paintedgiraffe's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, that was really good! I liked the various female characters. Also, the protagonist was pretty much a Gary Stu but in a non-annoying way, so that was nice.
My only complaint is the unholy amount of typos and comma misuse/abuse. Seriously, that was HORRIBLE. I feel like there was no proofreader at all before this went to print @.@
My only complaint is the unholy amount of typos and comma misuse/abuse. Seriously, that was HORRIBLE. I feel like there was no proofreader at all before this went to print @.@
staticdisplay's review against another edition
3.0
this was a pretty engaging read. I really liked the way the world's history and culture were relayed throughout the story, so that you had to pick things up from what characters said when they were talking to other characters who also already knew what was going on. there are a tonne of fiefdoms, religions, ethnic groups, orders, aspects, nobles, etc. women are totally marginalized, surprise surprise. also commas are used with a kind of careless abandon, like, should there be some punctuation, here? definitely, a comma! probably don't need any punctuation, commas, anyway!!! in the beginning it really messed up the flow for me, but the book is so long that eventually I did get used to it.
I did enjoy reading this, I just don't feel like I need to return to the characters. other readers might get a lot more invested in the world.
I did enjoy reading this, I just don't feel like I need to return to the characters. other readers might get a lot more invested in the world.
eoghann's review against another edition
4.0
This is another of those series where you're not going to get a wholly satisfying conclusion to each book. That doesn't mean it's a bad book, I just like to warn people about that sort of thing up front. It does reach a logical pause point of sorts, but there's clearly a lot of unresolved issues.
91v3dsu+CmLApparently Blood Song was originally self-published. I don't know if it was re-edited before being published by Penguin but there's certainly none of the stereotypical self-published weaknesses on display here.
Certainly there are plenty of familiar fantasy elements at play including some sort of supernatural nameless evil lurking in the background and our hero with a destiny. It also has that modern fantasy feel of dirty, gritty, gosh isn't life horridness. But it's extremely well executed.
I was a little worried when the book started with our hero narrating his life to a chronicler. If ever there is an overused trope in fantasy that has to be one. It's also one tha ttends to set my teeth on edge. Fortunately the story doesn't jump back and forth very often and when it does there's some clever hinting at how the story being told is not the story that we are reading.
Since we really only have one viewpoint character for the bulk of the book the enjoyability pretty much hinges on him and fortunately Vaelin Al Sorna proves to be very engaging. He is a lightly flawed character, but neither a tortured hero nor so crippled with character flaws that you end up hating him. There's a nuance to him and his behavior that rewards reading about him.
It would be fair to say that the characters surrounding him do not fair as well. They are comparatively shallow. To the extent that betrayal when it happens feels more like the next plot beat than an actual knife in the back. In part this is again because of that narrative style of re-telling a story to a chronicler. What you end up with is a series of sequences from Vaelin's life. The big action moments if you like. And some of the character moments that should support those are missing.
But somehow that doesn't matter because the book just keeps you moving along with it. There's always a problem to be resolved. Some underlying tension to worry about. Or another larger mystery to get your attention. It's what they call a page turner.
There's also a good amount of solid world building going on in the background. We get a lot of information about the society that Vaelin was born and lives in, but also glimpses of other parts of the world too. These aren't radically new societies, but they're believable ones and they do give the reader the feeling that there's a larger world happening around the events that they are reading about.
If you enjoy solid modern fantasy then I'd say the Raven's Shadow series is worth a read.
91v3dsu+CmLApparently Blood Song was originally self-published. I don't know if it was re-edited before being published by Penguin but there's certainly none of the stereotypical self-published weaknesses on display here.
Certainly there are plenty of familiar fantasy elements at play including some sort of supernatural nameless evil lurking in the background and our hero with a destiny. It also has that modern fantasy feel of dirty, gritty, gosh isn't life horridness. But it's extremely well executed.
I was a little worried when the book started with our hero narrating his life to a chronicler. If ever there is an overused trope in fantasy that has to be one. It's also one tha ttends to set my teeth on edge. Fortunately the story doesn't jump back and forth very often and when it does there's some clever hinting at how the story being told is not the story that we are reading.
Since we really only have one viewpoint character for the bulk of the book the enjoyability pretty much hinges on him and fortunately Vaelin Al Sorna proves to be very engaging. He is a lightly flawed character, but neither a tortured hero nor so crippled with character flaws that you end up hating him. There's a nuance to him and his behavior that rewards reading about him.
It would be fair to say that the characters surrounding him do not fair as well. They are comparatively shallow. To the extent that betrayal when it happens feels more like the next plot beat than an actual knife in the back. In part this is again because of that narrative style of re-telling a story to a chronicler. What you end up with is a series of sequences from Vaelin's life. The big action moments if you like. And some of the character moments that should support those are missing.
But somehow that doesn't matter because the book just keeps you moving along with it. There's always a problem to be resolved. Some underlying tension to worry about. Or another larger mystery to get your attention. It's what they call a page turner.
There's also a good amount of solid world building going on in the background. We get a lot of information about the society that Vaelin was born and lives in, but also glimpses of other parts of the world too. These aren't radically new societies, but they're believable ones and they do give the reader the feeling that there's a larger world happening around the events that they are reading about.
If you enjoy solid modern fantasy then I'd say the Raven's Shadow series is worth a read.
cableguy13's review against another edition
5.0
Easily one of my favourite fantasy books this year. The main character Vaelin Al'Sorna, is an incredibly well developed character. He is first introduced at eleven years old being inducted into the Order of the Sixth, a religious warrior organisation (preceded by five others of varying practices). We then see him and his other inductees grow over the years, growing stronger and smarter. The world building is great, as we slowly get insight to more and more of the kingdom and the power players there. There is also the mysterious ability Vaelin is gifted with - The Blood Song. Its abilities, and the other magics prevalent throughout the book are slowly introduced and expanded on, but leaving mysteries. Really looking forward to the next book in this series.
lhirl's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
katyjoturner's review against another edition
2.0
I didn’t care what happened to a single character. I’m shocked people compare this to NOTW. Maybe I disliked it more because I listened to the audiobook (which was over 23 hours long!).
zac_johannes's review against another edition
2.0
Kind of a slog. So much book where not much happens. The main character is written as faultless and naturally talented at most things, which makes for an uninteresting read. Most likely won't continue the series.
zoeamac's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
oursinculte's review against another edition
3.0
Attention, the blockbuster de l'été made in Bragelonne arrive, l'accroche du bouquin insiste sur ses liens avec l'esprit de feu "David Gemmell" que j'ai encensé à plusieurs reprises dans mes critiques. D'ailleurs la présentation de l'éditeur fait une bonne rafale de name dropping bien hype, comparant ça au Trône de Fer, à Légende, au Nom du Vent. Ce genre de truc me rend en général méfiant, mais ils ont l'air de croire en leur bébé, donc allons-y pour cette lecture !
Le livre commence par une scène d'introduction où un scribe interroge un prisonnier présenté comme Vaelin Al Sorna, le "Tueur d'Espoir". Le guerrier hyper trop classe discute calmement avec le scribe-narrateur, et va commencer à lui raconter son histoire, et nous voilà donc à sauter dans le passé pour découvrir la jeunesse de Vaelin, abandonné à 10 ans par son père en apprentissage auprès du sixième Ordre, espèce de bras armé d'élite de la religion locale, où il va apprendre à se battre pour défendre le Royaume des ennemis de la Foi. Ce premier tome d'une trilogie se découpe en deux parties distinctes : La première moitié du récit nous raconte les années d'apprentissages de Vaelin au sein de l'Ordre, tandis que la seconde concerne les années qui suivent, ses premières missions et batailles, et ces deux parties sont très (trop) différentes.
Toute la première moitié m'a énormément plu, on a un récit d'initiation vraiment bien mené au sein de "l'école", la construction des personnages est exemplaire et l'esprit de groupe formé par Vaelin et ses frères ressort très bien. Les épreuves de formation brutales et cruelles qui ponctuent leurs années d'étude donnent un ressort dramatique efficace plein d'action, avec juste ce qu'il faut d'intrusion extérieure pour donner une idée des enjeux de leur avenir, on assiste également à la construction en fond de plusieurs mystères qui serviront de fil rouge à la narration. Lors de cette partie, tous les personnages secondaires sont bien campés et forment un univers crédible et qui pousse le lecteur à tourner les pages.
L'aspect religieux et mystique de l'histoire est également très intéressant, l'Ordre opère pour le respect de leur religion et lutte contre les Apostats, les infidèles qui croient en autre chose que la Foi. Le héros est donc voué à se battre pour une religion qui veut s'imposer en détruisant les croyances païennes des peuples voisins à travers une répression cruelle, ce qui va soulever pas mal d'interrogations morales, d'autant plus que les complots entre l'Ordre et la couronne et différents éléments magiques entreront dans la danse. Du haut de ma maigre culture fantasy, j'ai beaucoup pensé au Soldat Chamane de Hobb, en plus burné (enfin, la première partie à l'école militaire, avant que la série devienne une succession de scènes d’introspection geignardes horripilantes...).
J'ai clairement adoré ce demi-livre, le cadre narratif est maîtrisé, l'intrigue solide, je suis a fond dedans, et puis... La fin de la formation arrive, Vaelin sort de l'école et plouf, le livre change complètement. La trame de fond évolue toujours mais le héros va partir en campagne à droite à gauche pour combattre les peuples voisins, on le suit dans des batailles aux côtés de ses compagnons mais la cohésion du groupe et la force des personnages s'effacent, ils ne sont plus que des noms parmi d'autres soldats ("Dentos tape machin pendant que Nortah tire une flèche sur truc") et le côté "soldat d'élite exceptionnel" se fond dans des armées quelconques et des récits de batailles (pourtant très bien racontés).
Le roman perd beaucoup en cohésion aussi, les pistes de récit se multiplient, se mélangent et m'ont un peu largué, entre les complots à la cour, les différents peuples dont les noms se ressemblent et dont l'identité n'est pas clairement approfondie, le côté mystique des Apostats, Celui Qui Attend, etc... Ça part vraiment dans tous les sens, la structure en souffre et apparait parfois compliquée pour rien (d'autant plus qu'on saute dans l'espace et le temps sans prévenir). Par exemple les différentes manœuvres qui ont mené Vaelin à rencontrer ce fameux scribe m'ont arraché quelques cheveux tant ça parait invraisemblable.
Certains comportements du héros, assez incohérents avec tout ce qu'on en a vu avant, m'ont sorti du récit également. Par exemple (et sans spoiler), l'accord qu'il passe avec le Roi m'a paru absurde et ne colle absolument pas avec la construction du personnage et de l'Ordre. Y'en a plusieurs comme ça et j'ai l'impression que c'était des raccourcis grossiers de l'auteur pour mener les personnages là où il voulait, mais sans vraie justification, je me suis souvent demandé "mais pourquoi il fait ça ?". Quelques évènements arrivent comme un poil dans le gruau aussi, le clou du spectacle étant le coup de théâtre final un peu inutile qui fait rentrer une intrigue venue de nulle-part au chausse-pied.
Bon, comme d'hab' je râle, mais le roman dans son ensemble reste agréable et intéressant à lire pour son univers riche et ses scènes d'action dynamiques et bien fichues, c'est un premier roman prometteur mais plein de défauts de structure dès qu'il essaye de prendre de l'ampleur. On garde cependant de beaux moments dans cette seconde moitié, quelques passages moins "militaires" qui restent forts et prenants. Mais puisqu'on nous pousse à le comparer à Gemmell, allons-y ! La force de Gemmell était d'écrire de l'épique vraiment carré avec des personnages mémorables, mais tout en gardant une certaine simplicité et cohérence dans ses intrigues, Anthony Ryan a la fougue et le sens de l'action de son ainé, mais n'a pas encore dompté son intrigue compliquée qui part un peu trop dans tous les sens et perd ses personnages et le lecteur en route.
Lire la critique sur mon site