This is a fun fantasy! I love a good revenge plot, and this definitely delivered. Sometimes the pacing was a bit slow, but I'll be giving Anthony Ryan another go in the future.

The synopsis gives you a false sense of the book's pacing. Events take way longer to unfold than what you'd expect from reading the synopsis.

Perfect for those waiting for the next installment in The Kingkiller Chronicles. Even though this was a chunky read, I found myself flying through the pages effortlessly. There is a perfect amount of action and political intrigue. I loved the use of religion and the influence it had on the main character's decisions. Did I mention the Robin Hood vibes? This was the first novel I've read by Anthony Ryan and it certainly won't be my last.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience. Note: I ended up purchasing a final copy to read in the future.

Read this book and mostly came away with war between politics and religion. Alwyn is raised by outlaws to be a thief and a spy. Not a natural born killer but handy with his daggers when he has to be. Beginning of his religious indoctrination by a mad outlaw. Outlaws try to take over the Dukes castle are caught, most killed, rest sent to the Pits, Alwyn becomes fascinated by the religious leader who teaches him to read and write. After 4 years some escape and hide in a monastery. Lack of freedom prompts them to depart and get conscripted into the army, where once again he is fascinated and follows a priestess who has visions. Alwyn always seems to get caught just as he is about to come to his senses, because he really doesn't believe in the religion just the charismatic speakers. Long book that doesn't seem to go anywhere.
I received this book from Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it. Thanks to the publisher and author for making it available.

A slow start but revenge is best served cold. Antony Ryan is the prince of epic fantasy. I cannot wait to read more in this series.

Ryan’s writing is both cleverly thought out and interesting. It has the classic epic fantasy feel. The plot has a slow start but that gives you time to get a feel for the world and characters, it also makes the character arc payoff so much better. But the slowness did feel a little too slow at times, although I do feel like it was the best choice for this kind of story. I’m really intrigued to read more of Anthony Ryan’s works and to continue on with this series soon.

A book that reminded me of Mark Lawrence books, but Anthony Ryan shines on his own!

The book follows Alwyn a character which evoked mixed emotions. Loved following him through the pages. Badass but still realistic without being totally OP, he was a fun character to follow.

The book has some fantastic character building and stellar action scenes, but suffers from a bit of pacing issues at the middle, which I felet it could have been made more taut.

Still a fantastic read and highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for giving me ARCs of all three books in this series. This series has been on my radar for quite a long time at this point and I was super excited to dive right into it.

This book just all around did not work for me. The tropes were dull, the characters were not memorable or distinguishable, the plot almost feels like it is going backwards at times, and it felt unnecessarily long. The dialogue felt so forced and weird, and the things that these characters were saying oftentimes did not sound like outlaws without an education and certainly not something that would come out of the mouth of a teenager. The synopsis makes this story sound like something I could really enjoy, but overall, I was severely underwhelmed with this story. The very first chapter feels as though it is just throwing us into this world amid a band of misfits which is a trope I LOVE normally, but the characters do not stand out on their own and frankly I didn't find myself caring about their mission or even what was happening to them.

This was my first Anthony Ryan novel, and though I did not enjoy this one, I do plan on picking up some of his other books in the future. I will also continue on in this series and at least finish the second book before deciding whether or not to abandon this in case this one was just setting up for two really great books to follow.

If you are looking for a low fantasy with little magic and the characters depending more on their wits and skills to survive this fantasy world this might be a good read for you. Or if you're looking for a story about a young man trying to figure out who he is and survive the outlaw, religious and nobility world, again this might be right up your alley!
Full review on YouTube.

Thank you to netgalley and orbit for this arc of Anthony Ryan's latest book. It uses first person narration a la Kingkiller chronicles of Alwyn reflecting back on his life. He was born to a prostitute and ran away to join a group of outlaws in the forest and from there the story starts. The character building and the plot were great. Can't wait for the next one.

A great fantasy book from an author who never disappoints!

Action, suspense, politics and magic all intertwine as we follow Alwyn Scribe on his quest to claim vengeance from an earlier betrayal. This is a well written book that takes us on a journey with Alwyn, both physically and on a personal level as he attempts to decide who he really is and where his loyalties will lie.

I added Anthony Ryan to the shortlist of authors whose next books I automatically read after the Raven's Shadow Trilogy. He is currently at the top of his form in writing the excellent Seven Swords series of novellas and the continuing the Covenant of Steel trilogy. I obtained ARCs of the Pariah and the Martyr in return for an honest review.

