Anthony Ryan (1) (1970–)

Despite the fact that most of this book is piecemealed together from borrowed pieces of other popular fantasy series I still really liked this book. The main reason I was reluctant to read it despite the high rating is the religious themes the description implies it has. Don't let that stop you from reading it the religious themes actually don't detract from the novel like I was worried they would. There were two main problems with the novel that kept me from giving it five stars. First the entire framing story of a scribe writing the story of a great warrior (stolen from The Name of the Wind) makes no sense because the plot he is writing down is different from the plot he mentions in the interludes. And second at about 2/3's of the way through the novel the once linear structure jumps ahead several years skipping a great deal of events and then occasionally backtracking to cover some but not all of them.… (more)

This review is for the complete Raven's Shadow trilogy , by Anthony Ryan (Blood Song; Tower Lord; Queen of Fire).

I enjoyed it a lot...

The first book is a coming of age story told from the point of view of Vaelin al Sorna, as he grows up as a brother of the Sixth Order. That's an order of warriors monks who serve the Faith and the Realm, in that order. It's a training novel, and the training is absolutely brutal, resulting in the death of a good number of the young trainees. Vaelin himself grows up to be an extraordinary warrior with a mystical ability. You have to understand that this is a heroic story, and the main characters are extremely skilled. However, he does not seem overpowered because the challenges he faces always keep him as the underdog. the novel is very readable and the supernatural elements are intriguing and original.

Then, in the second and third books, the style changes to multiple points of view. Three new point of view characters are introduced, with the story told from the perspective of one of them in each chapter. I have seen that the reviews are mixed for these books. The first one met with almost universal acclaim, while the second and particularly the third got mixed reviews. I think that this is somewhat unfair. People liked Vaelin and wanted more of him, but the storylines of the other three point of view characters are quite interesting too. But it's true that some of the style and personality of the first book gets diluted into a more generic epic fantasy. I think that many readers found the sudden change from single to multiple points of view a bit jarring. Also, the author makes the choice to keep Vaelin away from many of the greatest battles. In a story like this, we want our greatest hero kicking ass, but a lot of the time, particularly in the third book, Vaelin is involved in a quest that is equally important but removes him from the war.

Anyway, the supernatural enemies are original and menacing, and the story is epic, even if the final war in the third book is sometimes anticlimactic.… (more)

This review is for the complete Raven's Shadow trilogy , by Anthony Ryan (Blood Song; Tower Lord; Queen of Fire).

I enjoyed it a lot...

The first book is a coming of age story told from the point of view of Vaelin al Sorna, as he grows up as a brother of the Sixth Order. That's an order of warriors monks who serve the Faith and the Realm, in that order. It's a training novel, and the training is absolutely brutal, resulting in the death of a good number of the young trainees. Vaelin himself grows up to be an extraordinary warrior with a mystical ability. You have to understand that this is a heroic story, and the main characters are extremely skilled. However, he does not seem overpowered because the challenges he faces always keep him as the underdog. the novel is very readable and the supernatural elements are intriguing and original.

Then, in the second and third books, the style changes to multiple points of view. Three new point of view characters are introduced, with the story told from the perspective of one of them in each chapter. I have seen that the reviews are mixed for these books. The first one met with almost universal acclaim, while the second and particularly the third got mixed reviews. I think that this is somewhat unfair. People liked Vaelin and wanted more of him, but the storylines of the other three point of view characters are quite interesting too. But it's true that some of the style and personality of the first book gets diluted into a more generic epic fantasy. I think that many readers found the sudden change from single to multiple points of view a bit jarring. Also, the author makes the choice to keep Vaelin away from many of the greatest battles. In a story like this, we want our greatest hero kicking ass, but a lot of the time, particularly in the third book, Vaelin is involved in a quest that is equally important but removes him from the war.

Anyway, the supernatural enemies are original and menacing, and the story is epic, even if the final war in the third book is sometimes anticlimactic.… (more)