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The Chronicles of Adalmearc #2
The Raven's Cry
Civil war and foreign invasion are tearing the Realms apart. The Order, severely outnumbered, faces an impossible task in driving the outlanders back across the long wall. The knights have only one hope – the young commander Brand, who must surpass his military feats from last year if there is to be victory.
While the knights battle the incursion, the jarls of Vale and Isarn continue their protracted war to rule Adalrik. Through siege and open battles, they fight over each field and village between their jarldoms, devastating the land.
Both sides make schemes, gathering more allies and fighting new enemies. Like bloody fire, war spreads from one realm to the next as kings, clans, and commoners become entangled in civil strife. And with every life lost, every region ravaged, the Order loses further support in the fight against the outlanders.
Across the Realms, the raven’s cry is heard, and war will follow.
While the knights battle the incursion, the jarls of Vale and Isarn continue their protracted war to rule Adalrik. Through siege and open battles, they fight over each field and village between their jarldoms, devastating the land.
Both sides make schemes, gathering more allies and fighting new enemies. Like bloody fire, war spreads from one realm to the next as kings, clans, and commoners become entangled in civil strife. And with every life lost, every region ravaged, the Order loses further support in the fight against the outlanders.
Across the Realms, the raven’s cry is heard, and war will follow.
- GenresFantasy
ebook
First published February 3, 2020
1 person is currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Daniel E. Olesen
4 books42 followersIndie writer and freelance editor with a Masters in Comparative Literature, currently publishing The Chronicles of Adalmearc; every book can be downloaded for free from my website as they are published: www.annalsofadal.net
I am also a member of Sigil Independent, a guild of indie writers pledged to professionalism, publishing books of high quality and using industry standard methods. See more at: www.sigilindependent.com
I am also a member of Sigil Independent, a guild of indie writers pledged to professionalism, publishing books of high quality and using industry standard methods. See more at: www.sigilindependent.com
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 12, 2020
The Raven's Cry is another excellent epic fantasy novel set in the realms of Adalmearc. It is the second installment after The Eagle's Flight which I've read twice and reviewed here the first time
and here the second time. I often complain about series, because I feel like too many stories have been artificially stretched out just to fit the series format, but this series is so good that I am a huge fan of it now and will eagerly await the next installment. This novel (and Eagle's Flight before it) provided me with hours of entertainment and although life got in the way of me finishing it as fast as I wanted to I found myself waiting for free time so I could continue the story.
In this book some of the old problems and plots are continued so we get to follow the stories of characters such as Brand, Arndis, Leander, etc, but we also get to see some other characters take a more prominent role and some new characters and locations appear as well. I enjoyed the inside look we often get into Konstans' affairs and the developing tensions in Middanhal. Also, I loved seeing some characters who are side characters get their own tiny little moments to shine and to make one important decision that could change the fate of the whole realm and to see how they deal with that. Theodwyn, Berimund, and Konstantine for example play pretty important roles even though the books doesn't focus on them for as many pages as some other characters.
The one section I didn't enjoy as much was the Ealond section. I didn't really want to let myself care about all new characters for that part and just wanted to get back to the "main story" but this is the second book in a longer series so I assume this will eventually play an even bigger role and I might look back and actually enjoy this part in retrospect. Maybe. We'll see, I guess, but it definitely wasn't annoying enough of a detour to make me want to dock a star or anything like that.
What I LOVE about this book is that all kinds of characters are always scheming and plotting and trying things and they don't necessarily always succeed and sometimes a random thing comes out of nowhere and changes everything. It makes the whole thing more realistic and also raises the stakes and increases the sense that these characters are in actual danger.
Another thing I noticed is that the writing style makes it so easy to imagine the events as if I'm watching a movie. Certain scenes have so much tension and I can almost see the cameras zooming in on a hidden soldier ambush here or an arrow there. Would love to see a TV adaptation of this one day!
Ok, I think that's all I can say without spoilers. Go read it! And if you haven't read The Eagle's Flight yet, obviously you should start with that one first. They're both available for free on the author's website: http://www.annalsofadal.net
and here the second time. I often complain about series, because I feel like too many stories have been artificially stretched out just to fit the series format, but this series is so good that I am a huge fan of it now and will eagerly await the next installment. This novel (and Eagle's Flight before it) provided me with hours of entertainment and although life got in the way of me finishing it as fast as I wanted to I found myself waiting for free time so I could continue the story.
