Birth of Assassins

Dawn of Assassins #0.6

by Jon Cronshaw

Before they were assassins...

Life is tough, but it's hell when you're a street kid.

Fedor works as a shoeshine boy, earning scraps to survive in the shadow of the priests.

When a gang of thieves takes him under their wing, Fedor sees a side of life he never knew existed.

But as he is dragged deeper into the gang, he is forced down a path he doesn't want.

Will he turn his back on the priests, or risk becoming 'fair game'?

Can he survive the initiation?

Who can he really trust?

Set in the same universe as The Ravenglass Chronicles, Birth of Assassins is the prequel novel to Jon Cronshaw's series Dawn of Assassins, a coming-of-age high fantasy featuring assassins, thieves, and magic...

Perfect for fans of Scott Lynch, Robin Hobb, and Brent Weeks.

Get your copy now, because everyone loves a scoundrel.

Genres: Fantasy

ebook

Published August 14, 2021

About the author

Jon Cronshaw is a British science fiction and fantasy author based in the north of England, just south of the wall.
As a freelance features writer, he has had work published in local and national newspapers across the UK, including the Yorkshire Post and the Guardian.
He earned his PhD in history of art from the University of Leeds in 2011, focusing on the life and work of Anglo-American sculptor, Jacob Epstein (1880-1959).
He's a voracious reader, guide dog owner, ex-gamer, and wrestling fan.

Reviews

[Adena Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

How does an assassin guild come into being? I can see how a thief might morph into an assassin, but I cannot see how a thief ring would do so - those are very different skill sets. I, like Fedor (despite his being so naive that he is almost saccharine), do not understand how the thieves can so wilfully ignore the fagin's demands of the female thieves and the effects on them. The story and characters seem a little too innocent and sweet to lead to the kind of dark fantasy that the title suggests. I guess I am going to have to read Dawn of Assassins to see where the author takes this.

[Janice Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good start to a new series. Lev and Fedor are friends who run afoul of a master assassin. Their lives are no longer their own and the stakes are deadly. The first quarter of the book was good, I felt the second quarter dragged a bit. The last half of the book picked up and kept the excitement going. The ending was awesome!

I received this book for free and wished to leave a review.

[Tony Duxbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fedor is an orphan trying to survive in a harsh world. He is innocent until street-wise Lev comes into his life and then he takes the criminal path. What I liked about this book was the authenticity of the characters. Down-to-earth dialogue from these kids that you could find on any street corner in any world or time. Recommended reading.

[MGB · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's tough to be an orphan. It's even more difficult when the priests running the orphanage abuse the kids they are charged with caring for. Poor Fedor tries to escape that evil only to discover there is evil in other places. Even the one person who showed him kindness turns out to have his own evil.

This is a story with no heroes, and no happy endings.

[V. Ananya · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Witty and Entertaining*

This was my first assassin-related book and it was such a fantastic read! I enjoyed reading each scene and chuckled over some witty dialogues. I'm definitely going to proceed with this series and read more from the author, Jon Cronshaw!

Highly recommended to readers of dark and grimdark fantasy!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great intro

This is a nice introduction into his Ravenglass series with in depth characters and a good back story where we can feel for our MC whilst keeping a good idea of the others involved. Quite Oliver Twist if more dark and would keep fans of Peloquin happy as well

[Bill Huey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story. Characters that will "steal" your heart

Loved this story. Great beginning to what will surely be a great series. The main character has to scratch and claw for everything he gets. Very believable.

[Elaine and Tess the Springer. I won’t be on GR for a bit. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this wee introduction into what will be the start of a new series. I loved Fedor, so so innocent in times where he would never survive on his own but unfortunately his innocence has led him to the wrong side of life. Looking forward to continuing on the story with the new book.

