Peace never lasts.

Vaelin Al Sorna is a living legend, his name known across the Realm. It was his leadership that overthrew empires, his blade that won hard-fought battles – and his sacrifice that defeated an evil more terrifying than anything the world had ever seen. He won titles ap lenty, only to cast aside his earned glory for a quiet life in the Realm’s northern reaches.

Yet whispers have come from across the sea – rumours of an army called the Steel Horde, led by a man who believes himself a god. Vaelin has no wish to fight another war, but when he learns that Sherin, the woman he lost long ago, has fallen into the Horde’s grasp, he resolves to confront this powerful new threat.

To this end, Vaelin travels to the realms of the Merchant Kings, a land ruled by honor and intrigue. There, as the drums of war thunder across kingdoms riven by conflict, Vaelin learns a terrible truth: that there are some battles that even he may not be strong enough to win.

I feel like Anthony Ryan’s novel Blood Song is one that I’ve referenced more than a few times in reviews. I know for a fact that it was an influence on Mark Lawrence when he wrote Red Sister, one of my all-time favorite books. And more recently, Evan Winters cited Blood Song as an influence when he was writing his brilliant debut, The Rage of Dragons.

Blood Song just seems to be one of those fantasy books that gets mentioned often, and deservedly so. I just loved it from the get-go. If you keep up with my reviews, you’ll know I’m extremely fond of the “magical school” trope…kids training to be assassins or warriors or wizards or or or…I really cannot get enough of stories like that, and to my mind, Blood Song is one of the best. I fucking adored Tower Lord, possibly even more so than Blood Song (mostly due to the introduction of Reva, one of my favorite characters EVER!). And while I really struggled with certain aspects of the third book of the Raven’s Shadow trilogy, Queen of Fire, I was wicked excited to learn that Anthony Ryan was working on a new duology featuring Vaelin Al Sorna!

The Wolf’s Call is the first book in the Raven’s Blade duology, and it finds a slightly older & wiser Vaelin living as the Tower Lord of the Northern Reaches. Things are quieter in Vaelin’s life, but not totally bereft of adventure & intrigue. In addition to the assorted threats facing the North, Vaelin has also taken on an apprentice of sorts, a character named Ellese. Ellese is the adopted daughter of Reva, and she carries herself in a very similar way. She can be stubborn & has a tendency to challenge Vaelin’s authority again & again. And just like Reva, Ellese is also a great shot with a bow. Some of what transpires between Vaelin & Ellese felt like such a great callback to Blood Song…almost like Vaelin is putting her through an abbreviated (and slightly less tortuous) version of his Sixth Order training.

The story has Vaelin & company traveling to The Venerable Kingdom in the Far West, an area of this world I don’t believe we’ve really seen before. The setting/culture certainly feels deeply inspired by Asian history, which I thought was a really great touch. Vaelin has received word that Sherin is there, and is in danger.

There’s a lot going on behind the scenes, strings being pulled, people manipulating others to their own ends. But it boils down to an epic conflict between an army Vaelin assembles, and one led by a man named Kehlbrand who thinks he’s a god. Or at least, he’s convinced his fanatical followers that he’s a god. There are a few interludes told from the POV of Kehlbrand’s sister, Luralyn. She’s a fantastic new character, torn between her love for her brother & her conscience. Kehlbrand has turned into this ruthless conqueror, and begins to resemble the brother Luralyn knows less & less.

I dug the hell out of The Wolf’s Call! It was great being back in this world, and getting to see more of it. As in the Raven’s Shadow trilogy, this is a world full of people with unique abilities, something Ryan uses to great effect here. There are some grueling battle sequences in here, and plenty of great character moments. The energy Ellese brings to the story is a great counterpoint to Vaelin’s, who, while still a total badass when necessary, is clearly approaching the “I’m too old for this shit” phase of his life.

Anthony Ryan is not someone who ever veers off into overly flowery prose…his writing has always felt incredibly sturdy to me, if that makes sense. He’s an imaginative storyteller, and his writing is just so solid throughout this tale.

The Wolf’s Call is epic fantasy in the truest sense…a vast world to be explored, a varied cast of characters, and plenty of bone-grinding battle sequences. I really couldn’t have enjoyed this more!

Huge thanks to Anthony Ryan and ACE for sending me a copy!! The Wolf’s Call releases July 23rd!!!