In this book some of the old problems and plots are continued so we get to follow the stories of characters such as Brand, Arndis, Leander, etc, but we also get to see some other characters take a more prominent role and some new characters and locations appear as well. I enjoyed the inside look we often get into Konstans' affairs and the developing tensions in Middanhal. Also, I loved seeing some characters who are side characters get their own tiny little moments to shine and to make one important decision that could change the fate of the whole realm and to see how they deal with that. Theodwyn, Berimund, and Konstantine for example play pretty important roles even though the books doesn't focus on them for as many pages as some other characters.
The one section I didn't enjoy as much was the Ealond section. I didn't really want to let myself care about all new characters for that part and just wanted to get back to the "main story" but this is the second book in a longer series so I assume this will eventually play an even bigger role and I might look back and actually enjoy this part in retrospect. Maybe. We'll see, I guess, but it definitely wasn't annoying enough of a detour to make me want to dock a star or anything like that.
What I LOVE about this book is that all kinds of characters are always scheming and plotting and trying things and they don't necessarily always succeed and sometimes a random thing comes out of nowhere and changes everything. It makes the whole thing more realistic and also raises the stakes and increases the sense that these characters are in actual danger.
Another thing I noticed is that the writing style makes it so easy to imagine the events as if I'm watching a movie. Certain scenes have so much tension and I can almost see the cameras zooming in on a hidden soldier ambush here or an arrow there. Would love to see a TV adaptation of this one day!
Ok, I think that's all I can say without spoilers. Go read it! And if you haven't read The Eagle's Flight yet, obviously you should start with that one first. They're both available for free on the author's website: http://www.annalsofadal.net
January 15, 2023
Buku ke-2 dalam siri 'The Chronicles of Adalmearc', sebuah siri webnovel bergenre high fantasy dengan plot yang epik dan penuh dengan aksi peperangan, serta subplot politik yang rumit. Recommended utk peminat2 siri novel Game of Thrones.
Plot buku ke-2 ni masih lagi tertumpu pada kisah perebutan takhta high king di Seven Realms of Adalmearc terutamanya di antara Jarl of Vale dengan Jarl of Isarn. Sementara itu, Adalbrand telah dihantar untuk menghalang pencerobohan tentera outlander di selatan, dan telah mencapai banyak kejayaan. Tetapi, pihak2 bangsawan yg gila kuasa mula mengatur strategi utk mengkhianatinya...
Plot buku ke-2 ni masih lagi tertumpu pada kisah perebutan takhta high king di Seven Realms of Adalmearc terutamanya di antara Jarl of Vale dengan Jarl of Isarn. Sementara itu, Adalbrand telah dihantar untuk menghalang pencerobohan tentera outlander di selatan, dan telah mencapai banyak kejayaan. Tetapi, pihak2 bangsawan yg gila kuasa mula mengatur strategi utk mengkhianatinya...
May 31, 2021
I found myself reading this book in between holds at the library coming in, mostly I think because I wanted to enjoy it just that much longer. The saddest part is that there are other books in this series that don't exist because otherwise I would be moving right on to the next one.
It is rare to find a book so wonderfully balanced, you know who the hero is, but you can't tell who to hate more, as everyone is pretty horrible, and at the same time, you can kinda see their point. There is everything a book needs, from large scale battles, to court intrigue and political shuffling. There are minor story arcs that feed into the story as a whole and currents and eddies swirling around the fringes of the story that we get hints at, and that slowly move the story along the current pulling you the reader along with it.
It is no secret that I like long series high fantasy novels, and I don't know how many books the author has planned, but I do plan on going along for the ride.
It is rare to find a book so wonderfully balanced, you know who the hero is, but you can't tell who to hate more, as everyone is pretty horrible, and at the same time, you can kinda see their point. There is everything a book needs, from large scale battles, to court intrigue and political shuffling. There are minor story arcs that feed into the story as a whole and currents and eddies swirling around the fringes of the story that we get hints at, and that slowly move the story along the current pulling you the reader along with it.
It is no secret that I like long series high fantasy novels, and I don't know how many books the author has planned, but I do plan on going along for the ride.
September 17, 2023
This is an amazing book full of scheming and conquest. It follows many different characters as they travel and move all over the map. This is a fantastic read that that will leave you wanting more and reminds me a lot of Game of Thrones(it even has 7 kingdoms)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews