ARC provided by the publisher—Ace Books—in exchange for an honest review

The Wolf’s Call is Anthony Ryan’s best work since the release of his incredible debut.

First of all, because a lot of people have asked me on this matter, do not read this book if you haven’t read the first trilogy. Although technically you can understand the main story in this book, it will be impossible to understand the depth of the characters’ background and recollections of their past if you haven’t read the Raven’s Shadow trilogy. In my opinion, one of the greatest parts about the book lies in Vaelin’s and the other characters’ reminiscences of their bittersweet pasts and how war has harshly affected them; the events being recalled will definitely lose their emotional weight if you jump into this with no knowledge of the previous trilogy. Reading The Wolf’s Call without reading Raven’s Shadow trilogy is equivalent to reading Robin Hobb’s Tawny Man trilogy without reading her Farseer Trilogy or reading Pierce Brown’s Iron Gold without reading his Red Rising trilogy first. At the very least, if you’re really pressed on time and just want to dive into this ASAP, make sure you read Blood Song and Tower Lord; these two are must reads if you want to fully immerse yourself in this book, and then maybe read a summary of Queen of Fire on the net.

“An old love, born in youth, but now stained by bitterness and regret. The wounds left by betrayal never truly heal.”

The Wolf’s Call is the first book in Anthony Ryan’s Raven’s Blade duology. The story takes place roughly ten years after the end of Blood Song and for almost the entirety of the book, the setting of the book is not in the Unified Realm but in the previously unexplored Venerable Kingdom to the west. I’m super glad for this change; not only I’m feeling the fatigue of reading about Vaelin in the Realm’s Northen Reaches. I also prefer reading the continuation to Vaelin’s story in the familiar two POV’s narrative we had in Blood Song rather than the multi-POV we get in Tower Lord & Queen of Fire. In a way, The Wolf’s Call feels more a direct sequel to Blood Song in terms of plot, characters, and narration than both Tower Lord and Queen of Fire. This is just my opinion, but I personally believe that Anthony Ryan is at his best when he focuses his storytelling one or two main character’s perspectives rather than multi-POV. This was proven in Blood Song, A Pilgrimage of Swords, and from what I’ve heard, in Many Are the Dead too.

“A life of loss and grief will make even the kindest soul close his heart to the divine,”

Just in Blood Song, Vaelin returns as the singular main perspective character in this book. The other POV belongs to a completely new character—Luralyn—and she replaced Verniers as the interlude starter. I simply loved how well-written these two POV characters were. Luralyn’s diary/chapters have some of Ryan’s best prose included in them, and I’ve read all his full-length fantasy novels, so I feel confident saying that. Plus, her perspective offers insight into Kehlbrand’s—the new villain of the novel—character and also the Stahlhast’s culture superbly. As for Vaelin, I don’t think I need to elaborate further on how much I disd Vaelin’s POV in Tower Lord/Queen of Fire; to sum it up efficiently, I truly feel Vaelin’s POV in The Wolf’s Call sounds similar to Vaelin in Blood Song, which I absolutely loved reading. If you find yourself disappointed by Vaelin’s character development post Blood Song, I believe that The Wolf’s Call has the potential to bring back your love towards the character. Without giving any spoilers, we also get to see returning characters from the previous trilogy, including the one that’s been missing ever since Blood Song ended. I simply love the new characters more than Lyrna or Reva. It’s not only the protagonists that are better; I also think that Kehlbrand was also so much more interesting as a villain than the main villain featured in Raven’s Shadow.

“Mercy requires strength, compassion demands courage and wisdom compels truth.”

Admittedly, the structure of the final battle felt a bit repetitive as it was another siege battle just the climactic scenes featured in both Blood Song and Tower Lord. However, despite the story’s similar structure, I found the battle against the Steel Horde to be utterly engaging. In my opinion, the climax scene in this book was comprised of Anthony Ryan’s finest war scenes so far. It feels great to be invested in the Vaelin’s journey again, and seeing him and his companions struggle against their new opponent was a delight. War takes more than it gives and blind faith results in destruction; I immensely enjoyed reading Ryan’s depiction on the effect of war and deadly faith.

“My power amounts to knowledge and skill acquired over many years of study and practice. Heaven had nothing to do with it.”

The Wolf’s Call delivers a fantastic storytelling tone that’s attuned to the one sang so brilliantly in Blood Song. Vaelin’s tale continues in an incredibly engaging and evocative fashion; the first installment in Raven’s Blade duology cuts deep to the heart with its bittersweet recollections that are enhanced with deftly written prose. Judging from how much Ryan has improved as an author and how the ending made me truly wish that the next book was available for me to binge read immediately; there’s a very strong chance that Ryan will conclude Vaelin’s story satisfyingly in the next and final installment. Highly recommended for readers who loved Blood Song.

Official release date: July 25th, 2019 (UK) and July 23rd, 2019 (US)

You can pre-order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository (Free shipping)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my at Novel Notionsarcs-and-review-copies223 s Sean Barrs 1,122 46.7k

Robin Hobb meets Joe Abercrombie in a story that delivers so many gut-wrenching blows. This is fantasy with a totally legendary feel; it’s epic in every regard and certainly something that needs to be added to your reading list.

The best part for me was the villain. The Darkbalde is a rather enigmatic figure and his story is slowly revealed through flashbacks that only build up the suspense. These sections were by far my favourite because they carried with it an echo of prophecy, an echo of deeds worthy of song. Dark magic was layered on intrigue to create a legend that may be entirely self-deluded, but it is a legend nonetheless.

The Darkblade has created an army and he is ready to conquer the world; his men love him, and they worship him as a god and a liberator. They will do anything he asks without question because it’s he that asks. Vaelin (the protagonist from Blood Song) is somewhat reluctant to get involved in all the drama and to take on such a powerful enemy. Vaelin is clearly the most capable and experienced man in the field (even though his magic has faded) though he still wants no part in the war that is to come. Well, that’s until he hears that his lost love has been dragged into the mess caused by The Darkblade. His hand is forced, and he must intervene for the affection he still holds for her. Her life is at risk, so he draws his sword and sets sail.

“An old love, born in youth, but now stained by bitterness and regret. The wounds left by betrayal never truly heal.”

What unfolds is a story driven by a need for revenge and justice. It’s fast-paced and balanced well with cinematic style action and intense moments of dialogue. And the characters are truly fascinating people, many come with stories I want to hear and history I ought to know. The setting has a Germanic tribal feel in places with its forests and barbarian type aesthetic. It reminded me somewhat of Roman fiction with some fantasy elements thrown in. And it all works rather well. It’s something every fantasy fan will appreciate.

This is my first Anthony Ryan novel and it has given me a good feel for his writing and his world; however, before progressing with this series I ought to go back and read his previous trilogy, The Raven’s Shadow. I don’t feel I’ve missed out much with The Wolf’s Call, in terms of plot, but I think my engagement and investment with the characters would have increased if I knew a bit more about them. It’s all good reading a summary in here about their exploits but reading it first-hand would have been better. Overall though, it’s still accessible to new readers.

So, this is a solid first entry in a duology that I just know is going to be incredible. Exciting times ahead for Anthony Ryan fans!

_________________________________

You can connect with me on social media via My Linktree.
__________________________________4-star-reads fantasy reviewed-for-fantasy-book-review108 s William Gwynne416 2,268

I now have a YouTube channel that I run with my brother, called 'The Brothers Gwynne'. Check it out - The Brothers Gwynne


My expanded review is now on BookNest - BookNest

"Mercy requires strength, compassion demands courage and wisdom compels truth."

The Wolf's Call is the first book in the Raven's Blade series, a new book back with Vaelin Al Sorna, one of my favourite characters of all time.

I loved that Anthony Ryan has retuned to a 1 PoV that stuck with Vaelin, as you just can't get better than the warrior himself! His character is to consistent and developed, and believable. He is fantastic!

Ryan's prose is great as usual, straight to the point with a fast pace that was constantly enjoyable and made a lot happen in this 400 page novel.

"Betrayal is always the worst sin."

This was a strong book with great action, and one of my favourite duels that I have read! The large scale conflict was brilliantly described and became a vivid picture in my mind. I look forward to the next book coming out, it will be a frustrating wait until then. I shall wait for Vaelin to return!fantasy reviewed63 s Dyrk AshtonAuthor 12 books687

Okay folks, listen up. For all the readers who had complaints about the last two books in The Raven's Shadow Trilogy—this book has none of those problems. Put that out of your mind and dive into this. I loved it. Vaelin is older, more grizzled, and he's lost his song. He can still wield a blade though, and boy does he. I love this Vaelin, and the group he travels with on a crazy rescue mission that leads to a pending war even more frightening than those from Raven's Shadow are fantastic. This is fun, fast-moving epic fantasy at its best!60 s Gavin955 415 Want to read

I’m delighted to announce my next novel The Wolf’s Call, the first volume in a two-part series The Raven’s Blade which is a return to the world of Raven’s Shadow and will continue the story of Vaelin Al Sorna.

I LOVED Blood Song and Tower Lord but was super disappointed by the way Ryan wrapped up the Raven's Shadow trilogy in Queen of Fire! That Ryan plans to write a new duology in the same world with Vaelin as the lead character has reignited my hopes that Ryan will return to this world and get the story back on track and finally deliver us the sort of fantastic conclusion both the world and us readers deserve.

It always felt there was more stories to tell in this world and fresh from reading the wrap up to The Draconis Memoria series my faith in Ryan as an author has been restored a good bit.

Roll on summer 2019 and the return of Vaelin Al Sorna!

Ace Books press release:

Ace Books is thrilled to announce that the next book from international bestselling author Anthony Ryan is called The Wolf’s Call and, even more excitingly, it will return to the world of his bestselling and critically-acclaimed Raven’s Shadow trilogy (which comprised Blood Song, Tower Lord, and Queen of Fire).

The Wolf’s Call, book one of the Raven’s Blade duology, will begin an epic new adventure for fan-favorite Vaelin Al Sorna, as he travels to the far-flung realms of the Merchant Kings and learns of a grave new threat to the Unified Realm. Needless to say, The Wolf’s Call will feature more of the razor-sharp action, deadly politics and memorable characters that made the Raven’s Shadow trilogy a worldwide sensation, and is sure to delight new readers and existing fans a.

Ace will publish The Wolf’s Call in summer 2019.52 s Emma990 1,075

His legend might echo throughout the land, but Vaelin al Sorna’s tale is not yet finished, the final tally of his great deeds still to be counted. Chasing down brigands as part of his duties as Tower Lord is simple enough, but that easy living is threatened by the arrival of an old foe. One who taunts Vaelin with stories of a man who thinks himself a God and who stands at the head of a Steel Horde bent on conquering the world— or destroying it. Such distant threats might have been dismissed if not for the woman endangered by this warlord’s bloody progress: Vaelin’s long-lost love. And he owes her a debt that must be repayed. Now, Vaelin must travel across the world to stand against incalculable enemies and a man who shares one of his darkest names….

This first instalment in a new/follow up series possesses the same factors which gave the first half of Blood Song such power, a main character to root for and a structure that allows him to shine. It’s focused through Vaelin’s point of view, providing a sense of closeness and cohesion that significantly increases the story’s emotional impact. The narrative is mostly linear, though each of the three parts has a small section from a new character at the beginning. Happily, Luralyn is genuinely fascinating and her voice is used effectively to offer a way into the ‘enemy’ perspective. Starting with her was a gamble, the relevance isn’t immediately clear, and following on from two books where POV changes were problematic, it’s enough to be worrying. Especially because the story starts out slowly, Vaelin’s ‘how-i’m-living-now’ section didn’t really seem essential to the main plot. But then all of a sudden I was seriously involved.

The book has that familiar classic fantasy feel, a drawn out journey that gets heroes to where need to be. Sure, it takes a while, but it’s fun and there are some necessary attitude readjustments that have to be made before certain people are ready to be who they need to be. Here, Anthony Ryan’s skill for meaningful interactions, humour, and human psychology is well on show. Characters old and new are made interestingly complex with a sentence or two, able to make an immediate impression and provoke all manner of reactions, from disgust and horror, to sorrow and awe. It’s just one factor in why the second half of the book was so excellent: action, adventure, surprises, everything necessary to keep those pages turning. Fast. The writing is punchy, spare when it needs to be but holding enough weight to carry the more emotional scenes.

And so to the question I’ve been asked most: is it necessary to read the first series before starting this one? My answer is yes to Blood Song, no to the others. The poor for both Tower Lord and Queen of Fire, as well as the fact I felt even Blood Song fell apart by the end, meant that I didn’t finish the first trilogy. In all honestly, I didn’t suffer much here. There were a lot of references to the past, but many of them I recognised from the first book and even if there were others I missed, it didn’t much impact the story as far as I could tell. Of course, people who’ve read those two books might feel differently. While past actions and previous relationships are important, there’s more than enough information and depth with regards to backstory and significant/transformative emotional moments given here that readers could manage. It’d certainly be useful to read Blood Song to get a sense of how it all started and who the main players are, plus there are some great moments in that book it’s be a shame to miss.

Most importantly though, the ending of The Wolf’s Call is cool as shit, bloody and brutal, more than enough to make you desperate for what comes next. The game is on.



ARC via publisherfantasybookreview38 s Petros TriantafyllouAuthor 1 book368

Anthony Ryan took the fantasy community by surprise back in 2011 with the release of Blood Song - a book considered by many (including me) as one of the greatest fantasy stories of our times. Now, eight years & two complete trilogies later, he gets back to his roots by continuing the story of Vaelin Al Sorna, Brother of the Sixth Order, Battle Lord of the Unified Realm, and an all-round badass motherfucker.

With the war won and his blood song lost, Vaelin is leading a quiet life as Tower Lord of the Northern Reaches under the rule of Lyrna Al Nieren, Queen of the Greater Unified Realm. That is until the Witch's Bastard, ex-servant of the One Who Waits and an old friend-turned-foe of Vaelin's, informs him that a new evil is ready to devour the world, and Sherin, Vaelin's ex lover, is but the first casualty. Or at least she will be, if Vaelin isn't there to save her...

"Kehlbrand Reyerik, Mestra-Skeltir of the Stahlhast and Darkblade of the Unseen, rode alone towards the northern gate. He wore no helm but was clad in unadorned armour of pure black that caught the midday sun, the enamelled metal bare of any blemish or scratch. His army stood at his back, a dark line of steel-clad humanity and horses extending a mile in either direction."

A lot of fans complained that although Ryan told an excellent story in the books following Blood Song, he shifted the focus from Vaelin to other characters, and more specifically to Reva, Lyrna & Frentis, giving them their own POVs and demoting Vaelin's role. I'm happy to say that The Wolf's Call sports but one POV, and it is none other's than Vaelin's. As a matter of fact, the story itself focuses on Vaelin and his quest, as opposed to the first trilogy that was centered around the fate of the Unified Realm instead.

"A life of loss and grief will make even the kindest soul close his heart to the divine."

The first installment in the Raven's Blade trilogy features everything that we've come to love in Ryan's books. From a fast-paced story with the right amount of breathtaking action sequences & curative dialogue to an engaging plot with an exciting series of events, and from well-crafted and fascinating characters to a masterfully established world with its many characteristics such as magic system, lore, cosmology and geography, as well as the world's many human inhabitants, their societies and their cultures, The Wolf's Call is everything a fantasy fan could ever wish for.33 s Claudia976 686

This is a direct sequel to previous series, a few years later. The world is free of Volarians and one would think that peace is finally here to stay. But a new threat is looming on the far east and Vaelin is caught up again in the tumult of events.

It was great to have him again in the spotlight, this time in an adventure with asian influences. I particulary enjoyed Ryan's own vision of the Terracotta Soldiers, Kehlbrand and the Stahlhast resembling Genghis Khan and his horde, the martial arts in the fighting style.

It was also great to see other familiar characters as well, and follow their new adventures. The ending was really surpising, and so I hopped into the next one right away.
fantasy z-to-a-anthony-ryan31 s Robin (Bridge Four)1,732 1,560

Bloodsong was the first book I read by Anthony Ryan and I completely loved everything about it. It followed Vaelin Al Sorna through his childhood into early adulthood, sent to an order to train to protect the faith. The training was intense, brutal and bonded him to a few other people in ways only being put through the fire can. The Tower Lord introduced new characters and new PoVs, but remained incredibly strong and I was so excited for the conclusion of the series in The Fire Queen. Sadly, I didn’t love that book as much and felt it had lost some of the magic of the first two books of the series. At the end of The Raven’s Shadow trilogy I really felt there were more stories to be told in this world and that I needed most of Vaelin’s story.

The Wolf’s Call is the first in a new series that is a continuation of Vaelin’s story. Set about 5 years after the events in The Fire Queen, Anthony has returned the magic that was a single point of view from Vaelin. This book is his journey to find and hopefully save the first woman he ever loved and gave up to save her.



