Cullen Dorn

Because there are quite a few characters and a lot going on in The Hierophant of 100th Street, making it difficult to put my thoughts into words, let me just tell you upfront that I enjoyed the book That being said, I'll admit that a lot of it was over my head. To me, it seems as though the book could be divided into two parts: the people and events of 100th Street -- a rough East Harlem neighborhood -- in the 1960s, and the spiritual journey of the main character, Adam Kadman.

While Dorn does connect the spiritual aspect of the story to the larger picture of 100th Street, it is these characters that brought the book to life for me. I don’t know what it’s like to live in a crime-ridden, drug-infested neighborhood, to worry about being murdered in a stairwell of a public housing complex, to see an entire neighborhood fall to the drug dealers, its inhabitants walking around like zombies. How these characters come to terms with their situations and how their past lives and choices on the other side affect their actions in this world and the next gets you thinking about the workings of the universe, neighborhood dynamics, friendship and family, and how our decisions affect others.

Full review on Diary of an Eccentric.… (mais)

Cullen Dorn certainly has a way with words. Metaphysical novels are not my normal fare, but the story sounded very interesting when it came up as an Early Reviewers title, so I requested it and was happy to receive it. However, I have struggled to get into the book. I have started and stopped about 3 times, but I just cannot get into it. I think the story could be compelling, but is poorly portrayed. The characters are fascinating, but I struggle to care too much about their challenges and I have a hard time telling them apart. The spiritual aspects are fascinating, but tend to be muddled and detract from the rest of the story.

The storyline is choppy, the characters are too numerous and indistinct. It could be really good, and the descriptions of places are specific and beautiful, but it was a little too hard to read and understand.… (mais)

First of all…

An Heirophant is an interpreter of sacred mysteries.

Yes, I had to use a dictionary to understand the title, even before I had cracked open the book.

The Hierophant of 100th Street by Cullen Dorn is a metaphysical themed story of life on the streets of East Harlem; somewhat resonant of Dito Montiel’s autobiographical film A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints sans the vulgarity.

Read the rest of this review at:

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