Tower Lord

Raven's Shadow, Book 2

By: Anthony Ryan

Narrated by: Steven Brand

Length: 24 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Vaelin Al Sorna, warrior of the Sixth Order, called Darkblade, called Hope Killer. The greatest warrior of his day, and witness to the greatest defeat of his nation: King Janus' vision of a Greater Unified Realm drowned in the blood of brave men fighting for a cause Vaelin alone knows was forged from a lie. Sick at heart, he comes home, determined to kill no more. Named Tower Lord of the Northern Reaches by King Janus's grateful heir, he can perhaps find peace in a colder, more remote land far from the intrigues of a troubled Realm.

But those gifted with the blood-song are never destined to live a quiet life. Many died in King Janus' wars, but many survived, and Vaelin is a target, not just for those seeking revenge but for those who know what he can do. The Faith has been sundered, and many have no doubt who their leader should be. The new King is weak, but his sister is strong. The blood-song is powerful, rich in warning and guidance in times of trouble, but is only a fraction of the power available to others who understand more of its mysteries. Something moves against the Realm, something that commands mighty forces, and Vaelin will find to his great regret that when faced with annihilation, even the most reluctant hand must eventually draw a sword.

©2014 Anthony Ryan (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“[Tower Lord] begins to realize the imagination and coherency of Tolkien, while remaining true to the heart and soul of the author. The Raven’s Shadow series is one of the best new series out there, challenging all the existing big-names to sit up and take notice, or be left behind.” (Fantasy Book Review)

“[Ryan has] proven himself as an author who can write a very diverse and convincing cast of characters...A wonderful follow-up.” (The Bibliosanctum)

it just gets better and better

This is a wonderful series, character development in book 2 is fantastic. On to book 3!

waiting for queen of fire!

excellent story great follow up for bloodshot which I loved, can't Waite for queen of fire

Good book for adult audience

Fantastic story and very well narrated. More cursing than I would have liked in the story though; it bothered me

Excellent second book

this was a great second book. It is not like the first book, but interesting in it's own right. well worth the listen.

I love a good story with an asshole as the hero.

Would you listen to Tower Lord again? Why?

Yes. The plot had depth, and if you missed even a few seconds, you were lost for the next 10 minutes. The villains had depth, the main characters were flawed, and the world in which the story takes place is both magical and primeval leaving the reader with a gritty, I need to take a shower, feeling afterwards.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Tower Lord?

Vaelin meeting the bear people. This scene was without a doubt truly amazing. It exposed a deeper plot, revealed a kinder side to Valen, forced conflict into the people who follow him, and set the world up for getting much larger.

What aspect of Steven Brand’s performance would you have changed?

Honestly, he made the shield too noble and the king too intense. That being said, all in all, Steven Brand is now one of the narrators I look for when searching for a new series.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The king's assassination. Ryan made you love that guy in the first book and continued to make you respect him in the second. On top of that, the fact that he made Frentis kill the king. Frentis loved the king, respected him, wanted nothing more than to see him succeed, and Ryan made Frentis kill him. I loved it and almost cried at the same time.

Any additional comments?

Definitely watching out for the next book/series/anything that Ryan writes. He truly has a fan in me.

Good continuation of the story

While not as mind-blowingly good as the first book, with a bit more rambling, less focused story-telling this book was nonetheless an enjoyable read well worth the credit.

Still very well written and narrated but wavers

Warning: Lightly touching spoiler territory

I enjoyed both the writing and narration almost as much as the first novel. The enduring eventful journeys of Vaelin and those he meets continue to entertain. I particularly enjoyed the plot arc of Reva; although, was a bit disappointed when it strayed dangerously close to current day LGBT politics. I have no problem with characters having different sexual orientations; only when the story veers into 2014 advocacy territory on any subject. Hopefully, this won't continue to be a defining characteristic of Reva who is a much, much more interesting disruptive force to place too much focus on that.

Princess Lyrna continues to be as beguiling as she is interesting and Ryan's use of her for a book-ending cliff-hanger ensures my impatient waiting of his next installment in the saga.

Speaking of which, I was pleased to find that Frentis still lives and is destined to play a key role. Ryan's plot arc with him and his encounter, and forced affair, with the witcher-woman is very poignant.

Half a star off for threatening to diminish Reva's character role; otherwise another fine piece of work.

A great follow up to Blood Song

GAH! After so many pages (or, in my case, hours of listening to the audio book) of rapt attention, it ends on a cliff hanger! One of the things that I so admired about Blood Song was that it left options open, but concluded with what I felt to be a complete story. However, Tower Lord builds and builds in delicious tension and excitement and then it ends.

This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the book. I enjoyed it immensely. While the story takes us through new adventures and intrigue, Ryan uses the same formula of changing perspective and intense battle scenes to weave his tale. We see a return of our favorite characters that did not die in the previous book, as well as meet up with new and interesting characters.

My favorite new addition to this exceptional cast of characters is Reva. She is a tortured soul, fighting to find herself after being abused, manipulated and being used as a pawn in the schemes of others. In this character, I think that Ryan has created a female heroine who is truly the equal of men. Amazingly, for a very patriarchal world, the author has a large cast strong characters of both genders.

The action in Tower Lord is just as well-written and intense as Blood Song. There is a still a heavy militaristic slant that works well for Ryan's writing style. The book offers a variety of fighting styles, this time adding a lot more skill in the archer class, without backing off on the swordplay. The battle scenes also range from small skirmishes to broad battle sequences.

This book is a great read for fans of epic fantasy. While it incorporates magic, the focus is by far placed on martial skills. The world building is centered mostly around politics and intrigue, rather than creating a world vastly different from any we've seen in history. The result is a well-balanced story in which the reader can easily get lost the plot. I am looking forward to the next book.


A note about the narration: The tone and quality of Steven Brand's voice was quite pleasing. However, there was not really any distinction in vocal inflection to denote different characters. This presented a challenge when listening to a book with so many characters.

A complex story, with good characters

Lots of different names and kingdoms to keep track of make this a story not well suited for distracted listening

Steven Brand (Narrator) doesn't use multiple voices, so it can be difficult at times to follow who is speaking.

Great 2nd installment

Great world building continued. I feared the story might not hold as interesting as the first book, but it delivered in it's own right.