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Legends of the Raven #1
Elfsorrow
Legends of the Raven: One
THE ELVES ARE DYING.
The rivalry between the four colleges of magic has brought misery and war to Balaia, and throughout it the Elves have remained apart. They have watched, aloof and untouched, from their homeland of Calaius as human dynasties came and went. Until now. Suddenly, the Elves are dying in their thousands, seemingly struck down at random.
Ilkar, an Elven mage, is uniquely placed to find the cause of this plague and put an end to it. For Ilkar is one of The Raven: a tiny mercenary band of warriors and mages, bound together by a vow stronger than blood. Over many years their prowess has become legendary. But like elves, even heroes are mortal ...
502 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 28, 2002
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2524 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
October 7, 2010
Elfsorrow certainly had its own rhythm compared to the first three books, but fabulous nonetheless. Barclay’s elves totally rock, giving Tolkien’s elves a run for their money. Yeah, the elves were in and out of the previous novels, but here we get to see them in their full glory: Armed to the teeth and ready to kick some serious butt while fighting along side the Raven mercenaries. Most of the times unwillingly, but in the end, the elves see value in the Raven’s actions. (I can’t wait to read Barclay’s Elves series)
What a sad, sad, sad, ending. The title certainly lives up to it's name. I got teary eyed; one tear escaped and went rolling down my cheek. A little embarrassing considering I was in the waiting room of the dentist office at the time.
The one thing I love most about the Raven serial is character uniformity. From book one of the Chronicles of the Ravens and throughout the Legacy of the Ravens the characters stayed true. The author never falters in the personalities and distinctive qualities of each of the characters, weather they be the Raven mercenaries themselves or other important figures in the epic tale: No mater what the time span between each book. A few authors could take a lesson in consistency from Barclay.
December 3, 2015
Actually, this book isn't that great. However, it's probably the closest book I've read comparable to a video game; a diverse band battling their way towards victory. However, when they put a 1 next to the title, that makes me think it's the first book in a series, instead of a new trilogy that continues an earlier series.
July 27, 2017
These are odd fantasy reads to me. I really enjoy the magic system framework the writer creates for his world. The magic seems very detailed oriented and almost scientific in it's use and research by the characters. The stories read and feel more like action/adventure spy novels than a standard fantasy story to me. Not sure if this in intentional by the author but it makes for an interesting and different read. You do need to start at the beginning of the series and read forward as I don't think the books would be good standalone reads. Very recommended
May 15, 2012
Barclay is incapable of disappointing me with these books.
September 10, 2015
Tediously formulaic. This book is the exact reason I tend to shy away from high fantasy. It contains all of your standard, unimaginative RPG tropes-- Dragons, an unnamed warrior, mages from opposing colleges who are in love, elves, etc.
I won't be reading any more of this series.
I won't be reading any more of this series.
January 18, 2010
My review is linked HERE.
May 16, 2017
Will review in full when I get around to it - sorry for the delay.
February 22, 2014
In the end I give it 3.5 stars.
This could so easily have been 5 stars. By then end, it nearly was. But it took over 300 pages to get to a point of being able to keep the characters straight, and the overlapping plot lines in order. There is a densely tangled web held within these pages.
I'm sure it didn't help that while this is the first book of the Legends of the Raven series, it follows after Chronicles of the Raven, and Mr. Barclay assumes that you are already familiar with all of the characters and the events that have brought The Raven to this juncture.
I was not familiar with *any* of them.
There was very little warning before jumping to another continent and another thread - merely an extra space between paragraphs - and there were times I found it confusing trying to keep track of where I was, who I was reading about & when it was happening. A portion of that confusion may have been attempting to read something rather epic in the midst of a bit of 'life chaos' rather than sitting down for an afternoon of reading.
The characters are fascinating. The world that he has created is full of turmoil and unrest - both political and physical. There are many factions that come into play, and allegiances are tested and proved true or broken irreparably.
If you are considering this book, do yourself the favor of reading the "Chronicles of the Raven" series first. One can only hope that it will get the characters firmly in your mind before embarking on this journey with them.
This could so easily have been 5 stars. By then end, it nearly was. But it took over 300 pages to get to a point of being able to keep the characters straight, and the overlapping plot lines in order. There is a densely tangled web held within these pages.
I'm sure it didn't help that while this is the first book of the Legends of the Raven series, it follows after Chronicles of the Raven, and Mr. Barclay assumes that you are already familiar with all of the characters and the events that have brought The Raven to this juncture.
I was not familiar with *any* of them.
There was very little warning before jumping to another continent and another thread - merely an extra space between paragraphs - and there were times I found it confusing trying to keep track of where I was, who I was reading about & when it was happening. A portion of that confusion may have been attempting to read something rather epic in the midst of a bit of 'life chaos' rather than sitting down for an afternoon of reading.
The characters are fascinating. The world that he has created is full of turmoil and unrest - both political and physical. There are many factions that come into play, and allegiances are tested and proved true or broken irreparably.
If you are considering this book, do yourself the favor of reading the "Chronicles of the Raven" series first. One can only hope that it will get the characters firmly in your mind before embarking on this journey with them.
January 18, 2011
A solid book, but the series seems to be rather overwhelmed with "mega doom" right now, after the first and best book where things felt a bit grounded and you could believe these highly skilled warriors could make a difference it is moving to the point where they are facing such absurd odds in such an 'unplanned' way that you can't help but think they should really lose. Somehow despite their heroics I can never truly get 100% behind the characters. Whether this is a strength or weakness is debateable. Clearly realistic characters are good, and the fact that I believe they should fail makes their victory better, but somehow the victory just seems slightly unrealistic. Their foes are legion, and often smart, but seem determined to make everything bad for both themselves and the heroes. I feel we need a calmer and more grounded 5th book, with a less world shattering plot to bring the world a bit back onto its heel.
Yes, armeggedon threatens, but the world has had 3 armageddons in as many years. Seriously, it doesn't matter any more what grand threat the lack of the one magic might bring. Everyone is doomed from the massive invasion + climate disaster + hundreds of thousands of dead elves.
Yes, armeggedon threatens, but the world has had 3 armageddons in as many years. Seriously, it doesn't matter any more what grand threat the lack of the one magic might bring. Everyone is doomed from the massive invasion + climate disaster + hundreds of thousands of dead elves.
April 20, 2015
"Elfsorrow" is a high fantasy book by James Barclay that is the first of the "Legends of The Raven" series. This book focuses a group of mercenaries known as "The Raven," who were the focus of the previous series "Chronicles of The Raven." The Raven were a group of talented mercenaries who are attempting to find out the reason of the mass death of elves in the southern isles of Calaius, as one of the members is an elven mage.
This book is a book that is mainly about conflict and character relations. A lot of the characters bonds are already formed by the previous three books, so it is recommended that the reader should read them before this one. The character relations are very complex, with different motivations, such as Ilevar in his sense of duty for his people, Hirad serving as the leader of the group or interactions with Deira and Sol who has to choose between their marriage of past loyalties. This book and the series it is in is quite similar to George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire," however I found less exciting and the characters are much less understandable.
This book is a book that is mainly about conflict and character relations. A lot of the characters bonds are already formed by the previous three books, so it is recommended that the reader should read them before this one. The character relations are very complex, with different motivations, such as Ilevar in his sense of duty for his people, Hirad serving as the leader of the group or interactions with Deira and Sol who has to choose between their marriage of past loyalties. This book and the series it is in is quite similar to George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire," however I found less exciting and the characters are much less understandable.
September 10, 2011
So this book was very good, and definitely worth the wait (I had to wait to get the previous 3 books after I realized there was a trilogy preceding this newer trilogy). Anyway, it was great, the characters were fabulous as usual. But as per usual there was also an excessive amount of gore (I'm pretty sure these books are written for guys). Surprisingly though, this book was significantly less complex than those in the previous trilogy. It wasn't nearly as confusing, and I didn't spend the whole book waiting to figure out how all the various sides and stories were going to come together at the end. I cannot decide if this is a good or bad thing. In any case, it was a great read, and I am anxiously awaiting my copy of the next book.
January 29, 2016
Not really worth a 4, but worth more than a 3, a solid 7 out of 10.
Fast paced, gruesomely violent, with a good underlying story. Still showing its role playing heritage at points, but it seems as if Barclay is growing away from its limitations.
The elves and the elf nation are the true focus of the book, with the elfsorrow potentially affecting every elf.
The raven have to rescue the elf nation from tbhe elfsorrow, whilst balaia falls into inter-college war around them.
Major plot points turn on the protectors behaviour, suspect this will be the focus of another book, whilst the Dragons have but a cameo appearance...
Fast paced, gruesomely violent, with a good underlying story. Still showing its role playing heritage at points, but it seems as if Barclay is growing away from its limitations.
The elves and the elf nation are the true focus of the book, with the elfsorrow potentially affecting every elf.
The raven have to rescue the elf nation from tbhe elfsorrow, whilst balaia falls into inter-college war around them.
Major plot points turn on the protectors behaviour, suspect this will be the focus of another book, whilst the Dragons have but a cameo appearance...
May 1, 2012
This story began slowly and never quite picked up. At times, it was engrossing but would fizzle out and leave a feeling of choppy waters. One moment, I couldn't stop reading and the next few required some coaxing. It was almost as if Mr. Barclay tried so hard to add detail that he missed out on weaving them into the broader tapestry for a masterful picture. I hold out hope for the rest of the series.
August 22, 2012
The problem with starting a book in the middle of a series of books is that it takes awhile to get familiar with the characters and what's going on in the story. But, once I figured out what was going on, I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought the world of the book and characters were very well developed, and the visual imagery was fantastic. Looking forward to reading more of this author's books.
September 7, 2013
One of my all time favourites. I must say I was somewhat surprised by the authors decision on who lives and who dies in Elfsorrow, I actually cried at the end and declared I was done with the Raven. After a couple of days though I'm ready to move on to the next instalment. A must read for any fantasy fan.
November 23, 2012
Genocide, political power hungry people at the top. Resonances of today's world.
The potency of this tale is again Barclay's world drawn beautifully. The ideals of faith, courage and tenacity.
His fight and battle scenes I'm in awe of.
The potency of this tale is again Barclay's world drawn beautifully. The ideals of faith, courage and tenacity.
His fight and battle scenes I'm in awe of.
October 18, 2007
i love this series.
engaging characters, a complicated world, believeable dialogue. all-round fun fantasy.
engaging characters, a complicated world, believeable dialogue. all-round fun fantasy.
October 1, 2008
Great book, love the characters and the story was tragic and dramatic, pretty much what I expect to read from Barclay.
October 3, 2009
Great book - if you liked the Chronicles then what are you waiting for.
May 4, 2026
A bit too descriptive in terms of gore and violence. Otherwise standard fare for fantasy fiction
March 25, 2010
The best series of books i have read to date!
July 23, 2011
c2002. Aaaahhhhhhh. Raven is a changing!!!
July 14, 2012
A good classic story from start to finish. However, the "save the world" theme, is wearing a wee bit thin by this point of the series. Still a good story mind you.
September 3, 2013
i would've given it a 4 if only the ending were a bit different. bi is not happy at all. >.<
July 17, 2014
While reading I imagined the Arthurian legend & Glenn Cook's "Black Company."
July 29, 2014
Best in the original dual trilogy!
August 13, 2014
I would have liked it alot more if it wasnt so dry. I ended up liking one of the characters and that was it. I dont need to finish the series.
September 1, 2018
(This review may contain spoilers).
The Raven books are among those that have a huge amount of familiarity to me - to the point that, when I'm reading one, it's like I'm seeing friends again. But out of all of the books in the series, this one is probably the hardest for me to read.
This book has a lot of what I love about the Raven and about these books in particular. While characters don't die for the sake of it, one of the main things that's really powerful about this series (in my opinion) is that the 'good guys' are not always guaranteed to win. And even when they do, it doesn't mean that everything's all sunshine and roses.
Ilkar and Hirad are my favourite characters and this book is really good at showing the relationship not only between them, but also between the rest of the members of the Raven. There's a reason the group have such a strong reputation and I loved seeing the bonds of loyalty and friendship between them. And if I could ever hear Hirad's, "Raven! Raven with me!" out loud in person, it would give me goosebumps.
I really liked being able to see more depth to Ilkar in particular. As he's an elf and fairly long-lived, it wasn't very clear what his life had been like before joining the Raven, apart from small pieces of information gleaned. I also really liked the opportunity to see more of the elven kind as a whole and also to see the different societies within them. It was nice to get the opportunity to see through some of the other characters' eyes, as it allowed for the so-called villains to be given more depth, rather than just responsible for potential genocide.
I really liked the fact that magic wasn't really used as a crutch, or a solve-all. And I couldn't help but feel for Erienne, Denser and Thraun...each one wrestling with their own demons and having to learn (or re-learn) to rely on their closest friends and allies. The Raven is a lot more than just a band of mercenaries and I felt that came across really well in this book.
This book was difficult to read, but the characters are ones I cared about and the storyline is fraught with so much tension, it was nigh-on impossible to put down. I would absolutely love it if there were more than just the seven books I currently have in the Raven series.
The Raven books are among those that have a huge amount of familiarity to me - to the point that, when I'm reading one, it's like I'm seeing friends again. But out of all of the books in the series, this one is probably the hardest for me to read.
This book has a lot of what I love about the Raven and about these books in particular. While characters don't die for the sake of it, one of the main things that's really powerful about this series (in my opinion) is that the 'good guys' are not always guaranteed to win. And even when they do, it doesn't mean that everything's all sunshine and roses.
Ilkar and Hirad are my favourite characters and this book is really good at showing the relationship not only between them, but also between the rest of the members of the Raven. There's a reason the group have such a strong reputation and I loved seeing the bonds of loyalty and friendship between them. And if I could ever hear Hirad's, "Raven! Raven with me!" out loud in person, it would give me goosebumps.
I really liked being able to see more depth to Ilkar in particular. As he's an elf and fairly long-lived, it wasn't very clear what his life had been like before joining the Raven, apart from small pieces of information gleaned. I also really liked the opportunity to see more of the elven kind as a whole and also to see the different societies within them. It was nice to get the opportunity to see through some of the other characters' eyes, as it allowed for the so-called villains to be given more depth, rather than just responsible for potential genocide.
I really liked the fact that magic wasn't really used as a crutch, or a solve-all. And I couldn't help but feel for Erienne, Denser and Thraun...each one wrestling with their own demons and having to learn (or re-learn) to rely on their closest friends and allies. The Raven is a lot more than just a band of mercenaries and I felt that came across really well in this book.
This book was difficult to read, but the characters are ones I cared about and the storyline is fraught with so much tension, it was nigh-on impossible to put down. I would absolutely love it if there were more than just the seven books I currently have in the Raven series.
December 2, 2020
I thought it is a whole new series and perhaps the overall goal might be new, but otherwise it is just a glorified number four continuing the previous Raven series. You don't need to read the previous series to know what is going on but there is references to it which would make it easier. Besides that this book was great and intense which make for wonderful entertainment.
April 1, 2022
Very well written and very action packed! It was a great and interesting read though it felt like something was missing from it, not quite sure what.
Perhaps i feel something is missing because i was unaware of The Chronicles of The Raven until i neared the end of this book, so i'm missing some Raven backstory.
Perhaps i feel something is missing because i was unaware of The Chronicles of The Raven until i neared the end of this book, so i'm missing some Raven backstory.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews