Queen of Fire: Book 3 of Raven's ShadowAudiobook review by Paul Fiander
|
Written by: Anthony Ryan
Narrated by: Steven Brand Length: 26 hrs and 37 mins Series: Raven's Shadow, Book 3 Publisher: Hachette Audio UK |
|
Why Should I Listen to Queen of Fire: Book 3 of Raven's Shadow?
The final instalment of the Raven’s Shadow is filled with ideas about society that hit home with real world comparisons on a regular basis. The survival of the Unified Realms has led the newly crowned Queen Lyrna to invade the Volarian Empire in the name of revenge. With the campaign we get many ideas being fed into the narrative from ideas of responsibility to punishment. These are woven in with skill but are hard to miss as each chapter reaches its peak. Again we move around the story with our four point of view characters, each has changed since we first met them but the question is can they work together for the good of the realm and each fulfil their own “destiny”. The story is dense but at over 26 hours it is still quite an undertaking, thankfully Stephen Brand holds your ears throughout giving the extra dash of epic that enhances the experience. |
Review
The question of what to do once you have won a war is a difficult one. It is a question that has had to be answered by countries and civilisations throughout the centuries and it is one Anthony Ryan hits head on within the Queen of Fire. After the Volarian attack the Unified Realms have survived of a fashion. In terms of the main cities the casualties are high as is the damage wrought. However a country is more than the sum of it it’s capitals and throughout the land many were not touched by the attack. This mostly comes down to the vastness of the land and the fact the Volarians did not get to fulfil their conquest, it does though allow for a move by those in charge a decision to make attack or defence.
The old adage goes “the best form of Defence is Attack”, this may be true but it is the central theme that propels the events within the Queen of Fire. Lyrna now on the Throne shows herself to be a strong leader who is resolute in her decisions. It is interesting to see her growth from the last two books, we only got a brief glimpse of her in Blood Song but the teasing young woman we met there has grown. Her biggest journey was in Tower Lord as she felt the sting of her enemy as well as the damage wrought by fire. Within Queen of Fire she is our central focus in a way, her path leads to Volaria and the conquest of an empire. Her choices affect the other POV characters as they all answer her call to arms.
The four diverse journeys all lead to one ultimate goal but the only similarity in the story for each is difficulty. Obviously the story needs to have struggles or else it would be what we have come to expect from the excellent pen of Anthony Ryan. Not only that we need our characters to go though a journey of self discovery in order to make us empathise with their fictitious lives. Here Ryan is at his strongest especially in the role of Frentis and his desire for absolution. Although under a spell he did kill the King and so truly damage the Unified Realms, of course without that action then Lyrna would not be the new leader. Still he promises his new Queen he will risk his life to make the situation right and so he sets about a guerrilla campaign on Volarian shores. It is telling that despite his tortures he is still a true Brother of the Faith. This is at odds with Vaelin but their lives have had rather separate obstacles in the latest few years. The telling of his adventures are highlighted by those he interacts with, this mostly centres on the two ideas of revenge and loyalty. Again Ryan takes a grey look at both and never preaches on either side but just gives you differing viewpoints exactly as you would expect from real life.
Of course we have many battles running through the book and the descriptions of the sword play feels like a genuine way the encounters would play out. Narrator Stephen Brand has worked brilliantly throughout the series and this continues within the Queen of Fire. His vocal range allows for you identify who is talking without the use of shaky accents that can blight some Audiobooks. It is perhaps the best compliment that I can give to him that despite our roughly 3 days of interaction I never wished for a different narrator to share the adventure with.
I have neglected to talk about Reva above but her path is rather a mixed one with the story as she tangles with her new role as the voice of the Father. The main religious conversation takes place within her story and here Ryan shows the inner conflict of a person in power. Reva though is not a sit back leader and as we have come to expect she does not mind getting her hands dirty much to the disappointment of many a Volarain. Her situations are generally quite intimate as she converses with a small amount of people and exposes her frailties and strengths equally through speech and thought. She is a wonderfully complex character and a true highlight in fantasy fiction.
As a conclusion to a series Queen of Fire works perfectly it builds on the previous titles but never feels stunted and it gives you an ending that is far from formulaic. There is a selfish part of me that hopes for more but I honestly feel my time with Vaelin Al Sorna has come to a great conclusion but my time Anthony Ryan (& Stephen Brand) is just beginning.
The old adage goes “the best form of Defence is Attack”, this may be true but it is the central theme that propels the events within the Queen of Fire. Lyrna now on the Throne shows herself to be a strong leader who is resolute in her decisions. It is interesting to see her growth from the last two books, we only got a brief glimpse of her in Blood Song but the teasing young woman we met there has grown. Her biggest journey was in Tower Lord as she felt the sting of her enemy as well as the damage wrought by fire. Within Queen of Fire she is our central focus in a way, her path leads to Volaria and the conquest of an empire. Her choices affect the other POV characters as they all answer her call to arms.
The four diverse journeys all lead to one ultimate goal but the only similarity in the story for each is difficulty. Obviously the story needs to have struggles or else it would be what we have come to expect from the excellent pen of Anthony Ryan. Not only that we need our characters to go though a journey of self discovery in order to make us empathise with their fictitious lives. Here Ryan is at his strongest especially in the role of Frentis and his desire for absolution. Although under a spell he did kill the King and so truly damage the Unified Realms, of course without that action then Lyrna would not be the new leader. Still he promises his new Queen he will risk his life to make the situation right and so he sets about a guerrilla campaign on Volarian shores. It is telling that despite his tortures he is still a true Brother of the Faith. This is at odds with Vaelin but their lives have had rather separate obstacles in the latest few years. The telling of his adventures are highlighted by those he interacts with, this mostly centres on the two ideas of revenge and loyalty. Again Ryan takes a grey look at both and never preaches on either side but just gives you differing viewpoints exactly as you would expect from real life.
Of course we have many battles running through the book and the descriptions of the sword play feels like a genuine way the encounters would play out. Narrator Stephen Brand has worked brilliantly throughout the series and this continues within the Queen of Fire. His vocal range allows for you identify who is talking without the use of shaky accents that can blight some Audiobooks. It is perhaps the best compliment that I can give to him that despite our roughly 3 days of interaction I never wished for a different narrator to share the adventure with.
I have neglected to talk about Reva above but her path is rather a mixed one with the story as she tangles with her new role as the voice of the Father. The main religious conversation takes place within her story and here Ryan shows the inner conflict of a person in power. Reva though is not a sit back leader and as we have come to expect she does not mind getting her hands dirty much to the disappointment of many a Volarain. Her situations are generally quite intimate as she converses with a small amount of people and exposes her frailties and strengths equally through speech and thought. She is a wonderfully complex character and a true highlight in fantasy fiction.
As a conclusion to a series Queen of Fire works perfectly it builds on the previous titles but never feels stunted and it gives you an ending that is far from formulaic. There is a selfish part of me that hopes for more but I honestly feel my time with Vaelin Al Sorna has come to a great conclusion but my time Anthony Ryan (& Stephen Brand) is just beginning.
Review copy and Cover Image courtesy of Publisher
Listened to using Audiobooks.com
Listened to using Audiobooks.com
