Blackwing

October 30, 2017
McDonald’s debut novel is gritty and fascinating, set in a world blasted by a war between the mysterious, powerful Deep Kings and the Nameless. Ryhalt Galharrow is a Blackwing, a servant of the Nameless entity known as Crowfoot; once a military officer of high birth, he has been ruined by mistakes and personal tragedy and now drinks heavily and hunts bounties in the terrifying wasteland called the Misery. A mission from Crowfoot reunites him with a lost love from his adolescence, powerful magic-wielder Ezabeth Tanza. Her research into the Nameless weapon that could defeat the Deep Kings’ army of zombies puts her and Ryhalt afoul of powerful people in the city of Valengrad, and soon leads them to a far-reaching conspiracy with dire consequences. McDonald’s postapocalyptic fantasy world, full of memorably creepy details, could have been unrelentingly, unpleasantly grim; however, its dark trappings conceal a surprising tender side, much as its embittered and scarred protagonist has never truly lost his own heroic instinct and his love for and loyalty to his friends. Tight pacing and strong writing make for a diverting debut. Agent: Ian Drury, Sheil Land.

Narrator Colin Mace is perfectly cast to portray Ryhalt Galharrow and his frightening dystopian world of magic and mayhem. He's a bitter mercenary fighting for the good guys in a world on the brink of destruction. Compressing the transitions sometimes gets in the way of Mace's otherwise excellent pacing. But he employs enough voice differentiation to make it clear who is speaking and to enhance the flow of the narrative. As he voices the "Darlings," ancient personalities in the bodies of children, the listener gets a strong feeling of their strange duality. M.C. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine