Blood Song

Raven's Shadow #1

by Anthony Ryan, Maxime Le Dain (Translator)

Vaelin Al Sorna, héros légendaire du Royaume Unifié, accomplit son dernier voyage. Sur le navire qui l’emmène vers sa condamnation, il raconte à un jeune chroniqueur impérial les événements qui l’ont conduit à cette tragique conclusion.

Vaelin aurait dû succéder à son père, le célèbre Seigneur de Guerre, mais il était promis à un autre destin. Confronté dès l’enfance au quotidien rude d’un combattant de la Foi, il n’aura désormais pour seule famille que l’Ordre qui l’a recueilli dans ses rangs. C’est là, entre les maîtres sans pitié et les épreuves initiatiques mortelles, qu’il se liera à vie à ses frères d’armes, et à celle qu’il n’a pas le droit d’approcher.

Devenu le fer de lance d’un royaume gouverné par le sang, Vaelin est redouté sur tous les champs de bataille. Mais c’est pourtant son humanité qui fera de lui à la fois un héros et un traître...

« Ryan atteint tous les objectifs de la Fantasy épique à son summum. Un décor sombre et féroce, une magie ancienne, une intrigue impitoyable, des loyautés ambiguës et une action sanglante. »

Publishers Weekly

« Un souffle épique d’une grande puissance. »

SFFWorld

« On recherche toujours ce sentiment d’évasion totale que seule la Fantasy de grande qualité peut inspirer, et Blood Song, c’est le livre idéal pour cela. »

Pornokitsch

« Un premier roman phénoménal. »

Fantasy Book Critic

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, Audiobook, Magic, Adventure

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Anthony Ryan was born in Scotland in 1970 but spent much of his adult life living and working in London. After a long career in the British Civil Service he took up writing full time after the success of his first novel Blood Song, Book One of the Raven’s Shadow trilogy. He has a degree in history, and his interests include art, science and the unending quest for the perfect pint of real ale.

For news and general wittering about stuff he likes, check out Anthony's blog at: http://anthonystuff.wordpress.com

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterwork you don't want to miss; it is with temerity that I declare Blood Song as one of the best debut novels I've ever read.

Why do I love this book? The simple answer would be because this is a book that has everything I love in epic fantasy and that it hit all the right notes for me. I could practically end my review with that answer but that wouldn't do justice to how great this book is. Now, it's time for me to take on the role of the Chronicler and inform you why it's essential for you to read Vaelin Al Sorna's coming-of-age story.

The Sword of the Realm, the Young Hawk, Darkblade, the Shadow of the Raven, and Hope Killer; it's not an exaggeration to say that Vaelin has obtained many names throughout his life. Told in the same storytelling style as The Name of the Wind, the plot of the book mostly revolves around how Vaelin received all these titles. To do that, he's going to tell the coming-of-age story of his life to the Imperial Chronicler, a story which began when his father left him alone at the iron gate of the Sixth Order in order for him to learn and grow into a warrior.

"The Sixth Order wields the sword of justice and smites the enemies of the Faith and the Realm."

It's simply incredible how Anthony Ryan weaved this slow-paced coming-of-age story into an addictive page-turner, at least that's how it was for me. I was engrossed in this book from cover to cover; right from the moment I read the prologue, it became immensely hard for me to focus on anything else but reading this book because of the strong gravitational pull the narrative held on me. Blood Song contained every wonderful element and resonating theme necessary for a fantastic epic fantasy debut: intriguing mystery, engaging plot line, brotherhood, politics, religions, faith, home, abandonment, dark magic, and war, all of which were written exceptionally well.

"War is always an adventure to those who've never seen it."

Blood Song is thoroughly a character-driven coming-of-age story, and if you've been following my reviews until now, it shouldn't come as a surprise that it's my favorite kind of storytelling narration; always has been, always will be. I was filled with emotions seeing how Vaelin developed throughout his journey. It was very compelling to read about how he grew up and faced all the challenges in his battle school for the purpose of becoming a full-fledged warrior of the Sixth Order. However, my favorite part of the book is definitely the brotherhood and comradeship he found on his journey to adulthood.

"Comradeship, he realized. Also a warrior's lot. You share your life with those who would die for you."

I absolutely love reading all about a character's growth: how they learn from their mistakes, how they come to terms with the situation forced upon them, how they find and build their own brotherhood; it's emotionally rewarding. The characterizations were top-notch and that made the well-placed cinematic action scenes in each chapter more pulse-pounding because the characters were easy to empathize with.

Although the world explored in this book isn't that huge compared to many other fantasy debuts out there, don't let this fool you into thinking that the world-building is inferior. The Unified Realm is rich with a history of bloodshed and war. All the mystery, legends, and magic were all introduced gradually and seamlessly without being info-dumpy, strengthening my point that this is an utterly compelling book to read.

Ryan's wonderful prose is evocative, immersive, vivid, and easy to follow without being too simple, making it so easy for the writing to fully absorb me into the book. It's truly a spectacular work for a debut and also, this book was originally self-published; were it still, this would easily be the best indie book of all time for me. It won’t be easy for any author or Anthony Ryan himself to top this masterwork debut for me, but I’m hopeful and looking forward to the day that Ryan reattains or surpasses the greatness he achieved with his composition of Blood Song. If I have to be nitpicky, there are some sentences that definitely required commas for the prose to flow even better. But this didn't bother me at all, I seriously think Ryan did an amazing job with this book.

"A life without experience provides no contemplation."

If you have heard about this trilogy, you've probably heard about the mixed reception the sequels received, especially the last book. Regardless, that shouldn't change your motivation to read this book. Not only does Blood Song work perfectly as a standalone, you'll be missing out on one of the finest books in the coming-of-age fantasy genre should you choose not to read it.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie, Malice by John Gwynne, Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames, and now Blood Song by Anthony Ryan; I'm truly blessed to have read all of these superlative debuts that made it into my favorite debuts of all time list.

Honestly speaking, the year 2017 has been a harsh year for me outside of my reading. Ironically, I found hope in a warrior called Hope Killer. The Sword of the Realm became real to me as it cleaved through my despair. The Young Hawk taught me to soar above my problems, and as the Raven's Shadow swept across my heart, I realized that every second I spent in my escapism was worthwhile.

Picture: Blood Song by NAVAR



Now, it's time for me to put down my pen—or keyboard in this case—and end my review here. Thank you, Anthony Ryan, for one of the best literary journeys I've ever had the chance to experience. It was truly an honor to have listened to the breathtaking tune you composed, the Blood Song. I completely recommend this book with all my heart to every fantasy reader; it's without a doubt a greatness that every coming-of-age fantasy fan must read.

You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions

[Mark Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won't lie, some small but undeniable part of me came to this book hoping to find fault. It would take a better man than me to watch Anthony Ryan's barnstorming success without a twinge of envy.

Sadly I have to report that this is a very good book and deserves the five stars I've given it.

Ryan writes well, he brings his world and characters to life with good description. It's as a story-teller he shines though, and a good story is always the keystone of a bestseller.

Schools in fantasy books are like crack cocaine to readers. The Wizard of Earthsea, Magician, Harry Potter, The Magicians, Name of the Wind (I think), it goes on, and if not a school per se then an extended training period apprenticed to some master (The Lies of Locke Lamora, The Way of Shadows etc). Blood Song has a battle school as its central focus and we watch our protagonist progress from small boy to large young man through arduous training and a series of very dangerous tests, acquiring a group of firm friends with various talents as he goes.

This is all set in a skillfully executed flashback which our protagonist narrates to a historian on his way to a duel. The tale he tells moves past the school to national and then international conspiracy, politicking, and war. Finally it brings us full circle to the historian and the duel.

