Al parecer la novela de debut de Anthony Ryan tuvo mucha repercusión en su tiempo, pero he de reconocer que yo no tengo recuerdo de haberla visto ni tan siquiera publicitada. Por curiosidad, me acerqué a The Wolf’s Call como un nuevo punto de entrada en ese universo, para ver si me interesaba la historia o la forma de escribir del autor, mas lo cierto es que se trata de una novela de fantasía correcta pero para nada innovadora. Reconozco que como no he leído las obras anteriores, es posible que muchas referencias se me hayan pasado por alto, pero también puedo afirmar sin temor a duda que es una novela que se sostiene por sí misma.


El ascenso al poder y casi a la deidad del malvado de turno resulta atractivo por el simple hecho de que es el carisma del personaje el que obtiene la fidelidad de sus súbditos. El protagonista, Vaelin, es un héroe que se ha retirado a vivir con tranquilidad y a pesar de que sería el más adecuado para enfrentarse a este nuevo poder, no se convence de hacerlo hasta que las noticias de un antiguo amor suyo en manos del malvado llegan a sus oídos.

Las escenas épicas están narradas con cierta economía de medios, pero eso no les quita atractivo. El sistema mágico es un poco aleatorio, cada uno desarrollará el poder que sea sin tener necesariamente una relación causa efecto. El ritmo de la narración está bastante bien conseguido, sin llegar a decaer a lo largo de las páginas, algo de agradecer en una novela de esta dimensión. El viaje que emprende Vaelin permite que Ryan explore las distintas sociedades que componen el Reino Unificado, algo que añade complejidad y sobre todo, da consistencia al escenario en el que desplegará a los personajes.

The Wolf’s Call me parece una novela de fantasía correcta con sus toques grimdark y cierto realismo sucio, que aunque no me ha terminado de convencer para dedicarme a la lectura de las entregas anteriores, si ha conseguido atraerme lo suficiente como para seguir con esta saga actual.

My thanks to the Author publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
This is an action packed thrill ride of a book from first to last page. Absorbing atmospheric descriptive and imaginative superb characters that leap off the page, the only problem for my sixty three year old brain is keeping track and remembering them.
Totally recommended.

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.

This book is worth a read for EVERY fan of fantasy out there. As someone who hasn't read the previous books I did wonder if I would get into this book but I did and it was fantastic

I'd heard good things about this author, so when it came up on Netgalley I wanted to read it.

However, I found the story was too overly descriptive for me, some of the characters I found confusing as to who was who, grammar errors such as using ellipsis instead of a dash for conversation interruptions and same wording to close to each other. Otherwise story was okay but nothing new really.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
The world building is amazing, the cast of characters is fleshed out and larger than life, the plot is engrossing and entertaining.
I look forward to reading the other books set in this universe as this one was a very good reading experience.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

4 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2020/02/24/the-wolfs-call-ravens-blade-1-by-anthony-ryan/
The Wolf’s Call is a return by Anthony Ryan to the character and world that everyone loved in Blood Song. Before even starting to think of how best to review this I need to make two points clear, well, three actually.

Firstly, if you haven’t read Blood Song but are intending to do so then I suggest you read neither this review or this book because both will contain spoilers in terms of characters and events from the original trilogy.

Secondly, I would say that you could probably read this book without having read the original trilogy. The reason I say this is because I realise that the feeling of being so far behind can be daunting to some readers and The Wolf’s Call is a new trilogy, even though it is set in an already established world. Basically, I think you could start at this point but maybe your attachment to the main character might take a little longer to come about. It’s your call at the end of the day because my judgement might be slightly akilter as I have read the original trilogy.

Thirdly, I really enjoyed the whole of the Blood Song trilogy although I know that opinion is very divided over the 2nd and 3rd books and the change in narrative style. We’re all different at the end of the day and I didn’t mind the changes but I can see why this might have not been welcomed by some readers. The reason I make this point is that TWC does seem to go back to the style favoured by many readers with a return to two POVs and no doubt this will be welcome news to some.

