This book had a battle-heavy focus and Ryan really excelled in making his scenes of action understandable and readable. I was never lost in what was occurring and this was, in part, due to the vivid depictions and, also, how both sides of any skirmish were portrayed. Anthony has a degree in history. Besides, he has a particular interest in arts and science. He is also very fond of ale and very often has the unending quest for a perfect pint of real ale. Ryan’s fantasy novels are basically based on the life of the main character Vaelin Al Sorna. During the initial days of his writing career, Ryan had to self-publish his books as he was not a known personality. However, with the success of his first book ‘Blood Song’, he was frequently approached by various publishing houses for publishing his future books. He landed a great deal with the Penguin Books who offered him a 3 book deal in the year 2012. Even today, Ryan continues to self-publish a separate series of novellas. After publishing three highly successful novels under the Raven’s Shadow series, Ryan is about to release the fourth one any time soon. Apart from the Raven’s Shadow series, he has also published another series of novels known by the name, ‘Slab City Blues’. This series consists of a total of four different novels. Ryan describes himself belonging to the hybrid writers’ category. His career as a British Civil Servant lasted for twenty years. It’s always hard to review a book 3 of a series. How can you talk about it without giving spoilers to books 1 & 2? You can’t, is the answer. The answer, at least for me, lies in understanding idolization and cult of personality-something that has a very intriguing connection with religion and religious fervor throughout history- and these are the themes Ryan decided to explore through fantasy setting. Alwyn knows the truth behind Evadine's resurrection. He is not really a believer- he is pragmatic more than anything, the result of his upbringing. He knows the difference between good and evil and more than not lands on the side of good, again result of the time spend with Sihlda in the mines and strategically and politically he knows her actions are neither smart nor longterm. So why is he in her corner? When following someone is rendered simply to a blind faith into that person, that doesn't really explain why someone stays devoted to the cause despite knowing that this elevated image of is manufactured, not real. This is the more complex question, in terms of characterization about the whole thing and this is what Ryan did so well through Alwyn's first person point of view narration.

As a thank you to their readers, Subterranean Press are giving away an ebook of my short story The Scarlet Ziggurat. This is a prequel story set in the same world as my Seven Swords novella series. Throughout the book, Alwyn is facing moral and ethical questions and is constantly trying to figure out what the right thing is to do. His heart and mind are split in different directions, but he is always trying to make the right decision. Alwyn Scribe was never meant to be a soldier. A thief? Yes. A scribe? Certainly. But a soldier, well, this becomes his nightmare! A lot of the pleasure of this series comes from Alywn’s knowing narration. He tells readers when he is doing the wrong thing, he knows in hindsight where he was foolish and he effectively foreshadows the outcomes of some of his poor decision making without spoiling the enjoyment of reading about the result. Once again Alwyn is supported by an engaging band of misfits and ne’er-do-wells. Some of his companions failed to make it to book three and, refreshingly, not all survive every bloody and dangerous encounter in this book either. These side characters bring with them all of the skills that Alwyn needs to effect his plans and add a necessary strain of both humour and humanity to the tale.As the kingdom braces itself for one final battle, Alwyn’s conscience fights its own war with his heart. Now, more than ever, he must decide whose side he’s really on. The New York Times bestselling Raven’s Shadow Trilogy was a perfect read for “fans of broadscale epic fantasy along the lines of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series and George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire novels.”* Now, Anthony Ryan begins a new saga, The Draconis Memoria…

The Scarlet Zigguratis an exciting prequel adventure to the highly acclaimed Seven Swordsseries from New York Timesbestselling author Anthony Ryan. Honestly this book did not go the way I expected it to at all. And I'm really glad it didn't because I think, I hope that because of the completely out of left field plot twists there will be a book four and as this series has rapidly became my favorite of Ryan's I'm 100% for it! It seems that the author has learned his lesson, and the new series maintains my interest in the characters and in the worldbuilding much better in the case of Alwyn. I read the three books of Covenant of Steel this year and I can honestly say that this was one of the best fantasy series I ever read! Alwyn Scribe is a rare character I think I know him, became like a friend to me.

