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  • Blood Song

  • Book 1 of Raven's Shadow
  • By: Anthony Ryan
  • Narrated by: Steven Brand
  • Length: 23 hrs and 5 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (612 ratings)

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Blood Song

By: Anthony Ryan
Narrated by: Steven Brand
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Publisher's Summary

We have fought battles that left more than a hundred corpses on the ground and not a word of it has ever been set down. The Order fights, but often it fights in shadow, without glory or reward. We have no banners.

Vaelin Al Sorna is the Sixth Order's newest recruit. Under their brutal training regime, he learns how to forge a blade, survive the wilds, and kill a man quickly and quietly - all in the name of protecting the Realm and the Faith. Now his skills will be put to the test.

War is coming. Vaelin must draw upon the very essence of his strength and cunning if he is to survive the coming conflict. Yet as the world teeters on the edge of chaos, Vaelin will learn that the truth can cut deeper than any sword.

©2013 Anthony Ryan (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"A new master storyteller has hit the scene" (Michael J. Sullivan)
"Blood Song is a tremendous debut... fast-paced, action-packed and character-driven" ( Fantasy Book Critic)
"A top contender for most impressive debut of the year... Blood Song is a powerful epic that, while ending with a sense of closure, hints at more to come" ( SFF World)
"An utterly engrossing high-fantasy epic from a major new talent that explores themes of war, faith, and loyalty amidst incredible action scenes and artfully developed characters" ( Buzzfeed)
"A mix of The Name of the Wind and The Left Hand of God... I cannot recommend this book enough." ( bestfantasybooks.com)
"Blood Song delighted me again and again" ( Fantasy Faction)
"This is epic fantasy at its best with action, rivalries, espionage, the promise of future revelations and ever-present twists" ( Bookbag)
"An instant sensation . . . an excellent start to this series" ( Read Dream Relax)
"Smartly-written coming-of-age story... Compelling" ( SFX)
"I still love - and want - that feeling of completely absorbing escapism that good fantasy can supply - and Blood Song brings it in force" ( Pornokitsch)
"Ryan hits all the high notes of epic fantasy-a gritty setting, ancient magics, ruthless intrigue, divided loyalties, and bloody action" ( Publishers Weekly)
"Well wrought characters, a fascinating world, and crackling prose... Not to be missed" ( Kingofthenerds.com)
"Blood Song is unique... The next Epic Fantasy book everybody should read" ( Blotted Pages)
"An immensely satisfying and immersive experience" ( Dark Matter)
"One of the next master storytellers" ( Fantasty Book Review)

What listeners say about Blood Song

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Better than I could have hoped!

Excellently written, Masterfully narrated. This was a story that drew me in and I couldn't get enough. I got less sleep because of this audio title! The characters were rich and multidimensional, the story was fluid and beautifully constructed. I can't wait to move on to the next one!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A warriors tale of brotherhood and the blood song

A husky narration of a boy entering a brotherhood of warriors who protect the realm. With his hidden dark gift of blood song, he is swept along in life, hunted by others. Becoming the Warrior of the realm and order he weaves a life story of murder.killing.and assassination and hidden faiths that unravel to show the dark gifts within others as his blood song evolves.
very intriguing and a great story told.
will get the next book .
A must read .would make a great movie.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Gripping Character. Listened while I read!

The previous review said it is better than GoT but this isn’t about threading many story lines together to a climatic end but rather a symphony of character and beliefs developed with a story unfolding.
Narrator is Scottish to which I love all English, Scottish, Welsh & Irish narrators so I am bias to that thus the 5/5 for narration. Story is a 4.5 but the iphone struggles to allow this this the 4/5 noted above.
I also tried something new here by reading along whilst listening to the narrator - made it truly absorbing!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Better than GoT

This story has a similar kind of feel to Game of Thrones, but isn't like it, and to be honest, I actually like it better. It's so creative and complicated and the characters are fantastic. Looking forward to getting into the next one!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow

Just awesome story telling. Well written and a story to just live and get lost in.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent - difficult to understand which character was speaking at times.

Excellent story. Will definitely move onto the next book.
However, the narrator didn’t really strongly characterize the voices making it hard to understand which character was speaking at times.
I know many don’t like voices being theatrical. But, it’s a auditory medium - and I like that!
That being said, it was still beautiful read (pacing, timing, tone, etc.).

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Had potential but basic narration let’s it down

Ok, I’ll admit it, I have been spoilt listening to epic tales like the Lightbringer series and Kingkiller chronicles first but they’ve set the narration bar very high. With the many timeline changes in this book, it was often difficult to stay connected to the story when the character narration remained unchanged. I wish the producers had asked for more and developed character voices. That’s said, it’s not the worst I’ve heard and beats an American actor trying to imitate a highborn noble anyday!

Overall the story was engaging and moved along at a good pace. Would I continue the series? Possibly, but only if the narration improves.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Solid military fantasy

Pretty good overall, had some dialogue issues with the narrator not giving enough differentiation between characters at times.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A pretty engaging tale, well told!

while it borrows a little from the tropes of fantasy, this is an engaging novel of a grim world. I didn't know whether to cheer for the characters or not, but wanted to hear their tale anyway. I can't wait for the next one. The voice actor is excellent, particularly for the masculine storyline presented.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing unique masterpiece

Blood Song is simply breathtaking unique ride into the world of Anthony Ryan..Once you start you can't stop. Intelligent narrative beckons and "What happens next " grip you so tightly its hard to let go. I love everything about it. Its definitely in my top 10. Give it a chance, you won't regret it.

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