- Paperback: 512 pages
- Publisher: Gollancz; paperback / softback edition (14 July 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0575068957
- ISBN-13: 978-0575068957
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.4 x 4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 959,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Noonshade (Chronicles of the Raven 2)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
In a market already overcrowded with heroic action fantasy, it is always refreshing to discover an author who does more than tread out the usual sword-and-sorcery tale in three huge doorstopper-sized volumes. James Barclay is just such an author as he more than adequately proved with his scorching debut Dawnthief. Now, his band of slightly ageing past-their-prime mercenaries, The Raven, are back and attempting to right the wrongs from the previous story. The Dawnthief spell has been cast but it has ripped apart a hole between dimensions that will allow an invasion of dragons into Balia and signal the land's destruction. The Raven are forced into an alliance with Sha-Kaan, a dragon whose brood are fighting a desperate war in the dragon dimension. With Balia having to defend itself against armies of Wesmen, The Raven are the only ones able to help the Kaan defeat their enemies and save Balia.
What follows is, quite simply, spectacular storytelling. Barclay reads like a seasoned fantasy veteran, not a writer on only his second novel, and his plotting, characterisation and dialogue are all perfectly honed. Where he excels most though is in the action scenes and Noonshade contains some of the best sword and magic battles ever written. You can feel the air burn with the crackle of spells, almost cry out in pain yourself as a sword cuts through flesh and mourn for a slaughtered character as you would a loved one.
The plot twists and turns with energy and pace but it is the characters that make this such a real treat, especially the Raven who deserve the same cult status as Gemmell's Waylander. Each member of the Raven is a fully realised character, with plausible motivations and plenty of emotional conflict. And it's good to see the female characters getting a bit more page-time too.
The third volume of this trilogy, Nightchild, is out in 2001 and Barclay leaves us hanging wickedly on a thread with just enough questions and unresolved conflicts to be tied up in book three. The Chronicles of the Raven is one the most exciting and exhilarating series in a long time and on this showing James Barclay is a writer with a fantastic future ahead of him. Stunning stuff. --Jonathan Weir
Product Description
The spell DAWNTHIEF has been cast and the Wytch lords have been banished. Hawk Denser's skill and dedication have ensured that the spell has been cast correctly and Balaia can now face the teeming hordes of Wesmen and hope for a hard fought victory. Denser's prowess has also earned him the acceptance of the bloodied remaining members of The Raven and the love of Erienne. But something has grown wrong. In the skies above where Denser cast the spell a rift has formed, a dirty brown gap in the blue that throws a shadow at noon. It is a door into another dimension. And it is getting bigger. Sha Kaan and the other dragons of brood Kaan have long used Balaia as their secret refuge from the ceaseless fight for supremacy between the teeming broods of the dragon dimension, but now their secret is lost. The rift has torn a path between the dimensions, open for all to see and it is a path that is getting wider by the day. Soon it will be so big that brood Kaan cannot hope to stop the other broods pouring through to devastate Balaia. Kaan calls on The Raven to help and leaving a Balaia still riven by war they find themselves fighting an extraordinary battle in defence of the awesome dragons of the brood Kaan. How on earth can their code help them against the fires of countless immense dragons? Is Sha Kaan keeping something from them?
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, fast-paced, difficult to put down.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Noonshade (Chronicles of the Raven) (Paperback)
This is a superb follow up to Dawnthief. Barclay has a style that moves the action along yet allows you to build a rapport with the characters. There is no one "hero" in the Raven, all are important and all are developed characters, and as we found out in Dawnthief, they are not "immortal". The book does not have the dread symptom of the middle one in a trilogy, where it is obviously a filler for the final book. This is a tremendous story on its own (but read Dawnthief first)and keeps up the high standard set in Dawnthief. If you think Eddings, Gemmell, Salvatore, etc. are good, then read Barclay and be amazed !
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chronicles of the Raven,
This review is from: Noonshade (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)
The Raven battle to undo the damage that Denser inadvertently caused in casting Dawnthief. In doing so they must recover writings of Septern to enable them to formulate a spell in order close the rip, avoiding the still invading Wesmen, before venturing back into Beshara.They make some unexpected alliances and get themselves into just as many sticky situations as only the Raven can. The story is told in the same spell binding way as Dawnthief, with another superbly gripping plot. If you liked Dawnthief, then you will love Noonshade.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book,
By
This review is from: Noonshade (Chronicles of the Raven 2) (Paperback)
Though i read a few reviews with a question mark over this book, i really loved it & it did the job, entertaining me on my daily commute! A worthy addition to my collection
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