Raven's Shadow (The Raven Duology, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "It's not far now, my lad," said Tier..." (more)
Key Phrases: solsenti wizards, baking room, forest king, Secret Path, Sept of Leheigh, Shadow's Fall (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

An inventive, engaging writer. -- SF Site

So we have all the makings of a full-blown fantasy book. The start is emotionally charged with captivating scenes... -- SF Crowsnest,, March 2006

Review

“An excellent book.”
—SF REVU

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ace (July 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044101187X
• ISBN-13: 978-0441011872
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,722 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 1 in The Raven Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

119 of 125 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great story by Briggs, September 8, 2004

By	Emily Flippin Maruna "flip_em8" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After ten years of war, battle-weary Tier is on his journey home and stops at a village for the night. Thoughts of a dry bed and some warm food are quickly wiped from his mind as he sees a dead Traveling man burning in a pyre in the center of town. With his natural charisma and talent for sway he saves the dead Traveler's younger sister and takes her to his home village with him. Out of convenience and a need to once again save the girl after her use of magic strikes fear and anger throughout his home village, Tier marries the Traveler and begins a new life as ex-soldier, farmer, husband, and father.

Twenty years after solsenti Tier saved and married Sereph, Raven of the Clan of Isolda the Silent, she is now a farmer's wife and the mother of three Ordered children. When a huntsman comes to inform her that her husband died while on a trapping venture, Sereph and her children go seeking his body, but instead find themselves wrapped up in a plot more evil than they knew existed. Although Tier is alive, he has been captured by solsenti wizards intent on stealing Traveler's magic and using it to bring back to life the evil Stalker. To save the lives of her husband and the clans of Traveler's she has forsaken, Sereph and her children must fight the shadowed wizards and hopefully bring peace to the blighted Shadowlands.

This is a great story with lots of magic and action. If you've read any of Patricia Briggs other stories, you already know she's a great writer. And "Raven's Shadow" is another example of just how well Briggs can tell a tale. The characters are interesting and believable, and I can't wait for future stories with the children so we can see them come into their magic fully. If you like fantasy adventure stories, you won't want to miss this one.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Promising beginning for a new series..., October 26, 2004

By	ocelott (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) - See all my reviews

I had never read anything by Patricia Briggs before, but the cover and the summary looked interesting enough to give it a shot. I wasn't disappointed. It was an interesting, inventive novel with intriguing characters, and I went through it quite quickly. Not because it lacked substance, but because I didn't want to put it down.
The magical aspect was covered very creatively. There are essentially six "orders" of magicians, and each type is linked to a different bird. The Raven of the title is the classic Mage, the order represented by Seraph, the protagonist, a strong woman whose Traveler blood ensures that she's hated by the general populace.
At the very beginning of the story, her brother is killed because he's a Traveler, and she's rescued from joining him on the funeral pyre by Tier, who is not a traveler, but is revealed to be a Bard, linked to the Owl, and so is blessed with charisma and musical talent unmatched. They are married, largely to save each other from unwelcome fates, and not out of love. They're mostly strangers when they wed.
Twenty years pass (which was a little disappointing; I would have liked to see more of Seraph and Tier's marriage), and the two of them have three children. Each of the children is given to an Order, which is extremely unusual. Jes, the oldest, is a Guardian, an Eagle, and sworn to protect anyone he loves at virtually any cost. He is, however, given shape-shifting abilities to help him with this. Lehr, the middle child, is a Hunter, a Falcon, and his powers are exactly what you would expect from a hunter. Rinnie has the gifts of the Weather-Witch, the Cormorant, and has power over the weather.
While trapping one winter, Tier mysteriously disappears. He doesn't come back with the spring as expected, and there are signs of foul play. The entire village believes him to be dead, but Seraph uses her long-unused powers to discover that he is still alive. With the help of Hennae, a slightly mysterious Raven that approaches with a timely warning, and her children, Seraph sets out to rescue her husband from an evil fate.
In the meantime, Tier discovers himself in a prison cell, while his powers have been taken away from him. Bound by magic in a way that renders him unable to get help or to tell anyone about his situation, he is eventually allowed to wander freely... uncovering a sinister plot against the realm and even the Emperor himself.
There was a lot of exposition involved in this story, but it was done in such a way that it remained interesting anyway. The amount of world-building that was required, combined with an open ending promises a sequel that I can only hope comes soon. I'll definitely be picking it up when it comes out.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My first Brigg's book, very happy, December 9, 2004

By	Jessica G. "lilac_jive" - See all my reviews

Usually I don't pick up an author's later books, since usually they seem to decline in writing ability. I picked it up, however, since it sounded intriguing. After a few months of sitting on my shelf, I finally began to read it, and had it finished within the next day.

What a nice break in the cliche fantasy out there. Of course there was romance (I wouldn't read it if it wasn't), but it had a different feel than other stories. The main character get married, even though they aren't really in love, and grow on each other. Usually in a situation like this, the two will spite each other, then fall in love. That's not the case here; they have an understanding with each other, almost a friendship. It makes the scenario almost plausible.

The characters have wonderful and believable personalities, once again making them more understandable. I love a fantasy book that relates to my emotions on a normal level, simply because they're so hard to find. The plot is exciting, with lulls in just the right places, and an ending that granted, makes me ask for more, but I could put it down and be happy with no sequel (I can't stand ambiguous endings). I really grew on the characters, so I was hoping that she'd continue with them, but that doesn't seem to be her style.

All in all, a great read for a fantasy lover, especially if you aren't ready to pick up a new series yet.

EDIT* Just found out there will be a sequel to this! I wasn't expecting this, so maybe thats why I'm so excited. It's called Raven's Strike, and it comes out July 26th, 2005 straight into paperback. Thought I'd let you know ;)