Year of the black rainbow pdf download

Download PDF Read online. This startling new novel by Albert Wendt takes the form of a fast-moving allegorical thriller. Who are the all-powerful Tribunal and President? Who are the Hunters and the Hunted, and the allies from the depths of the city? Set in a future New Zealand where only the Citizen who asks no questions can achieve happiness, a renegade hero seeks to rescue his family in the State-sponsored Game of Life.

Who are the This startling new novel by Albert Wendt takes the form of a fast-moving allegorical thriller. Year of the Black Rainbow is the fifth studio album by rock band Coheed and Cambria , released on April 13, through Columbia.

The album is a prequel to the band's previous four concept albums , which comprise The Amory Wars narrative. Year of the Black Rainbow marks drummer Chris Pennie 's only studio appearance.

It is the last album to feature Michael Todd on bass. The band began recording the album in. To my family, who with their patience and understanding have nurtured my will, determination and wild imagination.

I just wish he was better at writing dialogue. Dec 22, James Chatham rated it it was ok Shelves: , genre-science-fiction , meh. The premise, while interesting, is really the only thing going for the book as the dialogue is unfortunate and the overall writing style is awful.

This book most likely will have little to no appeal to anyone not already a fan of the Amory Wars universe the sci-fi universe in which most of the albums Claudio Sanchez has released with his band Coheed and Cambria take place.

It isn't written particu review update: after attempting to read this book again, I've realized that it's really quite bad. It isn't written particularly great - the prose is clunky at times and the authors try a bit too hard to include lyrics from some of Coheed's songs.

However, as a huge fan of the band and its concept, I found this book immensely enjoyable. Once the plot started in earnest, I was hooked and didn't want to put the book down.

The concepts integral to the overall plot of the Amory Wars - the Keywork, the Mages, and the Prise - are all explained in this novel. As a whole, this book provides an exciting story, as well as a wealth of insight into Coheed and Cambria's album of the same name.

View 1 comment. Apr 08, Paige rated it it was amazing Shelves: books-i-own , the-best , fiction , collectibles , music. Such an amazing story! Claudio has such a knack for story-telling he always has! His efforts were more than worth it--I can't explain how much the story means to me and how much it moves me--every aspect of it has so much beauty and depth to it. Anyone who sees this novel as strictly 'sci-fi' or strictly about 'war,' is completely incorrect.

If you had to put it under a category, it would probably be 'sci-fi' although I don't rea Such an amazing story! If you had to put it under a category, it would probably be 'sci-fi' although I don't read much of sci-fi so I wouldn't be the best to constitute for which books fall under this specific genre , however it's much more contemporary and it's much more advanced and developed to be put under a category.

The ideas and basis of the story are too exceptional to be put a limit to by naming the book in a certain genre. This is so hard to explain in words when it's really just an unexplainable, overwhelming connection that all true Coheed fans possess whenever they hear that first song or sing those firts few lines..

The beauty of the novel is that it clarifies the bits and pieces that the fans have come to understood but not put together fully, but the novel really does that for us. And since it's the origin of the story, the story is not technically over, but the novel does have a conclusion that could give off a little bit of that vibe and also since this may be the last project Coheed takes on-- hopefully not!

I would be so devastated if any of this ever ended for good , but regardless, the story lives on in our hearts forever And that's what makes it so amazing. Sep 04, Joe rated it liked it. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I am a huge Coheed and Cambria fan. I've read all the comics that have come out. I've spent years supporting them. So when I give my opinion on this book is educated. It was meh There were chapters that were genius; "Pearl of the Stars" and "Guns of Summer".

They were truly literary quality writing. The rest of the book was entertaining as well so that was not the issue. This did not answer many questions, but rather only one: Why was Monstar created? It did raise another question that is even larger in my opinion: What role do the dragonflies play in the virus and where does Whilhelm Ryan obtain them?

There are other questions raised to like how is House Atlantic rebuilt? How does Whilhelm Ryan obtain power again? What is the Black Rainbow? Were they created just like Josephine, or did Coheed and Cambria actually give birth to them? And why suddenly did Khrom decide to serve Wilhelm? There are other issues from an English majors point of view: grammar, the writing and lack of editing properly there were way too many typos but I'll let those slide. This book does not fit with the whole story line, and creates a lot of plot holes.

I suggest every fan of the actual story read this and come up with your own opinion, but in my opinion this falls short of where I would have liked Claudio to take me, and anyone else, as long time supporters. Aug 19, Miketbb rated it it was amazing. So I read the limited edition paperback version, which is identical to the hardcover that comes with the special edition of the album of the same name, and I must say that "Year of the Black Rainbow" is one of my favorite books I've read in current months.

Claudio's imagination plus Peter David's solid, comic book-style story structure really did feel like I was reading a novel adaptation of a comic book, which makes the experience of the book feel very cinematic and easy to read.

The story truly, despite some grammatical and punctual errors, can stand alone. But the end of the book was very enticing for me to go out and buy the Amory Wars comics, and believe me, I'm a huge comic book fan. Go pick this up wherever you can track it down. It's a solid read that isn't terribly long, but not too short, and tells a story that really is in the vein of Star Wars and the original Human Torch comics from the 30's and 40's.

Jan 13, Michael rated it really liked it. This is a prequel story to the fantastic Amory Wars graphic novel collection and this is probably one for the die-hard fans to really enjoy.

I have the hardback copy and for me the paper style was excellent with its rugged edges and unusual quality, but then that's probably just me liking that sort of thing! It's fast, easy to read and perfect for escaping from everyday life. Nov 23, Brenda rated it liked it Shelves: borrowed. One day, after returning home from work in his lab, Leonard Hohenberger discovered Pearl was missing.

While searching for her, he is ambushed by Mayo Deftinwolf. Deftinwolf tells him that his wife has been captured and shows Leonard a video of her in a glass coffin, suspended by chains above a yawning pit in a secret dungeon. Defintinwolf gives him a data chip with plans for an artificial Monstar virus, a virus that can break the bonds of the Keywork and cause Armageddon, a virus that Hohenberger must create if he wishes to see Pearl again.

Broken, torn to pieces, Leonard Hohenberger agrees. Inside an unknown dungeon, Pearl Hohenberger dangles helplessly in her glass coffin sealed shut and suspended with eight chains.

She slowly loses her sanity as she is lectured sporadically by Wilhelm Ryan himself and begins to blame her husband more and more. She keeps a mental log of the time she spends there measured by her heartbeat. On that day, she confronts Ryan, stating that she has been there for over a month and that she is not broken yet. Dumbfounded, Ryan tells her she has not even been in there for a day yet, only several hours.

Pearl refuses to believe him, but Ryan convinces her by pointing out that her fingernails haven't grown at all. Pearl is devastated, her last thought being, I'm in hell In Dr. Hohenberger's lab, Leonard, Coheed, Cambria and Inferno argue over what Leonard should do to save his wife. Leonard gets fed up at their constant bickering and leaves.

He walks to the greenhouse, where Pearl performed her experiments and sulks. Suddenly, he sees the dragonfly, the one Pearl had genetically altered and added a stinger on.

He watched as a black bird chases the dragonfly throughout the greenhouse, but is defeated when the insect arcs around and stings it. Leonard has an epiphany. He captures the dragonfly and hurries back to his lab.

Coheed, Cambria and Inferno are still arguing, but Cambria immediately orders Coheed and Inferno to leave. When Leonard questions the morals of his actions to Cambria, she tells him to trust his love for Pearl. Hohenberger later orders Inferno to stay aboard the Grail Arbor until further notice [This sentence needs to be reevaluated ].

Coheed and Cambria learn of this, and Coheed becomes suspicious of the Doctor's intentions. Cambria tells Coheed to trust the Doctor, and that he is trusting his love for his wife.

Cambria explains to Coheed that she is beginning to understand the concept of love. Coheed and Cambria immediately fall into each other's arms and kiss. They confess their love for each other and kiss once more, only to be interrupted by Dr.

Hohenberger himself. He tells them to follow him into his lab, and once they arrive there, he says the name, "Camille," aloud. The name is a security failsafe word and the name of Hohenberger's first love, and Coheed and Cambria immediately fall unconscious. He straps them onto operating tables and begins to work. General Mayo Deftinwolf returns to Dr. Hohenberger's house and inquires as to the status of the Monstar virus.

Hohenberger gives the General the unconscious forms of Coheed and Cambria and says that the virus is in them. Enraged, Deftinwolf threatens the Doctor, but Hohenberger states that he did just as the General asked, giving him Coheed, Cambria and the virus. Deftinwolf angrily accepts them and leaves. Once he does, Hohenberger attends to the cure he created to stop the Monstar virus: a baby girl named Josephine. Along the ride, Mayo tells her that Leonard agreed to create a virus that could cause the apocalypse in order to save her.

He tells her that Leonard willingly handed Coheed and Cambria over to the United Red Army just so he could save his wife. Pearl becomes furious, and Mayo leaves her with a pulser gun outside her home.

Inside his house, Leonard has a dream where the ground parts from below and he, Pearl and Joseph descend into hell. He awakens from his nightmare, and upon Pearl's arrival rushes outside to greet her. Pearl is furious with her husband and she demands to know if everything Deftinwolf told her was true.

Leonard reluctantly confirms this, but before he can explain why, she attacks him with her cane and knocks him unconscious. Pearl is about to shoot him with Deftinwolf's pulser, but she is distracted by her syringia dragonfly as it buzzes past her. Forgetting about Leonard in her mentally unstable state, she chases after it, all the way out into the forest to Joseph's grave. She climbs up a tree to grab at it, but she falls, hitting her head on Joseph's gravestone and killing herself.

Leonard wakes up and discovers this and begins to cry. He tells his dead wife and son that he will be the man they always needed and set things right for all of them. He states that the terrorist organization against Ryan has been defeated and that Ryan can rule in peace once more.

Suddenly, a pulser blast whizzes past his head, and he looks into the crowd to see Leonard Hohenberger with a gun. Abruptly there was the sound of metal on metal, a rapid-fire series of thunks as metal plates beneath Coheeds synthetic skin unfolded and interlocked. The pain for this transition made the blades seem like mere pinpricks in comparison as the skin was literally ripped away, torn to shreds by the transformation of his skeletal structure underneath into a weapon.

It was one of the times that Coheed cursed Hohenbergers decision to craft synthetic skin for him that provided the same sensations as normal skin. Youll want to be able to feel all things, Coheedboth pleasure and pain. You cant have one without the other. Trust me, youll thank me some day.

That was what Hohenberger had told him, and he might well have been correct. But that day wasnt this one and it was all Coheed could do not to scream out a string of profanities.

The only reason he did not was because he didnt want to give his attackers the satisfaction. Hydraulic pressure tubes snaked out from his elbow and insinuated themselves into his right trapezius. They provided him additional lift; otherwise the arm would have hung helplessly at his side because of the awkward new shape.

The entire process had happened incredibly quickly. Less than five seconds after he had triggered the transformation with a thought, his right armfrom the elbow to the now non-existent handnow consisted of a massive pulser cannon. Had the miner been faster off the mark, he might have managed to get off a shot before the transition was complete.

But he was caught flatfooted, having never witnessed anything like it before. Not laughing now, huh, said Coheed as he let loose with a blast at full power and at point blank range.

The miners gun did not leave his hand. That was because the gun, the hand, and the arm were all that remained of him. The rest of him was splattered over about twenty square feet of real estate, including the two remaining miners, who were looking in horror at the blood and gore that covered them.

One of them plucked at his cheek, his mind numb with shock, to discover that a molar and two incisors were embedded in his face. The other jumped back, shrieking, upon finding an entire lung plastered on his uniform front. In doing so, his foot hit a stray organ lying on the floor. His feet went out from under him and he hit the ground. One of them stood his ground and pulled out his own weapon, firing and moving as he did.

The other, who had fallen, scrambled to his feet and ran like hell, shouting at the top of his lungs, Security breach! Security breach! Firing at full power the way he had meant that Coheeds pulser cannon needed a few seconds to recharge.

He twisted his body, bringing the arm up in front of his head to protect it as blasts deflected harmlessly off it. He advanced on the miner who was steadily firing. Coheed felt a flash of respect for him; the man wasnt backing down. Suddenly there was an explosion of air and the miner vanished for a moment, overwhelmed by a torrent of energy. Coheed shielded his eyes and when the energy subsided, what was left of the miner barely qualified as human.

He was flat on his back, or what remained of his back. Not only had his clothes been stripped away, but so had his skin and a considerable portion of his muscles. His entrails were beginning to slide out and he was reaching for them, stupidly trying to shove them back in, before his hands fell to either side. Coheed actually had a clear view of the mans heart through a gaping wound in his chest.

It beat several more times and then slowed to a halt. Coheed turned and saw Cambria, from her position against the monolith, her arm outstretched. Cambrias concussive blasts didnt actually generate from her hand; they were from within her mind.

She just preferred to point at her target because she found it focused her aim a bit better. The glow of her psionic abilities faded from her eyes and she moaned softly.

Coheed was at her side, kneeling next to her. You okay, Cam? She gestured toward his cannon. You want to point that somewhere else, sport? Wouldnt want it to go off. Coheed put out a hand, which Cambria took and even squeezed affectionately as he helped her to her feet. He looked her up and down. Seems the body armor did its job. I think Ive got a few bruised ribs, but thats it.

She shook her head. Better than I deserve. Stupid of me to let myself get distracted. Dont second guess yourself. You did great. And they know were here. He sounded the alarm. They were going to find out sooner or later. She gazed at the crystalline tower in the distance. Its incredible. Theyre mining Keywork energy. Theyre really doing it. I didnt even think such a thing was possible. Who built thatthat thing? Whoever it is, we put an end to it, right now.

He raised his pulse cannon and unleashed another full power blast directly at the crystalline structure. It was impossible to miss, considering its size. The blast struck dead center, crackled harmlessly along the surface of the structure, and then fizzled out.

All right, said Cambria, that could have gone better. Were going to have to get closer. They may object to that. Coheed held up his pulser cannon. I hope they do. They didnt get that far. Four men dressed similarly to the miners they had first encountered emerged from intersections ahead of them.

They had weaponry at the readymuch larger pulsers than the miners had been wielding. Obviously there was some sort of armory in this underground refuge, and the sounding of the alarm had allowed them to prepare themselves.

Or at least they thought they were prepared. Theyll never know what hit them, thought Coheed. He charged forward and this time, when he started firing his pulser cannon, he didnt go for a massive blast, but instead a series of short, staccato shots, picking off the new arrivals one by one. Reinforcements showed up in short order, and in addition to the pulsers, they had shields mounted on their left arms.

Coheed fired and this time the blasts rebounded off them causing no serious damage, although the impact caused them to stagger. There were a dozen of them, and it was going to be a stretch for her, but Cambrias eyes glowed as she said firmly, Drop the shields.

Right now. A couple of them did, but the remaining troops opened fire. Coheed stepped between them and Cambria, shielding his head, his own body armor absorbing the shots. But they were doing more than just hammering him; they were provoking him. You have to control your anger, Coheed. Focus it. It can be a valuable tool if you utilize it rather than letting it overwhelm you. The Doctors voice was as clear to him as if he were there next to him, whispering in his ear.

Coheed visualized his anger, rolled it up into a glowing ball, and mentally shoved it into his heart. Then he charged. Before, when hed been struck by blasts, he had felt pain, the impact, even though his body armor had saved him from fatal injury. Not this time. This time he sped forward, not slowing, refusing to acknowledge anything other than the cold fury that was driving him.

He stopped firing because there was no point in expending energy. That didnt mean the cannon still couldnt be used for offense. Coheed waded into the midst of their attackers, wielding the cannon like a club. He cracked the skulls of the nearest of them, grinning wolfishly at their truncated screams. He saw the terror in their eyes; no mercy in him, he gouged out those eyes with the tips of his blades.

They went down screaming, clutching at their ruined faces, blood oozing from between their fingers. Not slowing, he swept his left arm, the blades slicing through muscle and arteries and bone with equal facility.

Blood fountained in all directions, some of it splattering on his face. He ignored it. Actually, that wasnt strictly true. He reveled in it.

He had to step over severed limbs on the floor to get at his targets, and he swung the cannon as a club once again, smashing whatever he came into contact with. One of them tried to retreat, turning his back and fleeing. Coheed leaped upon him like a great beast, driving his blades into the mans back, severing his spinal cord. The man went down, flopping like a dead fish, and Coheed smashed his skull flat with the cannon. He took a moment to wipe some of the gore off on the remains of the mans shirt.

Behind us! He spun and saw more of them barreling toward them from behind. Now it was Cambria who was standing between Coheed and danger.

Keep going! Get to that thing and destroy it! Ill handle these guys and make sure no one else tries to cut us off! Are you sure--? She stretched forth her hands and the air rippled in front of her. The new platoon was blasted backwards, scattered like so many ten pins with a massive ball driving right through the middle of them. Reasonably sure, she said. He nodded, turned, and started running. He was now less than one hundred feet from the crystal. Certainly that had to be enough.

He realized that there was no point in blasting away at the vast structure itself. Far more effective would be to assault the support points where it was anchored.

The top was way too high, but a concentration of pulser blasts toward the bottom should do the trick. The crystalline structure had been mounted into a huge round bracket, and there were flickering lights running all along it.

That had to be regulating the flow into the. It was at that point that Coheed realized what the monoliths probably were: A means of physically transporting the energy that was being gathered.

The Keywork energy was being loaded into the monoliths, which would then be removed from this place and taken off towherever. He wasnt entirely sure if destroying the structure would somehow restore the energy, but that would be tomorrows problem.

Right now all he cared about was dismantling the device and putting an end to the damage it was already doing. He took up position and aimed his pulser cannon at the huge support collar in the floor. Good-bye, you bastard, he muttered as his arm cannon powered up. Suddenly something pressed just against the base of his skull and a low voice behind him said practically in his ear, Just what I was going to say. Coheed wasnt even aware of his own movement. It was entirely reflexive. He whirled, whipping around the blades on his arm, and they sliced right through the pulser that had been shoved against the back of his head and would have, given the opportunity, blown his brains out.

Standing behind him was a tall, powerfully built, dark-skinned man, bald head glistening with a fine film of sweat. He was staring in surprise at the shattered remains of the pulser that were still in his hand.

All right. That was impressive, he said. He spoke with a low rumble that seemed to originate from somewhere around his ankles.

Coheed felt as if he should know the man. He had to think that Cambria would have. They had both had a ton of information crammed into their heads, and Cam had been dealing with it far more effectively than he. Wanting to conserve the cannons firepower for the crystal, Coheed tried to bring the weapon around as a club once more. But the man dropped the shattered gun and caught the cannon before it could impact. Nice try. He seemed to move only minimally, yet suddenly Coheed had been twisted completely around, the pulse cannon shoved deep into his own back.

He tried to bring the blades back around, but he was out of position, and then his attacker had grabbed his blade arm by the wrist, immobilizing it.

Who are you? The end, said Coheed with a grunt, his mind racing, trying to come up with a plan of attack even as his spine creaked under the way his body was being bent.

Better than you have tried. I did not rise to the rank of General to be taken down by someone with delusions of grandeur. When he said that, it suddenly clicked in Coheeds mind. Previous vids hed seen of him, the self-described General had been in full armor and visible only from a distance. Now, though, he knew him for who he was.

Youre Deftinwolf. Mayo Deftinwolf. Deftinwolf pushed down harder, trying to get Coheed to cry out. It didnt work. Coheed bit down deep into his lip rather than give any vocal confirmation that he was in distress. Still, he was immobilized in the Generals grip. Coheed did the only thing he could think of: With a thought, he retracted the pulser cannon.

It wasnt going to do him any good anyway since the General was holding him in such a way that the cannon was pointed away from him. The General was caught off guard when the gun suddenly vanished to be replaced by a mechanical hand and forearm. For a scant moment, Deftinwolf lost his grip.

It was all that Coheed required, and he spun around so that he was face to face with the startled General. He thought he would be rewarded with the cracking of nose and bone and perhaps a copious amount of blood flying. Instead the Generals skull seemed hard as rock, and the impact staggered Coheed as much as it did the General. Still, it was enough to drive the General back a couple of feet.

They circled each other warily, the General seemingly having new respect for Coheed. I just assumed you were holding some manner of weapon. It did not occur to me that it was a part of your body. What is your body, anyway?

Thats none of your concern. It will be when I have it dissected. He waggled his fingers in a come here manner. Dont keep me waiting, little man. Lets see what youve got. Coheed wasted no time. He came straight at the General, delivering a series of blows so quick that his fists were little more than blurs. The General did not back up so much as an inch.

