Blood
Song, the first in a fantasy series titled Raven’s Shadow, takes the reader on a trip through the
As regular readers of my reviews will
know, I care deeply about character in fiction. This book does not let the
reader down. The characters, and there are many, live. All are flawed in their
own ways; all are individuals. No stereotypes here.
For reasons I won’t bore you with, I
was unable to read this book in a short time. The extended time period was
nothing to do with the book but only reduced my enjoyment in the sense that I
found myself impatient to get back to it as soon as I was able. The story
certainly held my attention.
This is a book that will suit those
who like their fantasy to involve battles, unusual friendships, a background
love story, minor references to a form of magic and details of fights and
weapons. But it has an added theme that interested me a great deal: the book
examines religion and its association with various gods. It analyses faith and
hints strongly at the lack of validity in many claims made by religions. This
is done through story, rather than through the less attractive type of
proselytising sometimes evident in books that touch on religious matters. So,
it’s thought-provoking as well as entertaining.
I found I grew more and more
attached to the main protagonist as he fought his way through the many barriers
placed in his way. The pace is good throughout and description is generally
limited to those aspects that require explanation. There are many evocative
scenes and a great deal of variety in location and setting, making the journey
both interesting and engaging.
I enjoyed the read. It’s a long
book, typical of the genre in the sheer volume of words and pages. Good value
for money. I recommend it to all who love fantasy and suggest those who have so
far avoided this genre might try this as an introduction to how good such
storytelling can be.
No comments:
Post a Comment