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A review by kevinscorner
The Last Raven by Steve McHugh
4.5
The Last Raven was not at all what I was expecting when I went in knowing it’s an urban fantasy. It reads so much like a police/military thriller with its guns, cars, and watches, just with the addition of major fantasy elements. Different from the usual urban fantasies I prefer, but definitely not unwelcome.
The Rift is an alternate dimension that occasionally breaks through onto earth, changing animals and humans and giving them fantastical powers. In modern day America, Lucas is a riftborn warrior and the last surviving member of the Raven Guild after a massacre. He has left that life and struggles with survivor’s guilt. But when an old friend from the Rift Crime Unit comes to him for help when some FBI and RCU agents are ambushed and killed, he returns to find betrayal and links to the mystery of what happened to his old Guild.
The Last Raven is intense and action-packed
with prompt pacing and a light-handed touch on world-building. Steve McHugh wisely chose not to do a massive exposition dump right at the beginning, but instead parceled out the mythology of the world he crafted and the background of Lucas throughout the book just when it becomes relevant. This made for a thrilling ride with big bloody action set pieces and a steady unravelling of the mystery.
I really liked Lucas as our main protagonist, who is the typical action hero but with more depth and the added dimension of some fantastical latent powers. I particularly appreciated the brand of friendship and brotherhood he had with the men and women he had to leave behind when he left. The book also injected the story with some social commentary on racism and immigration, although it did not have much time to dig deeper.
The Last Raven is an action-packed urban fantasy thriller and a great opener to what could be a serial series.
The Rift is an alternate dimension that occasionally breaks through onto earth, changing animals and humans and giving them fantastical powers. In modern day America, Lucas is a riftborn warrior and the last surviving member of the Raven Guild after a massacre. He has left that life and struggles with survivor’s guilt. But when an old friend from the Rift Crime Unit comes to him for help when some FBI and RCU agents are ambushed and killed, he returns to find betrayal and links to the mystery of what happened to his old Guild.
The Last Raven is intense and action-packed
with prompt pacing and a light-handed touch on world-building. Steve McHugh wisely chose not to do a massive exposition dump right at the beginning, but instead parceled out the mythology of the world he crafted and the background of Lucas throughout the book just when it becomes relevant. This made for a thrilling ride with big bloody action set pieces and a steady unravelling of the mystery.
I really liked Lucas as our main protagonist, who is the typical action hero but with more depth and the added dimension of some fantastical latent powers. I particularly appreciated the brand of friendship and brotherhood he had with the men and women he had to leave behind when he left. The book also injected the story with some social commentary on racism and immigration, although it did not have much time to dig deeper.
The Last Raven is an action-packed urban fantasy thriller and a great opener to what could be a serial series.