Dawnthief: Chronicles of the Raven 1 (GollanczF.) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Blood, sex and magic dance (sort of awkwardly) to a Terry Brooks tune in the pages of James Barclay's sprawling epic Dawnthief, the first book in his Chronicles of the Raven series. When members of the mercenary gang The Raven (motto: "Kill But Never Murder") agree to accompany a Xeteskian mage on his journey, little do they know that he will hold their destinies and the fate of the world in his hands, as he struggles to destroy the Wytch Lords, command the Dawnthief spell and live long enough to be a father to his unborn child. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Barclay's hefty novel launches the Chronicles of the Raven, but be of good cheer, for it injects some originality into the traditional fantasy saga recipe. The Raven is a band of six humans and one elf in the war-torn kingdom of Balaia, which Barclay fills with the fruits of his considerable knowledge of military history and folklore. The comrades are no nicer than fellows loyal to one another and no one else need be, and their latest commission is a poser for them. They are to escort a Xeteskian mage, who is working for only the gods know whom, on a mission to find Dawnthief, a ring, or more precisely, a spell connected to a ring, that in the wrong hands could end the world. The mission is backed and supervised by the Dark College, which is even more untrustworthy than the mage. So matters rapidly deteriorate, to a cliffhanger ending. The narrative may be jumbled, but Barclay builds a world and peoples it intelligently. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Gollancz (July 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0575075341
• ISBN-13: 978-0575075344
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,572,941 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Series, August 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Dawnthief: Book One: Chronicles of the Raven (Paperback)

I came accross this novel while browsing through amazon.co.uk, and after reading the synopsis and positive reviews of it, and the sequels, I decided to get all of them. And what a treat!

The first novel, Dawnthief, introduces the reader to The Raven, a ledendary mercenary group, and their struggles to rid West Balaia of a great predicament. I will not spoil the book by giving any details, but let me just say that The Raven go through many mis/adventures before they accomplish their mission. Or do they? :) Anyway, this is one of the fastest paced and action packed fantasy novels I have recently read, and the characters and dialog come accross as real world, not contrived theater drama. The conversations and behaviors are so real, that at first it might be hard to follow, and might lead to some believing there is little character development in the book. I disagree however, because first of all the characters come into the story grown and skilled, so there isn't much for them to discover about themselves or new skills they can acquire while we cheer them on. And second the characters don't spend pages and pages in thought or monologue revealing themselves to the reader. Instead, Barclay lets the reader see through the actions of the characters, and through dialog, what the characters see as right or wrong, and how they do develop throughout the novel.

Another strong point that the book has, and which many these days don't, is that the people are not immortal. People actually die in this book! And not just the "bad guys". All, and I mean ALL the protagonists are susceptible, and this gives the reader quite a rollercoaster ride in heart beat rate throughout the book and especially during the battle scenes.

I hope this book and the rest in the series become more popular in the US, and get printed here. Don't miss out on this great read even if it is a little hard to get a copy of it now. This is truly a classic in the making.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very likely the right book for the right reader. I wasn't the right reader., August 15, 2005

By	C. Gilbert "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Dawnthief is likely to appeal to the reader who wants a military fantasy with an emphasis on the bonds of teaming. There is a great deal of action, reasonably complex military thinking, and a focus on brotherhood.

The basic idea behind the notion of the books of the Raven is that there is a mercenary group which has become the best in the land by virtue of the fact that it puts the group above (almost) all other things. In this introductory book, the surviving members of the Raven give up the notion of retirement in order to fight a desperate battle for the higher good of the entire nation.

I am a fantasy reader who enjoys complex politics, detailed descriptions and a great deal of individual character development. (Think George R.R. Martin or Tad Williams as writers). If you are a reader like myself, there is a reasonably good chance that Dawnthief is not going to be your cup of tea. If you are a more Marion Zimmer Bradley or Sheri S. Tepper kind of fantasy reader (priestesses, universal bonds of understanding, etc.) then this is *definitely* not going to be the book for you.

I suspect that the ideal reader of this book is someone who gets bored with all the talkative bits of some of the more drawn out fantasies, and would like more action and military bonding.

The system of magic is well-created and as noted before, Barclay is a skilled writer of action scenes. I found some of the character development truly awful (most notably Erienne, the only significant female character), but then the individual character is not really the point of the reading experience. If you are the right reader for this book, then the minor quarrels should not bother you. If you are the wrong reader, best to give it a miss.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Heroic Adventure, January 22, 2007

By	David Keith "FurNTats" (Washington, IN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm rather amazed that this books got some so-so reviews... it's great fun. If you enjoy David Gemmel or Steven Erickson, this is a rousing adventure tale you'll enjoy. It's a shame these books don't have a US publisher. I almost put this book down about 1/3 of the way into it, but I stuck with it and was pulled in by it's action and charm. Very satisfying and am ordering more by this author.