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Blackwing: The Raven's Mark Book One by [Ed McDonald]

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Ed McDonald

Blackwing: The Raven's Mark Book One Kindle Edition

by Ed McDonald (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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The republic faces annihilation, despite the vigilance of Galharrow's Blackwings. When a raven tattoo rips itself from his arm to deliver a desperate message, Galharrow and a mysterious noblewoman must investigate a long dead sorcerer's legacy. But there is a conspiracy within the citadel: traitors, flesh-eaters and the ghosts of the wastelands seek to destroy them, but if they cannot solve the ancient wizard's paradox, the Deep Kings will walk the earth again, and all will be lost.

The war with the Eastern Empire ended in stalemate some eighty years ago, thanks to Nall's 'Engine', a wizard-crafted weapon so powerful even the Deep Kings feared it. The strike of the Engine created the Misery - a wasteland full of ghosts and corrupted magic that now forms a No Mans Land along the frontier. But when Galharrow investigates a frontier fortress, he discovers complacency bordering on treason: then the walls are stormed, and the Engine fails to launch. Galharrow only escapes because of the preternatural magical power of the noblewoman he was supposed to be protecting. Together, they race to the capital to unmask the traitors and restore the republic's defences. Far across the Misery a vast army is on the move, as the Empire prepares to call the republic's bluff.

Blackwing is a gritty epic fantasy for fans of Mark Lawrence, Scott Lynch and Daniel Polansky.

Length: 385 pages	Word Wise: Enabled	Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
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Book Description

You think you know Misery? You've not seen anything yet . . . --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Review

Dark, twisty and excellent... Grimdark with heart. (MARK LAWRENCE)

Guaranteed already, this will be one of the best books I will read this year. (FANTASY BOOK REVIEW)

A real fantastical page-turner. (SciFiNow)

Blackwing is a book that surprised me more than any other has so far this year. It's the debut of Ed McDonald and boy what a way to make an entrance. (SF BOOK)

Their story moves at an (ahem) spellbinding pace. (SFX MAGAZINE)

An impressive work of fantasy, and one I think we'll be hearing more about. Highly recommended. (SF AND F REVIEWS)

Fabulously inventive and at times horrifyingly funny and action packed. (MORNING STAR)

Ed McDonald is an author to watch out for. I don't say things like this lightly. I read a lot of fantasy, and I don't hesitate to say that this will be one of the biggest fantasy debuts of the year. McDonald has given us the first instalment of what looks to be a very interesting series. (THE BOOK BAG)

A very impressive debut, with complex characters and an imaginative setting that does much to impress the reader. (SFF WORLD)

Ed McDonald has taken something old and made it new... it's epic. (Fantasy Book Critic) --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 553 KB
Print Length: 385 pages
Publisher: Gollancz (27 July 2017)
Sold by: Hachette Book Group (AU)
Language: English
ASIN: B01N7QHBH6
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Customer Reviews: 148 customer ratings
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #40,612 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #561 in Contemporary Fantasy (Books)
- #1204 in Epic Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #381 in Contemporary Fantasy (Kindle Store)

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patrickimoff

HARDBOILED PUFFS OF STEAM

Reviewed in Australia on 13 August 2018

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Hardboiled in the same way that Joe Abercrombie books are. Very enjoyable...

I've noticed that a lot of fantasy now has a steampunk feel about It (Anthony Ryan, Brian McClellan etc), and the technology / industriaslisation aspect makes things more interesting (alongside 'systems of magic')... Maybe the genre had moved beyond Tolkien - I enjoyed researching Matchlocks and other arcane firearms whilst reading Blackwing.

So if you liked Sand dan Glokta's caustic besides, you should enjoy this.

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Kindle Customer

Good Read!

Reviewed in Australia on 9 June 2019

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Written really well, characters had strong personalities that set them apart from one another. World was really interesting.. Story was dark and gritty but not to over the top with it. Kept me interested through the whole book (And had me up reading until the early hrs of the morning).

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Phil Wallis

Worth every cent

Reviewed in Australia on 24 November 2018

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Bloody, hard, confronting, gory, rude, and so damn honest. I loved this book and will be going straight for the next one. Bravo!

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Emily Wrayburn

Good writing but not my style

Reviewed in Australia on 11 September 2018

I want to start this review by sayinig this is a really good book. If you’re into grimdark fantasy, you will probably love it. It’s just not really my thing, and I did struggle with it at times, but it is really well developed and the writing is tight, and the things that brought down my rating are mostly a matter of personal preference.

I really enjoyed the worldbuilding here. It’s a kind of grungy, darker Ankh-Morpok, with industry and factories and also magic. I think when I started Blackwing that was the sort of thing I was in the mood for, rather than a stock standard medieval fantasy. Things are explained as the reader needs to know about them and there is a good balance of explanation and leaving it to the reader’s imagination.

I think the (anti-)hero, Ryhalt Galharrow, both worked and didn’t work for me. At times he was a loveable grump, and at other times, I just wanted him to stop wallowing and get on with things. Which isn’t entirely fair, because he had a lot to wallow about. I did enjoy his ragtag team. Nenn, especially, was a great addition.

The one big thing I did take issue with was the badass, competent female character wore a veil because she was scarred, and claimed that she couldn’t let Galharrow see her face because he would be disappointed as she “had nothing of woman about her”. And then it was up to Galharrow to validate her by telling her she’s beautiful anyway. I mean, yes, women are often insecure about their looks because of impossible standards of beauty, but that doesn’t mean it’s still disappointing to see that trope in a very capable mathematician/magician character.

The plot is interesting, and as I said earlier, the writing is quite tight. It does move slowly, though, and that is one thing I have trouble with. My reading slows right down when the book itself is slowly-paced, and that frustrates me.

I am probably not going to continue with the series, but I honestly do think that this a high quality example of its genre, so if it sounds like your thing, you should get on that.

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Ross

Superb dystopian fantasy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 May 2018

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This book came highly rated by people on the fantasy faction facebook group and goodreads, so I had high expectations when I started reading. The reader is thrown straight into the thick of this strange post-apocalyptic magical world and the terms and creatures therein.
The story follows Ryhalt Galharrow, a captain in the Blackwing, a group of soldiers and enforcers working for the supreme magician Crowfoot. They are charged with keeping order along the Range and tracking down dissenters and run-aways.
Galharrow quickly finds himself embroiled in a plot and a battle to save the republic from itself and the evil Deep Kings and their hordes of mutated zombies.
The narrative is extremely gritty and at times you can almost smell the filth and second-hand brandy.
While you are thrown into it without warning and without preamble, this is to McDonald's credit, as the reader pieces things together quite quickly, or can make up their own mind about how things look and work.
To sum this up, I would say it was like Mark Lawrence or Joe Abercrombie ghost-writing a Brandon Sanderson plot - with the best aspects of both sides (the gritty dialogue from the grimdark authors with the intricately designed magic system and urban landscape of the plotter).
A superbly crafted story with excellent flowing prose.

12 people found this helpful

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P. A. Irving

Satisfying, horrific, well-realised fantasy that delivers more than it promises.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 February 2018

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Generally a really good read, with great set-pieces and a very cool underlying concept and world. McDonald does really well with epic sounding names: Deep Kings, Nall's Engine, the Misery, etc, and puts them to very good effect, often turning phrases that conjure the majesty of a concept without trying too hard to specify the details. Our first foray into the Misery sets the tone for most of the novel to come: gritty, engrossing, minimalist.

The characters lived well enough for me; there was enough sense of external life that I didn't need any more details than I got. There are plenty of twists and turns, and conspiracies abound, though I did find some of these resolved a little too neatly without really exploring the potential for human corruption that the desperation of such a world might portend. Galharrow starts a bit one-dimensional but fleshes out well, though I did find some of his gritty noir stylings a little heavy-handed in places. However, as a glowing counterpoint to this, there's a wonderful scene describing drunkenness that actually reads like being drunk, so it kinda balances out. Overall, he's an engaging character and an enjoyable window onto the world.

Where Blackwing really comes into its own is in its depiction and conceptualisation of the Misery and its denizens. Some genuinely horrific set pieces (this is getting a grimdark moniker in a lot of quarters but I read much of it as dark fantasy verging on fantasy horror) involving the creatures (gillings are my new favourite least favourite things), and the language and ideas around the tear in the sky and its creation are superb. I found the city settings to be less striking, though far from problematic. The aesthetic (and to an extent the protagonist) put me very much in mind of Dishonored on the PS4, which I imagine for some will be a recommendation in itself.

The execution of concept really ramps up as the novel nears its end, and I polished the final third off in one sitting. The exploration at this point of the more traditional fantasy ideas underpinning the work, and their expansion into the novel's ending, were superb, and have left me with extremely high hopes for the sequel. I'd perhaps have enjoyed more exploration of these concepts earlier, perhaps at intervals, but it's hard to see how this could have been achieved without lessening the impact of the finale. What it did mean was that while much of the novel does edge into grimdark territory, the resolution and loose threads left at the end lift it out of that pigeon hole and suggest a much broader appeal for sequels as they emerge. Not to mention that it is, by the end, that rare thing: a really satisfying read.

7 people found this helpful

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Manda Scott

Outstanding first novel: intelligent, heart-stopping, ingenious, original

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 December 2017

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I find it really hard to believe that this is a first novel - it has the self assurance of a far more experienced writer - definitely as good as early (or late) Joe Abercrombie and even up there with Anthony Ryan and Mark Lawrence both of whom have a similar brisk, bright, in-put-downable style. I made the mistake of starting this at 6:30 last night, so was far enough through by bed time to think ‘I can’t stop now’ - Cue a very, very late night. But worth it. This is very well worth reading. I particularly liked that we still don’t know the original identity of our main character - I assume he’s a Scion of the Main House and will end up being central to the Defence of the Realm which is an old enough trope to be almost classic, and in any case, this is so originally done, that it doesn’t matter. I will definitely look out for the next one....

6 people found this helpful

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Adrian

Fine (grim) dark fantasy with plenty of gruesome scenes that will not suit every reader

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 June 2018

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"The sky was sobbing, long purrs of sharp, cold nightmare as the dawn broke. At least the rain had abated."
This is a description of the dawn sky over the Misery. There are other descriptions of the Misery involving the wind howling through cracks in the sky, bronze and purple bruise colours and more. Descriptions of the Misery are as elusive to their precise meaning as they are evocative. I love it this way and I'm content not to have a full grasp of what the Misery looks like - it gives me a sense of mystery and depth.

The Misery is the region of the land left "polluted" after Nall's Engine does its worst. The engine is a super weapon with an immense destructive power. It is the only thing that can hold back The Deep Kings, beings with god-like power, their massive armies and other magical nightmares such as the Darlings. The Darlings appear as delightful children that are actually horror novel type creatures with sickening magic that can rip through men and other wielders of magic like the proverbial knife through butter. They feel no remorse.

Our hero Captain Galharrow commands his Blackwings, a group of men and women soldiers and a sorceress in the hopeless defence of their land. It's hopeless because Nall's Engine is a hoax - it no longer works and the Deep Kings are learning this. Their armies and agents are moving to conquer.

I love Blackwing as it is a hopeless quest full of emotion with a hero who is downtrodden, a drunk, has lost almost everything he cares about (wife, children) and is but a pawn played with by his masters. His great redeeming quality is that he cares deeply about those under his command and will sacrifice almost anything that is his to save them. They are all he has left to cling onto.

For me, the "Holy Grail" of stories is one that gives me an ending I don't see coming. Blackwing does just that. Great job Ed!

Normally I find stories written in the first person like Blackwing don't work that well for me as I know the protagonist who's words I'm hearing must survive the tale or be speaking from beyond the grave. Given how merciless life is on the wall by the Misery death for Galharrow would seem like a gift. I assume he will never get this gift as he is the narrator.

