Blackwing

Raven's Mark, Book 1

By: Ed McDonald

Narrated by: Colin Mace

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Set on a post-apocalyptic frontier, Blackwing is a gritty fantasy debut about a man's desperate battle to survive his own dark destiny....

Hope, reason, humanity: the Misery breaks them all.

Under its cracked and wailing sky, the Misery is a vast and blighted expanse, the arcane remnant of a devastating war with the immortals known as the Deep Kings. The war ended nearly a century ago, and the enemy is kept at bay only by the existence of the Engine, a terrible weapon that protects the Misery's border. Across the corrupted no-man's-land teeming with twisted magic and malevolent wraiths, the Deep Kings and their armies bide their time. Watching. Waiting.

Bounty hunter Ryhalt Galharrow has breathed Misery dust for 20 bitter years. When he's ordered to locate a masked noblewoman at a frontier outpost, he finds himself caught in the middle of an attack by the Deep Kings, one that signifies they may no longer fear the Engine. Only a formidable show of power from the very woman he is seeking, Lady Ezabeth Tanza, repels the assault.

Ezabeth is a shadow from Galharrow's grim past, and together they stumble onto a web of conspiracy that threatens to end the fragile peace the Engine has provided. Galharrow is not ready for the truth about the blood he's spilled or the gods he's supposed to serve....

©2017 Ed McDonald (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Blackwing quickly gained the rare distinction of being one of those books that felt as if it had been written especially for me...Ed McDonald handles the action with a deft hand and has created a compelling central character who remains likeable despite a lengthy list of flaws.”(Anthony Ryan, New York Times best-selling author of The Legion of Flame)

“Original world-building and unforgettable characters make Blackwing a dark, powerful debut.” (Brian Staveley, author of Skullsworn)

“Blackwing is a bloody, gritty fantasy novel that manages not to sacrifice its heart. I love the world, which feel strange and lived-in, and the strength of the voice is fantastic. Fans of Glen Cook’s The Black Company or Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law series will be very happy with this one.” (Django Wexler, author of The Guns of Empire)

Classic fantasy but ran thru the dirt & roughed up

Wow... This was bleak.

This had some of the best world building that I've had the pleasure of experiencing in a while. The world building also does such a good job at sticking to the dark, dreary, slimey, grimey and gritty tone. I consistently felt surrounded by this clear picture of a world that is very unpleasant but so rich that I was having so much fun still learning more.

This is probably my first very recognizable dip in this sort of fantasy. I've never quite seen a post apocalyptic fantasy world like this where there are traditional wizards, warriors, necromancers and healers but they are ran through the gutter thanks to this nuke-like world wide apocalyptic event. This I felt was incredibly creative and a cool take on the traditional genre by giving a different take on it all. We've seen apocalyptic events, zombies and paranormal creatures coming from the aftermath but I've never seen this done with old school fantasy tropes mixed in, loved the mixing of the genre.

I was just so in love with how good the writing was, it was easy to picture what was going on and the slow introduction of world and characters made it easy to latch on to the environment and who is who.

The plot was intense, lot of crazy action packed moments to break up slow build up and then an amazing crescendo at the end. This really feels like an adventure fantasy conventional plot at first but then the twists and grit mixed in gives it a unique flavor. I really like the build up of the overall mystery going on and very much felt the tension these characters were having.

My only complaint is I really wish some more time went into character building. I felt the main character, i feel like he was built up very well, had a vibe about him that was understandable and felt realistic. However, the side characters I really just didn't feel much for. There's one side character female warrior that had a impactful moment at the start of the book then sorta drifts off with not much more going on with her so it was hard to care. There is also a love interest that I wasn't made to care much for either. A lot of the side character building moments was the main character telling me how they felt about them instead of showing and a lack of meaningful deep diving in there past too made it hard to latch on. They weren't terrible though, i cared enough about the MC to care about who and what he cares about but I'd really wish I could care on my own about them as an individual.

Emphasize again that this ending felt great and wrapped up enough plot so that this felt like a fully realized book that could be a stand alone. Im so thankful this is a series though because I totally want to learn more about this world that was crafted and see what happens next after that incredible ending.

Quick pace action packed

This story makes time fly by. It has great details BUT it seems like parts are missing. I wont doing the story for a technical. The world is quickly built and the protagonist is a real awesome BRUtE.

I want to listen more.

Good Dark Fantasy

The ominous setting is perfect for this dark fantasy geared towards adults. A likeable narrator helps move the tale along.

Loved it!

Wonderful dark fantasy. Somewhat reminiscent of Iconoclasts by Mike Shel. Thrilling read from start to finish.

Good book.

Well written, well performed and well worth the credit. This book is fast paced and gritty with good action. Buy it.

Great story with multifaceted characters

I really enjoyed this story. Within the fantasy genre, I tend to be a little wary of the "bitter, old-ish soldier" type main character and while Galharrow does fall into this category, it's pulled off very well. He's not a walking stereotype, but rather a multidimensional character. The same goes for the other characters, many of which, refreshingly, are female. There's no meek, pretty girl waiting for rescue, they're all interesting personalities in their own rights.
The story itself is also entertaining and much better than I thought it would be based on the summary. Definitely going to listen to the next book as well!

ludicrously hard boiled

it's like if the most hard boiled detective ever was stuck in elden ring. loved it

I loved this book and can't wait to read the rest!

I absolutely love the writing, the characters, and the story. Brilliant in so many ways. How have I missed out on this author for so long? The only problem I had was that I had to slow the narration speed down to 0.85 in order to make any sense of it. That's more of a personal preference, but I thought I'd mention it. Still though, great job!!!

Great book!

I hardly ever write reviews but after this book I had too. Highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys gritty fantasy that’s written for adults. The book takes place in a dark fantasy world with a little bit of a post apocalyptic feel with a good magic system and 17th century technology where firearms begin being used in a limited fashion in warfare. If I could give this book and it’s narrator more than 5 stars I would.

Pleasantly Surprised!

Had never heard of this author or series going in, but was blown away by the writing and the story. Can't wait to read the rest of the series!