Blood Song

May 27, 2013
Ryan hits all the high notes of epic fantasy—a gritty setting, ancient magics, ruthless intrigue, divided loyalties, and bloody action—in this originally self-published launch title for the Raven’s Shadow trilogy. When 10-year-old Vaelin Al Sorna is delivered by his father, Battle Lord to King Janus, to the House of the Sixth Order, Vaelin is told that he has “no family now save the Order.” Although the Sixth Order is charged with smiting its enemies, particularly servants of the Dark, Vaelin sympathizes with the heretic rebel Deniers. Through years of brutal training, Vaelin endures and rises as a leader among his fellow students. Along the way, he also learns that giving him to the Order was his late mother’s idea, and that she hoped to protect him—but from what, he has no idea. Hints of a long-lost Seventh Order and questions about King Janus and the Dark cause Vaelin to question his loyalties. Ryan balances brisk action with tangled intrigue in this promising debut.

July 1, 2013

Left by his father with the Brothers of the Sixth Order to train as a defender of the Faith and of the Realm, ten-year-old Vaelin Al Sorna grows up hating his father for abandoning him. Developing into a natural leader, Vaelin becomes increasingly involved in the politics and practice of war. But he soon finds that he is the target of assassination attempts by unknown enemies. Ryan creates a fascinating world of conflicting religions and the wars fought in the name of those faiths. Though Vaelin's tale resembles that of many fantasy heroes, the author's skill in character development sets his protagonist apart as he struggles with an inner darkness that threatens to draw him toward its seductive evils. VERDICT Fans of broad-scale epic fantasy along the lines of Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series and George R.R. Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" novels should find this debut much to their liking.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
The first of a trilogy, Blood Song is this British author's first fantasy novel, and the first one to be printed. It was originally an e-book, as were three science-fiction novels Ryan has also written. The plot is standard: a young boy's father abandons him at the door of the Sixth, or fighting, Order of the national faith. He is raised to be a warrior, and becomes one of the most effective in the forces of his king, Janus, of the Unified Realm. But a number of vital questions arise as the story progresses, starting with why his father cast him out of the family and into the Faith in the first place. While the plot is standard, it is deftly and originally executed, as are the characters. They are complex characters, not archetypes. The setting is medieval-based, but with a number of original differences (especially the religion!). Ryan's style makes Blood Song a page-turner. Apt turns of phrase, descriptions that linger, questions answered at unexpected times all make the story definitely superior to much of the genre. It should please a wide audience, but those who do not care for gory fantasy adventure are hereby warned.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)