His own hands moving so quickly that Coheed couldnt even see them, the General deflected every attempted strike as if Coheed were a child. Coheed tried to bring his blades to bear, but the General pivoted and lashed out with his foot, driving it deep into Coheeds gut. Coheeds body armor protected him from damage, but the impact drove the air out of him and knocked him on his ass.

He scrambled to his feet as the General advanced on him. The world was spinning around him and Coheed tried not to sway, tried to pull himself together, feeling battered and exhausted not only from the pounding he was taking from Deftinwolf, but the agony of the transitions hed had to put his body through.

It wont always be this difficult, Coheed, Hohenberger had assured him. Coheed was starting to wonder if he was going to have sufficient opportunity to find out if Hohenberger had been lying.

Is that all you have? And suddenly the air was blasted apart with what sounded like a muffled explosion and the General was off his feet, flying end over end. He slammed into one of the monoliths and rebounded off it, hitting the floor. Coheed whirled and saw Cambria standing several feet away, her arm outstretched.

Hes got me, she said. I thought you were watching our backs, said Coheed. I decided to see what was taking you so long. Two against one, said Deftinwolf, getting to his feet. Still far less than youll need, but the odds are a marginal improvement. Shut up, said Cambria.

She gestured again and the air came to life once more. The General was blasted backwards. When he hit the floor, he skidded out of control and wound up crashing to a halt against the vast structure that was Coheeds target. Take it down, Coheed. In fact, take them both down. The cannon rematerialized on his arm, and without hesitation, he fired.

At the exact same time, Cambria unleashed a concussive blast of energy. The blast from Coheeds pulser cannon and Cambrias hands arrived at the structures base simultaneously. The resulting explosion was deafening, smashing apart the metal collar, sending metal and crystal flying in all directions. For a moment nothing seemed to happen, and suddenly powerunleashed Keywork energypulsed uncontrolled from the bottom of the crystal.

Cracks began to appear and rapidly started running up the length of the structure. You ignorant rats, the General growled. Youve just attracted the attention of the Supreme Tri-Mage.

Consider this battle lost. I have had it with this guy, said Cambria, and she sent her willpower hurtling toward him, determined to leap into his mind and seize control of him. Instead she let out a scream and stumbled backwards. Coheed caught her before she hit the floor. Deftinwolf advanced on them, cracking his knuckles. Youll beg for an easy death before I He was interrupted by a series of internal explosions within the crystalline structure.

The cracks were multiplying, running through its entirety. Coheed realized what was happening: the power was continuing to feed through to the monoliths, but there was no longer any sort of regulator. It was as if energy was being pumped continuously into batteries that were incapable of absorbing it all. The result was that both the batteries and the generator were being overwhelmed. The gargantuan crystalline generator began to topple.

That was the moment Coheed realized it was toppling toward him and Cambria. Oh, crap, he muttered. Even as he did so, he slung the insensate Cambria over his shoulder and started to run. The General shouted imprecations after them, but seconds later they were drowned out by an escalating series of explosions.

And the Howling Earth earned its name. Coheed had never given much thought to what constituted the energy of the Keywork itself. He had heard rumors, and there was all manner of speculation. Exploring the nature of the Keywork had been a major priority for scientists, but not much had been done along that line for two reasons.

First, the energys composition defied any current technologys efforts to break it down. Second, there were various religious factions who remained solidly opposed to such efforts because they believed the energy was supernatural in origin. That it was nothing less than human souls somehow being harnessed and tapped for energy as part of a vast machine crafted by the Creator because in this universe, nothing was ever wasted.

Hohenberger had laughed at such a notion. Coheed had heard him laughing. If the Doctor could see and hear what Coheed was witnessing now, the laughter would have died in his throat.

The energy contained within the monoliths was ripping out in all directions, and it was howling like a thing alive. The screeches that filled the air were absolutely terrifying. There was no escaping the inevitable conclusion: the energy was alive.

Human life, animal life, maybe even harnessed gods of some sort. But definitely alive. And extremely pissed off. One of the screaming phantoms circled directly in front of Coheed, cutting him off, and Coheedwho believed he feared nothingfelt his bowels clench and tighten and he thought his eyes were going to explode out of his head. The beings form was amorphous, ever-shifting, but he thought for a moment he saw a face seized in a rictus of shrieking agony.

It froze, and Coheed stared deeply into it even though he knew he shouldnt, and he felt empty and alone and cold.