Dawnthief: Chronicles of the Raven 1: v. 1 (The Chronicles of the Raven) - Softcover

Barclay, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 185798594X ISBN 13: 9781857985948

Publisher: Gollancz, 1999

Synopsis

The Raven have fought together for years, six men carving out a living as swords for hire in the war that have 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 even trust 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. All at the behest of a man, cloaked by deceit, with a demon as a familiar and a wild story of a threat so old it has passed into folklore.
DAWNTHIEF is an epic based on a band of all too human heroes. It crosses a fantasy world bought alive by realistic politics and terrifying magic. A world riven by war facing a nemesis it could never imagine.

About this title

Product Description:

Chronicles of the Raven: One ELITE, UNSTOPPABLE . . . AND HIRED TO DO THE UNTHINKABLE The Raven are an elite. Formed of six men and an elf, they're swords for hire in the wars that have torn their land apart. For years their only loyalty has been to themselves, and to their code. But that time is coming to an end. The Wytch Lords have escaped and The Raven find themselves fighting for the Dark College of magic, on a mission which soon becomes a race for the secret location of Dawnthief. It's a spell - one created to end the world - and there's a danger that someone is going to use it . . .

Review:

This energetic first fantasy novel is familiar in outline, but told with unusual intensity. "The Raven" is a group of seven mercenaries, just starting to lose their fighting edge, who reluctantly get hired by a mage from a college of magic with a nasty reputation for blood sacrifice. Their mission: to save the world from major bad guys called the Wytch Lords. These, defeated long ago at great cost, have escaped their sorcerous confinement and will be unstoppable once they've grown new bodies; meanwhile their teeming minions are already going to war. The only hope is Dawnthief, a lost super-spell which, if correctly cast, can zap even Wytch Lords--but make one mistake and the sun will never come up again. A typical fantasy-quest shopping list emerges: you need the dragon-guarded amulet to open the ancient mage's workshop to find the portal leading to the demon watching over the parchment with the spell, which itself requires three "catalyst" talismans hidden in difficult places. What makes Dawnthief a ripping yarn is Barclay's ruthless pace and lack of sentimentality. No character is too nice, innocent or important to die or suffer hideous tortures. The death toll is horrific, as are the many exotic ways of dying in this dangerous world. This is a breathless, action-crammed fantasy thriller. --David Langford

About this edition

• Publisher: Gollancz
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 185798594X
• ISBN 13: 9781857985948
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 576