While you could probably jump into this series without reading the prior one, I don’t recommend it. It is a new starting point and the magic of the world is explained; however, I don’t think it will be as captivating if you don’t know Vaelin’s history to date.

For me this is the story I wanted. I never really got over the end to Vaelin and Sherin. I kept hoping to see her and Ahm Lin (another song wielder) in later books and now I have. I still have some mixed feelings on how this reunion is playing out thus far, it is ten years later and many things have changed between them. Still my romantic heart holds out some hope that one ship might make a resurgence.

The Stahlhast are a warring people in a far-off land from where we were in prior books. They have found their living God King who is ready to lead them in to prophecy and take over the land to the see, destroying kingdoms along the way. His sister, Luralyna, a gifted seer has seen his conqueror’s name in a dream and it is Darkblade. Seems that someone else already had that name before him though, a man who has come to save the woman he once loved. Vaelin was called the Darkblade years before in a different war when he had a Bloodsong to lead him into battle. Now stripped of his song he will go up against both a new and old enemy. Because if you think the evil in the black stone is gone forever you would be wrong.

I loved seeing Sherin again and seeing what she has done with her life so far. Nortah, was one of my favorite characters also and while he has struggle since the war he might just be getting his life back on track now. Ellese is a great new addition. She is Reva’s adopted daughter and there is a lot of Reva in that girl, she is going to be a terror just her mother if Vaelin can keep her alive through this campaign.

New lands, new yet old challenges and a new foe that grows stronger every day. Vaelin does have his work cut out for him and there will be loses along the way. Sometimes it appears as if you must lose a few battles if you are going to win the war. always with Anthony, no character is safe and many are lost in war. But I do both love and hate the ending of this. While one character is lost another gains something once lost too him and the Shalhast and new Darkblade now have a dangerous advisory in Vaelin indeed.

4-5-stars brutal chick-i-want-to-hang-out-with ...more25 s Benji Glaab653 55

Extremely well written. Full of conflict, and adventure a great revisiting of Vaelin Al Sorna's Saga.

The Wolf's Call, crafted for fans of Vaelin Al Sorna is a shot a redemption for Anthony Ryan after the absolute train wreck that Queen of Fire was IMO. The finale to the Raven Shadow trilogy was disappointing, however this is a more than worthy entry into Vaelins ongoing Saga.

There is no doubt Ryan is a fantastic writer. The world continues to be more gritty and realistic rather than him flashing entertainment, and heroics at the reader. Holding to one main pov we cover a tonne of mileage in this 400 page novel. Most of the scenes have a quick-fire feel. The story rarely stalled or felt bogged down by countless characters which was the major drawback from the previous installment QOF. The secondary cast is considerably trimmed down, and I enjoyed all the characters that comprised Vaelin's party. The gifted in the series continue to display imaginative abilities that can shift the tides of battle, or push the plot to unexpected territories.

Speaking of the battles, this will be a main draw for anyone familiar with Ryan's skills. TWC brings us to a new continent, and Ryan has built up some scary competition led by a formidable demi-god and an army that fights with a horde mentality. The skirmishes throughout were great, but the finale had me on the edge of my seat and suddenly the book became un-putdownable. Gripping, and visceral execution with tactics that grounded the mayhem excellently. I love the new charismatic villain named Darkblade. We learn his story early on through a series of prologue and interludes written as a letter by his sister Luralyn. If you enjoyed Verniers accounts from the previous trilogy I'm sure you will be all set.

Overall Ryan breaks fresh ground, while managing to expand on this amazing world. I'm excited for what lies ahead. Recommended for military fantasy fans, and fans of the Raven Shadow trilogy.25 s Mike (the Paladin)3,147 1,937

The first book about Vaelin Al Sorna ( Blood Song ) was/is one of the best fantasy novels I've read. The second in that series continues the story and while not as good as the first holds up well. Then there was the third in that trilogy and I found it...well to say the least a disappointment. I don't know what happened but it came across (to me of course) as confused and disjointed. It was (I thought) as if Mr. Ryan lost his story line somewhere.

Well, I had to tell you that to tell you this.

Here in a new series the story continues. We pick up about the point where we left off.

This is a good read, that said it has some (in my humble opinion of course) some flaws. The book begins with the point of view of a seer and then changes later it drops back and so on. This of course is not an unusual way to relate a tale. Here however the book seems to drag badly along the way.

There is a feeling of, stretching in the story. I've said about other books and I'll say here, I recalled Bilbo Baggins' comment that he; "felt butter spread over too much bread." I got that feeling here a few times.

Now, that said once the book found it's feet so to speak it tells an enthralling story and I can over all highly recommend it. I do look forward to the next and hold out hope for it to be as good.

So, recommended, enjoy.epic-fantasy fantasy22 s Mark496 86

Bloody AWESOME.to-read-in-201921 s Metodi Markov1,492 365

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P.S. ???? ? ??????? ????, ?? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ? ????...2022 adventure brexit ...more20 s Michael SliterAuthor 6 books144

Ah, Vaelin al Sorna, where have you been? I’ve missed you.

The Wolf’s Call continues his unfinished story after the anticlimactic events of A Queen’s Fire. Vaelin retired to the balmy north to enforce the queen’s law with a fairly heavy hand. Because, you know, he’d grown embittered and such.

Luckily, adventure finds this man ticks find my dog, and he’s called to the Far East to save someone whom he once loved. And then war happens and folks get blowed up and stuff.

As opposed to Tower Lord (which, as the minority, I d better than Blood Song) and a Queen’s Fire, Vaelin is a single POV. And the story is much better fir it. At times, he seems a little flat and predictable, but eventually that old Vaelin comes back to us. A Gary Stu at heart, you root for him nonetheless (yes, sometimes I want Gary Stus to get a kick in the nuts. I’m thinking of you, Kvothe).