It's all good stuff. Don't come looking for great literature or deep themes, do come looking for a great story and a good time.

I don't want to damn the book with faint praise - it deserves 5* and (& this is very high praise from me) it has heart, reminding me in many ways of David Gemmell's work.

The story is very morish, I read this rather fat book in just a couple of weeks, which for me is incredibly fast. Let Vaelin's tale sink its teeth into you and you'll be cheering his victories, growling at his set-backs, and having all the feels in between in appropriate measure.

I begrudgingly affirm that Ryan deserves his success and commend Blood Song to your attention.


EDIT - we have the second book! My wife stole it and says it's as good as the first.



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[Katherine Coble · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first finished Patrick Rothfuss’ Name Of The Wind two years ago I was a bit sad. I knew that even though the book was wonderful (and had a sequel on the horizon), that great books which capture me as that one did don’t come along very often. Before Rothfuss was Harry Potter, and that was a good number of years before Rothfuss. It was five years before Potter that Pillars Of The Earth fell into my hands. So I’ve been working on an average of one Utterly Captivating Read every five years or so. Watching the last page of Name Of The Wind blink offscreen, I knew it was going to be another five years before I found one of those Utterly Captivating Reads.

Now, that’s not to say there haven’t been other great books. Other five-star books. George RR Martin has written a few. So has Lois McMaster Bujold. Five-star books, through and through–books that I’ve read more than once out of a desire to travel into them again.

But there are just some books that make five stars look like the sky on a cloudy night and beg for a constellation. Those are the Utterly Great Reads, the ones whose stories feel more real than the stories you know other people think are real.

I wasn’t expecting another Utterly Great Read for three more years. I wasn’t due for one, you see.

I certainly wasn’t expecting it to be independently published, released in near secret and available on Kindle for less than the price of my usual Vente Breve Chai Latte at Starbucks. Seriously. This thing was three dollars. I swear to you I want to send twenty bucks and a bottle of Macallan to the guy who wrote it. It’s that good. This is a book that should be in leather-bound hardback, smythe-sewn, gold tooling, deckle-edged paper. It’s a book that costs less than a large bag of cheetos, for crying out loud!

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 2 out of 5]

The supremely epic tale of the biggest Gary Stu in the entire world, filled with grammatical and punctuation errors.

Fantasy and high fantasy is notorious for Gary Stus, we know that. Prime example: Harry Potter. Another example, the main character in one of my favorite HF of all time, Jorg Ancrath, by the awesome Marc Lawrence. As these examples have shown, Gary Stus are not awful. They can be amazing, the book can be immensely enjoyable.

This book is not one of them.

There is a way to write a Gary Stu so that a book is believable, readable. You give him a darkness. You make him flawed. You give him characteristics that are not normally enjoyed or admired. You fucking MAKE it so that we love him, despite everything he does. That's how you write good character.

It is not in writing a character who is so bloody fucking perfect that he can defeat a group of men and giant dogs and shit at the age of, like...12. It is not in making him so bloody fucking awesome that he speaks with the wisdom of a 50 year old at the grand old, ripe age of 13. It is not in giving him so much fucking nobility that it would put the current Pope, Mother Theresa, Gandhi, and Tom Hiddleston to shame.

This book is like Harry Potter in that we watch the main character grow, day by day by day by slow, slow, excruciating day from the time he is a young (but startlingly brilliant, introspective, and mature) child. They are also roughly the same age.

9,845,412 or so pages later (when we're halfway through the book), the character is 15 and so noble it makes me throw up a little in my mouth.

He has no faults.

He succeeds in every fucking thing.

He impresses all his masters.

He excels at almost all feats. And in those in which he does not have a natural technical skill, he is merely "great." He pushes through all difficulties. He succeeds brilliantly at all his tests, all his challenges.

He is the son of a brilliant, beloved battle lord. Before he is even 13, the main character's reputation for battle-hardiness and skill is known and whispered about throughout the land.

Females fall for him, right and left, before his balls have even dropped and his voice has cracked.

Gary-Stu-ism aside, I'm not sure if I have an older version of the book or what, but it is so filled with errors that the grammar Nazi inside me was yelling "NEIN, NEIN!!!!!"

Commas. They're amazing. They're awesome. Use them. This book has the worst usage of commas I've ever encountered in any book. And I've read a shit ton of books in my life. Yes brother. No brother. Wait sister. That's just the examples I can think of off the top of my head. Atrocious. Absolutely fucking atrocious. You don't have to use commas. Use a period. I love periods. Ok, not THOSE periods, but you know what I mean. Whatever, just give me room to breathe within a sentence. Give me room to pause. It totally takes away the drama in a statement when the character speaks a paragraph without pause.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Commas matter. They are important if someone, say, an author, wishes to convey a particular meaning or concept or image through the words they use in the books they want to sell. They are important for timing, and sentence structure, and plain ol' literacy. Plus, they make me feel good, like I'm reading something worth my time, rather than some 6th grade creative writing exercise.

There's a big difference between "Let's eat, Grandpa!" and "Let's eat Grandpa!"

Also this:



"His father didn't reply. Walking over to the bell, he took his dagger from his belt and struck it with the pommel."
He struck his belt with the pommel? Or his dagger? Oh, the bell? I'm confused.

"We storm castle walls braving arrows and fire."
Those walls are so brave!

I have been known to forgive editing errors in favor of a good story. And by all accounts, this is supposed to be a great story. But it's ruined for me now. There's no way that I can continue to read this and NOT look for errors, and the more errors I find, the more annoyed I'm going to be, so the end result would be the same: a 1 star review, regardless of how great the story may be otherwise. The only difference is that I'd have invested a great deal more of my time, and would have been all the more pissed off because of it.

It's not often that I abandon a book this early. But in barely 4% of the text, I noted at least 50 errors. Most, but not all, were missing or incorrectly used commas or semicolons, with a smattering of poor formatting and sentence structure issues thrown in for good measure. That's just way, way too many for me to ignore.

And, to be perfectly honest, it taints the rest of the book. For example:
"Honoured Sir." Aruan greeted me with a short bow.
"Honoured Sir," I replied formally.

This little exchange is problematic for me, and given the iffy history of correct comma usage in this story, I have no way of knowing whether "Honoured Sir" is intended as an honorific or status title, or if they are each stating the they are honored to meet the other, as in "Honoured, Sir." And the context doesn't help to figure it out. Both can be seen as equally formal greetings.

This is a comma conundrum, caused by poor punctuation and/or editing, and it makes me over-analyze every line, which is quite irritating.

But if you want to know the straw that broke the camel's back, the one line that was just more than I could stand, and which shut this shit down, it's this one:
"Sollis's cane snapped the air above his head."

Whips snap (or crack) in the air. Canes whistle THROUGH the air.
*sigh*

I'm sure I'm probably going to get a ton of shit for this review, but I don't particularly care. I have standards, and this book didn't come anywhere close to meeting them, so I'm not going to waste my time on it anymore. Proper editing isn't optional.

[Emily May]

I'm going to put this on hold at 25%.

Maybe I'll come back to it at a time when I can understand the 4.51 average rating. You know - a tiny 1% of those who read this book rated it 2 stars or less. Only 7% rated it 3 stars or less. As you're probably realizing, that means 93% either "really liked it" or thought "it was amazing". I can only conclude that my brain has been hijacked by something that doesn't appreciate amazing things.

But let me at least try to explain myself.

I'm not a big fan of romance. WAIT - WHAT?! That's not relevant! No, please, I have a point, I swear! I mentioned this in one of my youtube videos, but I don't like most romance books because they're so predictable. I mean, you know what's going to happen, don't you? You're in the romance section! That's a spoiler in itself. Psst, they're going to get together!

Well, Blood Song is about a guy called Vaelin Al Sorna. And Al Sorna can't do anything wrong. He excels at everything he does and comes out on top in every situation. He's smart, strong, resilient, brave, self-sacrificing, a hit with the ladies and he never fails. This guy sweats faultlessness from the age of 12.

So, like, I feel I already know what's going to happen with this guy. He's too perfect, too dull, to really make me concerned about what will happen to him. It's true, it's early days. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Al Sorna will face some realistic challenges and actually experience - *gasp* - failure.

But, for now, I'm a little tired of reading about the sunshine beaming out of Al Sorna's amazing ass.

[Matt's Fantasy Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watch my video review by clicking here.

Probably the best entry into a fantasy series I have ever read - simply phenomenal!

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like your fantasy Rothfuss or Sanderson-style this is a great book for you. It's a meaty epic fantasy with a really strong main character. I was sucked in and definitely want to read the next one!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony Ryan is a new fantasy author destined to make his mark on the genre. His debut novel, Blood Song, certainly has it all: great coming of age tale, compelling character, and a fast-paced plot. If his first book is any indication of things to come, then all fantasy readers should rejoice as a new master storyteller has hit the scene.

Update: I just received an ARC of Anthony's third book in this series. So I just finished a re-read of this.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic. Although, I worry about the rest of the trilogy as they don't have as good of reviews. I will check them later!

Mel 🖤🐾🐺

[Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ · Rating 4 out of 5]

2/7/18 - ON SALE for $2.99:



http://amzn.to/2xO5E0n

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

Sooooo . . . if you haven't already noticed, I've been on something of a fantasy kick of late. It's been years since I've gotten back to my roots, so now I'm playing catch-up. Anthony Ryan has been on my TBR for even longer than I'd realized . . . I have a problem . . . It's called "one-clicking." You may have a similar problem . . . *snickers*

Apparently I one-clicked BLOOD SONG before it got snapped up by Ace, b/c, yes, this is one of those remarkable independently published books that gathered so much public interest by virtue of its own merit that it got purchased by one of the Big Five. *high fives Ryan*

Anyway, the point is that despite a handful of grammatical errors in my own unedited version of the book, it was fantastic.

The story begins as a historian of an empire is taking custody of an enemy nation's war champion . . . A war champion who had been imprisoned for years . . . A war champion who was being paroled to fight to the death for the release of a woman from the enemy nation . . . A woman who the war champion had widowed himself by killing the heir of the emperor . . . a man who was the historian's best friend . . .

Awkward.

But as much as Historian despises this man, this Hope Killer, he cannot help but be intrigued by him.

He watches as the governor of the very city War Champion seized during the war comes the dock, bringing War Champion his sword that had been given into Governor's care. He watches as Governor tries to encourage War Champion about his upcoming (doomed to fail) duel: maybe he'll win, maybe this is the first step in his journey home . . .

Who is this War Champion that he should win the respect and friendship of a man whose city he took by force?

Vaelin Al Sorna, that's who.

And Historian, being a chronicler of history, finds that he cannot resist the urge to record a firsthand account of the war and the events leading up to the invasion from one who would know the enemy's---King Janus of the Unified Realm---mind, when War Champion offers to tell his story during their voyage (to the PIRATE NATION where the duel is to take place).

From there we go backward.

We learn of Vaelin's childhood, how his father left him at the gates of the Sixth Order, the only Order of warriors, and thus the only trained fighters who are not subject to the King's commands:

"You fight," Vaelin told the Aspect, the violence and the blood making his heart hammer in his chest.
"Yes." The Aspect halted and looked down at him. "We fight. We kill. We storm castle walls braving arrows and fire. We stand against the charge of horse and lance. We cut our way through the hedge of pike and spear to claim the standard of our enemy. The Sixth Order fights, but what does it fight for?"
"For the realm."

For the realm, and for the Faith. The Sixth Order is a highly trained, highly efficient, and highly deadly group of paladins (<------warrior priests).

We learn of the bonds of brotherhood forged during their rigorous, often deadly training. Of the eleven boys who share quarters, only five live to become Brothers, Vaelin their acknowledged leader.

We learn of the Dark, a nebulous force that manifests itself in unnatural abilities and talents, and we learn of the king of a nation hellbent on legislating morality with an iron fist.

BLOOD SONG is a tale filled with suffering and injustice, but it's also a tale of friendship and loyalty and perseverance, and woven throughout are hints of a Darkness gathering, while flaws in the Realm's belief system are slowly but steadily revealed.

In short, it's compelling. Sometimes bleak, sometimes hopeful, always determined, BLOOD SONG grabbed me by the horns and didn't let go until this chapter of the story was complete, and even then it was only for as long as it took me to one-click the next book. Highly recommended.



My other reviews for this series:

Tower Lord (Raven's Shadow, #2) by Anthony Ryan

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trilogy Review: I thoroughly enjoyed the Raven’s Shadow Trilogy, especially the first book, Blood Song. It was easily a 5 star read and one of the best fantasies I’ve read since Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives. It focused on one character – Vaelin, and his coming of age story. Taking place in a school (one of my favorite settings) it offered a combative learning environment that honestly reminded me of Harry Potter adventures meets the medieval, gritty reality of Game of Thrones. The camaraderie that Vaelin formed with his fellow “brothers” was an excellent dynamic, one I wish had carried through the rest of the trilogy.

After finishing the first book (and fangirling about it for a few days) I quickly became aware that people weren’t loving the second and third books nearly as much. I have a few theories as to why. The sequels are very different from the first one. What an author puts forth in initially is usually a promise to the reader of what’s to come and readers expect at least a bit of consistency of storytelling (which Ryan failed to deliver because his tale took off in a completely different direction).

His story also went from a single point of view to multiple, bouncing around in a very Game of Thrones manner. I actually liked the different perspectives, each one adding a missing piece to the puzzle and written as well as Vaelin. Ironically, though, the passages involving Vaelin, the initial hero of the saga, became the least interesting… odd, right? The overall story arc remained the same, but everything built up in the first book got swept under the rug in favor of these other storylines.

While I understand how this could lead to a lot of disappointment, I admit I enjoyed Tower Lord (book 2) almost as much as the first book. Heck, I even liked about 80% of Queen of Fire (book 3) save one chunk near the end where I was incredibly bored and found it difficult to get through… once I did though, I liked the ending.

Overall, even though my personal experience with the series differs from the majority, I still think the consensus is that Blood Song is worth reading even if you don’t plan to continue on.

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.nikihawkes.com

[Petros Triantafyllou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Song is, perhaps, the greatest self-published story i have read in the past five years.

To begin with, it features one of my two favorite fantasy schemes. A young protagonist apprentices himself to a magic military/faith monastery, and proceeds to become the greatest mage fighter the world has ever seen. But the general plot arc isn't the reason of this success. Everything else is.

Anthony's debut is an addictive page-turner with compelling writing, interesting plots and sub-plots, masterfully crafted dialogues and wonderfully built atmosphere, forcing you not to come up for breath until you reach the epilogue. Anthony Ryan rides a thin line between prose and poetry, and does so, successfully as well.

"Honour is just a word. You can’t eat it or drink it and yet everywhere I go men talk of it endlessly, and they all tell a different tale of what it actually means. For the Alpirans it’s all about duty, the Renfaelins think it’s the same as courage. In these islands it appears it means killing a son for a crime committed by his father then slaughtering a helpless man when the pantomime fails to go to plan."

Blood Song starts with a blank slate. Every turn the plot takes is full of thrilling surprises, building a lot of tension and anticipation for the finale, and although we already know Vaelin survived the ordeals and trials that got in his way, we have no idea how the story is going to end. The characters are compelling, and the magic system is kept simple and easy to understand. The real gem of this story though is the pace. Fast at the beginning, steady at the core of the story, and slowly reversed at the epilogue.

All in all, Blood Song is the perfect combination of an amazing plot, a perfectly built world, and a compelling storytelling from a great author.If you have yet to read it, a trip to the local bookstore is what you have to make.

You can find more of my reviews over at http://BookNest.eu/

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally! A book that lives up to the hype. Blood Song is the best debut epic fantasy I've read since The Name of the Wind was published in 2007.

It had everything one could want in a book. Action, mystery, romance, intrigue, and plenty of surprises. The world building was good, the plot complex, and the various characters were full of depth and personality.

This was a thoroughly exciting and enjoyable read. Anthony Ryan might just be making a case to join my quartet of all time fantasy favorites. High praise considering that list is Martin, Rothfuss, Lynch, and Sanderson.

Rating:5 stars!

Audio Note: Steven Brand was an adequate narrator. Competent but nothing special.

Re-read 1/7/15 - Almost as good the second time around!

[Mayim de Vries · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The song is me, my blood, my need, my hunt.”

A special school for wizards assassins. Haven't had those for a while. If done well (and it can be done badly), it is one of the safest tropes in fantasy. It usually combines a coming of age story with the brothers-in-wands arms ambiance and a quest for saving the world. And indeed the Blood Song seeped into my veins with this heady mixture of ingredients like the best of drugs. I read it with an increasing exhilaration and overwhelming sensation of being overindulged with all the fantasy guilty pleasures. But with the last page, when the drug wore off, I was left with the lingering side effects.

A young boy, Vaelin al Sorna is given away by his own father to the Sixth Order, a place of lessons in death and an austere life of a defender of the Faith and Realm. His life is blood, sweat and tears but then his blood starts to sing and since the Faith is tied very closely with the Realm and the Crown, as Vaelin grows in his vocation as a warrior and therefore a practitioner of death in its many forms, he is also caught in the of current of power flowing through the fiefs of the Unified Realm. We learn the story of Vaelin’s life as he narrates it to one Lord Verniers Alishe Someren, a historian of a nation for whom al Sorna is the ultimate villain – although as we read, we realise that sometimes the chronicler learns the true version and sometimes Vaelin omits crucial details that are somehow known only to the reader. In this regard Terence makes an interesting point how this format sucks the mystery and curiosity out of things when we know that somewhere in the future the main character is fine and doing well enough they can recount their massive tale in some fashion (right, Kvothe?).

I could raise some points about the writing (or editing, especially when it comes to interpunction – this made my blood boil a couple of times) but overall the setting, characterisation of the protagonists and the dialogues are done superbly. The whole host of aspects, brothers and sisters in the Faith, the nobles, the soldiers, the people both from highest and lowest echelons of the society, connections and interactions between them, that was a sheer pleasure to read. The camaraderie is great. I am positively in love with Nortah He's been my favourite brother, even more likable and tragic than Vaelin. His issues go far beyond the very mundane “daddy didn't love me” trope. How hard it must have been for him to be sent away from home to dwell among people he has no reason to love or respect, only to lose his father to political machinations. but Dentos and his many uncles, steadfast Barkus and pensive Caenis also won me over. There is also a romantic plot but it doesn’t dominate the design. The King (”it takes more than goodness to make a king”) is wonderfully Machiavellian while princess Lyrna (my favourite female protagonist) is as cold and untrustworthy as her father but also intuitive, beautiful and intelligent (”My only weapons are my wits, my face and the promise of power that lies in my womb.”) even though her sire is not entirely happy with this state of affairs (“What a burden to have an intelligent daughter. It goes against nature for wit to be bound in so much beauty.”).

Conversations in this book are smart and double-edged, their edges sharp and honed as the best swords and equally dangerous. Verbal feints and parries are as excellent as those described during martial battles.

At this point you are probably wondering wherein lies the problem with this novel. The problem is two-fold; it concerns worldbuilding and the character development.

Obviously, religion is a huge factor in this world and it upsets me how little I know about it, even though it seems to be central to the whole socio-political system. This is one thing lamely done. It wouldn't have possibly bothered me had I not read the Paladin of Souls right before this novel. Mind you, Bujold “didn't get a Hugo for nothing”. Her world, world of the five gods, is also decisively religious with several aspects of life dictated by theology and the political intrigue determined along the sectarian lines and clashes. But there everything is explained: who believes in what and why it is the case. In what way the Quintarian religion differs from the Quadrene doctrine and why. What are the theological transgressions and their ramifications. Mr Ryan, to the contrary, presents a land where faith is crucial but never bothers to go into details.

Honestly, the whole spiritual landscape can be summed up with a one-liner! I have only the vaguest notion of the precepts of the Faith, a somewhat more detailed picture of the clerical order (but not really), almost no history and no idea what is the sectarian strife all about. We are expected to take everything in blind faith (pun intended). All right, we know there are the Deniers, but what do they deny exactly and why? We know some people belong to “some minor sect” (which implies there are many), “possibly Ascendant, whatever that is” but we were never told what kind of creed it is and why is it blasphemous. We know that in one of the fiefs the religion is slightly different and allowed for quiet practice but not for proselytism but the differences are not explained properly, rather scattered in crumbs along the way that you need to piece together (the sloppy worldbuilding forced me to check the Raven’s Shadow Wiki more than once e.g. to sort out the orders and double-check other details). If you add to all of this the fact that the main protagonist is supposed to be a devout religious figure, the whole thing transforms into a grotesque. While Vaelin learns to fight and kill during his years in the order, his religious education seems to be terribly neglected. In fact, it is mentioned only once and in quite an ornamental fashion. Similar arguments have been raised against the Red Sister (although the ever wise Athena will explain this much better ) and I had a displeasure to experience similar issues when reading Grave Mercy.

This is an appalling lack of worldbuilding and I cannot stop myself from poking into the holes. I have written it before: When you write a fantasy about the fey you research them so that you do not mistake the fey with the elves. You write about wizard wars, you develop your magic system with a painstaking detail. You go for the Arabian night styled story, again you do your research. Religion? Do your theology homework. Otherwise, the book does not make sense. It’s like somebody tried to write about the Thirty Years' War without bothering to explain what is so bloody different between the Catholics and the Protestants that makes them kill each other for it (on the side note: read The Myth of Religious Violence: Secular Ideology and the Roots of Modern Conflict if you want to know).

This is all connected with how effortlessly Vaelin carries on his own greatness and legend. For many pages, I have been resisting the garystuness conclusion because, especially at the beginning, the Author at least attempts to show that the boy is not a Sèvres model of perfection (to explain, you might not know that in the modest city of Sèvres the International Bureau of Weights and Measures is located, and it is where they keep the ideal model of the kilogram and the meter) e.g. by making him average in some disciplines or by showing how fake his legend is. Unfortunately, the end of the book left me with my internal special snowflake detector howling with rage and disappointment. Particularly that sometimes Vaelin sounds like a coaching guru (“an axe without a blade is just a stick”) and shines with the unexacting ability to dwarf everyone around him in all things. Additionally, there is the factor of doubts or crises embedded in the internal tensions every good character should experience (or rather lack of thereof in this case). I guess we were all waiting for the “I'm not your sister moment”, but aside of all other things, this one I found the most implausible. A young, healthy male cannot be living like a mediaeval hermit monk (and even they were tempted if you read the accounts of The Desert Fathers!), without even a shred of doubt or breaking the tiniest sweat of internal wrestling unless they are a religious fanatic. But how can Vaelin be a religious fanatic when he devoted his whole life to killing religious fanatics who, in this book, are always a combination of pathology, evil and madness. Interesting no?

And yet, this very simple reasoning does not have place in the novel nor are its ramifications considered. There are no spiritual struggles, two single moments of reflection whether or not Vaelin is a murderer, no reckoning with the past even though the initial “daddy issues” prove to be unfounded and since the father dies I reckon this chapter is closed and an unwavering trust which I find inexplicable.

With such feeble foundations, the ending was, unfortunately, the weakest part of the book. I have questions, more questions and seemingly, no answers: are all the dead souls bad? if not all are bad then do all have to fall prey to this evil entity? if the evil entity can take everyone with near-death experience, then why bother with the poor brother Barkus? why is he supposed to be the One not any other person? why did the evil entity try to kill Vaelin even when he was so young and untrained? why didn't Barkus do it later especially that their years spent in the state on near constant warfare must have given him plenty of opportunities? why is the evil One main aim to destroy the order (I understand it has been said that without the Order the Faith and the Realm will fall, but you need to admit that both the religion and the state must be particularly weak if that is the case; also the reason why the evil should aim at the least spiritual of the orders baffles me) and the whole silly prophecy business . I could go on longer.

Perhaps all my questions will be answered in the Tower Lord (I have been promised they will), however at this point I am not left with a feeling “OK, let us wait what transpires”, but with an “it doesn't add up” one. I like books that are written for intelligent readers, not for the patient ones (although it is not mutually exclusive of course). However, as I finished the Garden of the Moons, I keep finding that my expectations have been elevated to altogether different level. Nobody can say that GotM was nothing else but a dense teaser. And yet, even though I finished the last page of the Malazan opening starved for answers, it was not with the same impression of something wanting as it was in this case. And this surely affects my rating.

Is the book good? Yes. Is it great? Not really. Solid but not sound. Should you read it? Absolutely. Will you like it? Blood will tell. Or sing.

Also in the series:

2. Tower Lord ★★☆☆☆
3. Queen of Fire ★☆☆☆☆

[James Tivendale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reviewing arcs and judging for The Self Published Fantasy Blog Off recently which has taken up most of my time, so it was nice to just be able to choose a book that I owned that I just really wanted to read. I'll keep this review short and casual as there are many fine examples on Goodreads already. This book had everything that I look for in a fantasy story. It includes an intriguing and powerful lead character who we follow from youth for at least a decade. The world is well-crafted and unique with a good amount of history. I fell into this world and the different mythologies and didn't want to leave. It starts off in an educational environment a la The Name of The Wind or The Wizard of Earthsea but instead of being taught magic these members of The Sixth Order are taught the way of the warrior. They take numerous tests to prepare them for war and life as a weapon for the empire. It took me a little while to get into the side and supporting characters but they gel really well with the protagonist Vaelin after a few chapters. The cast list is quite sizable but this tale doesn't include 'bit-part' players. Everyone seems crafted finely and fleshed out. There are twists, betrayals, thrilling moments, times when they author seemingly leads us down one narrative avenue to blindside us, backtrack and take us in completely unexpected directions. There was so much here for me to love. It's one of the finest fantasy debuts I've ever read. I've heard mixed views about the rest of this series but I think I'll read the Tower Lord and then decide whether or not to complete the trilogy. As a standalone though, this is brilliant.

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sale Alert 9/30/17: On Amazon for $2.99

Re-read before Queen of Fire is released.

Original Review September 2014

4.5 Stars

This Series is so hard to review...So Many Great Things Happened....Just Read It.


Bloodsong is the journey of a boy into becoming a man with enough power to change the world. The majority of this books focuses on the bond built between brothers, bonds that can’t be broken no matter what you have done. It is hard to capture Bloodsong accurately in a review because it has a fully built world, characters and plot. Small mysteries and journeys lead to larger ones. The choices that Vaelin makes throughout his life are not all correct. He makes mistakes and sacrifices along the way and there were enough twists and turns that I was kept guessing the entire book.

Vaelin is the son of a famous Warrior and healer. After the death of his mother Vaelin is taken to train with the Order where he gives up all ties to his family and land to become a brother of the 6th order and protector of the faith.

The Aspect’s gaze was impassive but Vaelin knew he could read every thought in his boy’s head. He wondered later how many boys, dragged or tricked there by treacherous fathers, did run away, and if so, if they ever regretted it. Loyalty is our strength. “I wish to come in, please,” he told the Aspect. There were tears in his eyes but he blinked them away. “I wish to learn many things.”

Vaelin’s journey in the order is a difficult one they are training warriors and he is an apt pupil, living through all the trails along the way.


Never once did I question the man that Vaelin grew up to be because I journeyed through those years with him when he built bonds with his brothers in the Order and learned that the reasons he was brought to them might not be everything he thought they were. As every new layer is peeled away we see that maybe there is something dark lurking and waiting in the shadows as Vaelin has a destiny and there are some that do not want to see him make his way to it.

Beral Shak Ur…”why do you call me that? I have a name of my own.”
“Men such as yourself tend to collect names like trophies. Not all the names you’ll earn will be so kind.”


There are so many things I liked about this story.

First, it is told from the Present looking back on the past for most of it and as Vaelin tells his story you can’t wait to find out what happened to put him in the position he is in in the present. The narration escalated the intrigue over certain events by knowing the part of the end result.

Second the world building is completely full and well-rounded with lands, religions, politics and so many meshed up cultures that it is hard not to get too caught up in all the details of it. The extra stories and lore all fit in and weave together so well.

Third, there is a slight magic in tale, but I never found it overdone. There is a gradual realization of it instead of an abrupt “you have power and will rule the world muh-HA-Ha-ha-hA”. I really liked the hint of magic in the land and the promise of finding out more in later books.

Finally, I loved the relationships that Vaelin had with those around him. The bonds between the brothers, the girl he loved and the very dangerous game he played with the King made him an extraordinarily easy character to like. He was never pompous or overconfident but made his choices and went on with them.

I grew to really care for the characters in this world. Some of the scenes of war are a little horrific, but I think they should be. The story was complex, interesting and had enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. I strongly recommend this to any Fantasy lover.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, "first off" I know some don't care for long reviews and sort of skip through just interested in the "bottom line" so to speak. I have a few things to say, but for you who want things boiled down to the basics...in my opinion, that's "In My Opinion" this is an excellent, even an exceptional book. I have moved it directly on to my favorites shelf. The only negative I have here is that the next volume isn't due out till July 2014. God willing and I'm still alive, healthy and solvent I plan to snap it up as soon as it's out. (Also God willing my dwindling time lasts through the entirety of this series).

Clear? This seems to me a great book. That paragraph should help at least two groups of people. First those who find that more often than not they agree with my taste in books, second those who find that, "more often than not" they "disagree" with my taste in books.

Now, for everybody else who'd like me to say a little about the book, here we go.

"Usually" a sure way to cause me to steer clear of a book is to call it a, "coming of age story". "Usually" these turn out to be emotionally soaked tomes of the struggles a youth has as he/she/it struggles into adulthood with it's pain and of course it's loves.

But now and then there is a different take on any "type" of book. This one is definitely a "coming of age story".

The book opens with a historian, scribe recording the story of The Hope Killer. The Hope was the heir to the Emperor's throne and the people loved him. He was slain by the North-man they call Hope Slayer, among other names. As The Hope Slayer begins to relate his story to our historian, we get the events told in flashback.

I'm sure some will compare this to Rothfuss' King Killer Chronicle because it's told in the, "present vs. past" style of story telling. If I compared them I'd say then that this is what that series should be.

Vaelin Al Sorna's mother has been dead for a while and life with his father, the King's Battle Lord hasn't been easy. Really it's just been, distant as he doesn't really know his father. Then one day his father has him pack a very little and takes him to a strange place, a barred guarded gate.

Vaelin has been, "given to" the Sixth Order", soldiers who are defenders of, "The Faith".

We will follow Vaelin Al Sorna and his Brothers as they grow in the Order. They will receive not so gentle training and become full Brothers of the Order or fail and be turned out with some coin or die in one of the tests.

I won't even try for a synopsis as this is a long and nicely involved book and it's only flaw is that it ends. It's a long book yes, but I remained involved throughout. I took my time and savored this book and it's story.

I repeat, I don't think I can recommend this one too highly.

By the way, yes the book revolves a great deal around the "fantasy religions" of this world. None really resemble in detail Christianity, Shintoism etc. There are some aspects of these and other actual religions but none I think should offend anyone. I note this as I am a Christian and so are some of my friends here. I didn't find myself offended or subverted into some other form of belief and I don't think anyone else will be.

So, back to the topic at hand I think this book will be one I'll try to reread before the next volume comes out.

Of course now I'm having trouble finding a book to read as I liked this one so much...but there you go.

A High 5 Stars and my highest recommendation. Enjoy.

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4.25 ***

A Buddy read with the Fantasy Buddy Reads Group, where Fantasy Rules!!!

"... “Knowledge is what shapes us, little brothers,” he told them, for once his smile was absent, his tone entirely serious. “It makes us who we are. What we know informs everything we do and every decision we make.” ..."

The young man who was Vaelin Al Sorna, entered the Sixth Order when he was eleven years old and by the time he was in his early twenties he was known by many names, Darkblade, The Young Hawk, the Shadow of the Raven, and Hope Killer just some of them, with the last the one which defines him in the Empire the most. The son of a Battle-Lord of wide renown, he has a difficult time understanding why his newly widowed father would give him to the fighting religious order, where you are supposed to forget all outside ties to family and friends and live only for your Order and the Faith. He had not yet grieved for the loss of his loving, war-hating mother, when he has to cut his ties with his father and all he has known up to now. The Order puts its members through teaching, training and trials, turning out some harsh, strong and formidable individuals who once become full flagged members, are expected to obey the Aspect = Leader of the Order and the party line with no questions asked.

"... “Choice is a lie. The greatest of lies.” ..."

So, the story is told by a historian of the Empire, who has custody of our young warrior after he has been imprisoned for five years. He ask questions and Vaelin tells him the story the way he wants, but we get to know the true action as it really developed from Vaelin's memories... There are discrepancies between both, since some of the things he doesn't want anyone else to know, thus he doesn't tell them to the historian. To a degree, this takes away some of the worry for the main character, since we know he is telling the story, but that is all we know and we are also aware, that in the moment he is telling his tale, he is in active danger. Trust me, there is plenty to keep you on your toes.

"... “I knew a man once,” Al Sorna continued, “who loved a woman very much. But he had a duty to perform, a duty he knew would cost him his life, and hers too if she stayed with him. And so he tricked her and had her taken far away. Sometimes that man tries to cast his thoughts across the ocean, to see if the love they shared has turned to hate, but he finds only distant echoes of her fierce compassion, a life saved here, a kindness done there, like smoke trailing after a blazing torch. And so he wonders, does she hate me? For she has much to forgive, and between lovers,” his gaze switched from her to me, “betrayal is always the worst sin.” ..."

This is a story of growth, betrayal, Faith, disillusionment, love, and even more so, understanding of what life is and how cheep or dear it could be... Our hero goes through all the growing pains a young person does, only we see it and we feel for him, because as jaded and imperfect as he turns out to be, there is a core of honor and good will which is strong inside of him, an idealism which is just looking for a reason to awake again and fight for a better world. And in the ugliness of the world he is subjected to, I am amazed he still finds a way to not lose himself among the scum of the Earth...

"... “Time is as much a delusion as your faith, brother. To look into the void is to see the vastness and smallness of everything at once, in an instant of terror and wonder.” ..."

For it to be a good character-driven book, we need a good supporting cast and boy do we get it! From his brothers in the Order, to the healer sisters, from the lowest of the low, to the royal family, which is not necessarily a big jump if you ask me. Frentis happens to be my favorite and I hope I see much more of him, together with Scratch and Spit:) What can I say, I love animals:):):) Overall, I think if you like a Fantasy-Adventure with some possible paranormal powers and royal and religious intrigue, this is a very good book for you! I know I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

"... “It is the lessons we learn that change us from boys to men.” ..."

Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you Need in the pages of a Good Book!

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once in a while a book comes out of nowhere and blows me away; last year it was the indie sf Dancing with Eternity, this year it's Blood Song, a traditional fantasy in many ways but with a narrative pull that is just unbelievable - last time I read a fantasy debut with this pull, it was in 2007 when Name of the Wind appeared and while there are notable differences in content, with this one much more traditional than Rothfuss' series, there are a few similarities there too - while getting a lot of other things right from tone, to structure, to general world building that has both space and extendability so you do not feel the usual "sandbox, everything local is known" common to many secondary world fantasies today.

I plan a full review for next week and I am rereading the book also as I want to stay in its universe more, while quite a few early details are better appreciated on a second or later reading.

I will only note that while starting as an indie novel/series, Raven's Shadow has been bought by Penguin Books (Ace/Roc) and will be published in print too starting next year most likely with Blood Song, and the author is working hard at the sequel (Tower Lord) which may or may not see an indie publication or just be first published by Penguin.

Blood Song ends at a good point and at the equivalent of ~600 pages offers a complete reading experience, so even if Tower Lord does not come out until say 2014 assuming the usual traditional publishing time frames, get it now and read it, whether you are a series completist or someone like myself who loves open series...


Full FBC Review (with Mihir) at the link below:

http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com...

[Armina · Rating 5 out of 5]

First re-read finished. Rating stays the same.

Buddy re-read/read with a bunch of lovely friends at Sanctum of Fantasy group before book #3 comes out in the beginning of July. Want to join? :) We're starting on Monday, June 15th.


Original Review, 31 August, 2014

I'm surprised this is a debut novel. Believe the hype! Oh yes, the book has its flaws but I can't quite put my finger on them and they are certainly not enough to even make me knock off a half star down to 4.5 for the rating. It's full 5! What makes the book unputdownable is the scale and the intensity of the story. More Vaelin Al Sorna, please! Up to book #2. Full review to come eventually.

[John Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Found myself sneaking off to read more whenever possible, annoyed when life got in the way of my reading time. A serious page turner. Everything just clicked for me - plot, character, pace. Can't wait for the next one.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 3 out of 5]

💀 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 didn'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.

[David Sven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, without a doubt, my favourite book of the year so far. This is High Fantasy that is contemporary while still hitting a sweet spot for me with the mix of magic and battle.



The story was engaging, the plot was well paced, the protagonist was flawed but likeable, the prose was polished. I can't believe this a debut novel. I don't place too much faith in goodreads rating system, but when we are approaching 15000 ratings with an average of 4.56 as of today - that says something about the quality of this book.



“I’ll fight but I won’t murder. His boyhood resolve coming back to him, the promise he had made to himself after saving them in the wild. I’ll kill men who face me in battle but I won’t take the sword to innocents. It felt so hollow now, so naïve.”


Many before me have commented on how this book has some striking, (though arguably superficial), similarities to The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (review) - so I think I can best talk about this book by contrasting the two. If you haven't read The Name of the Wind don't fret - even having read that book I couldn't tell you what it was about in less than three days anyway.

Similarities

1. Both stories written from a single POV.

2. Both stories employ a framing device whereby a Chronicler writes down the life story as recounted to them by the hero.

3. Both stories are about the coming of age and rise to badassdom of a legend.

Differences

1. Kvothe's story in NotW is told in the first person while Vaelin's story (our protagonist) is told in the third person

2. In Blood Song the framing device is done setting up in the Prologue and we are straight into the main story in Chapter one. In The Name of the Wind, the Chronicler takes a veeeery long time to even show up to begin Kvothe's story.

3. In Blood Song, it seems clear that the framing device will end with this book as the events catch up to Vaelin's time with the Chronicler - while in The Name of the Wind the framing device continues into book two and seems will continue into book 3.

4. This book, Vaelin arrives at the religious order where he begins his warrior/martial training by Chapter One. Kvothe arrives at the university to learn magic after a loooong looong time.

5. Kvothe in The Name of the Wind is/becomes the best at most everything he puts his hand to. This book, Vaelin becomes the best swordsman in the order. He is not the best at other things



“Vaelin knew himself to be the best swordsman among them. Dentos was master of the bow, Barkus unarmed combat, Nortah the finest rider and Caenis knew the wild like a wolf, but the sword was his.”


As I said, the similarities are superficial, making the differences more obvious. The other difference is that The Name of the Wind is to my mind superior storytelling as compared to Blood Song which I feel is a better story. The Name of the Wind has superior immersion, as compared to Blood Song which has an actual plot and a perfectly paced one for my liking.

So which of the two books do I prefer? For me The Name of the Wind still edges this one out because I could sit and listen to that all day long and when I'm finished I could start over right away - while with this book, though the story is better, and I'm going straight onto the second book in the series, now I've read and know the story, I don't feel a pressing need to read it again - that will undoubtedly change when the final book comes out.

For those who were unimpressed with The Name of the Wind, for those who despised the all too perfect Kvothe, Blood Song is most definitely the book for you. This book is everything you wished NotW to be but wasn't. All the complaints you made about Kvothe are addressed in Vaelin. Kvothe is a Clayton's Vaelin - or rather, Vaelin is a better Kvothe.


The audio narration by Steven Brand was very good, though his quiet spoken voice was difficult to hear if there was any background noise.

I loved this story from start to finish and was loathe to hit the pause button on the Audible app when inconvenient interruptions arose - like sleep and going to the toilet. This one gets an easy...


5 stars

[Overhaul · Rating 4 out of 5]

"La elección es una mentira. La mayor de las mentiras. Dales a las personas la mentira correcta y la creerán"


¿Por qué este libro se merece las 4 estrellas? La respuesta es simple sería porque este es un libro que tiene todo lo que adoro en la fantasía épica. Lo importante de este libro es el "cómo". Pues su autor dibujó todas y cada una de las líneas, las sombras y luces correctas para ser casi, casi, un libro de 10.

"La Sombra del Cuervo" o "Asesino de la Esperanza" son algunos de los apodos o títulos con los que cuenta nuestro protagonista. No es exagerado decir que Vaelin obtuvo a través del acero, la muerte y la sangre muchos nombres a lo largo de su vida. Una sea dicho, bastante trepidante y oscura.

Está contado en un parecido estilo narrativo que "El Nombre del Viento", me recordó en esto a ese libro. La trama gira en torno a cómo Vaelin recibió todos estos títulos. Nos irá contarando la historia de su vida, una historia que comenzó cuando su padre lo dejó en la puerta de hierro de la Sexta Orden, para que se convirtiera en un guerrero.

Me parece increíble cómo Anthony Ryan tejió esta historia paso a paso. Absorto en este libro de principio a fin. Desde que leí el prólogo, fue ya imposible soltarlo. Y contiene todos y cada uno de los elementos maravillosos y resonantes para un debut casi redondo en la fantasía épica ya que es el inicio de este autor.

En sus paginas tendremos misterio, una trama muy interesante que capta nuestro interes y atención, una hermandad de asesinos, política, religiones, abandono, algo de crudeza, magia oscura y guerra, todo ello tejido de manera genial y narrado de una manera excepcional.

La prosa de Ryan es evocadora, es inmersiva, muy vívida y fácil de seguir sin ser demasiado simple, facilita que la escritura te absorba por completo en el libro. Realmente es un trabajo espectacular para comienzo del autor y según creo fue autopublicado en su momento. Es un libro de no soltarlo en el que todo lo que Ryan pone a nuestra disposición nos atrae haciendo que sobretodo queramos más.

Vale, sé que el tema de un joven protagonista que se convierte en aprendiz en un monasterio religioso/militar, un mundo mágico, y procede a convertirse en el mejor pues puede parecernos a los lectores que es uno más de esos. No, no, no, eso es un terrible error. No os equivoqueis con este libro, no lo juzguéis así de rápido ni a la ligera, sería un error y sobretodo la perdida de una gran lectura para vosotros. He leído varios de esos libros con esas historias y si me hubiera dejado llevar por esa idea pues ahora mismo me arrepentiría, pues me ha encantado. Todo en el es muy destacable, cosas ya usadas, si, pero la cuestión es cómo las representa el autor.

Su trama es un cambio de páginas adictivo con una escritura convincente, tramas y subtramas muy interesantes, con diálogos magistralmente elaborados con una ambientación construida al detalle, te obliga a no soltarlo hasta llegar al epílogo. Anthony Ryan está en una línea entre la prosa y la poesía, tocando el éxito.

¿Qué hace que "Blood Song" sea diferente o a su vez destacable? ¿Acción, la construcción del mundo, sus personajes o el sistema magico?

No, ninguno de ellos, es la pedazo intensidad de la historia. Es que no hay respiro, el autor nos sigue dando cosas y momentos. Cuando llega y tienes que soltarlo por cualquier razón estás en una de esas partes que dices "joder.. ahora no" el problema es que eso pasa a menudo.

Lo que hace esto es convertir su historia en algo a partes inusual. En la que los personajes están muy bien contruidos y definidos, en los que hay cierto desarrollo. Su mundo es uno de fantasía genérica, algo oscuro y la magia es un tema que explicará con mucho más detalle en los siguientes, lo que ha aparecido está bien, sin ser lo más destacado del libro, pero bien. Como única crítica al libro es una falta de desarrollo, quería o me faltó algo más. Obvio estará en los siguientes, aunque esto no sea necesario.

Una construcción de mundo que consta de unos pilares fuertes, bien trabajados y pensados, a su vez atrayentes, enseña diferentes imperios, ciudades, culturas, costumbres y religiones. De dichos elementos se centra principalmente en la religión, fe y creencias por las que se mata y es algo normal. Por ello en los monasterios se erigieron academias para entrenar asesinos. El autor le dio vida a su mundo, en una imagen real y palpable de cada ciudad materializada en la mente del lector de manera eficiente.

Comentar como algo muy importante que aún siendo una saga, consta de un final bastante autoconclusivo. Y por supuesto agradecerle al estimado (Javir11) su descubrimiento. 🙋‍♂️


"Los hombres que se aman a sí mismos odian a los que empañarian su gloria"

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost everyone has high praise for this book, it's often cited as a favourite. It is also often compared to In the Name of the Wind, which I didn't like.
I didn't particularly take to Blood Song although it seemed well written. I actually found it a bit slow and boring.

[Conor · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Blood song by Anthony Ryan is a great new work of epic fantasy. It was released independently a few years ago and since then has built up a huge amount of buzz, made all the more impressive by it's lack of support. Because of this background I really wanted to like this book. Conveniently the complex characters and intriguing plot made liking it easy. Also the gratuitous violence. FTW.

The main character of this book is Vaelin Al Sorna who at the beginning of the story we see as a captive on his way to a duel which will likely end in his death. His captors fear and revile him as 'Hope killer'. Vaelin narrates his life story to his historian and jailor who gradually becomes more and more enthralled. His story starts when he is 10, abandoned at the door of the training ground of the 6th order, Secretive and deadly warrior priests. From here we chart his journey from abandoned boy to legendary hero.

Vaelin dominates this book both in his POV chapters and in the few chapters from his biographer. Because of this the book is largely dependant on how sympathetic and interesting he is. I found Vaelin to be a really cool and likable character. He is pretty much a straightforward fantasy protagonist albeit with a few shades of moral ambiguity thrown in. One of my favourite aspects about war films or anything that deals with people who regularly operate in violent, dangerous situations is the camaraderie that develops between these guys. As a result Vaelin's interactions with his 'brothers' were easily some of my favourite parts of this book. I also liked how we saw Vaelin's skills gradually improve over long years of intense training rather than miraculously appear over a short period of time as sometimes happens in fantasy. Instead of a quickly glossed over Rocky-style training montage Ryan masterfully brings to life the exhausting, painful process that turns a young boy into a deadly warrior.

On the downside I never really felt that Vaelin's voice as a character developed from when he was 10 to in his mid 20's. Even as a kid Vaelin sounded like an adult. I also thought it was kind of weird that throughout the series Vaelin hardly acknowledges the fact that as a warrior-priest he is apparently banned from having sex. I mean loads of the plot occurs while he is a teenager and a young man and yet he only ever mentions sex in passing, usually while with a beautiful woman. You'd think that as a testosterone fuelled killing machine banned from sex his interactions with women would be limited to blurting out 'boobies!' at the start of every conversation.

The cast of character's is dominated by Vaelin's brothers. Unlike Vaelin many of them (especially Nortah) underwent a good bit of character development. I especially liked the way they begin to manifest combat skills that compliment Vaelin's. Instead of always being best at everything Vaelin is shown to excel as a swordsman and leader while his friends are better in other ways. The way their backstories are slowly revealed is pretty cool as well. Sister Sherin played an important role as Vaelin's love interest and the contrast between healing and killing it produced was interesting. Another standout was King Janus. Despite being a ruthless, manipulative, war-mongering wanker he is also shown to be a great king. This ambiguity made him a really interesting antagonist. I really hope he isn't revealed to be some pawn of the forces of evil as this would turn him into a completely stereotypical evil king rather than an illustration of the necessary evils required to rule a kingdom in a realistic setting. Edit after reading book 2: In the sequel it's implied he was an unwitting pawn of the forces of evil all along and a lot of the moral ambiguity that made him great in this book was undermined, which was really disappointing. I'm still holding out hope he'll be redeemed somewhat in book 3 though .

The plot was for the most part interesting and well written. Vaelin's brutal training was engaging and showed us how he developed into a deadly warrior and instigated much of his character growth and personal contemplation, however I thought the extra-curricular adventures he got into at every opportunity seemed kind of forced. I mean over 5 years he leaves the academy like 3 times and each time he meets important characters and/or gets involved in events that have a profound effect on his outlook and shape world politics. Also for a novel that emphasises war and violence I thought the sword-fights and battles were diasappointing. Every fight Vaelin gets in he wins quickly and easily. this made his fight in the arena with the 'deadly' former 6th order brother kind of ridiculous as he was defeated as quickly as a random rapist and murderer and produced something of an anti-climactic ending with the shield.

The hints of dark forces at work were really cool and added an intriguing sense of mystery. I also liked how the book dealt with both the physical and psychological horrors of war in an intelligent and uncompromising way without being preachy. Perhaps my favourite plot point in this whole book was the invasion of the Alpiran empire. This was a really cool subversion of a typical fantasy storyline with the 'good guy' nation launching an unprovoked war of conquest against a peaceful neighbour. Janus' motivations, which he revealed to Vaelin to try and persuade him to take part in the war, added a further layer of political and moral complexity that made the situation even more compelling.

I'm really stingy with my 5 star rating but this book would definitely have gotten one... if it wasn't for the Barkus reveal at the end. Essentially it turns out that the dark lord of all evil has been controlling one of Vaelin's closest friends pretty much all along. They've fought, eaten, slept and hung out together pretty much 24/7 for about 15 years by this point and yet in all this time no one has noticed something is off with Barkus and he hasn't had the opportunity to kill or bodysnatch(which is apparently super easy) Vaelin who is seemingly going to be the champion of goodness. In addition to being a pretty big plot hole this reveal destroyed the 'band of brothers' relationship between Vaelin and his friends that I loved so much in this book. I really wanted to give this book 5 stars but that reveal left a sour taste, especially about one of my favourite aspects of this book, so I ultimately only gave it 4. Edit after reading book 2: Nothing new was really added about this in book 2, which was disappointing.

Overall this was an exciting, well-paced debut by a really promising author. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of his work.

[Nikola]

DNF 20%
Przesłuchałam 6 godzin audiobooka i nie mam ochoty go dalej słuchać. Nie wykluczam, że powrócę, ale nie w najbliższym czasie.

[Krell75 · Rating 3 out of 5]

"La guerra è sempre un'avventura per coloro che non l'hanno mai vista."

Crescere è una prova, ma crescere con le abilità di un assassino segna un destino difficile da sfuggire, dove le scelte personali sono limitate dalle ambizioni dei potenti e le ombre del passato possono influenzare pesantemente il presente.

Il piccolo Vaelin è stato affidato al Sesto Ordine per diventare un combattente della Fede seguendo addestramenti spietati e prove mortali. Vaelin cresce ed ora è lui stesso un' arma. Ma è l' arma che uccide o chi la brandisce?

Un romanzo che mantiene tratti Young Adult anche quando, giunti a metà, entra nel vivo dell' avventura adulta, dove i doveri entrano in conflitto con le personalità dei personaggi. La scelta delle azioni da compiere e il dubbio interiore tra dovere e volontà, giusto e sbagliato, le relazioni interpersonali e la cura nell' evoluzione dei personaggi, contribuiscono a rendere il romanzo una piacevole lettura.

----------------------------
"War is always an adventure for those who have never seen it."

Growing up is a test, but growing up with the skills of an assassin marks a destiny that is difficult to escape, where personal choices are limited by the ambitions of the powerful and the shadows of the past can heavily influence the present.

Little Vaelin was entrusted to the Sixth Order to become a fighter of the Faith, following ruthless training and deadly trials. Vaelin grows up and now he himself is a weapon. But is it the weapon that kills or the one who wields it?

A novel that maintains Young Adult traits even when, halfway through, it enters the heart of the adult adventure, where duties conflict with the characters' personalities. The choice of actions to take and the inner doubt between duty and will, right and wrong, interpersonal relationships and the care in the evolution of the characters, contribute to making the novel a pleasant read.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb coming of age story, one which I don't know why I have postponed to read for so long. Good thing I finally got to it!

It's an epic fantasy, slow burner, and a real page turner for me. Vaelin al Sorna reminded me a bit of Fitz, therefore I couldn't but love his story.

Everything I want in a fantasy work is here: a character driven story, thoroughly detailed worldbuilding, plenty of action but without gory or gruesome parts, a bit of magic which I think I'll get to learn more of in the next volumes, plenty of mysteries and twists. And of course, animals; hope they'll have a bigger part in the next volumes.

Writing is smooth and fluent, in a way very similar with Al Sorna's character. The story is told mostly in flashbacks from his point of view, with short interludes between the main parts from a chronicle who is writing his story, and who doesn't get to know the whole picture like we do.

Hard to believe this was a debut, it's that great. On to next volume right away.