pulled aside, it reveals the Seven Kingdoms of Heaven, the Earthen plane, Hell, and the Astral plane. Nothing is what it seems. No one is who they seem.

Join Meg as she faces her own demons, desires, and traumas. Every decision she makes will impact the balance of the Veil and lead her to her deepest desires.

In a Realm of Curses and Desires, Will Love Forge Unbreakable Bonds?

©2014, 2023 M. R. Pritchard (P)2024 M. R. Pritchard

Epic Beginning to an Epic Series

The beginning of an epic adventure that spans many books and so many interesting characters. Author nailed it and so did the narrator. Can’t wait for the second generation veil of shadows books to drop.

Under Gilbert’s Spell, Sparrow Rises

Phil Gilbert’s performance on Sparrow Man by M. R. Pritchard is nothing short of exquisite—his voice alone makes this a four-star listen. Sparrow Man and Meg’s banter keeps you smiling, and that unforgettable “feather orgasm” line had me chuckling well past midnight.

But the plot’s ambitious genre mash-up trips over its own feet: paranormal romance meets zombies, angels, demons, magic and more, all while the heroine’s questions are met with “later,” leaving major world-building gaps. The lead duo shines, but a flat supporting cast and patched-together storytelling hold it back. Overall I rate the audiobook four stars, performance five, and the book three—no more from this author for me, but I ache to lose myself in whatever world Phil Gilbert’s voice unveils next.

A dance between otherworldly realms

With a hefty library of sci-fi and LitRPG titles in my history, I was unsure whether an urban fantasy story involving the realms of heaven and hell would keep my attention. Sparrow Man dives head-first into a gripping mystery involving devastating trauma, worldwide apocalypse, and oddly-behaving characters. Pritchard’s dialogue treatments for each character adds layers of authenticity and emotion that keeps the listener fixated on the outcome of each chapter. The story is contemporary and shines a harsh light on the terrible things that can be done to people while also revealing a path to redemption and a brighter future. Narration is clear and easy to follow, though I would have liked if Meg and Sparrow’s voice lines were more differentiated. I’m definitely looking forward to continuing the story in book 2. [Disclosure: I received this title for free and listened at 1.85x]

Interesting story with a great narrator

While I was mystified that the author chose a male narrator for a female character, he did a great job. (still should have been a female). The story was very interesting, although that female character was mostly unlikeable. Not only that, the story should have stopped midway through chapter 8. That whole last chapter should have been the beginning of the next book. The character, Meg, just got more unlikeable. Not sure I want to continue with the series.