Actually, I lied in that there is a different narrator for the interlogues, and this is some of the best written stuff Ryan has ever done.

The action in the book delivers, though there were a couple places where things got boring. I’m sick of pirate attacks. Just can’t stand em.

Overall, a strong outing and return to form. Book 2 will be a day 1 buy.16 s Mihir653 304


Full review over at Fantasy Book Critic

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: “The wolf….. It called…..”

Vaelin mentions it called to him and he had to respond. I think it called out to Anthony Ryan as well, hence e heard the fan clamour for this sequel series. As for me, I’m always excited for Anthony Ryan’s work. His debut Blood Song is one of my all-time favourite titles. The Raven’s Shadow trilogy was an exciting one, however the increase of POV focus from a singular one in the first book to the many in the remaining two books caused many a consternation among fans. Their grievances while understandable weren’t shared by me. I still love the ending as it was an all-out action ride that had Vaelin and his brothers facing unsurmountable odds as well as Lyrna who has become a queen in more ways than one.

The sequel books really expanded the world and gave us a strong background on the Alpiran and Volarian empires. They also expanded the character cast and gave us more information about the dark and its practices. The books also introduced the Merchant Kings whose kingdoms featured to the West of the unified realm. At the end of Blood Song, Vaelin took a calculated risk and sent his love away with Ahm-Lin. He’s ever been haunted by his actions, not fully knowing how she took it. Plus after the events of Queen Of Fire and faced with the loss of his blood song. He’s no longer able to match his current prowess to that of his legends. Things however are calmer and there aren’t any battles or wars that need his attention. His position as tower lord of the north means that he has to help keep the peace as well occasionally lead forays against slavers. Reva’s daughter Ellese has also joined his court and proves to be a tough ward. One of his essential functions is receiving visiting dignitaries as his fame has indeed spread to many other lands. On such a recent visit from those of the merchant kingdoms, Vaelin comes face to face to again (surprisingly) with his fre-nemy whose actions have long been intertwined with Vaelin’s life.

Revealing a new danger that is arising from the lands to the west of the Merchant Kingdoms and one of the first casualties being Sherin leads Vaelin to immediately leave for those foreign lands. However he’s not alone, brother Nortah has been waylaid of late with certain issues and Vaelin chooses to take him along as he sees no other option left for him. There are a couple more people who join our beloved warrior on his quest and he’s not happy about it. Things are much weirder as there’s a new warrior who claims the title of Darkblade while having extra help and he has named Vaelin as the Thief Of Names. As you can surmise, there’s a lot going on and Anthony Ryan has a lot of irons in the mix with this new duology featuring his most beloved character.

Firstly the positives, characterization has been Anthony Ryan’s forte and with this book, he returns to the style of his debut wherein everything is filtered through Vaelin Al Sorna. This has two solid benefits, primarily we return to familiar atmosphere of Blood Song and secondarily we get a solidly focused narrative that keeps the readers engaged. The Vaelin we meet is an older, grizzled one but no less charismatic. He’s our narrator and holds the story cohesively. We get to see the other characters such as Nortah, Sherin, Ahm-Lin, and many new folks from the western kingdoms. Everyone is a fully realized character and even with only Vaelin’s third person perspective, we get a solid character cast who intrigue, inspire and arouse disgust.

The story is very much a stranger in a strange land mold and the worldbuiding is solidly done from the three Merchant Kingdoms to the Iron Steppe and its inhabitants the Stahlhast. The readers are introduced to a whole new land and its inhabitants and Athe author lays out a very detailed landscape from the canals of Hahn-Shi to the dry, dusty steppes and their iron tors. I enjoyed this East Asian facsimile that Anthony has created. Astute readers will easily be able to figure what regions and history, the author is utilizing. The story also further deepens the aspect of the afterlife and what was revealed in Queen Of Fire with regards to the Black Stone in Volaria. I thought this was a nice tie-in to the original trilogy and we are given more hints about what lies in the beyond.

For those readers who might be shy to jump in this new series without reading the previous titles such as Tower Lord & Queen Of Fire. Be not wary, if you have read Blood Song then you can jump into this duology easily. Surely there'll be a few minor things that won't make any sense but given how divisive the opinion is over those two titles. I can safely vouch for this title being the better than both and only needing Blood Song's background and details for one to enjoy this volume.

The action sequences aren’t a lot to begin with and the readers will find sporadic scenes until the last third of the story. But it’s during this last third that the story kicks into overdrive. We get a solid taste of what has been promised. The climax even pays a bit of homage to one of Anthony Ryan’s favorite titles namely David Gemmell’s Legend. However the author neatly lays in a twist that’s hard to anticipate and the way it pans out, I really enjoyed it. Lastly the book ends on a big cliffhanger and sets up the sequel superbly. I loved what the author has in store and with that twist, the sequel becomes another must read for 2020.

Going on to the things that might not work, one of the confounding things is the structure of the book. It follows the pattern of having first person accounts interspersed between the third person POV chapters. In the first trilogy, it made sense as it was Verniers who was chronicling Vaelin’s legend. With this new duology, I was more than surprised to this style adopted by the author. Maybe it was to draw similarities between both series and in that it works beautifully. However I hope that the author has more in store and can reveal why he chose to structure the new series this way. Secondly we are led to believe that there will be a big conflict between said demigods but that doesn’t happen and I for one was a tad disappointed with it.

CONCLUSION: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again “Anthony Ryan is David Gemmell’s natural successor and heroic fantasy’s best British talent”. With this new duology, he proves me right all over again. The Wolf’ Call heralds a successful call back to Blood Song and while it might not be as great as Blood Song was. It’s still a damn good story that will make you want the sequel now. 14 s Rob863 575

Executive Summary: I enjoyed this more than Queen of Fire but not nearly as much as Blood Song or Tower Lord.

Audiobook: I was happy to see Steven Brand return to narrate this book. I really d his narration of the original trilogy and was disappointed when he we replaced for books 2/3 of Ryan's The Draconis Memoria series. He did a great job as usual, so I'm glad they didn't go with someone else.

Full Review
Blood Song is one of my all-time favorite fantasy books, and Tower Lord wasn't far behind. It was for that reason that I felt Queen of Fire was a letdown. Everything felt so uneven. Slow at the start then rushed at the end.

When his new series came out I was a bit reluctant to give that a shot. However that turned out to be pretty good from start to finish, but still not at the level of Blood Song.

When this book was announced I had similar mixed feelings. Could he recapture the magic of his earlier books, or would it be more Queen of Fire? The answer turned out to be somewhere in between.

I probably should have reread the series as much of the details have escaped me so many years (and so many books) later. Eventually I got my bearings, but probably not as much as if I had reread.

This book has a lot of setup, and we get a bit of perspective from the preludes to each section. Thankfully his earlier books all the chapters are from Vaelin's perspective.

Vaelin is older and wiser, but given where the series had previously left off, he's not quite the warrior he once was that earned him his infamy. Faced with a new threat, we get a bit of a different approach than in the past.

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot, and there were parts of it where I was finding excuses to listen, but there were a few slower parts as well.

Either way I'm happy to report that my concerns were mostly assuaged. I'm optimistic that this continuation of the series might help to redeem some of my disappointment from how the first trilogy was wrapped up.20xx-sword audio-book author-male ...more17 s WayneM0349 33

So I've been in a bit of a slump (and distracted on the Xbox too I must admit) but saw this at work and knew I'd love it.
And I did.

Fantastic world building as always and it was so easy to immerse myself back into this world.
It's so vivid even when it's bleak and inhospitable.

The characters are fantastic. Some new who are so interesting (even the bad girls and guys) but it's the returning ones who I love reaquanting with. Just brilliant

The plot is great and really fits well. I love how there are a few perspectives in the storytelling which works really well.

A great author who had gone back to the world of his best work.
If you haven't read this series all I can say is do so.
You won't be disappointed.14 s Andrews WizardlyReads279 526

Anthony has done it again! This was amazing. a modern take on Legend 12 s Nigel891 130

In brief - There is always one isn't there and maybe it's me this time. Not bad but I have read better definitely.

In full
This book is set after the author's Raven's Shadow series and I have not read that series. The book starts with an intro about the dynamics - family and other - of the Stahlhast. Kehlbrand becomes Mestra-Skeltir when his older brother is sacrificed by the priests. Luralyn, his sister, narrates this. She supports him and is also capable of assisting him through visions she has - the True Dream. I confess I was a little unsure what to make of this.

I guess I was even more confused when the book then actually started in a completely different place. Vaelin, Tower Lord, is dealing with thieves and bandits. However he quickly finds that he has far worse problems that this to deal with. He journeys far with various people. The book follows Vaelin and his companions on their travels. Inevitably they encounter the might of the Stahlhast and battle can be the only outcome.

The writing here is of a very high standard. However there is also plenty of history in this initially - maybe if I had read the previous series it would have meant more and been more important. The action when it comes is excellent. While the first 50% of this left me rather disinterested the pace (& the action) increase progressively. I certainly never wanted to stop reading this.

There are a number of characters who I felt should have been far more interesting that I found them. The Jade Princess and Sherin would be among these. Equally there were many more minor roles which had good characters such as Vaelin's brother and his niece. However none of them really came alive for me.

The last 20% or so was very good indeed. But in the end I was never really as gripped by this as I have been in some fantasy series I've read. Was it the pace early on or the fact that there was quite a lot of retrospection about the previous series? I guess it could have been the characters. Either way I need to be "taken" by a fantasy book and held. Others have been however I was not. I doubt I would read the next book in the series.

Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review

https://viewson.org.uk/fantasy/the-wo...
arc fantasy netgalley11 s Flying Monkey373 80

4 Stars!

Great to see Anthony Ryan back to form in the The Wolf's Call. Plenty of action, fast paced, good character development and worldbuilding. Looking forward to Raven's Blade, #2. 2019 audible12 s WhiskeyintheJar1,382 634

3.5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Vaelin gave a very small laugh as a long remembered phrase came to mind. “There’s always another war.”

The Wolf's Call starts off the new series Raven's Blade but is also a continuation of the series Raven's Shadow. I would highly suggest reading that series first, as I did not, and was very lost for the first half of this story. For others that did read Raven's Shadow, they'll recognize the characters and find that even though the Queen of Fire now reigns, there will still be no peace for Vaelin Al Sorna, Tower Lord of the Northern Reaches.

Vaelin learns that his beloved, that he drugged to send away for what he considered her own safety, is now in danger. He hasn't had any contact with Sherin in years but since he sent her away, he feels responsible for her now being in danger. This is an epic fantasy series, so magic plays a big part in the story whether it be mystical orders, people with mystical powers, or mystical beings. Vaelin travels with his stowaway niece, an outlaw boy he is training, and a handful of other secondary characters.

Kehlbrand was no longer playing the role of a god. Now he was a god, a living god who would tolerate no worship of any other. He had become the Darkblade, and so was no longer my brother.

Vaelin's story is only one side of the coin, the danger he is told Sherin is going to be in, stems from a man named Kehlbrand, renamed Darkblade, now claiming to be a god. Vaelin and Kehlbrand are the overt powers at work in the story. Kehlbrand believing he is a god has decided that he needs to conquer all of the land and people, his Steele Horde army is sweeping the land and while at times physically freeing people, also enslaving their minds, through religious fervor and/or magic. While the two men are at the forefront, covertly are two women. We are first introduced to Luralyn, Kehlbrand's sister and her gift of sight, or what she calls the “True Dream”. Sharing some knowledge she gleamed from her True Dream, she ends up saving Kehlbrand, earning his trust and inadvertently setting events in motion that maybe never should have happened.

Hidden even more covertly is the other woman, the Jade Princess, a woman who has lived supposedly for centuries and has the gift of Song. She also has sight and she is entwined with Luralyn and Sherin. Sherin has been with the Jade Princess for awhile and believes in every action the Jade Princess says she must do in order to help save the world from the Darkblade. Vaelin traveling to save Sherin, who is with the Jade Princess, and Kehlbrand declaring Vaelin is a “Thief of Names” and he must be killed because Kehlbrand is the only one true Darkblade, has Luralyn traveling with him and their fates are all entwined.

“I was a coward,” he said. “And a fool. I allowed myself to fall victim to the folly of prophecy and the arrogance of believing destiny actually possesses any meaning. My only defence is that in that time and place, I had no doubts. She had to leave and I had to stay.”

Besides being a bit lost in the first half, I thought it was a bit slow. The big war seems to have happened in the series before this one and this starts off a bit as a deflated balloon. Again, reading the previous series would help as the pace would fit in better as the middle half starts to ramp things up again. The second half I enjoyed more as I was firmly settled in the world, although still missing some background character relationships, and I enjoyed the building crescendo pace as Vaelin and Kehlbrand were being brought closer and closer together. We do get our climatic scene, but it's around the 70% mark and I once again thought the pace stalled and had to work to rev back up as this becomes a cliffhanger story; I felt this particular story plot could have ended here and elongating it to a second book feels a bit stretching.

I enjoyed the character relationships and the two sides of a coin feel merged together but due to not reading the first series or not explanation, going into detail enough, I was left clueless or wanting more at times; I wish I knew the Jade Princess better and the evil stone plot could have used more filling out. This was an intriguing epic fantasy world but even though there was magic running afoot, the author still managed to make our characters' humanity the center and most fascinating part of the story.series10 s Andreas263

Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of Queen of Fire and how the last series ended, I've still found myself missing Vaelin and the Unified Realm. And when I found out that we were getting two new books I got super excited. So it was a lovely reunion. The cliffhanger kinda sucked though, since I haven't gotten book two yet. But when I do I'll drop everything immediately and continue reading about Vaelin Al Sorna's adventures in fantasy China.

4.5/5 stars12 s Dianne6,791 590

Fans of epic fantasy will devour Anthony Ryan’s THE WOLF’S CALL as this rapid-fire tale unfolds, revealing layer upon layer of action and adventure, deceit, magic and characters that feel larger-than-life. The world building is phenomenal, the attention to detail pulls readers in and hold them captive!

One man will become a legend to his people, defeating evil with his sword. When a new threat emerges, he must once again take up arms to save his realm and the woman he left behind.

What this book lacked was background on the characters and to my dismay, there is a previous trilogy that lays the platform and fills in many missing pieces. That said, this is powerful epic fantasy told by a very talented author!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Ace!

Series: Raven's Blade - Book 1
Publisher: Ace (July 23, 2019)
Publication Date: July 23, 2019
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Print Length: 432 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
1-in-series arc-read epic-fantasy ...more11 s John McDermott415 77

Exceptional book with the focus being firmly back on Vaelin Al Sorna. Everything I enjoyed from the first three books and more were present making The Wolf's Call my favourite so far.camelot-its-only-a-model orbit10 s Etienne6,522 72

3,5/5. Where to start... I was disappointed by it can't deny the fact. It was good, but I was expecting something way better. The first half consist mostly of going here and there and having to battle various group of enemies, very thin plot and repetitive action. The second half is better with a clearer objectives and stakes. The ending is great and I will continue for sure, hoping it will be better. For the characters part now! The new characters are mostly all failed, very hard to get attach to them or caring for them (except one but he/she died so we won,t get more from him/her, staying blurry on purpose here to avoid spoiler). Even Vaelin seem kind of off for most of the book, not much evolution from his part, not deep enough, I would almost say a bit blank. I care for him because of the previous series, but with this book alone... can't say I grew up with him on this adventure. And this character element was for me the biggest disappointment of this book. The action is good and well describe always. So it was good but not great. I would have it to start faster and putting in more work in the character development, again, Vaelin should have been better, when I saw that it was always focus on him (we don't follow various character from chapter to chapter, the action stay around Vaelin from start to finish) I was glad because I him a lot, but even while staying close to him we just don't get into his mind, his psychology, his thoughts enough for me. I'm glad I read it and will look for the publishing of the next one, it sure look promising with the ending, but some issues has to be work on in my opinion.8 s Ivan377 64

Wolf's Call je najbolji roman u serijalu nakon Rajanovog prvenca. Premda sam svojevremeno drugoj knjizi dao pet*, Wolf's Call je zrelija i bolje osmišljena pri?a, te zanatski upeglanija - premda vrlo daleko ispod prvog romana, ?ije domašaje nijedna od Rajanovih potonjih knjiga nije uspela da dosegne. No, nadajmo se. Bilo kako bilo, Wolf's Call ?e svakako biti me?u najboljim fantazijama koje sam ove godine pro?itao.2019 year-s-best8 s Ned Ludd765 16

Hackneyed, flat and anticlimactic. I feel Ryan is a much better writer than a storyteller. I’m hoping the second volume will be more to my liking. 2.5??9 s Cindy341 50

Und jetzt heißt es warten auf Teil 2... audiobooks7 s black-eyes-black212 7

Der bereits bekannte Fantasy- Autor Anthony Ryan hat mir „Das Lied des Wolfes“ sein neustes Werk auf den Markt gebracht. Dieses Fantasybuch ist der Auftakt zu seiner Rabenklingen- Reihe. Diese schließt an die Rabenschatten- Trilogie an. Daher ist sinnvoll, dass man die vorangegangene Reihe vorher gelesen haben sollte, damit man „Das Lied des Wolfes“ mehr genießen kann. Sonst hat man weniger Freude an diesem Buch.

Klappentext:
Unter Vaelin al Sornas Führung wurden ganze Kaiserreiche besiegt, seine Klinge entschied erbitterte Schlachten – und er stellte sich einer bösen Macht entgegen, die schreckenerregender war als alles, was die Welt bis dahin gesehen hatte. Er verdiente sich eine Unmenge an Ehrentiteln, nur um später in den Nordlanden ein friedvolles Leben zu suchen … Doch von weit über dem Meer verbreiten sich Gerüchte – ein Heer mit dem Namen Stählerne Horde treibt dort sein Unwesen. Es wird von einem Mann angeführt, der sich selbst für einen Gott hält. Als Vaelin erfährt, dass Sherin, die Frau, die er vor Jahren geliebt und verloren hat, der Horde in die Hände gefallen ist, bleibt ihm keine Wahl, er muss wieder einmal in den Kampf ziehen.

Ich kannte bereits Bücher von Anthony Ryan und war daher schon sehr auf sein neustes Werk gespannt, wie Ryan die Geschichte rund um Vaelin al Sorna weiterführt. Welche Abenteuer er dieses Mal meistern muss, welcher Aufgabe er sich stellen muss und wer dieses Mal sein Kontrahent ist.
Der Schreibstil ist, wie ich es bereits aus seinen anderen Werken kannte, sehr bildhaft und wortgewaltig. Ryan schafft es gekonnt, einen in diese andersartige Welt einzusaugen, sodass man immer mehr davon lesen möchte. Die Welt ist manchen Lesern schon bekannt, spielt dieser Reihenauftakt in derselben Welt wie auch schon seine Rabenschatten- Trilogie. Dennoch lernt man neue Facetten kennen. Die Welt ist vielseitig und steckt voller Überraschungen. Es gibt einige Völker und auch Kulturen, die diese Welt beleben und so spannend machen. Interessant fand ich hier vor allem das Volk rund um das Kaufmannskönigreich, welches durch seine Kulturen und Traditionen geprägt ist. Aber auch die Jadeprinzessin ist eine interessante Persönlichkeit, welche unerwartete Wendungen in die Story gebracht hat. Im Verlauf des Buches begegnet man altbekannten Charakteren und lernt diese noch besser kennen, es ist wie ein Treffen mit alten Freunden. Im Mittelpunkt steht natürlich Vaelin al Sorna. Er beweist sich als sympathischer Protagonist, welcher einen durch die Handlung bringt. Aber natürlich gibt es auch neue Charaktere, die man immer besser kennen lernt. Allgemein sind die Charaktere von Anthony Ryan gut gezeichnet, sie überzeugen durch ihre authentischen Persönlichkeiten, sie wirkten recht real auf mich. Zwischen den einzelnen Völkern und auch Persönlichkeiten gibt es einige Unstimmigkeiten oder auch Streitigkeiten. Es gibt nicht wenige kämpferische Auseinandersetzungen, aber allein das Cover zu diesem Buch lässt dies bereits vermuten. Die Kämpfe sind vielseitig und spektakulär, aber auch nicht zu ausschweifend dargestellt. Ryan hat hier eine gute Balance gefunden, wie man diese kämpferischen Auseinandersetzungen erzählt, ohne dass es übertrieben oder überladen wirkt.
Die Geschichte wird aus mehreren Perspektiven erzählt. Den Hauptpart nimmt hier die Handlung aus der Sicht von Vaelin ein. Ein seiner Seite werden wir durch die Story geleitet und müssen dabei einige Schwierigkeiten meistern. Aber auch die Sicht aus der Perspektive von Luralyn wird beleuchtet. Sie ist eine Art Seherin aus dem Volk der Stahlhast und hilft ihrem Bruder bei seinem gottgleichen Aufstieg. Sie erzählt ihre Geschichte, wie sie ihren noch recht kurzen Lebensweg bestritten hat. Warum sie sich so entwickelt hat, sodass Luralyn nun an der Stelle ist, an der sie in der aktuellen Situation nun ist. Man bekommt einen guten Einblick in ihre Gedankenwelt und kann daher ihre Aktionen und Herangehensweisen besser verstehen.
Ich persönlich fand den Einstieg in das Fantasy- Buch etwas holprig. Man muss sich erst in die Geschichte einfinden, was bei mir doch ein wenig gedauert hat. Aber danach hat sich die Story gebessert, ich bin nur so durch die Seiten durchgeflogen. Immer tiefer bin ich zusammen mit Vaelin in die Ereignisse hineingezogen worden und ich konnte das Buch nur schwer wieder aus der Hand legen. Die letzten paar Seiten hätte man meiner Ansicht nach ein bisschen kürzen können, aber dennoch möchte ich nur zu gerne wissen, wie alles weiter geht.

Insgesamt hat mir „Das Lied des Wolfes“ von Anthony Ryan ziemlich gut gefallen, auch wenn der Einstieg meiner Meinung nach etwas holprig war. Aber hat man erst mal diese erste Hürde gemeistert, dann kann man dieses Fantasybuch in vollen Zügen genießen. Ich möchte 4 Sterne vergeben und freue mich schon auf die Weiterführung der Story.
7 s Julia121 2

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