Tower Lord: Book 2 of Ravens Shadow (A Ravens Shadow Novel)

Beautifully written, wonderfully cast and populated, Anthony Ryan does indeed seem to be placing himself as one of the next master storytellers. I have spent a lot of time reading fantasy books trying to recover the magic of the first book fantasy book I ever read. The recipe requires an equal mix of strong characters, strong world-building, a well-conceived story, and beautiful writing. Finding a book that has these ingredients mixed together in equal portion is difficult — finding a book that mixes them in large quantities even more difficult.

My first ever fantasy book was The Lord of the Rings, and I think that I can finally say for the first time that I have found an author who may one day manage to attain the same level of magic I found the first time I read Tolkien. Tower Lord tells a story from four perspectives. There is no one-perspective that I disliked or wanted to skip through — rather, for one of the first times, I was equally anticipating each and every POV. The respective characters are so integral to the story, yet still independent and different, that you are never bored.

Each chapter draws another line onto a larger canvas, the shape of which we are only just beginning to unravel — I admit, I hope that this series does not end up being restricted to a stereotypical- trilogy. Ryan still has some ways to go.

Tower Lord

But these are minor qualms in the scheme of things, and serve only to show that the author has a ways to grow. And he is growing, as can be seen in the maturity between book 1 and 2. Tower Lord by Anthony Ryan finally begins to realise the imagination and coherency of Tolkien, while remaining true to the heart and soul of the author.

For decades the brothers of the Sixth Order have fought a savage war against the Lonak clans amidst the frozen peaks of their Dominion. When word reaches t Blood Song Raven's Shadow 1 8. Vaelin Al Sorna's life changes for ever the day his father abandons him at the gates of the Sixth Order, a secretive military arm of the Faith. Together with his fellow Tower Lord Raven's Shadow 2 9. Vaelin Al Sorna is tired of war.

A Raven's Shadow Novel

He's fought countless battles in service to the Realm and Faith. His reward was the loss of his love, the death of his friends and a be Queen of Fire Raven's Shadow 3 9. Queen Lyrna has survived the bloody siege of Alltor. Now she must rally her troops and take back the capital from the Volarian invaders. But driving her hated enemy out of We've found that while readers like to know what we think of a book they find additional reader reviews a massive help in deciding if it is the right book for them. So if you have a spare moment, please tell us your thoughts by writing a reader's review.

Still need to read the third one. I can't even believe some of the reviews here saying it's bad. Can some of the reviewers who gave it less than a 5 tell me what fantasy books they do love? I didn't even think Blood Song was all that great either - lacking originality and depth, and adhering to wornout overused cliches and plots - but at least it had readability and flow.

Tower Lord is tedious and a chore to read, and i totally agree with other readers when they mention the characters personalities have no real variation. Kind of like watching a B grade low budget fantasy film in fact.. Let's hope Anthony Ryan improves with time. Compared to Blood song, this novel is a pile of dung. I do not what happened. Was it rushed before it was ready in attempt to capitalize on the success of Blood Song? Its hard to believe it is even the same writer. But from where does malice spring? If not from fear If Blood Song was good, Tower Lord was great.

Unlike Blood Song, this second installment is told from multiple POVs and far from being confusing, it really expanded Vaelin's world exponentially. Lyrna "The price of noble blood is that we do not choose our paths in life, just the manner of walking them. I was intrigued by her in the first book. I knew she was more than it met the eye. She's everything and more. She's smart, cunning, strong and definitely the Queen the United Realm deserves. She's not afraid of making hard choices. I completely adore her. After so little learnt in book 1 answers about the Ally, the three beings and their origin were much welcomed.

O hide spoiler ] Now, allowed my shipper heart to say: Even if I was giggling every time The Shield appeared. Will you take me to Alltor? Amazing, enigmatic, mysterious, incredibly cruel and the reason I ached for Frentis so much. Just the thought of the things she did to him and made him do. Her relationship with Veliss was unexpected but it allowed me to see her accepting herself and healing from the lies the "priest" used to say whenever he flogged her.

Her Uncle surprised me. I thought him a fool but his devotion to Reva redeemed him. She's amazing, awaking the loyalty of her people in just a few months. The city, fighting against Free Realms was inspiring. Not sure if I want her near Vaelin. I can't believe he's view spoiler [lost his song. I guess he's going to take it back but I'm afraid of its cost. I'm amazed how he wakes the admiration and loyalty of everyone around him. On a side note, I'd like to say the author has done a magnificent work building perfect, fascinating female characters. Every single one of them, villains and heroines, are complex and utterly inspiring women.

Tower Lord by Anthony Ryan

You'll kill for your faith, for your King and for the Queen of Fire when she arises. Your legend will cover the world and it will be a song of blood. While this second installment might not pack the kind of punch its predecessor did, I nonetheless enjoyed the book immensely.

In book one, we met Vaelin Al Sorna, a brother of the Sixth Order and one of the greatest warriors the world has ever known. Coming home from a bloody war, he has sworn to fight no more, instead focusing his efforts on seeking any of his relatives that still might live. Anthony Ryan also adds several more point-of-view characters to the mix in Tower Lord, which I was glad to have been prepared for, as Vaelin no longer takes center stage.

Instead, he shares the book with mainly three others: Reva, a young woman who begins this journey with hate for Vaelin in her heart and an unquenchable thirst for revenge; Princess Lyrna, sister to the new king and who possesses more strength and resolve than her brother ever would; and finally, Frentis, a familiar face from Blood Song, though he has been changed from his years of being held captive by the Untesh and being forced to fight in the slave pits.

Having been aware of this new format, with the chapters cycling through the character viewpoints, I had expected and prepared myself for the slower start. Indeed, with more characters to follow this time around, the author takes much more time to set the stage for the events in this book. It was a pleasant journey through the first half of the novel to meet new faces or to catch up with old friends, but on the whole Tower Lord lacked a certain quality that made Blood Song the dangerously addictive and immersive read it was right off the bat.

On the contrary, in fact. Quite simply, Tower Lord is a totally different beast. It comes down to personal taste, and admittedly, Blood Song and I hit it off much faster. I had myself this experience with a couple other sequels this year; they were all excellent novels, but thematically they just worked slightly less for me. Blood Song began with Vaelin Al Sorna as a young boy, entering the Sixth Order and a huge chunk of the book was dedicated to his training, the relationships he forged with his brothers, and his eventual rise to greatness.

It was my favorite part of the novel. And come on, we all know how tough it is beat a good coming-of-age story. The first book was absolutely a tough act to follow, I know. Brother Frentis was a huge surprise for me in this one. I absolutely adore the new additions. The characters make things happen, set things in motion, and while the first half of this book might have lagged a little, the same cannot be said about the second half, and the final quarter was pure action bliss. Does it take a bit of investment to get to this point?

But totally worth it. Love the intricate magical elements and political entanglements that made the finale such an edge-of-your-seat ride. Anthony Ryan really tied things together and delivered. Was not sure if this was a 4 or a 5, but as I loved it despite First half of the book felt a bit slow, lots of catching up and setting up, even though it is a necessity. Only other complaint regards the lack of more Vaelin. I did not know that this would be a multiple POV book as opposed to the focus on Vaelin's POV in the 1st book, so that might be the reason this bothered me, as I was not prepared.

Enjoyed the other characters and didn't really have any I disliked, but lets fac Was not sure if this was a 4 or a 5, but as I loved it despite Enjoyed the other characters and didn't really have any I disliked, but lets face it - The Raven's Shadow series is the Vaelin Al Sorna show. And this fan wanted more. Luckily, the second half really picks up the pace and finishes on a high. Tower Lord stands on its own as a great book. Yes, it did not have that unputdownable quality that Blood Song had for me, but I would still recommended it in a heartbeat as it is without a doubt a fantastic entry in this series.

Feb 26, Monica rated it it was amazing. Though this book was structured very different than Blood Song, with several POV characters, I enjoyed it just as much. I liked that the reader got a larger sense of the world and the events that were taking place in this book, and the stakes for the characters were also considerably raised. I will definitely be reading the rest of the books in the series as soon as they become available. I would recommend this novel to anyone that likes epic fantasy. View all 5 comments.

This was on my most wanted list for Blood Song, the first in the series, is in my opinion one of the best fantasy books written in the last 10 years. It was an incredible immersing experience with great story and characters. This should have been named Filler Lord in my opinion. I give you Tower Lord.

