Blood Song
Book 1 of Raven's Shadow
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4.6 • 421 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
'A master storyteller' - Mark Lawrence
We have fought battles that left more than a hundred corpses on the ground and not a word of it has ever been set down. The Order fights, but often it fights in shadow, without glory or reward. We have no banners.
Vaelin Al Sorna is the Sixth Order's newest recruit. Under their brutal training regime, he learns how to forge a blade, survive the wilds and kill a man quickly and quietly - all in the name of protecting the Realm and the Faith.
Now his skills will be put to the test. War is coming. Vaelin must draw upon the very essence of his strength and cunning if he is to survive the coming conflict. Yet as the world teeters on the edge of chaos, Vaelin will learn that the truth can cut deeper than any sword.
Blood Song is the epic first novel in the internationally bestselling Raven's Shadow series - an enthralling tale of desperate battles, deadly politics and epic adventure.
'Engrossing' - Buzzfeed
'Powerful' - SFFWorld
'Compelling' - SFX
Books by Anthony Ryan
Raven's Shadow
Blood Song
Tower Lord
Queen of Fire
Raven's Blade
The Wolf's Call
The Black Song
Draconis Memoria
The Waking Fire
The Legion of Flame
The Empire of Ashes
The Covenant of Steel
The Pariah
The Martyr
The Traitor
Writing as A. J. Ryan
Red River Seven
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ryan hits all the high notes of epic fantasy a gritty setting, ancient magics, ruthless intrigue, divided loyalties, and bloody action in this originally self-published launch title for the Raven's Shadow trilogy. When 10-year-old Vaelin Al Sorna is delivered by his father, Battle Lord to King Janus, to the House of the Sixth Order, Vaelin is told that he has "no family now save the Order." Although the Sixth Order is charged with smiting its enemies, particularly servants of the Dark, Vaelin sympathizes with the heretic rebel Deniers. Through years of brutal training, Vaelin endures and rises as a leader among his fellow students. Along the way, he also learns that giving him to the Order was his late mother's idea, and that she hoped to protect him but from what, he has no idea. Hints of a long-lost Seventh Order and questions about King Janus and the Dark cause Vaelin to question his loyalties. Ryan balances brisk action with tangled intrigue in this promising debut.
Customer Reviews
A wonderful story:)
A magnificent story based around a a warrior in a feudal world, built to handle friends as well as enemies. A very well developed range of characters in a world so easy to imagine in your head. The story unwinds across a number of years and (unlike many) comes to a conclusion at the end.
I’ve already bought the second book.
It’s an extraordinary tale 5/5
Key: bad 1/5, ok 2/5, good 3/5, great 4/5, unusually outstanding 5/5
Great read
It took me a little to get into it, kept putting it down but then it started to get its hooks in me and they just kept digging deeper. Well written, great read.
Enthralled
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Can't wait to read the next. And the next. And the next.