The land of Ascarlia, a fabled realm of bloodied steel and epic sagas, has been ruled by the Sister Queens for centuries. No one has dared question their rule. Until now.
Whispers speak of longships of mysterious tattooed warriors, sailing under the banners of a murderous cult of oath-breakers long thought extinct. A tide of black steel that threatens to vanquish all in its path.
Thera of the Blackspear, favoured servant of the Sister Queens, is ordered to uncover the truth. As Thera sails north, her reviled brother, Felnir, sets out on his own adventure. He hopes to find the Vault of the Altvar – the treasure room of the gods – and win the Sister Queens’ favour at his sister’s expense.
Both siblings – along with a brilliant young scribe and a prisoner with a terrifying, primal power – will play a part in the coming storm.
The Age of Wrath has begun.
When I tell you the list of series/trilogies that I’ve started & not finished is getting out of hand, believe me…it’s out of hand. And I go through these little streaky phases where all I want to do is read book twos and threes, but then, well…there’s this brand new Anthony Ryan book, the start of a new trilogy.
What else am I supposed to do here?
I’ve found Anthony Ryan to be one of the most consistent & incredible fantasy authors working today. I believe I’ve read twelve of his books & only had mixed feelings about one of them. And some of his books have been among my very favorite fantasy novels I’ve read in the last few years!
Most recently, his trilogy from Orbit, THE COVENANT OF STEEL was just incredible, start to finish. So naturally I was thrilled when it was announced he was returning to that world again, this time with a Norse-inspired fantasy series called AGE OF WRATH!
I just finished book one, A TIDE OF BLACK STEEL the other day & while I feel like I’m still in the process of gathering my thoughts, I think this is one of Anthony Ryan’s best books yet! I fell in love with the cast of characters and loved being back in this world.
This is always the tricky part when a fantasy author releases a brand new trilogy/series set in an existing world of theirs. Because the connections to THE COVENANT OF STEEL are astonishing! So it’s extremely hard for me to be objective about whether or not you could/should start with A TIDE OF BLACK STEEL if you haven’t read the previous trilogy. I guess I would ultimately land on, yes, of course it’s possible. You won’t be lost or confused at all. But goddamn, having read those three books previously made some of the key moments in A TIDE OF BLACK STEEL feel monumental.
The story is set in the Realm of Ascarlia, with much of the action (much to my delight) taking place at sea. The Realm is ruled by three Sister Queens and has been for centuries. But a new threat to the Realm emerges in the form of longships filled with mysterious raiders covered in red tattoos.
Thera Speldrenda is a Vellihr of Justice, and captain of the longship Great Wolf. Thera is tasked with solving the mystery of these invaders. Thera is a fucking badass & someone who just knows what she is about. I think in many ways, she’s the anchor for the whole story.
Early in the story, she takes on an apprentice of sorts, a young woman named Lynnea. Lynnea doesn’t speak but has a remarkable ability to communicate, both with Thera and with animals. She forms a special bond with a GIANT dog named Snaryk, and this is just my clumsy way of saying there is a Very Good Boy in this book & that Snaryk has never done anything wrong in his life, ever. And yeah, Lynnea is a fascinating character & her mysterious ability to communicate with animals becomes a very big deal in this world.
Another of the POV characters is Felnir, Thera’s brother. Thera and Felnir have had something of a falling-out (over a woman they both loved), and Felnir himself is working his way back from being banished. Felnir is brash & violent, and nearly desperate to please his great grandfather, the Tielwald/Principal Advisor to the Queens. Felnir gets tasked with a seemingly impossible mission, one that sees him sailing into unfathomable danger.
Rounding out the cast of POV characters is Ruhlin, a young fisherman who experiences a transformative type of battle rage, and Elvine Jurest. Elvine is a young scribe-in-training, but she finds herself pressed into the Queen’s service after getting caught participating in some outlawed religious practices. Elvine’s role in this story is remarkable & she wound up being one of my very favorite characters. She’s definitely a bit out of her depth in the adventures to come, but she’s wildly intelligent & her connection to the larger story is incredible.
I feel like I’ve written so much & said so little? Which I think is just the way of it sometimes trying to review epic fantasy. It’s a big story in an even bigger world, so it can feel overwhelming trying to distill it down into something that makes any kind of sense.
There’s just a lot happening here! Mythical/magical weapons, treasure hunts, incredible /thrilling nautical sequences, WHALES THAT WILL FUCK YOU UP, and more than a fair share of epic battles. But above all that, this is such a lovely cast of characters that Ryan has created.
I think what worked best for me here was like…the familiarity & strength of Anthony Ryan’s writing, but with a whole new setting/vibe. This book became a real source of comfort for me too, in These Troubled Times. Yeah, I just loved this & can’t wait for the second book! Anyone looking for a Viking-inspired fantasy novel…you just can’t do it any better than this!
I also listened to quite a lot of this on audiobook & can’t recommend it enough. Like most of Ryan’s novels, this one is narrated by Steven Brand who has this gravelly, rumbly voice that’s just perfect for this type of fantasy novel. He’s one of the best & gives an incredible performance here!
Massive thanks to Orbit & Hachette Audio for this one, I loved it so much!
Grimdark Dad 