The Book Depository The Wolf's Call by Anthony Ryan
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Price: £11.98
Brand: The Book Depository
Description: The Wolf's Call : Paperback : Little, Brown Book Group : 9780356511276 : : 19 Mar 2020 : Anthony Ryan returns to the world of his fantasy blockbuster Blood Song with an action-packed new adventure featuring fan-favourite hero, Vaelin Al Sorna. The Book Depository The Wolf's Call by Anthony Ryan - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: The Book Depository
Product ID: 9780356511276
MPN: 9780356511276
GTIN: 9780356511276
Author: Ralcon
Rating: 5
Review: (THERE ARE NO SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW) Anthony Ryan's hugely popular "Ravens Shadow" trilogy spanned three books - Blood Song (Book 1), Tower Lord (Book 2) and Queen of Fire (Book 3) - all of which are excellent reads, particularly Blood Song, and the trilogy "officially" ends at the finale of Queen of Fire. Although this book "The Wolf's Call" and the follow up "The Black Song" are a stand alone duology and separate stories in their own right, they are essentially Books 4 and 5 of the Ravens Shadow trilogy and take place a few years after the closing events at the end of Queen of Fire. Many of the characters, including the main character Vaelin Al Sorna in Raven's Shadow, are in or referred to in The Wolf's Call and it's great to see how they have developed - or regressed in some cases. The world building is very similar, although the events in these books mainly take place in the Far West - a region not visited in Raven's Shadow - but in the same world. The best way to describe it would probably be an equivalent to feudal Japan, which is broken down into several merchant kingdoms. These kingdoms come under a substantial threat from the "Stalhaast" host from the frozen North, whom you could liken to the Mongols or perhaps mounted Vikings - fierce warriors and utterly ruthless, being led by one of their clan chiefs who has professed himself as a living god, whose sole ambition is to conquer and rule all of the Merchant Kingdoms - at any cost. In a nutshell, the story focuses on Vaelin Al Sorna finding out about this, trying to stop this, and what happens when he tries to do so. Being firmly aimed at adult readers, It's a fast paced read with good dialogue and prose, and the action sequences are first class - visceral, bloody and hugely violent. There are parts which are also very dark and sinister which I personally really like, but might not be for everyone. There is also "magic" which is referred to as "the dark" but forget any Harry Potter type of wand waving - the dark is a lethal weapon used to devastating effect by those who wield it, and often with a harrowing or sinister edge. The book also ends on one of the best nail-biting cliff-hangers I have read for a long, long time, and will have you panting to start the second book immediately (which I did!!) In summary, if you are new to Anthony Ryan these are great books and can be read on their own merit without any prior knowledge or reading of his previous work. With that being said, you will definitely have a greater depth to the characters by knowing their back stories and why they are like who they are if you've read Raven's Shadow - either is fine, having read the preceding trilogy will certainly enhance these books, but likewise isn't essential by any means. A great read for newcomers and existing fans alike - dive right in, you won't be disappointed if you love adult fantasy novels.
Author: Rivva F.
Rating: 2
Review: Not one for petty grievances, but you’d assume these kind of mistakes didn’t occur. Can’t review the book as I haven’t finished it yet, but the Raven’s Shadow & Draconis Memoria are excellent pieces of fiction. The former being the better of the series (in my opinion) - chances are, the wider extension for the Al Sorna legacy will be excellently written too.