[Lisa Driscoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book focuses on the friendship between Fedor and Lev (Oliver Twist and The Artful Dodger). It is a prequel to a 2 book series Dawn of Assassins. There are hints of wyverns which I hope will be expanded on in the series. I received a review copy in return for an honest review.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good start

This is definitely a good start to a series. The main characters are introduced to the reader and become fast friends. I’m looking forward to the next book

[Stephen Levesque · Rating 2 out of 5]

Waste of time

[Laurie Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great start to a series. Wish I had read this one first as it makes more sense of the bond between Lev, Fedor and Melita. Origins become clearer in this novella.

[Raeleane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast read introductory of characters. Great character set up. Fantastic world building. I recommend reading this prequel. I am ready for the next book.

[OldBird · Rating 3 out of 5]

An open-ended prequel that grants closure at the same time, this short story of orphans and street kids who've gotta pick a pocket or two doesn't have many surprises but does pack a nice bit of character build up and gives a good flavour of the world they live in.

Fedor's an orphan working as a boot shiner when one day he catches the eye of Lev, the playground-insult-talking thief. He takes Fedor under his wing, bringing him in to his gang's fold to train him up as their newest con artist. But Fedor's not all that sure he wants to con and lie and steal; the priests who raised him told him it's sinful. Yet as he learns tricks of the trade, he also learns a lot about how fickle human nature can be.

As a simple coming of age/origins story, this delivers what you'd expect. Character growth, surprisingly detailed training montages, the discovery of friendships and having the scales pulled from the poor, naive protagonist's eyes. Fedor isn't always the sharpest knife in the drawer (a couple of times he says/does things that seem off for the situation - drunken attempts at cons followed by very sober conversations, sudden fits of anger that spring a bit from nowhere and feel a bit rushed into; that sort of thing) and his wavering can feel a bit repetitive, but Lev provides some dark humor to go with his no-nonsense advice. There's a mixture of a simplified Six of Crows and the Brit TV show Hustle as the gang teach the kiddo about cons and tricks. Their camaraderie is believably good.

A couple of plot things didn't quite make sense (like Gavril going off on one about bringing the watch near to their hideout, then bringing back a rich punter to pimp Melita to - the same rich bloke he wants Fedor to steal from, then criticises for going back to try and do steal from again? Why bring him home unless there was a bigger play at work, like using his behaviour to intentionally manipulate Fedor? I expected plots where there were none) and could feel a bit rushed at parts (particularly towards the climactic ending), but the writing flows pretty slow and steady, giving us plenty of time to absorb the low fantasy grit and grot the characters inhabit without working it's way into grimdark territory.

Part of a (future) series, so no prior knowledge required. A good toe-dipping sort of prequel.

-I received a free copy of this e-book in a giveaway. This does not influence my review-

[Beba Andric · Rating 5 out of 5]

The start of this book was very tense, reminiscent of the Hunter by Andy Peloquin. Two friends, who are thieves, find themselves in a tenuous situation, retained by an assassin who gives them a choice, learn to be assassins or die. I liked the banter between the two of them as they try desperately to escape from the clutches of the assassin. The pace slacked off a bit about a third in but picked up again and ended dramatically. Quite unexpected at times, it's a great plot. Loved how the crew rally around to help each other. Melita was a bit of a wuss in the beginning as crew leader, but she finds her mettle and still retains her softer side. Lev, Fedor and what's left of the crew, are going to take us to an even bigger adventure and I'm looking forward to it

[Margo James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of slow going. Not much info on what this gang is headed for, or what their purpose is. Characters are kind of flat and confusing. I don’t know anything about the series this prequels so I don’t know if it’s relevant or just a story if some random kids from the street. Rather a boring take on “Oliver”.

[Thomas Moretto · Rating 5 out of 5]

A kickass start to an awesome series

I loved the way we Learned that how he learned the ways of the Thieves and then to the start of him becoming an assassin.

I would recommend this too all the guys who love the way of rouges and assassins.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good fantasy read! A nice prequel to set the scene, good ideas & enough to wet your whistle & want to know more!

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of action and adventure are packed into this novella. The main characters difficulties sometimes broke my heart but I definitely want to read the next book in this series.