Publication Order of Raven's Blade Books

The Pariah is Anthony Ryan at his best. A fast-paced, brutal fantasy novel with larger-than-life characters and a plot full of intrigue and suspense' Grimdark Magazine I do feel like the ending was slightly a let down as it leaves you on a bit of a teaser, a bit of a cliffhanger. Not something you necessarily want at the end of a trilogy.

In this “gritty, heart-pounding” (John Gwynne) conclusion to the New York Times bestselling fantasy trilogy, The Covenant of Steel, Alwyn must make a difficult decide between his heart and his morals as he prepares for his final battle. The Traitor is the final volume in the Covenant of Steel trilogy and brings together all the disparate storylines from the first two volumes. The Traitor here is Alwyn whose love for Evadine has blinded him to what she has become, a host for the forces of evil. In her name, her religious zealots, now controlling the entire kingdom, are laying waste to entire cities and burning all who could be heretics. And, she has turned her eye toward the Caerith in their ancient primitive land. Anthony Ryan initially self-published Blood Song, [2] however, he switched to major publication when Penguin books offered him a three-book deal in May 2012. He started writing full-time after the success of the publication. He continues to self-publish a series of SF Noir novellas.Evadine has fully embraced her role as the Risen Martyr. Perhaps she has embraced it too much. She, too, has changed from when we met her in The Pariah. Evadine has changed from the woman giving nightly sermons to her followers, to an almost cold woman who feels the need to cleanse the land of those who would question her. As I mentioned, her arc brilliantly speaks to the idea of fanaticism. There are those who can whip a crowd into a frenzy because of their “beliefs”, which may or may not be what they actually feel. They simply want the power. Then there are those like Evadine, who truly believe what they are and feel it is their duty to carry out what they must in the name of those beliefs. Gone are the nightly sermons, replaced by a woman who will do what she must to those who do not believe in the Risen Martyr of the Seraphile. She has gathered thousands of followers who join her cause, and in her name, will do whatever she asks. Again, the fanaticism of whipping a crowd into a frenzy using her words, was something Evadine always excelled at. It is watching this change that Alwyn wrestles with. The Traitor is the third and final book in Anthony Ryan’s medieval-style Covenant of Steel fantasy series. For those who like muddy clashes between huge armies with swords and horses or sieges of walled cities or misguided prophecies, it would be best to start with volume one of this series The Pariah. While there is a handy recap of the events of the previous book, this is absolutely the third book of a trilogy and not a place to start. Given that, there will necessarily be some mild spoilers for those earlier novels in this review. With thoughtful characterization and an innovative variation on a familiar theme, this impressive horror tale wows.” — Publishers Weekly Starred Review Ryan’s thoughtful characterizations and complex plotting are on clear display, enhanced by his evocative prose. This sends the series out on a high note."— Publishers Weekly(starred review)

The tale of Alwyn Scribe, outlaw, murderer, sometime knight and, I like to think, scholar of some renown, would have been told." Female characters, especially Lorine and Lorraine, were great and I felt like Ryan did a very good job with bringing more depth to them. When it comes to Evadine, though, she remains the most detached character, more the object of worship than the person and one I think was kind of left surface-level. We got a conclusion to the story and and an explanation, but, in a sense, it's a perfect Alwyn explanation and he is too good at saving his hind to be considered a perfectly reliable narrator and too skilled of a storyteller not to leave us intrigued. :) The story is always Alwyn’s. A lowly forest bandit whose talents cause him to rise high in a world that has never cared for him. He has a great voice and through his eyes, we see chaos unfold. The story isn’t in a rush though, and as such Anthony Ryan is able to ratchet up the tension chapter by chapter. Alwyn was there, blood, then here, then death, then over there, betrayal, more death, no they alive, caged, wait, they are not, more betrayals, more blood, and on and on...In terms of genre, this is very much low fantasy. The world feels like the dark ages in Europe. Joan of Arc inspires the story. So does Robin Hood (don’t be expecting any men in tights though). The kingdoms are restless, constantly at war, or agitating. And the religion – which worships the seraphile, has a strong hold on the people and the monarchy. I also felt like 90% of this book was battles about things I didn't really care about. My favourite bit was when Alwyn ends up in the care of the Caelish people and befriends a young warrior called Lilat but this was quite a minor part of the book. Other than that dynamic there wasn't really any relationship between two characters in the book that I really cared about - even Alwyn and Evadine's interactions felt so surface level. (Also I missed Toria :'( )