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Blood Song - Raven's Shadow 1 Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of Blood Song - Raven's Shadow 1


Vaelin al Sorna begins his career in the Sixth Order, eventually rising through the ranks to lead the invasion of the Alpiran empire and become a prisoner of war. Blood Song by Anthony Ryan is the first of a promised trilogy of heroic fantasy novels with a military bent. The story follows Vaelin al Sorna, the only son of the Battle Lord of the Realm. The framing device follows Vaelin as an adult prisoner of war, being transported to fight a duel at the behest of his captors. He is being transported alongside a historian who begins to chronicle his life story, beginning with his entry into the Sixth Order. He is trained in warfare as part of that religious order and undergoes three trials to become a full member. He survives assassination attempts, foils an assassination attempt on a leader of another order, falls in love with a sister in the healing order, befriends a heretic with magical powers, fights a crime lord with less pleasant magical powers and eventually falls under the sway of the king, who has taken a personal interest in him. He wages a short campaign against a rebellious Lord, during which time he is introduced to the idea that he may have a magical gift himself, something that is explicitly against the national religion. That gift, the titular Blood Song, will give him the ability to perceive his own fate if he learns to control it. Before long the king turns his attention to the rich southern nations. Vaelin leads the attack and in the heat of battle kills the heir to the Alpiran empire a man known as the Hope. Giving Vaelin the unwanted title of Hope-Killer for the rest of his life. He takes one of the enemy's cities and holds it while the rest of the Northerners are driven back. During this time he deals with an outbreak of a lethal plague and tries to develop his gift. He eventually surrenders the city under the condition that his people, including the woman that he loves, are allowed to leave. The assassination attempts throughout Vaelin's life along with many other darker events are revealed to be the work of the spirits of the dead, most specifically a particularly powerful ghost known as The Witch's Bastard that possesses the body of one of his brothers in arms and makes one final attempt on his life that he easily thwarts. He is taken prisoner and we are returned to the framing story. The duel is being fought against the leader of a people that Vaelin's father waged a brutal war of his own on. To retrieve an Alpiran noblewoman, the fiance of the Hope. After his many years in solitary confinement Vaelin has mastered his Blood Song and defeats the opposing duelist with ease. Walking away to freedom.
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Best part of story, including ending: The political intrigue, while not a major element of the story, was played out very well. As were the interactions between the Brothers in training. I especially enjoyed the subversion of the "rich snob" character, who instead of becoming a foil to Vaelin instead develops into a close friend.

Best scene in story: After all of the build up, the final duel of the book, when Vaelin has finally fully realised his abilities was especially satisfying. Not to mention heartwarming, when you see the historian who records his tale throughout the book has gone from hating him to considering him heroic.

Opinion about the main character: Vaelin al Sorna was a character that could have been handled poorly and irritated the reader but he is instead a good point of view into the world, capable and cunning but not invulnerabel by any means.

The review of this Book prepared by Graeme Penman a Level 1 Blue Jay scholar

Chapter Analysis of Blood Song - Raven's Shadow 1

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Plot & Themes

Composition of Book Descript. of chases or violence 20%planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives 30%Feelings, relationships, character bio/development 30%Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places 20% Tone of book    -   cynical or dry-wit FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?    -   fantasy world/fantasy past Coming of age    -   Yes Youngster becomes    -   great warrior Is this an adult or child's book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character

Identity:    -   Male Profession/status:    -   warrior/knight Age:    -   20's-30's If magical mental powers:    -   can see into the future

Setting

Earth setting:    -   during "Tolkien" (fairytime) times Takes place on Earth?    -   Yes

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   generic/vague references to death/punishment Sex in book?    -   Yes What kind of sex:    -   vague references only    -   descript of kissing How much dialogue?    -   roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

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Anthony Ryan Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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