| Title | : | The Pariah (Covenant of Steel, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 600 |
| Publication | : | First published August 24, 2021 |
Fighting under the command of Lady Evadine Courlain, a noblewoman beset by visions of a demonic apocalypse, Alwyn must survive war and the deadly intrigues of the nobility if he hopes to claim his vengeance. But as dark forces, both human and arcane, gather to oppose Evadine's rise, Alwyn faces a choice: can he be a warrior, or will he always be an outlaw?
The Pariah (Covenant of Steel, #1) Reviews
-
ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve read every novel by Anthony Ryan, and The Pariah just might have his best prose so far.
"When the task is a killing, be quick and make sure of it. Torment is an indulgence. Save it for only the most deserving."
There were three reasons why I was incredibly excited to read The Pariah. One, excluding novellas and short stories, I’ve read every novel by Anthony Ryan, and I plan to keep it that way. Second, the cover art is illustrated by Jaime Jones, one of my favorite cover artists. Lastly, I heard that Anthony Ryan is sticking with one POV for the narration of The Pariah, and this made me gleeful.
“All ambition is folly when it fails to be matched by reason.”
The story in The Pariah is told exclusively through the perspective of Alwyn Scribe. Raised as an outlaw and quick on his wit, Alwyn is content with life on the woods and the comradeship he has with his fellow thieves. At least, until a brutal event changes his life completely. That is pretty much all I can say regarding the premise of the novel. If you’re really averse to spoilers, I suggest you not check out the official synopsis of this novel; there’s plenty of spoilers in there, and frankly, quite a few inaccuracies. There’s close to zero magic in The Pariah, and Alwyn definitely wasn’t skillful with a blade. Seriously, do not start The Pariah expecting a lot of actions, magic, or fantastical creatures; The Pariah takes place in a medieval world, and at times—for now, anyway—it almost felt like I was reading historical fiction. Again, these aren’t negative things to me. I highly enjoyed reading The Pariah. It’s a compelling slow-burn narrative filled heavily with themes of religions, justice, and freedom.
“We fought and we bickered, but we also suffered cold and hunger together, as families do, and family is to be cherished, as is life… And life should not be wasted on pointless feuds or hopeless endeavours. This much I’ve learned.”
Whether you love The Pariah or not, I think, would depends a lot on whether you could click with Alwyn’s narration or not. As I said, Alwyn is the only POV character in this novel, and the novel is told in a diary format written by him, similar to The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell. Sometimes, Alwyn himself mentioned “dear reader” in his narration to remind us of this fact. I personally think that The Pariah exhibited Ryan’s prose at his best. I’ve mentioned it several times now, and this is obviously just my preference, but I feel like I always enjoy reading Ryan’s fantasy books the most when the story is told from the perspective of one or two POV characters. For example, just like Blood Song, The Raven’s Blade duology, and this.
“Every man is a liar, but the worst lie is the one he tells himself.”
However, this doesn’t mean that there weren’t any memorable side characters. Throughout the story in The Pariah, Alwyn encountered several individuals that ended up being crucial in influencing the path of his life. Deckin, Toria, Shirlah, and Evadine Courlaine being the most pivotal of them all. Plus, although I stated that there weren’t a lot of action scenes, the few battle scenes that exist in The Pariah hits immensely hard. Invigorating battle speeches, vivid chaotic battles, and each intense battle sequences were bloodsoaked. If there’s anything that I wanted more out of The Pariah, it would have to be for the series to exhibit more fantasy elements. The Pariah felt like the groundwork for the rest of the series on this aspect. There are hints of these to come; religions and faith are dominant in the narrative, and we’ve heard about the Scourge, Seraphile, and Malecite in this book. I hope the sequels will feature more of them.
“Rage can make us feared and compel the obedience of the weak as a wolf compels its pack, but also it blinds us, as Deckin learned too late.”
The Pariah is a superbly written beginning to The Covenant of Steel trilogy. The first-hand account of Alwyn Scribe is rich with personality and distinction. I definitely loved it, I have no idea where the story will go from here, and I’m excited to find out what’s next in Alwyn’s adventure.
Official release date: 24th August 2021 (US) and 26th September 2021 (UK)
You can pre-order the book from:
Amazon UK |
Amazon US |
Blackwells (Free International shipping) |
The Broken Binding (Use my code: NOVELNOTIONS121 for discount!)
You can find
this and the rest of my reviews at
Novel Notions | I also have a
Booktube channel
Special thanks to my Patrons on
Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Annabeth, Ben, Blaise, Devin, Diana, Dylan, Edward, Element, Ellen, Gary, Hamad, Helen, Jimmy Nutts, Jennifer, Joie, Luis, Lufi, Melinda, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Shaad, Summer, Wendy, Wick, Zoe. -
I’m bumping this up to five stars because I still can’t stop thinking about this awesome book.
4.5 stars. At the beginning of this epic fantasy I wasn’t sure if this was the right book for me, but now that I’ve finished it, I can’t wait for the next one to come out!
This one has it all: politics, religion, battle scenes, doomsayer, outlaws, and a main character who you will continuously root for.
After being kicked out of the only home he knew, Alwyn Scribe was raised as an outlaw in the kingdom of Albermaine. Now, as a young man, his life is upended again when someone betrays his group of outlaws, and he is forced to fight constantly for his freedom. From outlaw to soldier, Alwyn embarks on a fair amount of journeys with vengeance on his mind for those that harmed the people closest to him.
This first novel, in what will eventually be a trilogy, is intricately plotted and full of characters to both love and hate. Next to Alwyn, my favourite character is Toria, she is a fierce and loyal friend to Alwyn and helps to keep him grounded. Alwyn is an interesting character himself; he is sharp and capable with a weapon, but not infallible. His experience as an outlaw serves him well in many other scenarios.
It took me about 75 pages before I fully became invested in this story. The beginning is kind of dense with a whole host of characters introduced, so many that there is a character list preceding the story, as well as a lot of political intrigue that I found confusing at first. When things finally got rolling, I was totally immersed in the goings on of Alwyn Scribe’s life.
Now, I will anxiously wait for the second novel.