So, all that being said – I really enjoyed the return to the Unified Realm and the exploits of Vaelin Al Sorna. Anthony Ryan has such a lovely writing style that I find his books incredibly easy to read, the pacing is pretty solid and the conclusion very dramatic – even with the cliffhanger style – just makes me more anxious to pick up No.2

I would say that there is an element of setting out the stall in this book (which is also why I think new readers would be able to jump on board at this point) but I have to admit that Ryan gets things going with a fantastic opener narrated by a new character from the Venerable Kingdom, known as Luralyn. These opening chapters were amazing, they really pulled me into the story and I was immediately hooked and wanted more. In fact, if it was any other narrator than Vaelin that we then jump to, then I think I would have found the switch irritating. Vaelin, he’s a slightly older character with a spattering of grey hair, but he’s still protecting the Realm and going to great lengths to instill law and order. Until he learns of a new threat from the Venerable Kingdom where a character proclaiming to be a God is uniting the Steel Horde and threatening not only the land of the Merchant Kings but every other kingdom including the Unified Realms. Immediately at the front of Vaelin’s mind is the guilt he feels having spirited his lady love to that very Kingdom believing it to be the safest haven. He now feels compelled to seek her out, even though he knows he won’t be welcome, and return her to safety. Of course, if this new threat lives up to it’s promise will anyone or anywhere be truly safe?

And so Vaelin and a number of other characters embark on a rescue mission that will see them cross the oceans and the Merchant King’s land before they arrive at their final destination on the Iron Steppes – at which point you could be forgiven for thinking ‘shit just got real’.

In terms of the characters, I couldn’t help myself, Vaelin is my favourite, although there’s something different about him in this instalment – which I think may be part of the author’s plan in terms of his character arc – but then again I might just be wishing that to be the case. It’s difficult to put my finger on it but I guess Vaelin feels a little lacking in something, maybe it’s the loss of his song, maybe it’s guilt over Sherin, or maybe he’s just tired overall (age does have a way of creeping up on you and it seems that there’s always just one more battle to fight) but he feels a little, jaded, or not quite himself somehow, even so – it’s Vaelin – so colour me happy. Loralyn is an interesting character to get to know. She’s only a young girl and has already witnessed so much. She is gifted with the ability to see the future, a gift that she uses to her brother’s advantage. Her brother, Kehlbrand, is the self appointed God hoping to unite the Stahlhast tribes and cross the seas to continue his war. Kehlbrand is known as the Darkblade and is none too pleased to find the title has been previously bestowed on Vaelin – he means to rectify this making sure in the process that this thief of names is eliminated for good.

In terms of the plot. This has a very linear feel, A quest involving leagues of travel and threats along the way before the real showdown begins. It’s not a new style but it’s tried and tested and works well here with a slightly slower start gradually building as the tension and battles increase in number and intensity. The battle scenes are excellent and very easy to imagine and this is where Ryan’s writing chops really excel. There is a slight feeling of similarity to the original books but they’re still gripping to read and action packed.

Criticisms. Not really a lot of criticisms to be honest. I think you need to have a little patience to really get into the throes of the action – but I really like the writing so I didn’t find that an issue. I had a slight feeling that the Jade Princess could have played a more significant role – don’t get me wrong, she is pivotal to the storyline and the twists along the way but I felt a little disappointed that she didn’t have a greater part – but I don’t want to spoil things by elaborating. I would also welcome a little bit more knowledge about Kehlbrand. He’s the evil baddie of the piece but I don’t really have any strong feelings for him at the moment. The only other issue I had related to one particular scene during the battle which was a little bit too much to swallow – but, I’m reading about all sorts of magic so I guess I can suspend my disbelief just that one step further.

Overall I really enjoyed reading The Wolf’s call and any little issues I experienced were really insignificant to my enjoyment. I loved being able to read more from this world and also to have Vaelin very firmly back in the picture – plus with the ending I really can’t wait to see what comes next.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the author, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, but this book surprised me. I really enjoyed it. The story was well written, the action was brilliantly described, the characters were relatable and there was enough intrigue to keep the pages turning. Very surprised, but extremely happy that I choose to read it. Excellent work!

