Advantages: tongue-in-cheek humour, ever so slightly different from most fantasy Disadvantages: nothing really new under (Middle Earth's) sun
The tone of Dawnthief is set early on, as the opening battle draws to an end and one foe is bravely running away. Hirad Coldheart, one of our heroes, isn't about to let him get away and gives chase. Running hard, he's through a doorway and halfway across a large room before his brain registers what he's just run into: a rather large and unfriendly-looking dragon. Unlike most fantasy heroes, but very much like the rest of us, Hirad has only one thing ... ...an epic from the start. Dawnthief is left in the rather awkward position of having to introduce the world, the logics of it, and a lot of characters - not all of whom seem to have a great significance, yet. Barclay's style is to cut away to other threads of the story for entire chapters, and I confess it felt a little baffling as to why Lord Tessya of the Wesmen, or General Darrick of the Lysternan army, were getting so much 'airtime'. The threads ...
Calypte 15.10.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Dawnthief - James Barclay
Advantages: deep characters, non-stop action Disadvantages: slightly simplistic in comparison to other authors
...so went out and bought Dawnthief and with it dissapeared three days of my life. To say this book is addictive is to underestimate how good it really is. It is gripping, character driven, fantasy action at its very finest.
The plot revolves around an aging mercenary party known as the Raven who found themselves thrown reluctantly into saving the realm of Balaia from the evil Wytch lords and with it get entagled in the petty politics of the colleges ... ...that you will thoroughly enjoy Dawnthief and Barclays other works.
A word of warning though Barclay is brutal and completely unafraid of killing off any character no matter how important they seem to be!
If you are looking for a good fantasy action romp it is hard to go wrong with Dawnthief, it is the first of the Raven books and it is clear that Barclay is still developing his own style at this point but it is the clear starting point to move ...
Kingy501 12.05.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Dawnthief - James Barclay
Advantages: very entertaining Disadvantages: hard to put down
This is a very intense book, very fantasy oriontated elves,dragons and warrior types everything you need for a good fantasy story.
It is about seven mercenaries who are getting a bit past their prime and are hired to save the world from the Wytch Lords, who have escaped from their confinment and just as soon as they get new bodies! they will be unstoppable.
War is in the offing and the only hope is a lost spell which can defeat the Wytch Lords.
...
samnrich 05.02.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Dawnthief - James Barclay
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This energetic first fantasy novel is familiar in outline, but told with unusual ... more
intensity. "The Raven" is a group of seven mercenaries, just starting to lose their fighting edge, who reluctantly get hired by a mage from a college of magic with a nasty...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
This energetic first fantasy novel is familiar in outline, but told with unusual ... more
intensity. "The Raven" is a group of seven mercenaries, just starting to lose their fighting edge, who reluctantly get hired by a mage from a college of magic with a nasty...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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