Blood Song: Raven's Shadow, Book 1

There is no other way to put this than to simply come out and say it, Blood Song by Anthony Ryan is simply one of the best books I have ever read period. I will go so far as to say that after completing Blood Song, I have to count it among one of my all time favorites. Surely, that is high praise but it is praise that I feel that this book emphatically deserves. At the behest of sounding like a literary snob, I will confess that I have read a fair number of books this year and although I try to , I rarely feel compelled to voice my thoughts on said books once I have completed it. However, with Blood Song, I feel I have to say something as I truly enjoyed this wonderful book.The beauty of Blood Song is that the concept of the book is borderline simple, and in truth it's basic plot is a well worn cliche/fantasy trope, yet through expert storytelling and characterization , Ryan weaves so much more here. The conceit of the story is simple, boy is young, boy gets dropped off at Warrior academy where he is trained by the most fearsome warriors in his land to be an amazing warrior, boy fights many wars, wins great honor yet discovers secrets about his faith and order than unnerve him. Yada yada, we have all read books like this before, nothing to see here right? Well you would be wrong as wrapped up in this conceit are fully realized characters of amazing depth and a story that strips away all the romantic notions of war that litter most fantasy novels. Intrigue abounds and in place of such notions, the novel is filled with a realism and sadness denoting the destruction brought by war both on the lands that is fought and the soldiers who fight it. Battles are depicted in gruesome detail to further drive home the central theme of the novel that war is hell and those who fight them are irrevocably changed. Our not so merry band of brothers, learn quite quickly that there is no glory to be found on the front lines as they are used and caught up the schemes of a mad king to further his own interest, of which ultimately they are just mere pawns. Yet, out of a sense of honor, and knowing the lies that they are fed, they still fight, knowing that they will die, knowing that the honor that many find in warfare is hollow and from this more than one brother in the novel walks away disillusioned. The novel speaks of the power of religion and faith both for good and ill, the power to heal and enrich but also the power faith can have to induce violence in and destruction in its name. The novel speaks how religious fervor can be manipulated by those in power to drive a populace and a kingdom to do things contrary to the tenets of their faith, all to further selfish and evil aims. All the while the campaigns in the realm are waged , you always get the sense that lurking in the background is an evil that will be revealed at a later date. When the tip of the real conflict is finally revealed, it leaves you wanting more in anticipation for book two.It has been said that Fantasy novels often times sacrifice characterization and development and in exchange focus on world building in an effort to add complexity to a world with shallow and wooden characters. The strength of Blood Song is that Ryan wisely eschews this motif as the growth in this characters is nothing short of amazing. The most immediate example is the character of Nortah, a character who at the beginning of the novel , is quite frankly a spoiled rich kid, however, like a skilled stone mason, Ryan is able to chip away this facade and in the end sculpt a well rounded character. In short, in the hands of Ryan , a character whom the readers immediately detested, transforms into a likable character and by the end of the novel transformed into one of my favorite characters in the book. All of the brothers of the sixth order speak with a distinct voice and each have their own idiosyncrasies and personalities that give the reader an idea about who they are and how a lifetime of warfare has shaped them. It is a triumph that every character speaks with a different voice making each unique in their own right and a credit to the writing skill of Ryan that he was able to successfully populate his world with rich and vibrant characters. From the naïve piousness of Brother Caenis to the cagey King Janus almost every character in this book, no matter how manner simply works. The scenes in particular with King Janus, are the epitome of a mouse attempting to seeking bargains with an owl. Great stuff indeed.I have to make a special note about the women characters in the book as they are strong and well portrayed. Though many are beautiful, you learn quickly that they are not coy damsels in distress but handle themselves with poise,strength and intelligence. The compassionate aggression of Sister Sherin is wonderfully portrayed and handled in the novel and the shrewd portrayal of Princess Lyrna are highlights of the work. These women are not mere bystanders in a world filled with hulking predatory men, but they fill the pages with power and presence in their own right. The scenes between Princess Lyrna and Vaelin are some of the best in the novel , nuff said. These scenes simply pop of the page, with shrewd dialog full of tension and the mental and verbal jujitsu between the two characters is a wonder to behold. I would argue that those scenes are only rivaled by the scenes between King Janus and Vaelin in terms of their calculating and manipulative nature as one can feel the game of supremacy between the main character and the king/princess in these scenes. The growth in Lyrna from casual enemy to guarded ally is also yet another example of character growth in the novel as the change in the relationship between the Princess and Vaelin is both organic and believable. In short, the women of this novel, from Aspect Elera, Sister Sherin, Princess Lyrna, Lady Emeren and even Veliss are well portrayed. Novels of all genres would do well to take Ryan's approach to the characterization of woman.The world building, though muted , is done well. One can tell that the focus of this novel is on the characters that inhabit the world rather than on a world that is inhabited by characters. This story is undoubtedly the story of Vaelin Al Sorna, brother of the Sixth Order, but enough of a groundwork is laid to show the reader that a larger world is out there waiting to be explored by the reader with the author. The nature of the order and their Aspects/motivations are all superbly handled.This book was amazing and as you can tell I highly recommend it. Enjoy!

I really loved this book, and am looking forward to others in the series (and apparently there's a second series featuring the main character that follows the Raven's Shadow trilogy). I give it a huge recommendation for fans of high fantasy.The book begins with ten-year-old Vaelin Al Sorna, son of the Battle Lord of the Unified Realm -- a collection of four former kingdoms now under the sway of a single king -- riding with his father to be dropped off at the chapter house of the Sixth Order, the martial order of the Faith, the official religion of the Realm that eschews devotion to gods in favor of the belief in the Departed souls of the dead to assist the living. Vaelin is confused as to why his father abandons him there, but as the Faith teaches him, the brothers of the Order have no fathers anymore. Vaelin spends years learning from Masters the arts of war -- swords, throwing knives, staves, bows, unarmed combat, riding, tracking, foraging -- as well as the Catechisms of the Faith. Along with his entering class of boys, some of whom die along the way in various Tests during their tutelage, Vaelin grows into an impressive warrior, but also finds himself the target of attempts on his life by unidentified parties. As he graduates from the Order's tutelage seven years later, he little by little learns more about his parents (and others in his family he didn't know about before), about his own strange abilities, and about the political and historical truths of the Realm. He is a leader, both of his class of students and later of regiments of soldiers sent to put down persistent heretics or rebels, and near the end of the novel is a celebrated and famous Sword of the Realm commanding large portions of the armies sent to war on foreign shores at the king's whims, all the while becoming embroiled in politics, magic, Faith, heresy, and lost knowledge.I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Vaelin's character is incredibly well-developed, both in terms of his abilities and his character. He can be a brooding man, but is capable of love for his brothers, his family, and the right woman, and always seems to be able to find the moral center of his increasingly complex situations, but without appearing holier-than-thou. His supporting cast of characters, while definitely secondary to Vaelin himself, also get a great amount of character development, such that the reader feels that as Vaelin grows in strength, knowledge, power, and morality, so do his brothers and those he comes across in his exploits. There were a couple of minor spots that irked me: some of the "secrets = plots" device that I hate, where characters who should be trusting of each other keep secrets for no other reason than that such secrets advance the plot in some way; and certain times when Vaelin, who is more than capable of speaking eloquently and fully, gives less than full effort at important moments (e.g., presenting Alucius with his brother's sword). But overall, the plot was fantastic, and I felt commanded by Vaelin himself to keep reading. I look forward to more in the series.I had some minor problems with the mechanics, many of which are my own personal disputes with the standard British tendency to under-use commas. Ryan, however, takes the comma issues a bit too far, using the standard comma as a catch-all punctuation for all situations, even when semicolons or em dashes or parentheses (or, god forbid, even a new sentence) would be more appropriate. There were also a few examples of clumsy syntax ("in amongst" when "amongst" already implies "in;" "none of them were," when NONE IS ALWAYS SINGULAR; the persistent use of "inclined his head" at all times instead of "nodded;" etc.). I took off one star because of these issues, so it's a 5-star book with a 4-star edit (I'd give this book 4.5 stars if I could), but overall, the writing was enjoyable enough that the handful of grammarian mistakes didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the book.I give this a HUGE recommendation for fans of high fantasy. As I'm already a few pages into book 2 in this series, I can see that the stakes are only going to get bigger as the number of players on the world stage expands, so I'm greatly looking forward to the rest of the books in this trilogy and the sequel series.

Having read an average of 150 books per year over the last ten years, I can place this book in the top 5 of 1500 books!I’m late to the game with the author and series. I’m not sure how, but there you go. I knew before I started this first book that I’d read them all, so went ahead and ordered them all at once. I’m now about to go direct to book two and continue this simply superb story.The story is based upon an Order (Military/Faith) who recruit… no, this isn’t quite the word, they have lads donated/gifted to them from a number of sources; Nobles looking to impress the King by sending their Sons there, Families or Single Parents who simply cannot cope with them, or because the circumstances of life prevent them being able to offer a sound life to the lads, and they’ll be better off with the order. The main character was/is gifted.The book has so many layers within layers, metamorphosing into new layers blended with other layers, you feel you are wearing a very special pair of lenses to view the story through. And, believe me, you will ‘get it’, and come to understand the depth of intelligence applied in the writing of this tale. The component parts are in themselves: fascinating in extremis! The wider aspects of the chapters and parts of the book will grow and build and develop and enthral you to the point of being highly impressed and highly satisfied with what you see before you. It becomes an object of fascination to the readers mind. If you like these kinds of books anyway, you’ll want to binge the rest of them soonest. If you’re new to this sort of thing, and find you feel the sorts of feelings about what’s in front you that I’m describing here… you’ll want to binge the rest of them soonest!! The innate cleverness the author has displayed here is so, so.. Crafty! Yes. Crafty, sneaky, my goodness, can you believe this guy? kind-of-thing (in a very good way), you’ll feel like you’ve been ambushed by the author into reading one of the best books you’ve ever read.The concept, the plotting, the delivery is out - standing! The characters grow and develop in a non-linear and highly readable way, and the twists and turns and trickery going on is simply sublime. The book is so very worthy of the time and money.There is a huge amount of scope for this story’s progression I’m very much looking forward to. I can say with a smile on my face - I didn’t see the end of this book, waiting there, like that, dressed as a sheep in lingerie! You’ll be amazed with the whole book, never mind the end that’s not an end that’s not necesarrily the next beginning!Fasten your sword belts. Loosen your breast plates a little for battle, and sit back for a Gold Level reading experience with the Boys/Men of the 6th Order. The Prince of Swords of Fantasy Fiction has delivered an epic for you all to read. Thank you for reading, now; go buy the book…

I won't bore anyone with another summary. I'm just here to point out a few of the reasons why I enjoyed this novel so much and to add my own 5 star rating to the masses.> The Characters - No black and white heroes/villains or run down cliche's here. Just characters that are all too real, with their own unique personalities, world views and faults. And as they go through deep life experiences, they actually develop! For example, when we first met Nortah, I envisioned him being your typical spoilt, petty brat. Very quickly I was disspelled of that impression - by the end of the book, he was one of my favourite characters. People shouldn't be judged solely based on first impressions, and they can change.> The Pace - Considering the first 300 or so pages are dedicated to the 'training' section, there are a surprising amount of significant moments, many of which foreshadow later events. It nevers gets boring. Mr Ryan finds a fine balance when building his carefully crafted world, never cramming too much information in, yet not leaving his readers hanging either. It kept my interest, left me wanting more.> The Intrigue - So many mysteries, large and small, are scattered throughout this novel: from the reason Vaelin was given to the Sixth Order; The Witch's bastard, the One Who Waits, and many questions surroundings the plot and various characters goals and motivations. What I especially enjoy is the fact that many of the answers are within the text before the reveals! Mr Ryan has created a consistent world, where every action makes sense within the context of his world. Learn the rules, then pay close attention.All in all, a fantastic debut and an excellent start to the Raven's Shadow Trilogy. I will certainly be purchasing the next book, 'Tower Lord'.(Additional Note: part of my motivation for writing this review in the first place was to counter a couple of the ridiculous negative reviews for this book. I can respect opinions that differ from my own. That's not the issue. But to give a book a low rating simply because the reviewer was stupid enough to buy the same book twice is sacrilege in my opinion. Reviews are intended to measure the quality of the product, not the IQ of the reviewer.)

A late review as I read this last year, but I am starting a blog so thought to review this masterpiece! All reviews can be found at thebookinhand.com (when it goes live, which will be soon!!).And now to the review...I am such a stickler for the start of a novel, I have read books that have hooked me in a page, the first ten per cent or books that have gotten to thirty per cent and I'm still not excited. So to see Anthony Ryan begin this novel in such a brilliant way, it was safe to say I was in for an enjoyable read. The book begins with a scribe and an imperial prisoner who is being transported to a trial by combat. The whole encounter between these two men made me wonder so much, who was this man? So calm in the face of death, so well spoken and polite and oddly enough respected by those who would seemingly hate him, enough to be gifted not only something that was once his but another precious gift. If that doesn't grip you then I don't know what will, but I instantly wanted to read on and know all there was to know about this man.First we begin with the scribe's POV, who is with Vaelin, then the rest of the book is written in a flashback, exquisitely done I might add, from Vaelin's POV where he is explaining to the scribe the events of his life up to the present day.This is an incredible book, and one I struggle to find fault with and totally worth the five stars given in this rating/review. Anthony Ryan writes in a way that is wholly immersive and easy flowing.Vaelin's tale is one in which we experience bonds of friendship/brotherhood, war, politics, religion, conspiracy and so much more. I am all about bonds of brotherhood in books, they are my weakness, so when I say I loved Vaelin and his brothers of the order it is no small thing. Frentis, Dentos, Brakus, Caenis and Nortah were all sublime, they were utterly believable and so well developed. I am a firm believer that a main character is only as good as the characters that surround them, and with Vaelin surrounded by these boys and many more amazing character this book has to offer, this had the makings of a five star read. It is safe to say this is a character-driven book, and one which is filled with emotion and character development, so if that is your thing read this book. Simple.This book, I would say, is a relatively slow-paced book being one of training and coming of age but make no mistake this book does not allow you to stop reading. It is a seriously addictive page turner and does not falter under the dreaded middle phase slump that is often seen in books.I would highly recommend this book to those who love the epic/high fantasy genre, its world building is light and wonderful, its character outstanding and its plot intriguing.

A gripping and well-written with some flaws, the main one being the characters. The protagonist Vaelin is hard to relate to because it's not clear where his loyalties lie - certainly not with his family, not really with the Order he belongs to, not with the king, nor even with his closest friends as he very quickly turns on them when circumstances require him to. Nor with his god, since his "Faith" doesn't seem to include one.I suppose one could say he's loyal to his own set of principles, but again it's unclear what these are or where they came from. His most relatable moments are when he regrets some of his past actions that were commanded by people he later realised were not as virtuous as they first seemed.Most of the other characters aren't developed. His comrades in the Order are largely interchangeable apart from their specialist skills.The political intrigue is written fairly well. I would have liked more information on what each Order does (Sixth are some sort of warrior monks, Fifth are healers, Fourth are inquisitors, I can't remember the rest...)I think it would have benefitted from spending more time showing the world of the Alpiran Empire. I didn't fully get why everyone was so upset when the "Hope" died or why he was even chosen. Less time could have been spent on the Order's training.Overall, a solid 4/5. I will wait for book 2 to come down in price and then snap it up...

This book captivated me from the moment I started it. This is actually my second reading of the book. I decided to re-read the series in advance of Anthony Ryan’s new book coming out next month, which follows on from the end of this series. I can say that the second read of the book reassures me that my impression of the first read in 2014 was accurate and this is a very good book.Anthony Ryan has carefully created an interesting world of empires and realms, of kings and warriors, of religion and faith. He lays out the social aspects of this world carefully alongside a magical system that intrigues.The book is told in a series of very lengthy flashbacks, told from the perspective of Vaelin, a great warrior guilty of killing ‘The Hope’ the heir to an Empire. He is on a ship on the way to take part in a ritual combat that is intended to kill him after his 5 years of imprisonment. He is accompanied by an historian who draws his story from him.The flashbacks start from his entry into the 6th Order as a boy, taken by his father 2 months after the death of his beloved mother. He becomes a brother and starts to learn to become a warrior. During his time in training he comes friends with several boys who become his family. During the brutal training which, over the course of the years, cost his group half of their number’s lives, the remaining brothers become tightly bound together. Facing death together binds them closer than they imagined at the start of their journey and this binding is tested over the course of the coming years.As the son of the former Battle Lord the King has an interest in Vaelin and during their encounters he comes into contact with Princess Lyrna, a remarkably beautiful and intelligent woman, who is as manipulative as her father the King. Vaelin finds himself bound by the King’s will as he is sent around the Realm, even into the Empire. Accompanying him throughout all his trials is the Blood Song, the magical ability that is considered The Dark and evil by the people of the Realm. He keeps it secret, never revealing it, but it steers his hand in battle and in life, trying to keep him true to a path that he never truly understands, but knows to be right.This complex world of Kings, Warriors and Faith is Vaelin’s entire world, navigating it with his fierce intellect, skill of sword and his Blood Song.I love the characters that Anthony Ryan writes. Though he uses flashback as a narrative device, not much is revealed until the flashbacks. Vaelin is a complex and clever character. The author is a master at never revealing his hand until he last minute and he employs these techniques not only in his plot, but also in his character building. We often do not understand a characters actions until much later in the book and we are blind in the same way that Vaelin is to the motives of others.The characters that surround Vaelin, from his brothers to the men he encounters in battle, are full realised and not purely background noise. For me, as a reader, if I believe the characters are real I will always read to the end because they drag me into their story so deeply I cannot escape until the last page. This author achieves that in spades.I know I will enjoy re-reading the next book in the series and can’t wait to get stuck in.