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The Fallen Crown #1
The Bloody North
Left for dead, his wife and children slaughtered, Rowan Black vows revenge on the man responsible. But first he'll have to make it across the bloody north and that is easier said than done when there's a price on your head . . . For fans of gritty, action-packed fantasy in the vein of George R. R. Martin and Joe Abercrombie. Bestselling independent author Tony Healey presents The Fallen Crown series, a hard-hitting sword & sorcery epic that will blow you away and leave you gagging for the next installment!
- GenresFantasy
237 pages, Paperback
First published June 29, 2014
21 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Tony Healey
120 books83 followersTony Healey is the author of the bestselling Harper & Lane Series, consisting of Hope’s Peak, Storm’s Edge, published by Thomas and Mercer, and Blue Ruin, published independently. He is also the author of westerns in the Ralph Compton Western Series, including The Devil’s Snare, Blood On The Prairie, Die Trying and The Guns of Wrath. He self-published the crime novel Not For Us.
His work has been praised by the likes of Publisher’s Weekly, Blake Crouch, Mark Edwards and Mark Wheaton.
Tony Healey lives and works in Brighton, on the Sussex coast. He is married, has four daughters and a chorkie called Freddie. Tony is represented by his agent, Sharon Pelletier of Dystel, Goderich & Bourrett LLC.
The Harper & Lane Series: https://amzn.to/3hCmqoJ
Ralph Compton Westerns: Tony Healey | Penguin Random House
Not For Us: https://amzn.to/3hEimo0
His work has been praised by the likes of Publisher’s Weekly, Blake Crouch, Mark Edwards and Mark Wheaton.
Tony Healey lives and works in Brighton, on the Sussex coast. He is married, has four daughters and a chorkie called Freddie. Tony is represented by his agent, Sharon Pelletier of Dystel, Goderich & Bourrett LLC.
The Harper & Lane Series: https://amzn.to/3hCmqoJ
Ralph Compton Westerns: Tony Healey | Penguin Random House
Not For Us: https://amzn.to/3hEimo0
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 14, 2015
Very good! I'm eager to continue.
November 18, 2014
Right out of the gate you know exactly what sort of book this is going to be. There's a worn-out looking Russell Crowe impersonator who looks like he's been through hell and back, there's the obligatory dark hood and sword combo and we've got 'blood' right there in the title.
I rolled my eyes through the first few chapters of butchery and chaos, thinking I knew exactly where this was heading and accepting it with a pinch of salt as the gore kept coming.
Then the book surprised me, because about a third of the way through we transition from the grimmest of the grimdark into something that vaguely resembles traditional fantasy.
We have a wise mentor, a love interest, a humorous animal companion. You know something? It actually improves the work too!
This is not a story of mindless slaughter and vengeance as the opening would dictate. Instead we have a bold but brief tale of personal redemption as a character transitions from being a bloody-minded killer of modern contemporary fantasy into something and someone much more palatable.
Upon completion of the book, author Tony Healey explains his influences and you can clearly see their effect on the story. The man is a fan of traditional fantasy in the purest sense and has only recently got his claws into the more modern 'grey' fantasy of dark brooding killers surrounded in treachery and decrepitude.
Healey's prose is solid, and he is no stranger to writing, with a number of science fiction books under his belt. Despite this The Bloody North is his debut in the fantasy genre and at times it shows.
The companion characters were hinted at but not fleshed out, the story itself, though well crafted, was too brief for my liking. There was room for expansion here, and this felt like a novella that had been padded out rather than an epic. I can only hope the next in the series is considerably larger and we get to learn more about the players within.
Healey name-drops Joe Abercrombie as having influenced him, and there is a lot of the Bloody Nine in protagonist Rowan Black. I'd recommend it to fans of the genre, but with the caveat that it's not going to quite measure up to the standards set by that which influenced it.
The Bloody North is a solid 4/5 and could well be the beginning of something larger to come, I look forward to the second book with keen interest.
I rolled my eyes through the first few chapters of butchery and chaos, thinking I knew exactly where this was heading and accepting it with a pinch of salt as the gore kept coming.
Then the book surprised me, because about a third of the way through we transition from the grimmest of the grimdark into something that vaguely resembles traditional fantasy.
We have a wise mentor, a love interest, a humorous animal companion. You know something? It actually improves the work too!
This is not a story of mindless slaughter and vengeance as the opening would dictate. Instead we have a bold but brief tale of personal redemption as a character transitions from being a bloody-minded killer of modern contemporary fantasy into something and someone much more palatable.