Blackwing is fine grimdark fantasy with plenty of gruesome scenes that will not suit every reader. Lovers of dark fantasy will have a great time in the Misery.

No question, 5 stars from me.

3 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Blackwing - A stunning debut

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 August 2017

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Yes, it lives up to the hype.

Yes, you should read it.

Yes, it is unputdownable.

No, that is not a real word.

Blackwing is one of a collection of books that have come storming into my consciousness this year. Even after I've turned the final page and closed the book, the story is still rattling about in my head! It is superb.

It is truly an innovative piece of work. The magic system in particular is a very refreshing spin on things.

I read this book on holiday, and devoured it. I'm not a super fast reader, and have certainlyI feel with Blackwing, Ed McDonald has executed the story brilliantly. There is an economy to the writing that maintains a pace throughout, but with no loss of texture or emotion.

Blackwing is awesome, fully deserving of 5 stars - get reading it!

3 people found this helpful

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Frank A

Very engaging narrative in an original world

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 January 2018

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It's been a while since I actually found an engaging book. Most books are either too predictable, follow a formula too transparently, or are not engaging at all. This book really took me by surprise. From the get go the book takes a stand by opting to narrate on first person, and using a faux-victorian setting with modern touches (like neon signs) which ties in with the magic system.

The reason why I'm not giving this book 5 stars (though honestly, it deserves 5 stars based off of entertainment value alone) is that it was riddled with minor flaws. For one, I felt the author was inspired by Dresden files too heavily for the main character (took me a while before I stopped seeing similarities). Another one was the romance angle as it evolves during the last stages of the book; while initially proving to be a plot point that added flourish to the main character, went down a cheap cop-out route in the end. There are minor (named) characters that pop in and out of the story when convenience suits. Last, many characters suffer life-threatening injuries throughout, and you find out later on you made it through in a very off-handed, one-liner comments.

One person found this helpful

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Bertolt

Good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 June 2019

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I don't finish much fantasy - poorly written, too conventional ('When the elders of the city of Dipstick lose the magic lodestone, a young thief...') and way, way too long. This, though, is good. Shades of grimdark, a bit of steampunk. Rather than build his world in painful detail, the author summons it with evocative ideas and names - 'the Misery', 'the Nameless' - which is both interesting and allows for some speed of writing. And speedy it is, with plenty of narrative events. The writing can be a bit first-novel clunky - little snap or rhythm, uses three similes where one would have more force - but that's a minor thing, and overall I enjoyed this a lot.

One person found this helpful

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P.Parker

Ed McDonald redefines the Grimdark genre with style and substance

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 July 2018

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This is Grimdark with a heart. It is not the nihilistic style of Grimdark you get from Joe Abercrombie. This is a story where, at its core, its central character has honour, love and a need to protect others. He’s told by one of his closest friends near the end of the novel that he’s pretended to be mean, vicious, a cold-blooded killer but it’s not who he really is.

And that’s what makes this story so perfect. In every other way, this is classic Grimdark Fantasy. The world is in ruins from a cataclysm of such epic proportions even the sky is ripped apart and groans. People live in a city on the edge of the Misery, a desert landscape that more than lives up to its name. The city’s population live on the edge of survival, it’s your typical frontier town where rigid law is maintained with cruelty. There are those who want to believe in the dark gods who live in the Misery and they are hunted and summarily executed by Blackwings like Ryhalt Gilharrow. Except he isn’t just some mercenary bounty hunter, he’s a tool of a magical Nameless who communicates with him by bringing the tattoo of a raven to life when it rips itself from his arm.

This is a story filled with desperate people out to stay alive, when it means killing others to do so. People who put power before the welfare of others. People who believe in a weapon that will save them from the darkness lurking in the Misery, and whose beliefs are based on a sham. A gritty, dark, cruel and unforgiving Grimdark world.

And it appears Gilharrow is no different. He kills those he hunts without a second’s thought. He drinks to excess because there’s something in his past he wants to forget. It’s turned his anger in on himself so that he values his own life less than anyone else’s. But, as the story develops, we find out this isn’t the case. He commits himself to a huge debt to a ruthless and unpleasant character to save his friend Nenn’s life. He’s riddled with remorse when another friend is potentially killed. And, most significantly, despite his best efforts, he is capable of loving another person.

But the reason this is such a perfect book is because not only do we have this enigmatic and complex character, Ed McDonald gives us a story filled with excitement, fuelled with events that put Gilharrow’s life in constant danger. The inevitability of a dark calamitous ending looms over closer on the horizon without any sign of stopping its advance.

Suffice to say I read the final 40% of this book in one afternoon/evening. I could not put it down. And I’ve just bought the sequel. Ed McDonald has redefined Grimdark and done so in an exciting, heart-filled way and I hope he continues to do that for many years to come.

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Kindle Customer

A fantastic book!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 July 2018

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You can see the details of the story in the synopsis.
I hate making comparisons with other authors as that's down to personal taste and sometimes misleading.
So, comparisons aside, this is a brilliant and exciting book. It is filled with twist after twist after twist, but so carefully crafted that you don't get lost in the story.
I read the second half of this book in one day, staying up til past 1 AM, just to finish it. Didn't want to leave it hanging for a few hours. Despite feeling knackered because of an early alarm, it was worth it!
Really enjoyed this book! A great opener for a series, leaving us with so meany directions and possibilities in which the author can take us. Can't wait for the rest in the series and more from Ed Mcdonald in the years to come!

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Amazon Customer

Excellent first book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 May 2018

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I'm writing this just to fill in the characters to make a review.I like to read some reviews before I go ahead and read a book but I can't stand those reviews that go ahead and tell you most of the story before you start like those trailers for movies that show you all the best bits and give away hints and spoilers before you even know the name of the film. Anyway rant over, if you've made it this far and you're reading reviews then you've ended up here because you know what you like and you are fussy and don't want to waste your time. But if you read this book you'll agree you made a good choice.

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plot hound

Dark and cynical and definitely for adults.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 May 2020

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Galharrow is an interesting character, a broken hero with scars and a drink problem trying to survive. The supporting characters don't get any depth but add some colour.

The world building seems a little simplistic but has a few nice twists, the gods are dark and brutal no matter what side they are on.

The plot is unpredictable with a few twists and the ending is well done even if it does undercut some of the earlier story.

Enjoyable but lacking depth.

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Martin Owton

Taut, fast-paced and grimdark as h#ll

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 June 2019

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The greatest strength of this book is the central chaarcter Galharrow, a jaded, hard-bitten functioning alcoholic. His is a hard dark world filled deadly enemies and with few people he can trust. With a tech level around 1600s Europe plus a magic used like electricity and spun from light this is not your standard fantsy setting. My only minor complaint is that the world-building could have been fleshed out a bit more. Solidly recommended!

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Hangerhead

zips along at a an excellent pace without feeling rushed and thankfully manages to avoid ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 March 2018

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Fabulous novel. It put me a little in mind of a cross between Joe Abercrombie and Rob J Hayes. The story, zips along at a an excellent pace without feeling rushed and thankfully manages to avoid the 'huge slog around the world' mistake made by some other authors.

Characterisation is spot on, and each character has their own voice.

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Mr Wooly

Recommended

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 November 2017

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A strange mix of Gothic horror, fantasy and steampunk create a vivid world that seems to work well with the jaded yet likeable central character.
Contains an interesting world of godlike beings and the humans that do their bidding, sometimes at great cost to themselves. If you want to read something a little more bolder and harder than your average fantasy novel then this could be for you.

2 people found this helpful

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LucyLovesBooks

One of the best grimdark fantasy books I’ve read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 July 2019

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I was pleasantly surprised by this story. The writing is sharp and fantastic, the depth to each character was added so well.
I loved the MC and his internal struggles, the book has great humour and action scenes throughout. It was well paced, also was a joy to read about a female character like Ezabeth. Can’t wait to start the next book!

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