The Raven - Edgar Allan Poe

Published 1845

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. `'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door - Only this, and nothing more.' Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore - For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore - Nameless here for evermore. And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating `'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door - Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; - This it is, and nothing more,' Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, `Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; - Darkness there, and nothing more. Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before; But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token, And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!' This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!' Merely this and nothing more. Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning, Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before. `Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice; Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore - Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; - 'Tis the wind and nothing more!' Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore. Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he; But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door - Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door - Perched, and sat, and nothing more. Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore, `Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven. Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore - Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore; For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door - Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door, With such name as `Nevermore.' But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only, That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour. Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered - Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before - On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.' Then the bird said, `Nevermore.' Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken, `Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store, Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore - Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore Of "Never-nevermore."' But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling, Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door; Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore - What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore Meant in croaking `Nevermore.' This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core; This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er, But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er, She shall press, ah, nevermore! Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor. `Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent thee Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore! Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' `Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! - Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted - On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore - Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' `Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore - Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore - Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' `Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting - `Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore! Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door! Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming, And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted - nevermore!

One's to Read

Among my vast collection of books, there are some that are hard to forget, one of these being 'The Bone Collector' by Jeffery Deaver. Also a major motion picture from 1999 starring Denzel Washington, Queen Latifah and a young Angelina Jolie. It's brilliantly written and disturbing to the point of being ingrained on your memory. This story is so brilliant they haven't even adapted it very much for the movie, although you get far more detail and back story with the book of course. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145681/ 

Another favorite is a series of books by Karin Slaughter, The Will Trent Series and the Grant County series, however, these intermingle with one another and I have read them as a series of their own. They are all fast paced crime fiction following Sara Linton a pediatrician and coroner, and Will Trent, a special agent with the Criminal Apprehension Team and his partner Faith Mitchell. Each one is totally compelling and completely different from the last, but as a series they have great sub-plots going on alongside the main action that can be shocking and devastatingly sad. These are most certainly worth a read, but attempt to read them in order, as they do follow a sub-plot timeline of events in the characters lives. Begin with the Grant County series book one 'Blindsighted'.  
Reading list in order is as follows, though please note the years, Triptych is between Faithless and Skin Privilege.

The Grant County series
Blindsighted, (2001)
Kisscut, (2002)
A Faint Cold Fear, (2003)
Indelible, (2004)
Faithless, (2005)
Skin Privilege, (2007 UK title), Beyond Reach (US title)

The Will Trent/Atlanta series
Triptych, (2006)
Fractured, (2008)

The Georgia series (combining Grant County and Atlanta)

Undone, (2009), Genesis (UK title)
Broken, (2010)
Fallen, (2011)
Criminal, (2012)

Paperback Out November 1st 2012 - UK

Available for pre-order from Amazon.co.uk

Naked Edge by Pamela Clare

Kat James is a native American who is hauled out of an inipi ceremony by her hair when an apparent complaint is made by locals and the Boulder police take it upon themselves to break it up instead of calling upon the park rangers. This incident not only reunites her with the handsome Ranger Gabe, who rescued her when she fell from a cliff a few months before, but also makes Kat determined to find out the truth behind what she believes are false claims of disturbance reports about the inipi ceremony, and promptly begins a news campaign about the native people and the importance of their beliefs and ceremonies. However, soon things take a very sinister turn and Kat finds herself the target of a malicious and determined killer. 

This one is very well researched but I felt the native american twist had a more personal element as well, an understanding, that really made this story great. Kat is a very different character from the others in the series, although each character has their individuality, Kat is  a spiritual person who cares deeply about and practices native tribal traditions. She's unlike anyone else, and that makes her very real for the reader. 

Hard Evidence by Pamela Clare

I-Team Series Book 2

Tessa Novak is buying bad coffee in a gas station when a young Latino woman runs in screaming for help, seconds later under a hail of glass and bullets Tessa is shocked to discover that the girl has been killed in a sudden drive by shooting, and she herself has narrowly escaped. As a witness and an investigative reporter, Tessa takes it upon herself to discover the truth behind the seemingly senseless murder, pointing the finger at a man she saw in the crowd. Soon she finds herself the target of interest by the same killers, and caught in a web far greater than she had dreamed possible. 

This is brilliant, and apart from Unlawful Contact is my favourite so far. It has a relentless speed that gallops through the plot line and keeps the pages turning. The research behind this one is superior and really shines a light on the depravity of the sex industry where nothing is what it seems. 

Each story is so different from the next and yet they remain brilliantly descriptive and informative, offering something new every time. 

*****