Conspiracy of Ravens Is a Weird Western With a Bloody, Beating Heart

Bowen opts for a more grounded approach: instead of foul-mouthed harpies, we have foul-mouthed traveling companions. Instead of dismemberment-obsessed, monstrous owls, there are dismemberment-obsessed, monstrous humans. The result is a novel that, while as filled with awesome action, sharp humor, and sudden bursts of violence, feels more focused as it deals with the human costs of the Durango Rangers’ conflict with the supernatural, and of the incursion of “progress” into a once-lawless territory.
The story picks up shortly after Rhett Hennessy, née Nettie Lonesome, who embraced all aspects of a complex inner self at the end of the first book, when he shed his outwardly female identity and embraced his shapeshifter nautre, literally launching himself into the sky.
After weeks of flying around as a gigantic vulture, Rhett loses his way, only encounter an ill-tempered shapeshifter named Earl. On their way back to civilization, Earl teaches Rhett how to better control his shapeshifting, and tells a chilling story about a railroad company led by a sinister man who employs supernatural creatures and weaves magic using their severed appendages. With the rest of the Ranger company dealing with an infestation of sandwyrms further south, Rhett mounts up with his friend Sam Hennessy, his shapeshifting mentor Coyote Dan, and Dan’s eccentric sister Winnifred on a treacherous mission to bring the rail baron to justice.
With much of the world-building out of the way, Conspiracy of Ravens is able to focus more on its characters, and it really pays off. Rhett and his friends are a fully dimensional posse, with a sense of camaraderie that makes them feel incredibly real. Every time Rhett gets angry and almost flies off the handle, Sam and Dan are there to either hold him back or back him up. They needle one another, attack each other when they do something stupid, and accept each other for their flaws and prejudices. The dialogue flies like natural banter between friends. These are people you want to spend time with. You’ll care about who they are and why in a very real way.

The humanity extends to the plot. While unsettling gods and monsters roam this sandy landscape, much time is spent considering very human villains, and the cost of Rhett’s earlier failures. Rhett is haunted by guilt, and must reckon with the survivors of his encounter with the villain of Wake of Vultures, who glare at him for saving them “too late.” The two biggest threats are a corrupt, racist Ranger major, and a very human sorcerer who oppresses others through fear. These villains’ humanity only intensifies their threat. It’s chilling to see the other side of the monster-killing business: people so focused on the inhumanity of the monsters, they’re willing to become monsters themselves.
Conspiracy of Ravens is a heavy-gauge followup to Wake of Vultures‘ wicked opening salvo, serving up huge helpings of humor and tension and making another strong bid for the year’s best list.