Thank you to Orbit Books for providing me with an arc via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinions. -
After college, Bloodsong by Anthony Ryan got me back into fantasy and reading for fun after randomly picking it up in a bookstore. It opened a new door for me in exploring self-published books and other books that were less popular. The landscape for fantasy changed since I used to read it while I was still in school where there were only a few releases by new authors every year.
Now, there are a plethora of new authors getting discovered and publishing books through numerous different ways from recommendations on Goodreads to the SPBFO competition held every year. Bloodsong holds a special place in my heart so you can bet I was excited to sink my teeth into this book.
The story is about a young outlaw, Alwyn, part of a band following the outlaw king. Our main character has less than scrupulous morals and strives to only protect himself. At least that’s what he tells himself. Alwyn and company make their way plundering and killing until eventually a betrayal results in their eradication. At this point, Alwyn struggles to survive through sheer luck including going through a religious conversion in an inescapable prison camp, joining a religious militarized order to fight a war no one wants, and learning to write while becoming a scribe.
Alwyn is naturally a coward at heart in the beginning, yet these struggles he faces slowly start to change him. He even puts his life on the line to save others. Our young main character’s coming of age story has just started and sets up for more books to come.
I was elated to discover that this book had one point of view only especially since a few of his previous books with multiple POVs didn’t receive the best audience response. There was a fun and diverse cast of characters that weren’t all two dimensional with their own personalities and motivations. The author also had a couple of unseen twists that were hinted at but went in completely different directions. He sets up these twists while leaving part of the world unknown yet still hinting at more for future books. There are also hints of magic and the supernatural in this universe without it being over the top.
In fact, outside of a few scenes later in the book it seemed like magic barely played a part in the world explored. Anthony Ryan tends to do quite a bit of time skips in his books and skips out on writing about the journey to get to each location unlike other fantasy books that use almost half of the book to get to different locations (looking at you Robert Jordan, RIP). In fact, I thought that our hero would be at the prison mines for a longer part of the book instead of having a four year time skip that skipped him wasting away in the prison mines.
Like it or not, I was constantly comparing Pariah with Bloodsong since there are numerous similarities. Both books have these random scenes before different parts of the book where the character reminisces on the things currently happening in the book. Anthony Ryan does like to reuse some world building elements in both such as a robin hood like bandit king or even a barbaric culture from the north that wants to invade the kingdom.
Militarized religious orders that control politics are used with both main characters being conscripted forcibly. Alwyn though is not as much of a Mary Sue as other main characters written by the author where he trains hard and doesn’t magically become the strongest warrior or have a magical crutch other than the luck needed to get through unfortunate situations. Vaelin was a brave war god who was good at almost everything while Alwyn is a realistic coward that has neat handwriting and can read facial expressions better than most.
I enjoyed this book a lot, and I personally did not dislike anything. My only gripes with the book are just some things I wished the author did or did not do. I liked some of the similarities of this book with his other books, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking that this book was written as a sort of alternative to his older novels especially his very first book by combining some of their elements. It felt like the author would be thinking what would Vaelin do in this situation, and immediately went in the opposite direction including in the development of Alwyn as a character.
The similarities of the stories kept highlighting that for me. On one hand, I could appreciate how humanized Alwyn was and the struggles he went through making him a better developed character than other main characters by the author, but on the other hand, I was expecting some superhuman feat or a special added element for our main character such as how Vaelin was this war god and the introduction of dragons in another series by the author.
This novel is more of a slow burn compared to Anthony Ryan’s other books, but I am here for that to see how the author has grown and to see the payout of setting up large amounts of exposition in this book. The last thing that I wanted a little more of is that I wish some of the supporting cast members were utilized a little bit more too.
I really enjoyed this book and how far the author’s writing style has come since his self-published debut. Fantasy is my favorite book genre, yet I find myself reading less and less of it these days, so this was a welcome breath of fresh air. If you have never read novels by Anthony Ryan before than this is perfect place to start. Then again most of his series outside of the Raven’s Blade series could fulfill that role as well. I look forward to reading the rest of this series as well.
Find this book and other titles within
our catalog.
-
I now have a Booktube channel! Find me at:
The Obsessive Bookseller
Pariah was my most-anticipated fantasy release of 2021. I was so excited… and I wished I’d liked it more.
A couple of things sort of sapped my enjoyment of this book. Things that may not bother others as much as they did me. For starters, the plot felt like it reset itself a couple of times throughout. Just as I was getting settled in with the characters and the situation, it would flip on its head and I’d have to start over again. Momentum in books is a huge component for me, and I didn’t feel as though this one carried any. It kept me feeling distant from the characters and apathetic about the plot. After all, what’s the point in getting attached to a story if we’re just going to flip directions again!
Even if the plot had maintained a trajectory and built on itself better, I still probably wouldn’t have liked the main character. I have come to realize that I crave characters who are catalysts of their own destiny. People who make things happen for themselves and who aren’t content to constantly drift back and forth on the whims of everyone around them. Now, granted, this is a story about an outcast, who understandably has a hell of a time getting anywhere with all of the obstacles in front of him. But to me, that prospect of a challenge can be even more exciting! I saw plenty of opportunities where the main character could’ve made things happen. Opportunities that wouldn’t have changed the story drastically, but would’ve upped my enjoyment considerably. Alas, that’s just not the character Ryan was shooting for, and it left me wanting.
To be fair, this next complaint is just a personal preference thing, and objectively I don’t hold it against the novel. But I cannot stand stories focused heavily on religious zealotry (a little is fine. Here it completely dominated the plot). Compound that with a passive character extremely susceptible to those ulterior machinations, and I found myself at the end of my patience very early on.
But I stuck with it, even though it was almost a DNF at only 50 pages to go. I finally realized I wasn’t interested in seeing what happened to the characters, I disliked the subject matter, and I was most likely going to pass on picking up the second book. It was hard to keep going. But I love this author for so many things that I made myself see it through to the end. There was some great stuff there for those who’ll like the book more than me, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
This is very weird. I’ve been boasting Draconius Memoria as my all-time favorite fantasy series ever. Like, compared to literally every other series I’ve read, DM comes out on top. #1. The very best. The one I won’t shut up about.
So not enjoying Pariah makes me feel like I’m going to get kicked out of the Anthony Ryan fan club. I hope not. I still wildly appreciate this author, and I will continue to be excited about new books he has coming out… just maybe not Pariah’s sequel, Martyr, due out next year.
Recommendations: okay, so I didn’t love this one, but I still think it a book others will really dig. If you liked Ryan’s slow-burn character-driven novel like Blood Song and don’t have the same reading quirks I do about character roles, plot structures, and religious zealotry, then you’ll probably enjoy this a lot more than I did. Also, don’t read what the book is about before diving in. The overview does what I hate most and gives major spoilers for things well into the book.
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at
www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
-
The Pariah by Anthony Ryan is that fantasy sword and magic novel that you’ve been waiting for all year. Even at 600 pages, it is a book that you will open and not want to put down even if it takes all night. And, yes, it is the start of a brand new series — so there is more to come in the future.
What succeeds so well is that the narrative voice is that of Alwyn Scribe, born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, but raised as an outlaw. For some reason, witches and martyrs place their faith in Alwyn though he does not know why.
This is a thick story, filled with a created fantasy world of swords and kingdoms that we only really get a glimpse of. Although there is a map in the beginning of the book and several pages filled with character names, they mean little before you start reading. Ryan does a terrific job of creating his fantasy world and leaving a lot of it shrouded in mystery.
The story begins with Alwyn as a teenage youth, a member of an outlaw band of misfits and pickpockets and robbers, sort of like Robin Hood’s merry band, but a bit meaner and more bawdy and at each other’s throats. You find out that Alwyn was an orphan born to a whore who died soon thereafter and who knows who his father could be. His only loyalty now is to the leader of the band of outlaws that he rides with.
The story takes us through Alwyn’s life as he suffers betrayals and backstabbers and vows his revenge. It is also rich with pageantry as major battles are fought. Ryan has furthermore filled his story with martyrs and Joan of Arc types leading their troops into battle because of their belief in scriptures. Interestingly, besides being a thief, an outlaw, and a warrior, Alwyn is a scribe and, when he glimpses the riches in a library, his eyes grow wide with amazement. -
Anthony Ryan is a great author who has crafted some of my favourite characters and moments of all time in literature, so of course I was going to be diving into The Pariah. The sequel is set to be published in just a few months, so now is the perfect time to jump in.
The Pariah was a thoroughly enjoyable read, which is narrated very well by Steven Brand. It is a very original fantasy tale, but with some familiar aspects that most fans of the genre will enjoy. It is told in the form of a chronicle, with The Pariah telling the tale of the formative years of our main character and sole perspective. We are shown how he saw things from the naive perspective of a boy, with moments where the narrator drops a line of retrospective evaluation about the events taking place, which act so well to engage you as a reader whilst increasing tension and showing how this character has many hard years of danger to endure.
Whilst it is a chronicle tale, you still have no idea what is going to happen. The present circumstances of our narrator is not known in its entirety, and so this book still has that surprise element that I love.
Full Review to Come -
The synopsis gives you a false sense of the book's pacing. Events take way longer to unfold than what you'd expect from reading the synopsis. This slower pacing has authorial intent written all over it, whether it succeeded or not will depend upon the reader, personally I found it mildly annoying. The Protagonist Alwyn Scribe does not seem to have any sort of end goal throughout the book (other than trying to save his own skin which he does poorly). The plot felt aimless for the most part and the pacing is all over the place.
The only saving grace was the characters. Alwyn's first person POV was enjoyable enough for me to get through the book. -
Rating: 9.25/10
Thanks to the publisher and author for an advance reading copy of The Pariah (The Covenant of Steel #1) for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.
The Pariah is a sharp, brutal tale and a brilliant introduction to the Covenant of Steel series. While the story itself is grim and bloody, Ryan’s prose and characterization are a beacon in the darkness. A remarkable story that I did not want to end.
Before killing a man, I always found it calming to regard the trees.
First lines such as this sell me so quickly on a read. Takes me back to Sam Hawke’s City of Lies (The Poison Wars #1):
I was seven years old the first time my uncle poisoned me.
It is unfortunate that I don’t come across nearly enough of those gripping lines, but I freaking live for them if they are out there.
So…
Per Dictonary.com, the term pariah means ‘an outcast, or any person or animal that is generally despised or avoided.
Well, our protagonist, Alwyn, certainly fits that bill. The odd thing is, even though his lifestyle conveys the ‘outcast’ persona, there is just something about him that is endearing to others. Endearing may be the wrong word, but there is just… I don’t know; something that keeps him alive and in the company of others. His cunningness seems to be the main hand he plays, but his ability to pick up new skills in a short amount of time (among other things) shows why he is continually “employed” as it were.
It is rare that I come across a character that I am so intrigued by and want to know so much more about. All praise goes to Ryan’s unquestionable ability to write, especially when it comes to characterization and setting. Every turn of the page had me completely immersed, combing through all the details to ensure I didn’t miss a beat. I definitely liken his writing to that of, say, a Mark Lawrence. There is just something so poetic in the words put to the page that tug on your emotions at a more sensory level.
The world-building is crisp and lends itself well as a backdrop to the storyline. Descriptive without being overshare, at least until you get into the thick of the battle scenes. I have come across some amazing fight scenes and battles over the few years since I started reading fantasy, ala Joe Abercrombie and John Gwynne as examples, but I have to say: Ryan definitely deserves to be in that same tier. I felt every draw, parry, riposte, you name it. When it came right down to the gritty, bloody thick of it, you felt like you were sitting in the front row of a Gallagher show (you know, except it was brains instead of watermelons)
If you are a fan of Ryan’s, you have probably already preordered this title. For those who aren’t familiar with his writing, I’d definitely recommend checking this one out if you enjoy some of the usual fantasy recommendations: George R. R. Martin, Bernard Cornwell, Mark Lawrence, or Michael J. Sullivan to name a few. -
This was a great story! I wasn't sure what to expect as I'd avoided reading anything about it, but I've read several books by Mr. Ryan, and knew that I enjoyed his writing. I was confident I would enjoy. Now, this is my favorite of his so far. I can hardly wait for the second book to come out in June (which I have preordered already!). I highly recommend to fans of epic fantasy. 5.0/5.0 stars.
-
4.75/5
The Pariah by Anthony Ryan is a beautiful and brutal tale with some of the finest written action/battle sequences I've ever read. Needless to say it was a brilliant first entry in The Covenant of Steel series
First of all huge thanks to the author and publishers for accepting my request in Netgalley and it goes without saying that this review is my unbiased opinion.
Quick Summary: The Pariah, first entry in the The Covenant of Steel series follows the story of Alwyn Scribe, an outlaw of sharp wit and deadly skills as he suffers a devastating betrayal and sets on a journey of vengeance.
WHAT WORKED FOR ME IN THIS BOOK:
Action/Battle sequences: All of the action sequences and Battle sequences in this book are vividly detailed and brutally depicted. It was so AWESOME to read and made me wish the battle sequences never ended. It was on par with John Gwynne's works, which are my favourite by the way. It was by far, the strongest aspects of this book
The writing: Anthony Ryan's prose were magnificent to say the least. Even some lengthy dialogues between the characters didn't felt boring because of his prose and it made a one fine reading experience.
Alwyn Scribe: Alwyn is a very well writen character with depth and flaws. He's sharp and brilliant but also naive enough to get manipulated at times. His realistic thoughts and actions were intriguing to read and makes him one of the well rounded character.
Mysteries, Reveals and Prophecies: Even though the author established the world fairly well, some of the aspects of this world were left to wonder. I believe it was the author's intention and it actually worked well for me as it gave a mysterious feel to it. Prophecies played huge part in this book especially in the later half. I'm a sucker for prophecies playing out so it was definitely fun time for me.
And the twists, betrayals and reveals in this book are really well written, it gave the much needed impact for the story and I honestly didn't see those coming.
WHAT DIDN'T WORKED FOR ME IN THIS BOOK:
The Pariah had a really good start with a day in the life of Alwyn as an outlaw but after the first 100 pages or so I started to feel like the story is a bit dragging till The battle at Traitor's field which occurs at about 300 page mark. I understand that it is required of the story for character building but still it felt too long.
I also found some conversation between characters and some monologues were bit too long for my taste. But it didn't affect the overall quality of the book. it's just a minor nitpick.
FINAL WORD:
The Pariah by Anthony Ryan did what 4 other books couldn't. It got me out of my reading slump. It was that good and It's quality is almost equal to that of Blood Song IMO. -
One of the best (epic) fantasy novels I've read in a while and definitely the top fantasy of 2021 at least so far; first-person narration with hints about the future, the usual grimdark setting with gods, churches, revelations, prophecies, secrets etc; the ending is at a good stopping point and promises a lot to come.
Highly recommended -
This is the first instalment in The Covenant of the Steel series.
Alwyn is the son of a whore and was raised as an outlaw. His early teachings were in bloodshed and treachery and he became a product of his beloved surroundings. All that changed when betrayal severed apart his rule-breaking family and he swapped the forests for the pits, where a new education began. As Alwyn learnt new skills there he never forgot one of the first he was taught - to never forget those who had wronged you and to repay them in kind for their treachery.
At the point of reading this book, I owned six Anthony Ryan books and had not previously opened one of them. Despite the two complete series of his that adorn my shelves, I could not pass the opportunity to discover what his latest release contained. I am so pleased that it lived up to the captivating brilliance that I believed this author to possess.
This contained all the trappings of a great fantasy story and definitely veered towards the 'classic fantasy' side of the genre. This isn't to say it is a simpler story or one I feel I have read before. It merely means that the bones that structured tit felt familiar and that this was a book, despite its hefty page length, that felt easy to navigate.
Each quarter had its own distinct geographical setting and focus. As Alwyn aged and learned to navigate them all, more particulars about the world surrounding him were also revealed. The early sections revolved around solely Alwyn and those in his vicinity but they soon began to incorporate more political and far-reaching facets which has me excited for the sequel and the endless possibilities of the direction it could take.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Anthony Ryan, and the publisher, Orbit, for this opportunity. -
Masterpiece. This book started off kind of slow to me but after things start to happen (being vague on purpose) it never really lets up and is quite the page turner! This is a first person story narrated by the main character from a point later on in their life starting from when he was seventeen and part of an outlaw band of thieves that live in the woods.
The setting is gritty, low magic (next to none, and what their is the main character certainly doesn't understand it) and quite graphically violent at times. There is a dark fantasy atmosphere that drips off the pages of this book that I loved. There is not an over abundance of action scenes but enough to satisfy for sure including one of the best war skirmish battles I have read yet!
The plot is character driven more often than not and takes a bit of time to get going, but it does well with that time to really develop interesting characters that are both lovable and detestable (MARRY ME TORIA FFS I LOVE THIS GIRL) It goes in places I honestly didn't expect and sets up what it sure to be an amazing planned trilogy.
A new author to me, and a new favorite one instantly! I can't wait for the sequel and to check out his other works. You should really check this one out I was so impressed! -
Thank you Orbit and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Well lets just jump right into this. As we can all see I had a vastly different reaction to this story in comparison to others who have read this. This is actually my first full length novel by Anthony Ryan, but not my first foray into his writing, I am actually reading his novella series The Seven Swords, and I enjoy them. So I figured I would enjoy this as well since I had been wanting to read a longer story of his, but alas this did not work for me, this actually proved to me that I prefer his short story telling over his long.
To start, that tag line by Mr. Gwynne is full of lies and I say that in the nicest way possible. This was not full of vengeance and betrayal. This is why I do not read them and take them with a grain of salt.
The Pariah reads like its historical fiction and not fantasy, and while there is absolutely nothing wrong with historical fiction, I actually enjoy the genre, when I am in the mood for it, but this being pitched as fantasy with such minuscule feels of fantasy made it a tough read to get immersed into. I kept waiting for that fantastical element to pop up but nothing ever did. This lead to me being very bored with the story, it felt like it took ages to get through the chapters and I found myself more times then not becoming sleepy because it felt like so very little happening even though a lot was happening, it just wasn't presented in an engaging manner. Towards the end and I say this with all grace and honesty I started actively avoiding picking it up because I knew I was not enjoying it and could tell nothing was going to make this turn around for me. I even dropped my rating after finishing, I was originally leaning towards a 3.
The most frustrating bit for me comes from the fact that the story shifts drastically from how it starts out. When starting out you are lead to believe that this is going to be a tale of Alwyn getting revenge for his fallen outlaws, a betrayal of the deepest kind, and a tale of two men, a true king and false king fighting for control, and some how Alywn will become entwined in this, and part one even ends on this note. But once part two got going slowly that story-line started to fall to the wayside and the religious story-line with the Covenant, the Seraphile, the scourge and malecite took over and everything that part one set up, just feels completely lost and forgotten. Sure at times its mentioned that Alwyn still wants his revenge and a few moments are taken to bring that part of the story back into play but its very short lived and then quickly removed from the forefront again but even after awhile that stops.
I enjoyed the start of the tale immensely, all the moments of going through Alwyn being part of the outlaws was interesting and engaging. We learned how he came to be part of the crew, where he stood, what their punishments were like under the Outlaw king. The whole Outlaw king portion was so interesting and it ended way to quickly and it was set up to make you feel like it was important but it really wasn't, it was just filler to move the start of the story along, and that is so frustrating as it was the most interesting part. I wanted to know who betrayed who, and its of course reveled so far late in the story after having felt like it was forgetting about that I no longer cared, nor believed it when it was told yet Alywn was like "yup okay that checks out because now I'm more focused on apparently being obsessed with Evadine" and then that's it for the revenge plot line.
I don’t care for religious plots, so that in of itself was not interesting for me (I can handle it as a side plot), but in this tale it was slow, and felt dragged out and a lot of the time confusing, and its heavily focused on, its clearly the main plot, not the stuff that went on with the outlaw king.
The story is also told from Alwyn's pov in 1st person, and once again I am coming to conclusion that this style is my least favorite. It does nothing for the larger cast of characters. We only get to see one side of everyone because we are only seeing them through Alwyn's eyes and while they each had their own personalities none of them shined or stood out because they only acted one way, which was the way Alwyn claimed they acted. You never get to see their full reactions to any of the situations, you never get to see the more complex sides of any of them. I enjoyed the first meeting with Ayin, that was wild and unexpected, but aside from that nothing drew me to anyone. To add more frustration all of this led me to I feel nothing for anyone, some other reviews talk about the heartbreak this conjured and I being the sensitive little lady that I am, felt no heartbreak for anyone. The deaths felt flat, and some where mentioned in passing that you didn't get time to take them in, outside of that death is so prevalent that it left nothing to be hurt about.
Also another point to be made, Alywn is so far from being deft with a sword, don’t believe the lies the synopsis tells you.
The reason for the lower rating was the absolute off the wall and straight out of left field take on Alywn being in love with a certain character. This is just randomly thrown at you at the end with zero build up, zero evidence that it was ever a factor and its presented like it was always there. It was jarring, off putting and instantly grated on my nerves. I have a feeling what kind of "love" this is going to turn into, but the lack of build up to it makes it fall completely in the realm of "wtf".
The last bit is the magic.. at least I think its magic, its never really stated if there is or isn't magic. There is talk of witches with gifts, but of course they are heathens and its presented in manner that leads on to believe its just false rumors flying around. Evadine has visions.. The closest thing to magic that appears is all related to the Sack Witch and its not until the end that it starts to make you think "oh look there is magic in this world"
The good of this story falls into the writing, while it was long and at times exasperating it is the writing of someone who has clearly been doing this for a long time. It easy to picture what is going on based on descriptions and the battle/fight scenes are well thought out and constructed wonderfully. I'm not big into structure battlement fights, I find them boring and they are used in this and while I did not like them I can say they where written with knowledge and managed to portray what was happening. Although the world is kind of bland and boring, nothing new and exciting.
Also the illuminator, he appeared for like one chapter but oh my gosh I loved learning about him and what his job entailed.
All in all, this just was not the story for me, and i'll probably not pick up book 2. -
3.5 Stars
This was a gritty, classic fantasy narrative of revenge. I have read a lot of revenge stories and while this one was not particularly fresh, I still genuinely enjoyed it
The strongest aspect for me was the characters. I liked that they were all complex with their own moral codes and motivations. Told in first person narration, the story felt Intimidate with that close perspective. The plot itself was good, but nothing new that I haven't seen before. It's a good novel with strong prose but the story itself just didn't feel fresh.
I would recommend this fantasy story to anyone who enjoys revenge stories.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book for review. -
[9/10]
“Thus spoke Ulthnir, Father of the Altvar: Every battle is a forge, and every soul that survives the flames is made stronger.”
The events of a long and interesting life have forced me to conclude that Ulthnir, like many a god, was full of shit.
Alwyn Scribe is tested to the very limit of his endurance in this first book that describes his long and interesting life. Anthony Ryan takes his sweet time building up his character and the setting, making for an immersive fantasy journey – possibly the best start for a new series I’ve read this year. Ryan is good at this: his earlier “Blood Song” bowled me over in a similar fashion, even if later instalments of the ‘Raven’s Shadow’ series took a safer and more well-trodden path for the genre.
So what is this new book about? At first glance, nothing special, just another classic medieval setting and an orphan with a secret destiny facing an imminent cataclysm. We first meet Alwyn as a teenage outlaw, a quick-witted and quick-bladed member of a band of highway robbers hiding in theSherwoodShavine forest in merryEnglandAlbermaine. Alwyn, a runaway kid from an orphanage, is taken under his wing by Deckin, leader of the most feared bands of outlaws in the forest.
Lorine’s my counsel, Raith my guide to the unseen, Todman my punisher, but you, you’re my spy, the one that sees what needs seeing.
His smartness and his intensive training in the arts of killing are still not enough to keep Alwyn out of trouble when Deckin’s band is destroyed by the king��s men, making the young man an outcast and a pariah in the eyes of his countrymen. Without going into plot spoilers, Alwyn has a long way to go, from the depths of the convict mines to the lines of battle between pretenders to the throne of Albermaine. He becomes an accomplished scribe along the way, and has several run-ins with magic, both in a religious fashion and in a gypsy prophecy kind of way. The young man is an illustration of the sort of effects a loving god can bestow on his subjects.
“Bit strange, don’t you think? All those countless bewinged, magic folk living in a paradise in the sky none of us can see, willing to destroy the world to prove how much they love us. Sounds like a man I knew who took a particular shine to a whore. He loved her so much he used to pay the whoremaster to beat her bloody once a week so no other man would look at her.”
The religious landscape of Albermaine is bookmarked as the middle ground between Seraphile angels up in the sky and Malecite demons somewhere below. These two esoteric forces fought a major battle generations ago, with the humans saved not by the bell, but by the interventions of local Martyrs, who are now celebrated throughout the realm.
The cynical, doubting Alwyn could do without any Martyr’s blessing, but he crosses path with a Joan d’Arc figure who recruits her own company of mercenaries from among the rejects of society and prepares to lead them against the second coming of the demons.
You know! your usual end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it fantasy staple.
The Seraphile, you see, showed me the Scourge. Not the Scourge that has been; not the great calamity that brought empires low and nearly wiped our race from the face of the world. No, they showed me the Scourge to come, the Second Scourge warned of in the scrolls of Martyrs Stevanos, Athil and Hersephone. The coming great rising of the Malecite that our beloved Covenant was formed to prevent.
And of course, the low-born Alwyn might just be The Chosen One from the secret prophecies of the itinerant Caerith who travel the back roads of the kingdom!
I’m making fun a little here of the predictability of the plot, but I have really burned through the pages of this novel at an incredible pace. Anthony Ryan, I repeat myself, is a gifted storyteller, reminding me how much I used to enjoy classic epic fantasy before it got bogged down in ‘Game of Thrones’ clones or grimdark killing sprees. The setting may be familiar, but the balance between worldbuilding and character development is well handled, with battle scenes reminding me of Bernard Cornwell or Harry Turtledove in their better moments.
I might still harbour some reservations about the ability of the author to follow up on a promising debut, after his earlier series I mentioned, but I do hope his next book of Alwyn Scribe will not be long in coming to the shelves.
“Why me? I asked. “Why did an unknown Caerith scribe from ages past see fit to set down a prophecy of my life? I am just a whore’s bastard made a thief and a murderer because there was no other place for me in this land. I am a pariah to be shunned by churl and noble alike. This land and its people have no use for me, save to earn an ugly death and an unmarked grave fighting their wars.” -
Holy plotwhich
4.5/5
I'm huge fan of Blood Song by Anthony Ryan, one of my top fantasy books so I was super excited to dig into his newest series with The Pariah. This book definitely did not disappoint but I'm not sure it was totally what I was expecting.
The main thing to say about this book is wow was that a lot of plot. We follow a single first person POV character through a mega ton dosage of plot. There are many settings, characters and power systems going on in these pages. It made for a moving and very engaging read. The world building is good: no whimsy, all raw and lots of gore. Outlaws, kingdoms and armies like everything you'd expect from Ryan. There was a thin thread of mysticism and lore that was not too overt and just enough to entice me. Are there supernatural elements to the world? Maybe.
The writing was good if not a tad too loquacious at times but these are the fault of the character telling the story, not Ryan (I know Ryan knows how to write a concise and beautiful sentence). My only minor complaint has to do with the strengths of the book: it's way too plot driven. Yes there is character development and some delightful circular themes, but I needed a little bit more character driven developments. The main character is kind just along for the ride.
Anyway, highly recommend. I'll be reading the next. -
4 Stars!
A solid start to the Covenant of Steel Series. I loved the first person point of view as it really set the tone and enabled some great character development in this first book. I'm really looking forward to the next one. -
5 / 5 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
Born into a whorehouse of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe was raised as an outlaw by the infamous Deckin Scarl. Always quick with a word or a knife, Alwyn was outlaw material at its finest—something that he’d never lose even after becoming a military man. But while fighting under the banner of Evadine Courlain, a noblewoman with apocalyptic visions and the heart of a warrior, he’s seemed to find his true calling.
But that’s the thing about one’s calling: it takes time and living to find. And while Alwyn might just be better at this than he was as a criminal, can any man, no matter how talented, truly overcome life as an outlaw to become a knight? Or will he be stuck in the gutter forever; just another failure with a blade, robbing peasants in a lonely forest?
Bit of a quick recap for me, but I didn’t want to spoil too much. Thing is, despite what was spoiled by the brief—the bit about the King’s army in particular—Alwyn’s life was a mysterious delight to read about, never knowing where the former outlaw would turn next. From friends and companions, lovers and assets, rivals and foes, the people in Alwyn’s wake are what define him. The author’s ability to build deep, flawed, relatable characters pretty much paves Alwyn’s path for him.
Anyone can start in the gutter. It’s not that hard. Raising one’s self up from there is the challenge. And staying alive long enough to do so. It’s quite the journey told here—something almost up to the breadth of Blood Song, be it without all the time spent as a student of the blade. Instead of a military society, Alwyn must rely on his wit, his reflexes, his allies, and his need for vengeance to keep him going.
One of the main differences between Alwyn and Vaelin is that where al Sorna is a leader, Alwyn Scribe is not. Rebecca (from Powder & Page) pointed this out so well in her review. Of how it’s so different from someone rising to become a hero, a leader. How he plays the supporting role so well. She pretty much nailed it. So while it’s his life we live through this, the telling takes on so much of the echoes of whom he chooses to follow in it. Deckin Scarl, Ascendant Sihlda, Evadine Courlain. I mean, there’s time where he’s on his own too, but often it seems that Alwyn simply attaches himself to famous or ambitious folk. That it’s not about how he changes the world, it’s about how those around him will shape it.
For a bit of the book Alwyn is alone. I mean, while he attaches himself to the infamous, he keeps only his own counsel. But for a good chunk of it he relies on the wisdom of his friends to keep him on track. In particular, of Toria and Brewer. You know how one of your friends is always the angel on your shoulder while the other plays the devil? Of course not. Because people aren’t like that. While some may be less honorable or savory than others, they’re all human. With their own faults and opinions. These two (as well as a few choice others) color the way Alwyn lives near as much as whatever mythical figure he’s following. It’s for the best then that neither one makes a very good angel—more entertaining that way.
An excellent start to what I’m sure will be an excellent new series—provided there’s no Queen of Fire in it. I want the next one so badly now it hurts! -
*** 3.41 ***
"...“One of the curses suffered by the intelligent is the power of imagination, for a clever mind will explore the dark possibilities with far more dedication than the bright.”..."
I have a love-hate relationship with this author and I never know how I am going to react to his work, but this one wasn't bad. The ideas, the plot, the imagined characters are great, I just wish the author was a better, more natural storyteller... I can't put my finger on what exactly always falls short, but it is like the eye-test in sports - you can see the talent and ravel in its shine, while in writing it's that "IT" factor, that can make even the most lacking plot enjoyable and memorable. For some reason I just don't feel that "IT" when I read Mr. Ryan's adventure and Fantasy work. I have never tried his Sci-Fi and have been told that is much better, so I will give it a try.
Despite all that, I am totally hooked on the story and am excited to get to the following volume. 😎👍🏼 -
I received an ARC for this in June. It took me an extremely long time to read and I ended up buying it on audio as a deal and finishing it that way. My biggest problem with it is that you absolutely should NOT read the summary of the book. Everything that is mentioned in the summary doesn't happen until 45% through the book and it just crushes momentum. I've seen other reviews say the same thing, so it's definitely not just me that was affected by this. It felt like the entire first 20% felt like it could have been reduced to a prologue or just been done through exposition.
I kept waiting for the actual story to begin. Even after the 45% mark, I never felt like the MC takes an active role in his own story. It's just things that happen to him. The battle/fight scenes were well done, but mostly this book just failed to make any impact on me. I'm reading Bloodsong next month and I'm pretty hopeful that it will be better! 5/10 -
This author has never failed to make me not love any of his books. This is superbly written full of well written characters full of twist and turns. Also shows the good and bad sides of human nature in all its glory.
A touch of grimdark to give it back bone and to make us the readers come back for more.
Another great start to a new series -
The education of Alwyn Scribe
Opening with a map and a Dramatis Personae, I was immediately grateful to the author, as I sometimes find myself overwhelmed with keeping track of characters and places.
The story is a memoir of a whore's child abandoned to the forest , which begins a life of self preservation and unusual loyalties. As with Blood Song, it's all in the telling, and Anthony Ryan is one of the best at slowly weaving the threads of a character's life into a fascinating journey. Life as a thief teaches the realities of the world, with Alwyn learning many harsh lessons just from naivety. Betrayal seems to be a middle name along life's path, but so does the forging of strong relationships.
However, with betrayal comes the obsession for revenge and Alwyn 's path takes many turns to get there.
I received an ARC from Goodreads giveaway and couldn't have won a better prize. -
DNF at 33%.
I can’t force myself to continue on with this story. I’ve picked it up… put it down… picked it up… put it down… and repeat. It’s been over a week, and frankly, I’m not sure why I kept trying for that long? I’ve DNF’d on much fewer grounds before.
For a story that sounds interesting in theory, the way it is conveyed to us in the writing is not a style I prefer. I’ll say it—it’s just dull. Hope others enjoy this one. I’m obviously giving it a hard pass. -
Ovo je do sada najprofesionalnije napisan Rajanov roman. Na svu sreću, batalio je poigravanje s više gledišta i posvetio se samo jednom protagonisti, pišući iz prvog lica. Nažalost, stiče se utisak da je "Otpadnik" tek recikliranje prvog romana o Vejlinu al Sorni. Ipak, Rajan je očito podosta naučio u međuvremenu i rešio da čitaocima ponudi takoreći klasičnu fantazijsku priču, koja ponajviše vuče na romane Robin Hob, ako ćemo o utisku koji ostavlja na čitaoca.
Istini za volju, religiozno-anticrkveni momenat u fantaziji počeo je da mi biva dosadan, pošto nema ko se nije popišao po kvalizarimokatoličkoj crkvi u poslednjih trideset godina, tako da je još jedna priča koja se vrti oko motiva "kvazimonoteistička religija - korumpirana i zla/pagansko-mnogobožački kvazivikinski i vlaška magija kul" sasvim nepotrebna. Čak bi mi bilo zanimljivije da čitam olk skul fantastiku s dobrim popovima koji vrše istragu veštica i predvode krstaške pohode nad nevernicima.
To na stranu, Rajan je u ovom romanu izvanredno izgradio i svet (ma koliko mi ličio na bezbroj drugih fantazijskih Engleski) i sporedne likove, koji su vrlo temeljno i lagano posloženi u više dimenzija, tako da čitalac ni u jednom trenutku ne stiče utisak da su tu samo da bi glavni lik imao s kime da razgovara. istini za volju, jedan lik je previše telegrafisan, dok jedan od značajnijih sporednih negativaca vrlo neiskorišćen - ali možda je njegova uloga tek da nagovesti dešavanja u nekim potonjim knjigama. To ostaje da se vidi.
Ne mogu da kažem da sam se oduševio "Otpadnikom"; pre bih rekao da sam se malo razočarao, ali zato što sam očekivao nešto daleko više od onoga što sam dobio, tako da sam za razočaranje sam kriv. No, to rekavši, ovo je svakako jedan od najboljih romana ove godine i jedna od sve ređih knjiga koje me vuku da ih čitam umesto da se rvem s njima i da ih batalim nakon dvadesetak odsto. Iako mu dajem zvezdicu manje nego što možda zaslužuje (dobro, pola zvezdice), "Otpadnik" ni u kom slučaju nije gubljenje vremena i prava je stvar za ljubitelje potihe fantazije, bez mnogo specijalnih efekata, a s podrobnim world buildingom.
4* -
3.5 ⭐
I was in a mood for a nice, long epic fantasy, and The Pariah seemed like the exact kind of book I needed. But I ended up having mixed feelings about it.
I listened to this book as an audiobook. I really liked the narrator. But, as most epic fantasies, this one would probably be easier to read at least partially physically. Just because it really helps when I can see all the unfamiliar names on the paper, plus the maps…
Anyways, there were several things I really liked about The Pariah. The writing style was really good. And I loved the characters (though, ironically, I feel like I didn’t get to know the main character all that well). And the setting was exactly what I wanted to see.
But, unfortunately, I had a problem with the story itself.
Apart from religion, the fantasy part of this book was very subtle. Practically no magic at all. Which – I mean, I was counting on at least a dragon or two, but oh well.
As typical for epic fantasies, the beginning was kind of slow. Though a lot was going on, what we really got were small bursts of action that were barely, if at all, connected. For the longest time I had the feeling that the main thread of the story hasn't started yet.
The whole book felt like an introduction to the story, or a prequel. Here's what was going on before the things you actually want to hear about. I can’t say I was thrilled about it, but I’m willing to let it slide, just barely, and only because it is the first book in the series.
Luckily, it was all well written and pretty interesting, so it didn't bother me as much as it normally would. But, yes – the book could definitely use a stronger overarching story. The lack of it made everything that happened seem a bit random and chopped up.
Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook version of The Pariah by Anthony Ryan in exchange for an honest review.
❤️️ ❤️️ ❤️️ -
You can check out my spoiler free review here!
https://youtu.be/WyubE5bENCc -
Absolutely loved it!!
-
9.5/10
The Pariah by Anthony Ryan is the first novel in The Covenant of Steel, an all new epic fantasy trilogy introducing a perilous, yet compelling journey through the eyes of an outlaw.
With a prose and narrative style that is dark, brave and full of spirit, The Pariah features politics, religion, myths, lost treasure, buried history, and exceptionally well written battle scenes. The reader follows Alwyn Scribe on his harrowing journey beyond the dark reaches of the Shavine Marches in search of vengeance.
If you’re like me, then you may have an appreciation for first lines. I wanted to share The Pariah’s opening sentence because I think it sets the tone for everything this story embodies.
“Before killing a man, I always found it calming to regard the trees.”
The Pariah is told in three parts with each part chronicling key moments of Alwyn’s life over a span of several years. Things set up in the most treacherous of ways and I found myself loving the gritty, unforgiving narrative set in a medieval-like world. The pacing throughout the novel is balanced with a mix of fast paced action to slower, personal moments necessary for character development. Battle scenes were written in sharp and efficient detail with no word going to waste.
If you find the beginning a little too slow, I urge you to keep reading! Part one is more of a slow burn with the introduction to our main character during his later years with the infamous band of outlaws. There is a change in setting and themes during part two and it’s where I felt the story really began to shine. Heavy on the religious themes in the second half (which I really love to read in a fantasy, by the way), lower on the magic (arcane) at this time. It was worth the wait and left me wanting more. I started flying through pages as I became very immersed in the story.
The plot is connected to Alwyn’s quest for justice and vengeance following the betrayal. Sometimes the urgency in which we set out to do things in life becomes delayed or influenced by present circumstances, and it’s no different for Alwyn. The places he journeys to are often influenced by others he has met along the way and just like in reality, sometimes things don’t work out as expected.
“I’ve been a constant thief,” I told him. “A frequent liar, an occasional fraud and, according to need or rage, a murderer. But –” I tugged my arm free of his grip” ��� I’ve never yet abandoned a friend.” I gave him a thin, lopsided smile, my bruises aching with it. “I have so few, you see? So it rarely becomes an issue.”
Alwyn is such a well written character who is full of complexity. There is more to him than meets the eye. I loved his narrative voice, adaptability, intelligence, introspection, and wavering morality. Through a quick line or two, Ryan gives us these present day narrative teasers that I’m hoping will have some payoff by the end. Despite being an outlaw, I loved how Alwyn was always open to acquiring new (and finer) skills to help aid his survival. He learned as much as he could from others during the months and years he was sometimes forced, and other times voluntarily staying put. It’s fascinating to see how a sequence of events and the people who came across Alwyn’s path could lead to the unexpected at every turn.
As I was reading, I kept circling back to a feeling of familiarity. I haven’t felt an immediate attachment to a character since I first met Kvothe from The Name of the Wind, and I think that is why Alwyn felt familiar. Despite being different in many ways, these two characters have something in common that makes them a favorite of mine. I haven’t been able to exactly nail down what that is yet let alone find the words to express it.
Many of the supporting characters, including the villainous forces, served as a piece for Alwyn’s character to develop against. The Pariah didn’t feel as robust in the overall growth of the secondary characters and I think that is why I felt a little neutral towards anyone not named Alwyn in the first half of the book. This all changed with the introduction of several interesting characters (looking at you, Sack Witch) and additions to the plot that were deeply satisfying. I was so bummed when the story ended! I am invested and anticipate some drastic action coming in the sequel.
The Pariah is a fantastic start to a series. Alwyn is a character who stays with you long after you turn the final page. To say that I am excited for the sequel is an understatement.
You can find this review, and more, on the
FanFiAddict blog. -
The Pariah is the first entry in a new series by Anthony Ryan. It follows Alwyn Scribe, an outlaw who lives in the woods with his comrades. However, a betrayal sets him on a new path filled with blood and vengeance.
I’d like to thank Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel. Unfortunately for me it was a DNF. I got to 22% which is about 120ish pages in, so I can only talk about that first 22%. I definitely think that this was well-written and the character work stuck me in this portion as pretty good, for the main character at least. However, this is written in first person POV, and because I didn’t connect with or particularly like the MC, I really struggled to get to 22%. This was incredibly character focused to start, and while there was nothing that particularly upset me or that I felt was wrong, it just felt a lot more gritty and crass than I cared for. The MC didn’t even feel gray exactly, he just felt like a skeezy guy and I didn’t care to read about him.
Because this was a review copy, I tried to push through, but after a month of putting it down pretty quickly after picking it up, I hit the point that I knew it would just be a hate read if I continued. I do recommend this book if you like morally questionable main characters, don’t mind a single POV for that questionable person, and like gritty character-driven stories.
