“Dawnthief” by James Barclay (Gollancz/Pyr)

The Chronicles of the Raven Begin

The Raven have fought together for years, six men carving out a living as swords for hire in the war that has torn Balaia apart, loyal only to themselves and their code. But when they agree to escort a Xesteskian mage on a secret mission they are pulled into a world of politics and ancients secrets. For the first time The Raven cannot trust even their own strength and prowess, for the first time their code is in doubt. How is it that they are fighting for one of the most evil colleges of magic known? Searching for the secret location of Dawnthief; a spell that could end the world? Aiming not to destroy it but to cast it…

It took me a rather long time to get around to reading Dawnthief. There’s no particular reason for this oversight, but for the longest time, The Chronicles of the Raven has been a series I’ve always wanted to try. With my New Year’s Resolution to finally get around to four particular fantasy series, I thought there was no better time. I’m glad I did, too. The book, while flawed and suffering from a number of rookie issues, is nevertheless addictive. I’ll certainly be reading more of the series. This was, given the pacing and events of the first third of the book, a tricky review to write.

Interview with JAMES BARCLAY

James Barclay has been mentioned a couple of times on the site since it started, but as an author whose work I keep missing. Therefore, I have made a resolution to read at least the first in his Chronicles of the Raven series this year (I hope to get to it next month or in March). In the meantime, I got in touch with James and asked if he’d be interested in an interview. He said yes. So here it is. Read on for James’s take on the genre, his series, the wonderful people he’s met in publishing, and what it means to be an author.

2013: New Year’s (Reading) Resolutions – Fantasy

Last year, I promised myself that I would read at least one of Joe Abercrombie’s novels. Thankfully, I just managed it. For 2013, I’ve decided to come up with a similar resolution, to address a few more gaps in my SFF reading. In this post, I give you the four fantasy series I hope to read at least one novel from in 2013:

Robin Hobb – Farseer Trilogy

James Barclay – Chronicles of the Raven

Brandon Sanderson – Mistborn

Tom Lloyd – Twilight Reign

There are, of course, many other established and completed series I wish I had tried by now. These are just four of the fantasy series I’ve decided to single out for this year. Allow me to share some details about these series, in case you haven’t managed to get around to them yourself. If you have already read any of these series, please do share your own thoughts and impressions, in the comments. (Or, alternatively, share suggestions for other fantasy series you think I and other readers need to try out.)