It will come as no surprise to anyone on this forum that A Song of Ice and Fire is only the most prominent of fantasy novels that borrow liberally from and exaggerates British medieval history (the War of the Roses, the Black Wedding, the civil war between Matilda and Stephen of Blois). Unlike Tolkien's myth inspired works, history is a potent resource in delivering verisimiltude, grit, world-building, sex, politics to feed the modern imagination.

The Covenant of Steel takes as its inspired premise the collision of Robin Hood from the English imagination and Joan of Arc from French history. Robin Hood is made real: an outlaw in gritty medieval England who is an abandoned orphan with a knack for ferreting out the truth, while Joan of Arc is a formidable warrior as well as a religious zealot. Their story is set against the background of the collision of the twin powers of Crown and Church. Both profess devotion to a faith that seems largely cant, but may contain glimmerings of truth. Meanwhile, the world contains forces that traditional religion cannot or will not comprehend, including the abilities our protagonists are gifted with.

Ryan is a medievalist and it shows. HIs world-building is excellent, and the enormous power (and enormous corruption) of the Church is brought vividly to life. It is easy to forget, in our atheistic age, the enormous power of faith, for good and ill. The depiction of monarchical power is a little bit more one-dimensional, but the challenges of medieval kingship are there for all to see. If sometimes kings make decisions that seem odd (remaining unmarried, fighting in personal combat), the extraordinary range of skills needed for the job - being a ruthless warlord and a skilled politician being only the start, are brought home.

But, at the end of the day, the novels are character-driven rather than plot-driven (and this is a good thing). Joan of Arc sets fire to the imagination because she combined purity, ambition, conviction, and martyrdom. She transformed, even though she was victim to, stereotypes about feminine capability. Ryan's spin on her makes her bolder and brighter and puts at her side an outlaw as cunning as a bag of serpents. If some of the plotting is a little pedestrian or predictable, the tension between these two, and their irreconcilable world views, carries the story forward remarkably well. I recommend these books.

I ended up listening to this audiobook in November of 2021. Unfortunately due to extreme fatigue and mental health issues, I never wrote a review.

I adore this book and have recommended it to several customers and friends! I can’t wait to read the next book when it comes out on audio.

Alwyn is born to a prostitute, his father unknown. Cared for by no one, he runs away and joins a group of outlaws in the forest who teach him to fight and provide him with a sort of family. He proves to have exceptional talent as a warrior. But things rarely stay the same in a war torn country. When his band of outlaws is betrayed and most killed, he ends up sent to the mines as a slave.

After working several years there, his intelligence is noted and he is brought into the house of the noble running the mines. He is taught to read and write and is thereafter known as Alwyn Scribe. He is given the task of writing the story and message of Lady Evadine Courtain, who believes that they are all cursed and will be facing the end of the world. Alwyn and his friend escape and live on their own for a while but as the wars progress, they end up back in the king's army. As he fights the battles, he wonders if this will forever be his lot. When Courtain is in danger, he can leave her to die or risk everything trying to save her. Which will he do?

Anthony Ryan is known as one of those in the top league of epic fantasy writers. His career was in the British Civil Service which he gave up once his first novel in the series Raven's Shadow was published to great success. This novel is the start of another series. Ryan is adept at creating characters the reader cares about. Alwyn Scribe is brusque and rude but contains a core of loyalty towards the few people he lets inside his circle. I listened to this novel and the narrator was exceptional for this type of novel. This book is recommended for epic fantasy readers.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

This book got me so hooked that after reading the first few chapters I decided to pick up a copy from the bookstore I work at because a) I wanted to be able to enjoy the physical copy and b) so that I can come back to it eventually. I haven’t finish it yet but I can’t wait for more Alwyn. The first person aspect of books tend to throw me off but in this book it sets the tone. Giving it 4-stars for now until I reach the end. (Technically I’d give it 3.5 due to still reading.)

Thank you NetGalley for the digital advance copy even though I still went ahead and bought it anyway.

I think this book is part of a larger series that I haven't read. The writing was phenomenal but I also felt very lost for most of the book. I will read it again after reading other works by this author.

A book that would have been much better if the Synopsis hadn't been so spoilery. It has interesting characters and a cool world.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I have been a huge Anthony Ryan fan, really before anyone was even talking about his Raven's Shadow series. I loved Vaelin's story and the character himself, so I was very apprehensive about how a new series with a similar sounding character would be. I think putting the book in the first-person point of view really did help to establish that Alwyn was a completely different character from Vaelin. I personally am not a fan of books written in the first person, but Alwyn is a strong enough character that I did enjoy seeing the world from his point of view. To me, it felt like it took a while for the story to really get rolling, but I wouldn't go so far to say I was ever bored. Ryan's writing does a great job of setting up the world and opening up the characters without info dumps or boring you. All in all, it was a terrific book and I am very excited to read the next one!