I’ll preface this with a little bit of a disclaimer - this book is the start of a new series but does take place in the same universe as the Raven’s Shadow series - which I have not read. So I’m evaluating this book based on how it stands on its own rather than how it fits into a wider universe. This means I’ve almost certainly missed character references and nuances that other people would find. Just so you’re aware of where I’m coming from. 

This book is almost dual POV, which I wasn’t initially expecting, we get the POV of Vaelin (who I think is a character from previous books?) as well as that of Luralyn - A FEMALE CHARACTER. Things were looking up. The majority of the book is from Vaelin’s perspective but as someone who almost never enjoys something with a sole male protagonist I was grateful for the breaks. 

So broadly speaking we have the good guys against the villain - and we get a little of both sides of things. The villain, Darkblade, is one of those ‘I free slaves so they love me but really I don’t improve their lives at all I just use them for power’ kinds of villains - it’s written pretty well, and it’s much better than ‘he’s just a bad man’ which some similar books fall back on, but I wouldn’t say it’s hugely innovative, which is something I’m realising I need from fantasy because I read so much of it. 

I think that was my biggest takeaway from this book - it’s a perfectly decent fantasy story, it holds together and it has interesting characters - there just wasn’t enough innovation for me to feel this book was doing something new. I wouldn’t tell someone not to read it, but if they asked me for recommendations it wouldn’t be at the top of my list. 

My suspicion is that you get quite a lot out of this book having read the first series - and a quick glance at some other reviews would suggest something similar. Since this isn’t a sub-genre I particularly enjoy, I can’t say I’ll be dashing out to read the other books - but I think that would be my recommendation to anyone interested in this kind of book - head on back and read the Raven’s Shadow series. 

I’m having a hard time reviewing this book largely because it hasn’t stuck with me, I have a strong memory of a lot of travelling scenes interspersed with fight scenes - which just aren’t the things I personally enjoy in fantasy fiction. I would have loved some stronger worldbuilding, a better sense of the detail of this world. It’s not that the worldbuilding isn’t there - it’s just not the way I enjoy worldbuilding. 

I ended up giving this a solid three-star rating because I don’t think this book is bad, but as a recommendation from me, with all of my personal biases and preferences...I wasn’t sure what to do. I think that if you like other books that are similar to this book you will enjoy The Wolf’s Call, but it didn’t do enough that felt new for me to root for it. 

My rating: 3 /5 stars

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own. 

The Wolf’s Call publishes February 20th!

PEACE NEVER LASTS
I was so excited to read this book, that I didn't realise this is the first book in a new series following on from the "Raven's Shadow" trilogy. Initially, the characters and their relationships were hazy (this where reading the first trilogy will come in handy!), but all became clear soon enough.
What a start to a series! "The Wolf's Call" has everything I want from a fantasy novel - heroes and villains, magic and mayhem, twists and turns... and a healthy dose of action.
The next book can't come soon enough!

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

This was one of those books i seemed to fall in to whilst reading. The world is so immense that it just seemed to take over. I did quite like the characters too.
My main issue with The Wolf's Call was that there is so much action that it seemed slightly repetitive and shallow, i would have liked a bit more depth from the story. But that's not to say heavy action won't be enjoyable for most people, it just didn't work for me.

Because I'm a complete wazzack, I accidentally requested this a second tine. It's a great book. Here's my orihinal review:


Anthony Ryan writes very typical epic fantasy – heavy on the battles – in a fresh and exhilarating way. Here the reader is returned to the exciting world of Blood Song and Ryan seems to be at the top of his game. Honestly, I have been avoiding many fantasy novels with a typical, hardened warrior main character because now there is the option of fantasy with female characters who are actually characters rather than sexy lamps in improbable armour, I would rather read those. (I’ve been asked to bend to the default for thirty years, after all.) However there are authors I will always make an exception for and Ryan is one of them – largely because his world building and characterisation are so good that it simply doesn’t matter who the protagonist is. (Something that really can’t be said for many male authors writing in a similar vein.) Vaelin al Sorna is a badass but he’s also flawed and human. It’s impossible not to root for him. I really loved the angle this book took – Vaelin is trying to retire and live peacefully and they just won’t let him! Really enjoyed this book – and the return of so many favourite characters . Can’t wait for the next book. Highly recommend.