Upon completion of the book, author Tony Healey explains his influences and you can clearly see their effect on the story. The man is a fan of traditional fantasy in the purest sense and has only recently got his claws into the more modern 'grey' fantasy of dark brooding killers surrounded in treachery and decrepitude.
Healey's prose is solid, and he is no stranger to writing, with a number of science fiction books under his belt. Despite this The Bloody North is his debut in the fantasy genre and at times it shows.
The companion characters were hinted at but not fleshed out, the story itself, though well crafted, was too brief for my liking. There was room for expansion here, and this felt like a novella that had been padded out rather than an epic. I can only hope the next in the series is considerably larger and we get to learn more about the players within.
Healey name-drops Joe Abercrombie as having influenced him, and there is a lot of the Bloody Nine in protagonist Rowan Black. I'd recommend it to fans of the genre, but with the caveat that it's not going to quite measure up to the standards set by that which influenced it.
The Bloody North is a solid 4/5 and could well be the beginning of something larger to come, I look forward to the second book with keen interest.
July 4, 2015
The story has a solid dark-fantasy beginning that later transitions in to a fairly well put together classic medieval fantasy set up, the characters are well put together and the dialogue feels natural.
spoilers ahead
The reason for the low score can be summed up in the fact that the Author puts completing his vision for the story above continuing to portray his characters accurately. Rowan Black is determined to have his vengeance throughout the novel, his character develops but the goal remains set until a last minute switch out of nowhere which left me unfulfilled and utterly disgusted, because in no way did Rowan's actions throughout the book suggest he would break so easily. This is easily placed as the worst book I have read, including the deplorable mess known as the twilight saga because whilst Meyers characters are simplistic and annoying at least they retained coherency.
spoilers ahead
The reason for the low score can be summed up in the fact that the Author puts completing his vision for the story above continuing to portray his characters accurately. Rowan Black is determined to have his vengeance throughout the novel, his character develops but the goal remains set until a last minute switch out of nowhere which left me unfulfilled and utterly disgusted, because in no way did Rowan's actions throughout the book suggest he would break so easily. This is easily placed as the worst book I have read, including the deplorable mess known as the twilight saga because whilst Meyers characters are simplistic and annoying at least they retained coherency.
July 6, 2016
Not bad, will read the second one. The climax was weak as fuck though and really disappointing and the book was way too short. It needed to be majorly fleshed out out with more character and world development. Hopefully that will happen in the second book, but it doesn't seem to with many Indy publishers.
February 6, 2015
I will do a review when I have the time. I have done this for all the books I have read lately, I will get around to it.
February 20, 2015
I enjoyed this book. The story was well written and the main character moved the story along. It was a quick read which I enjoyed and that alone gave me good feeling as I didn't have to get bogged down in places, names, and other trivial issues. I would give it a 4.5 stars. I look forward to reading more about Mr. Black. He may be around for a while. And that is a good thing...
April 6, 2015
You'll be hooked if you finish
If you can get through the first few chapters, you'll discover a great story unfolding. It's got some strong characters just emerging and I can't wait for the rest of the story. Stay to read the author's comments at the end. If you're a sci-fi/fantasy fan, you'll probably have read some of the books that helped inspire his love for the genre.
If you can get through the first few chapters, you'll discover a great story unfolding. It's got some strong characters just emerging and I can't wait for the rest of the story. Stay to read the author's comments at the end. If you're a sci-fi/fantasy fan, you'll probably have read some of the books that helped inspire his love for the genre.
January 6, 2019
This novel does not quite know what it wants to be. It started grimdark then it introduced staple character of classic fantasy, then became a story of redemption. I can't say I enjoyed the ending as much as the beginning.
April 18, 2015
This turned out to be a much better book than I initially expected. The story line is strong and the action sequences are well written #review
August 22, 2015
Very nice
This is one of those books that grab your attention and keep you turning pages to the end. I enjoyed the story and didn't want to stop reading.
This is one of those books that grab your attention and keep you turning pages to the end. I enjoyed the story and didn't want to stop reading.
June 9, 2016
My Review
Fast paced and hard to put down. I read it in one sitting. Hopefully soon I will be able to afford the next book in the series.
Fast paced and hard to put down. I read it in one sitting. Hopefully soon I will be able to afford the next book in the series.
September 17, 2014
nice short story.
March 31, 2017
Very well written but like a few authors in this genre, he has more than 1 iron in the fire so no sign of book 2 anytime soon. On a personnel note, why do they do it ? Nothing more frustrating than releasing books that have nothing to do with the series that you are waiting on.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews