I have some ground to cover before our end-of-the-year wrap-up, so I am saving some space by talking about two great stories by the same author in a single review. It has been a big fall for Ryan, which means a great season for readers. Today’s books are both phenomenal, but are each a little difficult to talk about due to where they lie in Ryan’s giant narrative web. Up first is A Tide Of Black Steel, the first book in Ryan’s brand new epic fantasy story (Age of Wrath) about the Viking-like people in the land of Ascarlia. The second piece I will dive into is The Road of Storms, the sixth novella in Ryan’s The Seven Swords series.
A Tide Of Black Steel is an interesting new entry to the Ryan-verse because it reads as a new standalone epic but takes place in the same world as his Covenant of Steel series 20 years after its end. While Tide can be read as a standalone if you are overwhelmed by the number of Ryan’s books, I recommend reading the Covenant series first because this book explores events set up in the series finale and repeatedly talks about the first series’ ending. Putting all that aside, Tide is the story of four interlinked individuals in the Northern Nordic lands of Ryan’s world. Ascarlia, a fabled realm of bloodied steel and epic sagas, has been ruled by the Sister Queens for centuries. No one dared question their rule until strange boats began to show up on their shores and steal away people in mass. 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.
In the face of these turbulent times, we find ourselves following four perspectives, each representing some of Ryan’s best character work to date. First is a captured warrior with a lycanthrope-like curse that is stolen away from Ascarlia, which gives us a view into the tide of steel. Next is a scribe researching the winding sagas and legends of the people in order to understand who this new threat is and what tools the ancients hid to fight them. Finally, there is a pair of siblings who despise each other. Thera of the Blackspear, favored servant of the Sister Queens, is a paragon of honor and duty. She is charged with investigating the Tide. As Thera sails north, her reviled brother, Felnir, sets out on his own adventure. He hopes to find the legendary Vault of the Altvar – the treasure room of the gods – and win the Sister Queens’ favor at his sister’s expense.
Tide is a book of setup carried on the back of an intense family drama. We have a richly written pair of siblings with tension so palpable you could cut it with a knife, and because their rivalry is so compelling, you will barely notice that almost nothing happens in this first book. Multiple PoVs never overlap, several plot points make little progress, and the book generally has a strange lack of direction. The pacing is very fast and the action is very intense, but we are mostly watching our colorful cast react to terrifying and bizarre situations. Thera and Felnir steal the show as we watch them move through troubled currents, both literal and metaphorical. Their different approaches to their trials, combined with their equally flawed yet charming personalities, means that I was fine with letting the details ride for now and simply enjoying the Viking fun.
On the other side of the coin, we have The Road of Storms. With The Seven Swords novella series coming to a close with its next installment, Storms had the always difficult job of setting up the final stakes in the series to bring everything together. In its job as herald of the end, the short is a sweeping success. The Seven Swords is shaping up to be my top-shelf pick when it comes to novella recommendations and one of the few novella series I unabashedly promote.
That being said, one of the defining characteristics of this novella series has been the personalities of its cast. Each new installment of the series has been a micro examination of a new cursed individual and their relationship with a powerful demonic sword. The formula has worked wonders for the five first entries, but Storms switches things up to look at a larger macro picture in preparation for the finale. While I really enjoyed Storms I do think it felt like the weakest of the series so far. It lacked the succinct, punchy character elements I have come to equate with the rest of the series. Some variation is absolutely not a bad thing, but I find myself constantly craving more of what I got in the first 5 novellas.
Taking a step back I would love to congratulate Ryan again on a fabulous fall and the publication of two wonderful new stories. Every year Ryan’s work seems to get more polished and he has managed to simultaneously explore more expansive and more focused stories in the same year.
Rating:
A Tide Of Black Steel – 8.0/10
The Road of Storms – 9.0/10
-Andrew
An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts on this book are my own.
