Dawnthief (Chronicles of the Raven Book 1) by James Barclay

Posted: 07 January 2010 by Tyson Mauermann in Labels:
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Dawnthief by James Barclay










    • Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
    • Published: 13 November 2008
    • Format: Paperback 496 pages
    • ISBN 13: 9780575082755 
    • ISBN 10: 0575082755



The novel launches the Chronicles of the Raven, but be of good cheer, for it injects some originality into the traditional fantasy saga recipe. The Raven is a band of six humans and one elf in the war-torn kingdom of Balaia, which Barclay fills with the fruits of his considerable knowledge of military history and folklore. The comrades are no nicer than fellows loyal to one another and no one else need be, and their latest commission is a poser for them. They are to escort a Xeteskian mage, who is working for only the gods know whom, on a mission to find Dawnthief, a ring, or more precisely, a spell connected to a ring, that in the wrong hands could end the world. The mission is backed and supervised by the Dark College, which is even more untrustworthy than the mage. So matters rapidly deteriorate, to a cliffhanger ending. 


A lot of people have reviewed this novel and come away from it really enjoying the book. I would have to agree with those reviews. While there isn't much new added to the fantasy formula Barclay does do a exceptional job of adding his own spin on the cliche'. 


The world is divided into two parts West and East. The West is barbaric where the East is more 'civilised.' In addition to that there are four magical colleges in the East. The colleges maintain order and have their own theories and experiments with magic. They haven't seen eye to eye with each other for hundreds of years. But when needed they will join the colossal might and defeat whatever evil plagues the land.


In this case, it is the Wytch Lords. They have escaped their magical prison and once resurrected they cannot be stopped unless the power of the Dawnthief can be released. That is where the story begins. A dark mage has spent his entire life waiting to cast the Dawnthief, the most powerful spell on Balaia. He enlists the help of The Ravens. An elite band of Mercenaries. 


The Raven are from the get go an impressive group. The dynamic that Barclay presents is entertaining. Within a few chapters you really get to like everyone in the group, and then you become crestfallen as some of your favorites are chopped down just a few chapters later. Barclay isn't afraid to kill off a few of your favorite characters and he does it quickly. I was shocked to see how many of this elite group were struck down. 


It is one of the reasons that I enjoyed the book. The lose of each of the members takes its toll on The Raven and he shows you that impact throughout the novel. The burdens that the men carry are real. Just ask any veteran of any war on Earth. They will tell you how they feel about their best friend or comrade taken from them in the prime of their life.  


The world building takes time and is worth it. There isn't a lot of infodumping as Barclay manages to take his time telling you what his world is like. His magic system is also very believable. Each magical college has their own way of gathering mana and he shows you how it is done. The spells are rather easy to comprehend as well. An orb of fire is simply called FireOrb. Not much to figure out there.


In the end, I really enjoyed the book. The story is a thousand years old but his spin is refreshing. I have the other two books in the read pile and plan on adding them to the top real soon. Barclay's books are available in the US and UK so you have no excuse but to go out and get them.

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