I liked the self-published Mr. View all 12 comments. I waited for this book with what is usually called "bated breath". The first book in the series snatched my interest and held it from almost the first line. This book, while I give it 5 stars is not quite up to the first book. I'm still involved in the series and I'm looking forward to the next book. But not with the intensity I looked forward to this one. So let me say first that I do recommend it and it is an excellent read.

Note I do go the full five stars, after thinking it over. First the boo I waited for this book with what is usually called "bated breath". First the book opens with our original narrator the "historian" who was "writing the story" in the first novel except now he's a slave. That would be telling. Still he begins his tale and we set out to put together events from the end of the last book. Sadly, the book is slow to get started. For some reason this novel took a long time to draw me in. I actually almost lost interest a few times.

I was probably a fifth or a quarter of the way in before I found myself deeply into the story. The book does pick up the "ball" and it does run with it. It just seems to want to do some broken field running. Where the first book was basically told from 2 viewpoints this one breaks up into as many as 5. These viewpoints occasionally come together, travel along in common and then split off again. It gets a little disjointed at times and then seems to find it's feet. We do pull together again and get to a good climax that satisfies and gives a nice balanced story.

This promises to be one of the best epic fantasy series in a long time if it stays true to it's story and doesn't fall into the Wheel of Time trap of repetitive drawn out story telling. So far it's still an intensely interesting story and I like it immensely. View all 15 comments. Aug 28, Fares rated it it was ok Shelves: This was in its way to be one of the worst books I read, mainly because I couldn't care less for what happens to these characters.

What saved it however, is that I read a summary of what this book is mainly about, and it get's a half star for that, because if you cut all the boring stuff in it's heart this is a good story. Blood Song book 1 in the series , was good, it wasn't the best but it had potential, Tower Lord however was a gigant Okay so Blood Song book 1 in the series , was good, it wasn't the best but it had potential, Tower Lord however was a gigantic step back, a huge part of that is because of the ending of Blood Song, and maybe this is just me but when the two characters that I loved most besides Vaelin in the first book aren't present much one is just mentioned and the other isn't there much and they are supposed to be the love interest and the MC's best friend.

I'm gonna start looking for action, and while there's much of it, it wasn't well done, which leads me to my next and most important point, this felt like an instruction manual. In this book we get multiple POVs and not just Vaelin's as it was the case in book 1. We get to meet new characters interesting but not much relatable, and I don't understand for the life of me why they get the upper hand over the old good characters from book 1. Add to it the Vernier's chapters which unlike book one aren't telling Vaelin's story but adding just another POV to the book which created a great confusion about the timeline of the events and you get a book that doesn't make you live the story but just tells you one.

That's what I meant by instruction manual. In no point during the pages of this did I went "oh what's going to happen? I would've been better off hearing commentary of my daily life, and that's the worst insult I can give this book. Also I think the author assumed I'd remember much of the things that happened in book 1 so he didn't reference or remind us of most events, he assumed too much in my case. That being said I will not read the third book, I simply cannot go thru another pages of agony.

It's absolutely not worth it, and that speaks volumes how boring and disappointing this book was. View all 4 comments. Aug 04, Lisa rated it it was amazing. Review Posted from Tenacious Reader: I know everyone is wondering: Is this as awesome as Blood Song? I had a hard time comparing because the formats are so different.

For me, it may not have had quite the same addictive quality, the kind that keeps me reading way too late at night, and compels me to pick right back up too early in the morning, t Review Posted from Tenacious Reader: For me, it may not have had quite the same addictive quality, the kind that keeps me reading way too late at night, and compels me to pick right back up too early in the morning, that I had with Blood Song, but honestly, I read maybe two books a year that achieve that.

Tower Lord is broken into five parts, each of with starts with a Verniers entry, which are all great fun. Perhaps because I was so anxious to continuously read about Vaelin, and the journal entries were the only intermissions I had from that. And then we also get a new character with a POV, Reva. And understand the movement of battle from all fronts in addition to the different people and cultures involved. I think it also leant a stronger air of anticipation as you experience the trials of all involved across the land.

I was also quite appreciative of the maps in Tower Lord. Reva was an interesting addition. I am quite happy to say it did not. I am actually quite a fan of Reva and really liked seeing her character growth through the book. She was faced with loyalty issues that challenged her to reevaluate her Faith as it had been taught to her versus how she believes Faith should be. Some truly great siege action in this one! My only real disappointment in the book is that at the end of Blood Song, I was quite curious about Caenis, and am sad to say he is not really featured in Tower Lord.

However, I am consoled by the fact that it seems he will be again he is mentioned. It just gives me something to look forward to. If you enjoyed Blood Song, by all means, you have to read this. I think the strengths of this book are different than Blood Song, but it works so well. Blood Song was the coming of age story of Vaelin and setup for the grander story. This book gives you a much clearer picture of the impressive scale of the conflict, introduces you to more characters.

And it has siege porn! The first thing you will want to do you finish reading this, is look to find out when the next book is going to be released! Absolutely brilliant ending that leaves you both satisfied and on the edge of your seat for what happens next. View all 16 comments. Another great entry in what's quickly become one of my favorite series.

The change in format may frustrating fans of the first book however. Stephen Brand is once again a great narrator that could stand to have his volume boosted. He does an excellent job with voices and inflections, but can be frustratingly quiet in places. Full Review How do you follow up a debut novel that seems to be almost universally loved by those who have read it? By writing a book that may Executive Summary: By writing a book that may be even better in my opinion.

My opinion may not be shared by everyone who loved Blood Song. This is definitely a different book from that. Instead of a single narrative about Vaelin told in the form of a flashback, we are instead given three new point of view characters in addition to Vaelin and the interludes from the perspective of the chronicler. Two of the characters, Frentis and Lyrna will be instantly familiar from the first novel.

The fourth, Riva, was probably my favorite. As a new character she probably got the most character development of the four. I think having two male POVs and two female ones gave the novel a good balance. I found Lyrna's story to start a bit slow, but I was quickly grabbed by the book as a whole and eventually sucked into her narrative as well.

Much like Blood Song this is one of those books that grabbed hold and didn't let go. I hated to put it down and loved to pick it back up. I'm glad for the format change as I think Mr. Ryan was able to tell a much larger story as a result. There were parts of the story where the various POV's overlapped, but there were also a lot of things that would have gone otherwise unmentioned if he stuck with just Vaelin's story. We are once again given some excellent action scenes, though probably fewer overall than the first. While the first book was more a hero's journey, this book is more epic fantasy with larger implications to the realm as a whole.

We get answers to many of the big questions I had from the first novel too. Often times it seems like authors jealously guard all their book's secrets and wait until the last possible minute to reveal them. Not so with this series. I felt there were several big reveals in parts 2 and 3 that other authors might have held back. There is plenty of new questions to take the place of those that are answered that kept me wanting to keep listening and find out what would happen next.

Ryan has put himself in a precarious position of writing two really excellent novels in what I believe is supposed to be a trilogy. Now the expectations are that much higher for the finale of what has quickly become one of my favorite series. If you haven't read this book yet, do yourself a favor and pick it up.

Jul 12, Christopher Harju rated it it was ok. A spoiler free review. By analyzing my own behavior after finishing this title can I best describe my "hurt" feelings. For two days now, Tower Lord has constantly been nagging around in the back of my mind, in a negative way. I just keep pondering, why? Ryan change the writing style and overall direction of the story for his second installment in the series? Shrugged my shoulders and moved on. Where Blood Song nailed every aspect of a brilliant book spot on, Tower Lord misses by a mile.

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Is it worth buying? Is it a good book? I enjoy reading books that manages to captivate my full attention, reading until early morning. Books that contains characters that I care for, full with my emotional investment. Books, where my childlike wishes feel like being part of the story, even tho it's only a book.

Books, satisfying my ever intellectual curiosity for a complex, deep layered and well written story. Sadly, none of these qualities can be said to describe Tower Lord. Instead the reader is presented with 4 homogeneous and one dimensional main characters, of which, Vaelin is least represented. Our 4 new protagonist spends seemingly most time traveling from point A. Sometimes fighting an uninteresting battle that I find hard to care for. We're introduced with lots, Lots of new minor characters, whose names I constantly struggled to remember.

And I don't think I have problems with my memory, yet! While reading, I was constantly wishing; "Soon, soon Vaelin, the bad-ass warrior, will be included in this book, doing the title some justice". To my bafflement this never happened. Instead, Vaelin is found playing a passive role of a pacifist in some far northern land. How come such a brilliant book like Blood Song was written by the same author of Tower lord I cannot say. Is this the result of intervention by his new publishers, wanting to create a mainstream book, closely resembling the popular style of George R.

Or was this the reason Mr. Ryan struggled long to find a publisher? Ryan is obviously a very talented author. To recover his name, and the quality of future books, I'd sincerely recommend him seeking assistance of advanced beta readers from his fan-base, readers that don't hesitate to give constructive criticism, before publishing any more books in the series. By eyeing the constant flow of negative reviews flowing into Amazon.

Thanks for writing us interesting books. Good luck with your next installments. Greetings from a dedicated long time fantasy reader from Finland, Christopher Apr 04, Penny rated it it was amazing Shelves: An excellent follow up to a fantastic book. The shift in story telling to a four person POV was necessary and worked really well as the story grew too large to be told from only one characters POV.

This is a fantastic series, one I'd suggest you don't miss. I am really excited for the last book in the trilogy which will be out in July: View all 3 comments. Aug 09, Lee rated it liked it Shelves: I have to say that book two in this series did not live up to my expectation. This is like a Wall St mystery.

Well, my expectation for this bo I have to say that book two in this series did not live up to my expectation. Well, my expectation for this book was much higher than Emperor's blades because was already invested in the story and characters and knew what I would be getting myself into. In reality I got something different.

Many Are the Dead – All New Raven’s Shadow Novella

I am being a little harsh on Anthony Ryan with this, because really, it is still a great story and he used book two to develop the characters and the intrigue and the whole world story. All this info that was wonderful and relevant. So in a nut shell, the dramatic change in pace through me, it struggled to keep my attention at times as events seemed to drag out.

I have to say that it finished very strongly and the last quarter had me remembering what I like so much about Ryan's writing. He also has me looking forward to book 3, but overall I am still a little disappointed with this one. View all 8 comments. Aug 24, Algernon rated it really liked it Shelves: I probably should have curbed my enthusiasm a little, because I find myself today struggling to explain why I was disappointed in the second volume, even as I admit it is probably just as well written, as epic in scope and as fast paced as the first book. The answer lays most probably in unreasonably high expectations.

Blood Song was character driven and focused mostly on Vaelin, the small boy who goes to War School and becomes, thanks to native talent and magic superpowers, the best fighter in the land. Princess Lyrna, who was at one time his intended fiancee; his former school mate Frentis who was captured in an overseas war and made a sort of gladiator slave; and Reva the newcomer, a girl trained as an assassin and unleashed against Vaelin Al Sorna by a secretive sect.

But this bloody horse might. About Vaelin I have even less to say, as he is stagnant in development for the second book from start to finish, even as he travels with companions from one end of the continent to the other. A surprisingly interesting accolade was provided by the chronicler who introduces every major event in the story with his own account of being captured by the adversary and forced to rewrite history from the perspective of the winner.

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I have though bookmarkerd a couple of things that really ticked me off: I could do with a little more free will and chance in my epic fare. I may have read the book too fast and missed some very simple explanations for the choices of characters and for the fortuitous presence of magic weapons. And regarding ethics, I probably was supposed to be discomforted and angry at war crimes and easy ways out.

I have done things here. Awesome second book in the Ravens shadow trilogy. A lot of characters evolved and the plot moved forward well. A lot of action and battles. Iam really curious to see how this trilogy ends. I took away one star because at certain times it felt like it dragged a bit. It could have been a bit shorter. Overall great stuff worth 4 stars from me: Sep 10, Athena Shardbearer rated it really liked it Shelves: It wasn't as great as the first, I think the number of POV was a little too much.

BUT, with an ending like that I need the next book! Some fantasy have a lot of magic, with spells, words and stuff but this one was like a hint of that.

Vaelin will be trained and hardened to the austere, celibate and dangerous life of a warrior of the Faith. He has no family now save the Order. Even his cherished memories of his mother are soon challenged by what he learns within the Order. But one truth overpowers all the rest: Vaelin Al Sorna is destined for a future he has yet to comprehend. A future that will alter not only the Realm but the world. Other Series By Anthony Ryan.