Crowfall

Raven's Mark, Book 3

By: Ed McDonald

Narrated by: Colin Mace

Length: 15 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the third gritty installment of the Raven's Mark series, Blackwing Captain Ryhalt Galharrow finds that all power comes with a price...

A sorcerous cataclysm has hit the Range, the final defensive line between the republic and the immortal Deep Kings.

Tormenting red rains sweep the land, new monstrosities feed on fear in the darkness, and the power of the Nameless, the gods who protect the republic, lies broken. The Blackwing captains who serve them are being picked off one by one, and even immortals have learned what it means to die. Meanwhile, the Deep Kings have only grown stronger, and they are poised to deliver a blow that will finally end the war.

Ryhalt Galharrow stands apart from it all.

He has been deeper into the wasteland known as the Misery than ever before. It has grown within him - changed him - and now the ghosts of his past, formerly confined to the Misery, walk with him everywhere.

They will even follow him - and the few surviving Blackwing captains - on one final mission into the darkness.

©2019 Ed McDonald (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

“This series has been truly magnificent from start to finish, and I am grateful for it.” (Peter McClean, author of Priest of Bones)

I like the Misery

This one goes even deeper and its a fun dark bleak book. It moves quickly and has a satisfying arc. I hope to see more from this author in the same world because the landscape that the author describes are fun in their own f’d up way.

loved it

These books are very compelling and I can't help but love them. The story is wonderfully well written and the charecters are deep complex and flawed.

Well done, Ryhalt. Well done, Ed McDonald.

Blackwing was very good. Ravencry was nearly as good. Crowfall was better than either. Solid stuff. Well narrated by Colin Mace, as always. Fantastic ending to the series. I look forward to reading Ed’s future books. He’s a master storyteller.

Amazing trilogy and narrator.

Narrator was AMAZING. Great conclusion to the trilogy. Will be listening to more by this author and the narrator for sure.

Fitting end to a great trilogy

I really liked this book and thought that it was a very fitting end to a great trilogy. Since this is the third book in a trilogy, I would highly recommend reading the first two books before jumping into this one. This book picks up some time after the events of the second book but Ryhalt and the rest of the characters have all undergone a lot of changes since we last saw them. I was hooked from the start and couldn’t wait to see where things would go as the book drew to a close.

Ryhalt has spent years in the Misery away from others. I absolutely loved the descriptions of the Misery with its hostile and ever-changing nature. The changes in Ryhalt were rather surprising and completely unexpected since he has lost a lot of his humanity. When he gets news that leads him from the Misery, things get intense very quickly. It isn’t long before he enlists the help of those that he has leaned upon in the past. The odds are stacked against the group as they head into the battle of their lives.

There was plenty of action and excitement in this book which kept me glued to the story. I love that I have come to expect the unexpected in this trilogy and that anything could happen at any given time. This is a dark gritty story that was oftentimes brutal. Things do not always go well for this group of characters. I thought that the parts of the story that occurred in the Misery were exceptional since the landscape added another layer of danger to the story.

I alternated between the digital book and audiobook when reading this novel. Colin Mace does a phenomenal job with this series. He does a great job in bringing Ryhalt to life and adds a lot of excitement and emotion to his reading. He has the perfect voice for this kind of story and would eagerly listen to his narration again in the future.

I do recommend this trilogy to others. I enjoyed this dark fantasy novel that was filled with great characters and a lot of excitement. I cannot wait to read more of this talented author’s work.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley and purchased a copy of the audiobook.

A very very good closeing.

First book was enjoyable, the second got really good. This third book was a fantastic work, a fine evolution!

Lackluster Conclusion

This series was riveting. I was, however, stunned by the unadulterated selfishness of the protagonist. The blind, all-consuming love story thrown and held together by and for its own sake. He went from a begrudgingly, bitter but ultimately loyal man, to something else altogether. Some may chalk it up to his transformation, but he had started on that path long before the Misery had sunk its hooks in. The final conflict wasn't even much of a conflict at all. Perhaps the single greatest adversary on his heels, thwarted by this single Nameless, without so much as a description of what was actually happening. The first 2 books were much more satisfying and well-executed, in my opinion. Still, a worth-while read, if a bit of a let down in comparison to its predecessors.

Fantastic

beautifully wrapped up, all loose ends tied up. not ready to let this story go.

Excellent wrap-up

Excellent wrap-up for Galharrow's story. As the march is on for the final battle, Ryhalt Galharrow fights his own battle for atonement of all the torment he has carried for so many years. He's an amazing character set in the perplexing setting of The Misery. I've enjoyed the memorable characters, creatures, and scenery of this totally unique world. Hope to hear more from Ed McDonald, and Colin Mace gave the perfect performance.

Awesome

Awesome. Great, original, different. Very cool.. Action, science fiction fantasy epic. Worth listening to John Lee’s narration again and again!