Blackwing

Ed McDonald

Oct 2017 · Raven's Mark Book 1 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

“A remarkably assured fantasy debut that mixes of the inventiveness of China Miéville with the fast paced heroics of David Gemmell.”—Anthony Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of The Legion of Flame

Set on a postapocalyptic frontier, Blackwing is a gritty fantasy debut about a man’s desperate battle to survive his own dark destiny...

Hope, reason, humanity: the Misery breaks them all.
 
Under its cracked and wailing sky, the Misery is a vast and blighted expanse, the arcane remnant of a devastating war with the immortals known as the Deep Kings. The war ended nearly a century ago, and the enemy is kept at bay only by the existence of the Engine, a terrible weapon that protects the Misery’s border. Across the corrupted no-man’s-land teeming with twisted magic and malevolent wraiths, the Deep Kings and their armies bide their time. Watching. Waiting.
 
Bounty hunter Ryhalt Galharrow has breathed Misery dust for twenty bitter years. When he’s ordered to locate a masked noblewoman at a frontier outpost, he finds himself caught in the middle of an attack by the Deep Kings, one that signifies they may no longer fear the Engine. Only a formidable show of power from the very woman he is seeking, Lady Ezabeth Tanza, repels the assault.
 
Ezabeth is a shadow from Galharrow’s grim past, and together they stumble onto a web of conspiracy that threatens to end the fragile peace the Engine has provided. Galharrow is not ready for the truth about the blood he’s spilled or the gods he’s supposed to serve…

Ratings and reviews

Ed McDonald's "Blackwing" tells the story of Ryhalt Galharrow, a rough bounty hunter, who is also a somewhat unwilling servant (aka: Blackwing) of the Nameless being, Crowfoot. Galharrow lives in a dark and broken, magical world following the clash of two powerful beings, the Nameless and the Deep Kings. This clash created a wasteland, called the Misery, which currently separates the Deep Kings from humanity and their apparent protectors, the Nameless. The wicked darkness of the Deep Kings reawakens just as Galharrow meets Ezabeth Tanza, a powerful Spinner (magician) from his past, who has discovered the Nameless's original weapon against the Deep Kings may no longer work. I initially disliked "Blackwing" due to the language but continued reading because of the compelling story and the accuracy of the character portrayal. Galharrow can't exactly be called a hero, but he is a likable leader with a natural motivation to do what is best, even while serving Crowfoot. My initial and enduring reaction to the entirety of the book is, "Wow!" I especially liked Ezabeth and her compulsive need to prove whether or not the Nameless's weapon against the Deep Kings still works. I can't wait until the next book comes out ("Ravencry")! Based on "Blackwing", I will definitely buy it if my library doesn't get a copy. My opinion is solely my own, but I do want to thank Goodreads, Berkeley Publishing Group of Penguin Random House, and Ed McDonald for a copy of this awesome book.

Amazing. Couldn't stop reading. Best fantasy book in recent years.

About the author

Ed McDonald has spent many years moving between different professions, cities and countries, but the only thing all of them have in common is that they have allowed him the time to write. He currently lives with his wife in London, a city that provides him with constant inspiration, where he works as a university lecturer. When he’s not grading essays or wrangling with misbehaving plotlines, he can usually be found fencing with longswords, rapiers or whatever else comes to hand.