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A review by rkiladitis
The Wolf's Call by Anthony Ryan
4.0
This epic fantasy novel is a new series by author Anthony Ryan, starring Vaelin al Sorna, a character from a previous series. While Ryan's existing readers will have much more background to draw upon, new readers won't be lost if they start with this novel. There's enough meat in here to satisfy fantasy and sword and sorcery readers.
Vaelin Al Sorna is a Tower Lord, serving a queen and training his niece, Ellese, in the art of archery. He learns that there's is trouble brewing in the Western territories; a vicious army led by a man who believes he is a god - and so do his followers - is slaughtering thousands on his quest to godhood, and somehow, Sherin - a former love - has gotten herself in the middle of this. Al Sorna set sail for the realm of the Merchant Kings, gathers an army, and heads toward Kehlbrand, the man who would be a god. He calls himself the Darkblade, which is a bit of a sticking point; Al Sorna is also known as the Dark Blade. Kehlbrand's army is threaded with specially-gifted individuals that will make the battle even more deadly - Al Sorna's going to need allies.
I didn't even realize there was an existing Al Sorna series before I read The Wolf's Call, and didn't feel like I missed out. The character development led me to believe that there were existing relationships between characters, but I didn't feel like I lacked information at all; context gave me all the background I needed to power through this excellent fantasy epic. The worldbuilding is thorough and the action is fast-paced and brutal. The characters are fully formed and complex, and fantasy readers are going to love this new series.
Vaelin Al Sorna is a Tower Lord, serving a queen and training his niece, Ellese, in the art of archery. He learns that there's is trouble brewing in the Western territories; a vicious army led by a man who believes he is a god - and so do his followers - is slaughtering thousands on his quest to godhood, and somehow, Sherin - a former love - has gotten herself in the middle of this. Al Sorna set sail for the realm of the Merchant Kings, gathers an army, and heads toward Kehlbrand, the man who would be a god. He calls himself the Darkblade, which is a bit of a sticking point; Al Sorna is also known as the Dark Blade. Kehlbrand's army is threaded with specially-gifted individuals that will make the battle even more deadly - Al Sorna's going to need allies.
I didn't even realize there was an existing Al Sorna series before I read The Wolf's Call, and didn't feel like I missed out. The character development led me to believe that there were existing relationships between characters, but I didn't feel like I lacked information at all; context gave me all the background I needed to power through this excellent fantasy epic. The worldbuilding is thorough and the action is fast-paced and brutal. The characters are fully formed and complex, and fantasy readers are going to love this new series.