Anthony Ryan

'A master storyteller' - Mark Lawrence We have fought battles that left more than a hundred corpses on the ground and not a word of it has ever been set down. The Order fights, but often it fights in shadow, without glory or reward. We have no banners. Vaelin Al Sorna is the Sixth Order's newest recruit. Under their brutal training regime, he learns how to forge a blade, survive the wilds and kill a man quickly and quietly - all in the name of protecting the Realm and the Faith. Now his skills will be put to the test. War is coming. Vaelin must draw upon the very essence of his strength and cunning if he is to survive the coming conflict. Yet as the world teeters on the edge of chaos, Vaelin will learn that the truth can cut deeper than any sword. Blood Song is the epic first novel in the internationally bestselling Raven's Shadow series - an enthralling tale of desperate battles, deadly politics and epic adventure. 'Engrossing' - Buzzfeed 'Powerful' - SFFWorld 'Compelling' - SFX Books by Anthony Ryan: Raven's Shadow Blood Song Tower Lord Queen of Fire Raven's Blade The Wolf's Call The Draconis Memoria The Waking Fire The Legion of Flame The Empire of Ashes

Book 1 of Raven's Shadow

Blood Song

altlovesbooks

I enjoyed this one a lot! The main character is a bit of a can-do-everything type, but I didn't mind so much. The plot was engaging, and there were several twists that I didn't see coming. It's been a while since I've read fantasy that I enjoyed as much as this one.

The UK's bestselling epic fantasy debut of 2013 and the first book in the New York Times bestselling Raven's Shadow series. We have fought battles that left more than a hundred corpses on the ground and not a word of it has ever been set down. The Order fights, but often it fights in shadow, without glory or reward. We have no banners. Vaelin Al Sorna is the Sixth Order's newest recruit. Under their brutal training regime, he learns how to forge a blade, survive the wilds and kill a man quickly and quietly - all in the name of protecting the Realm and the Faith. Now his skills will be put to the test. War is coming. Vaelin must draw upon the very essence of his strength and cunning if he is to survive the coming conflict. Yet as the world teeters on the edge of chaos, Vaelin will learn that the truth can cut deeper than any sword. Praise for Blood Song: 'Engrossing' - Buzzfeed 'Powerful' - SFFWorld 'Compelling' - SFX

Ilona Labská 

Feels like something between The left hand of the god series and The Game of thrones.
It gives a really good impression.

Rick Dobrowolski

This book was so good I found it hard to put down. I’ve read a lot of good epic fantasy, and, even with the great stuff, can normally take a break from it. Anthony Ryan’s Blood Song Kept me up at night reading, with my mind pleading with me for “just one more chapter” (quoting what my daughter says when I’m reading aloud to her). The storytelling was superb, Rothfuss-level in its scope, detail, and ability to mesmerize. 

If I was an excessively critical person, I would probably fault the book for the main character’s seemingly impeccable choices & incredibly invincible abilities that made him feared even in his pre-teen years. But, come on, everyone needs a human superhero every now and then. This is entertainment and a distraction from the real world. 

The book is gritty in its detail of the scheming and ruthlessness of people in power, so, if you prefer non-violence, take a pass on this book.

Celeste Richardson

Full review now posted!

There’s just something about school stories, be they wizarding schools or battle schools or even schools based in reality, that always just works for me.

I’ve always loved learning, and I love learning vicariously through others, even if the subject matter has no practical application. This is why Hogwarts will always feel like home, and why Battle School and all it inflicted on Ender Wiggin will always resonate for me, no matter how many times I visit. I’ve found another school that resonates, and that’s the within the cloister of the Sixth Order.

Vaelin Al Sorna is delivered to the Sixth Order when he is still just a boy of ten. The masters are harsh and the lessons are harsher, but Vaelin flourishes here. He builds a family from the boys in his training group; a band of brothers, if you will. And those brothers and the deep bond they have with one another is the heart of this story. And the person who keeps that heart beating is Vaelin, their leader and brother and the best of their friends. And Vaelin is aided in his leadership by the blood song, the otherworldly intuition that seems to course through his veins and direct his path, though sometimes Vaelin refuses to heed its cry.

This book reminded me of two other series I’ve read in the past: The Kingkiller Chronicles and A Song of Ice and Fire. As in The Kingkiller Chronicles, we have an incredibly interesting and infamous individual as a protagonist, and we have a framework surrounding the story, this frame being that said protagonist is dictating the true story of their life to a chronicler. Both Vaelin and Kvothe are fascinating characters, who endure much and accomplish much at a young age. Although I enjoyed The Name of the Wind slightly more than Blood Song, I have much more respect for Vaelin. I don’t know that I’ve ever come across another central character in a fantasy novel with more empathy and loyalty and selflessness than Vaelin. I was blown away by his character development.

What reminded me so much of A Song of Ice and Fire in this novel was the magic system. By which I mean that there wasn’t really a system. The magic was mysterious and feared by many, and was never explained in the novel. This made the magic feel ancient and wild, and like it was a foundational element of the created world but alien to the people of that world. I absolutely love unexplained and wild magic, so this was incredibly appealing to me. The users of the Dark - or the Gifted, depending on your point of view - were born with their power, and learned to either nurture, abuse, or ignore that gift depending entirely on themselves and their personalities and situations. I believe that if magic really did exist on Earth, it would resemble this more closely that any learned magic system.

For the first 65% or so of the book, I truly believed that this would be a 5 star book for me, and would take up residence on my favorites shelf. But the last third of the book really dragged for me, focusing too much (for my taste) on war campaigns and sieges than the character development I had loved so much in the first half of the book. I’m not trying to be sexist, but I kept feeling like I would’ve enjoyed the novel so much more had a been male. My friend Petrik (who adored this book) told me that this book partially inspired Red Sister, which I loved, and that Lawrence’s take appealed more to women. I have to agree, though I think that Blood Song has some of the best central character development I’ve ever experienced.

Because I haven’t heard good things about the rest of this series, I will be treating Blood Song as a standalone. If you’re a fan of coming-of-age stories, training schools, and incredible character development, I think you’ll enjoy this book. If you’re a fan of the aforementioned offerings as well as warfare and the ins and outs of battle campaigns, I can’t recommend Blood Song highly enough.

Original review can be found at Booknest.

Fraser Simons

What a pleasant surprise. A coming of age story for a child sent to an order that trains warriors of faith. At first it seems like it’ll be pretty cookie-cutter but the writing, characterization, and well paced curve balls set it apart. Very enjoyable. 

It’s a shame that the next two in the trilogy are supposedly not good. Lots to work with for the first one.

Sarah Escorsa

☠ DNF at 76% 

First of all, please allow me to apologize for giving this DNF such a high rating. I know many of you Little Barnacles are profoundly disappointed that I should sink so low as to give 3 scandalously generous stars to a book I dwidn't even finish. I am afraid this is my own fault for accustoming you to much higher DNFing standards, and you are quite justified in feeling horribly betrayed by my most shameful behavior. Now please allow me to repent and stuff. Be right back.



My soul is now at peace, we can therefore proceed.

It seems this poor fascinating little book suffered from a remarkably regrettable conjunction of circumstances:

① I didn't reread the blurb before embarking upon this most enthralling adventure.
Blood Song had been hiding in the unfathomable depths of my to-read shelf for four years decades when I finally picked it up, you see. Trusting my unfailing, exceptionally superior judgement, I didn't find it necessary to refresh my eternally failing memory about the wonderfully enticing premise before starting the book. And dived in pincersfirst.

 

Admittedly, this wasn't my brightest move. I mean, all my moves are obviously bright as a rule, but some of them are, um, you know, not so bright and stuff. Anyway, had I bothered to bloody shrimping reread the blurb, I would have realized this was naught but *shudders pre-emptively* a coming of age story *starts convulsing a little bit* ← as you might have guessed, Bloody Shrimping Coming of Age Stories (BSCoAS™) are not exactly my thing. Because disgustingly young characters and stuff. 

② Last night a ♫ DJ saved my life ♫ narrator killed a book.  
Granted, I don't have huge experience when it comes to audio books, but I'm not completely clueless (sometimes) and can more or less tell when a narrator has suicide-inducing potential *cheerfully waves at Mr Perdido Street Station*. Such is quite unfortunately the unfortunate case here. Then again, this shouldn't have come as a complete surprise to me. Why, you ask? Because I have it on good authority that The Narrator Who Shall Not Be Named Because I'm Too Lazy to Look His Name Up Charitable Like That (TNWSNBNBITLtLHNUCLT™) followed a How to Tell a Story in the Most Wonderfully Tedious Deliciously Tiresome and Beautifully Monotonous Way Possible Class (HtTaSitMWTDTaBMWPC™) at Utter Boredom University, Lackluster City (UBULC™). I really should have seen this coming from miles and miles away. Shame on me again and stuff.



Anyway, I just did some research, and it seems the narrator took extra credits while he was studying at UBULC™: one was a How to Give All the Characters in the Story the Exact Same Dull Voice Consequently Confusing the Fish Out of the Poor Listener While Simultaneously Ensuring Your Narration is the Most Soporific Ever Yay Class (HtGAtCinStESDVCCtFOofPLWSEYNisMSEYC™). The other was a Make Sure You Shout Some Lines Once in a While (Preferably in a Completely Different, Unexpected Voice) So as to Wake the Listener Up from the Sweet Slumber You Had Previously Lulled Her/Him/Whatever Into Muahahaha and Stuff Class (MSYSSLOiaWPiaCDUVSatWtLUftSSYHPLHHWIMaSC™). And let me tell you, you realize just how much work the narrator put into earning those deadly extra credits when you listen to this book here. Needless to say, the dear man graduated from UBULC™ summa cum laude and stuff.




③ The unexpectedly unexpected interruption.
I might have perhaps maybe have been partially at fault in the present semi-half-debacle (a little), but this most lamentable accidental disruption in my wonderful listening experience was really quite fortuitous on my part. Because exoskeleton-related mechanical problems and stuff. Anyway, I had to reluctantly abandon this poor little narrative all by its little self for ten ridiculous days. Acoustic death ensued promptly upon my return. Worry not, for the book didn't suffer in the process. Not as much as I did listening to it, anyway. But I digress. So, here I was, armed with a brand new exoskeleton, ready to hit the play button again. And I did. And this happened:



First of all, I couldn't shrimping remember what the stinking fish this book was about (which should tell you how fantastically gripping the story is and how incredibly involved I was in it). Second of all, I couldn't shrimping remember what the stinking fish this book was about. And third of all, 💤 💤 💤 💤 💤 💤 💤 💤 💤 💤 💤. And also, 💤 💤 💤.

I rest in my case and stuff.

➽ And the moral of this No this Book Isn't Abysmally Bad I Just Shouldn't Have Come Near A Ten Hundred Thousand Mile Radius of It That Is All Crappy Non Review (NtBIABIJSHCNaThTMRoITiA™) is: hey, this could have been a lot worse, I could have read the book, instead of listening to it.

 



[Pre-review nonsense]

The fact that I didn't exactly really made it to the end of this book is absolutely NOT my fault. Not it's not. This is a conspiracy. Yes it is. The author colluded with the narrator to ensure this book would become the perfect cure for insomnia. And guess what? They succeeded. And how.



Oh yeah, these guys are GOOD.

➽ Full This Story Was So Delightfully Entertaining and Extraordinarily Memorable and Stuff That I Couldn't Remember What the Fish It Was About Only Two Weeks After Putting it Down Crappy Non Review (TSWSDEaEMaStICRWtFIWAOTWAPiDCNR™) to come. Maybe. If I ever awaken from the sweet slumber I fell into while I was reading the book, that is.

Leonie Schölmberger

This is the best high fantasy trilogy I‘ve read since being obsessed with Tolkien. The charakter design is absolutely amazing, everyone fits so well into this story and the story itself is breathtaking. Like in „a song of ice and fire“, there isn‘t magic involved from the start, they first discover the existence of magical creatures and powers at the very end of the first book.
I highly recommend it :)

Nat Welch

This was really good. It was pretty self contained, and the characters were fascinating. It has a lot of sad parts, and a lot of weird twists. Really interested to see where the series goes, as there are a lot of open ended world details that need to be filled in.

Annelies Van Rossen

Pro: de sluwe verhaalopbouw, de verschillende ordes, de evoluerende personages, het mysterie

Con: de lengte van het verhaal

Dit boek is fantastisch. Het is helemaal zoals ik Fantasy graag heb. Ik heb zin om het vervolg meteen te gaan halen.

Ben Nathan

3.5 Stars. I think of this in 4 parts: Politics, magic, characters, setting. The Politics were top notch and I thought he did a marvelous job with them. The magic was a little to hand-waving all-encompassing automatically perfect type that I don't like at all. The main character is a very over the top Messiah figure and I don't really enjoy that trope at all. The setting was decent, kind of middle of the road normal expected Euro=fantasy. Overall, I rounded down to 3 stars because good politics does name me love this book, but had there been more of that and less of everything else, I would have enjoyed it more.

Blood Song Book 1 of Raven's Shadow

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