Very grim, very dark & very good

Ravencry, for me, was a joy from start to finish. I like my fantasy grim, dark and full of misery. This ticked all of those boxes. Ryhalt Galharrow, captain of the Blackwing is one of the toughest men walking and throughout this book you can almost feel even he is at his breaking point. Ravencry shows us far more of the world built in the first novel and gives a bit more insight into some of the creatures that inhabit it.

Colin Mace’s voice and gritty way of reading it really brings the character of Galharrow to life. I know it’s a bit cliche, but he really is perfect for this narration and I can’t imagine anyone else doing it nearly so well.

I never thought I’d think it, but the addition of a talking raven made this book so much more enjoyable than perhaps it would have been. That’s not to say it wasn’t enjoyable without that. It was. Galharrow’s trademark morose one liners and grim observations of the world around him and the people that inhabit it are back in full force. Only once before have I experienced a man try to be so miserable and dreary and end up being so much fun to read about (that once being Warden from Daniel Polansky’s Low Town series).

The style of writing is made more enjoyable by the first person perspective. This perspective has fast become a favourite of mine and seems to make even the slowest parts easier to absorb. It also makes the more vivid parts far more …vivid. Almost as if seeing through your own eyes rather than being told what happened to someone else by someone else who had seen it.

You feel a range of emotions alongside Galharrow in this as he succeeds in places and loses heavily in others. For anyone who was intrigued by the Misery in book one and wanted to learn more about that hellish environment, this book ticks those boxes. My favourite little critters (Gillings) make an appearance as do so many other strange oddments and oddities from Ed McDonald’s world.

The pacing of the novel was not rapid, but not ponderously slow either. It felt like it moved at a pace that suited the overall telling and kept steady at it throughout. It also boasted some great characters (both returning and new).

Really enjoyed this one and am eager for the third instalment.

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2 people found this helpful

Brilliant!!! Absolutely excellent - love(d) it :-))

Perfect combination of author and audio narration to produce a true masterpiece just like Bloodwing: Book 1 which is equally as amazing and addictive. I only wish for Ed McDonald & Colin Mace to join forces for more writer/narrator audio books :-) Extremely imaginative & Incredible mixture of dark fantasy/magic with unique & interesting characters and fantastically witty dry humour. Colin Mace was easily the best choice to be the audio narrator, love his voice....could listen to it all day/every day. Definitely recommend these books!!!!

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Something original and captivating

Loved this book as much as the first one. Performance is equally solid. Fast-paced and dark, original and intriguing. I was captivated from the first page and it never let me go.

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A gut-wrenching tale, outstanding

Another great performance by Colin Mace helps take this story to greater heights (ascending the grandspire even)

I highly recommend this for anyone looking for an intense adventure that is both character and setting lead. As someone who loves different fantasy genres, I appreciate how Ed mixes low-magic, grimdark as well as high-magic.
Ravencry further develops the characters of Galharrow, Nenn and many others. Given the intense events that occur I appreciated the exploration of character motivations, from the nuanced moments, expanding on what we already knew, to the steadfastness of various cast members showing character consistency.
Ed does a great job of expanding on the machinations of the Nameless and the Dead Kings, as well as taking the reader on a deeper exploration of the impossible Misery. I felt this was achieved by the brilliant foreshadowing established in Blackwing, and crucially without resorting to info-dumping.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The Raven Mark series started impressively, the difficult middle book is outstanding, better than the first. I now have the joy of waiting for the next book and speculating where the series will go next.

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amazing book and narrator is perfect

perfect again in every way such a good world cannot wait for the third .

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A sound second outing

A very solid outing for a second book and hauled a cracking character into more mayhem in a very slick audio presentation. The story faded away for me in the second half, with betrayals and the ending being signposted a bit too obviously and being a tad predictable. I look forward to reading the book and seeing the tale in that format.

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Wow...

These books are fantastic. I can't believe that Ed Mcdonald isn't more well known than he is. The first book was a masterpiece of grim, darkly humorous fantasy and this one is no different.
In each of his books so far, the author has made me gasp out loud and want to cry, has made me angry and has caused me to feel triumph on behalf of his incredibly well written characters.
The plot starts out with relative separate strands that are expertly weaved together to create a truly epic ending.
I am almost sad to start the final book, knowing this will be the end of my journey with Galharrow but I remain hopeful for him and am excited to see what new torment the Nameless and Deep Kings have in store for him!!

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Good story. Horrible performance.

Enjoyed the book for the most part, despite the narrator whispering everything or mumbling to himself.

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Superb

This is a great continuation of a great series. It is original and engaging, get all of it.

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excellent

grimdark action, memorable characters, a dash of horror and a well paced plot. and explosions.

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