Blood Song

Raven's Shadow, Book 1

By: Anthony Ryan

Narrated by: Steven Brand

Length: 23 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

From "a new master storyteller" comes the beginning of an epic fantasy saga of blood, honor, and destiny....

The Sixth Order wields the sword of justice and smites the enemies of the Faith and the Realm. Vaelin Al Sorna was only a child of 10 when his father left him at the iron gate of the Sixth Order. The Brothers of the Sixth Order are devoted to battle, and Vaelin will be trained and hardened to the austere, celibate, and dangerous life of a Warrior of the Faith. He has no family now save the Order.

Vaelin’s father was Battle Lord to King Janus, ruler of the unified realm. Vaelin’s rage at being deprived of his birthright and dropped at the doorstep of the Sixth Order like a foundling knows no bounds. He cherishes the memory of his mother, and what he will come to learn of her at the Order will confound him. His father, too, has motives that Vaelin will come to understand. But one truth overpowers all the rest: Vaelin Al Sorna is destined for a future he has yet to comprehend. A future that will alter not only the realm, but the world.

©2013 Anthony Ryan (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Ryan is a new fantasy author destined to make his mark on the genre. His debut novel, Blood Song, certainly has it all: great coming-of-age tale, compelling character and a fast-paced plot. If his first book is any indication of things to come, then all fantasy readers should rejoice.” (Michael J. Sullivan, author of the Riyria Revelations series)

“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 should find this debut much to their liking.” (Library Journal)

“Ryan hits all the high notes of epic fantasy - a gritty setting, ancient magics, ruthless intrigue, divided loyalties and bloody action.... [A] promising debut." (Publishers Weekly)

Very good story with an appropriate pacing.

The story is really quite a good one. It feels almost like 3 separate books in one with the various phases in the story. I think the pacing is well done. Not too fast and not too slow it kept me engaged the whole way though. I loved the sort of straight forward harsh story of a child becoming a trained warrior, which plays well against all the later parts of the story when things get complex and life becomes a winding mess of mystery and intrigue.

The only negative I can really say is that the narrator is the weak point. He does alright and his speech is steady and clear. However, his cadence never changes from reading the narrative to reading dialog. At times he is too steady and it becomes muddled as to who is talking and when one character ends and another begins because the steady cadence and rythm of speech just keeps going. He only does a few voices that really don't vary much. That all being said after about a chapter your mind gets used to it and I only noticed infrequent times when this caused confusion. Usually in dialog heavy scenes.

Great story; bland narration!

Where does Blood Song rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book could have been one of my top novels had it not been for the narration.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Vaelin was by far my favorite character. I liked that he always had the heart to try to do the right thing.

Would you be willing to try another one of Steven Brand’s performances?

Steven Brand has a wonderful voice for narration; however, he was very monotone. He did not do a very good job expressing the characters. His narration lacked emotion. He simply read the words instead of delivering a performance.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book was solid from start to finish. I neither laughed nor cried, but I did enjoy it.

Any additional comments?

This was a very well written book.

Beyond Excellent

Narrator is a little slurred in his speech but as it continues you find it adds to the texture of the book and he grows on you. Story is fantastic. I'm an avid audio books listener and it's hard to get 5 stars from me.

Captivating!

We've all read stories before that follow the early lives of heroes-to-be through their arduous training as youths, through the tragedies and hardships that forge them into the amazing characters that they will someday become. Although there is nothing new or unique about the formula this story follows, the author has crafted it into an entirely new experience. The harmony of an exceptionally well-written story, believable characters with depth and personality, and a narrator who is a pleasure to listen to, created an experience that was so engaging and compelling that I listened to the book again as soon as I finished it! There is so much complexity and subtlety woven into this story that I enjoyed it even more the second time. I am impatiently awaiting my next monthly credit so I can start the sequel! A solid 5-star rating to my new favorite author!

Exceeded expectations

I’m reading a few other series from a few different authors but I’m caught up with them all. Because of this I had to find something else to read/listen too. I stumbled upon this series and I couldn’t be happier. It exceeded all my expectations. Very well written and it had a captivating story. I’ve already purchased the second book in the series. So with that said it’s Time to end this review and start the next book

Possibly for fans of The Name of the Wind

Would recommend to anyone who enjoyed The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Very similar storytelling with the scribe and main character in discussion.

Epic

this band of brothers story is one of the greatest epic fantasies I have ever read, and I have read many. deep, powerful writing and not as grotesquely violent as I was expecting from the cover and title. narration is good but the narrator doesn't act out the voices much so you need to pay attention to know who is speaking. this book is gripping, engaging, and stands head and shoulders above most of its contemporaries. Brilliant!

Compelling story

Anthony Ryan has written. a wonderfully compelling novel in Blood Song, though he is a bit to liberal with his profanity for my tastes.
The reader mumbled a bit on a couple of passages, requiring me to go back and listen. to them several times to understand them but other than that the performance is excellent.

Compelling story and good detail for battle

The book itself was compelling and fun to listen to with more details on the actual battle than the magical giving it a mysterious feeling. I very much enjoyed the book. Couple of negatives are that the voice actor is a little Mono tone and monotonous until around half way through the book or maybe I finally got used to it. The authors naming conventions for the characters is often confusing or hard to remember.

Good book

Would you consider the audio edition of Blood Song to be better than the print version?

I think the characters would be easier to keep track of in a print version

What other book might you compare Blood Song to and why?

The queen's poisoner series. The main character had a similar magic profile. Both books are appealing to me

What about Steven Brand’s performance did you like?

He was one of the better narratorsoon I've listened to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes