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Raven: Blood Eye
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Product Description
Review
A gripping tale of action and treachery which splendidly conjures up the sounds, sights and smells of Dark Age Britain. It creates a believable world of men fighting, feasting and braving the sea, a time when the Christian and Norse gods were very real and very close in the thoughts of mankind. It leaves the reader keen for the sequel. Harry Sidebottom, author of Warrior of Rome Kristian's first novel is a rip-roaring viking saga in the glorious, blood-soaked tradition of Low's 'The Whale Road' and the Severin 'Viking' trilogy. Raven is a complex, engaging hero, trying to carve a path through a world that is satisfyingly confusing while still retaining the bedrock of all good sagas: a woman to fight for, a church treasure and a duplicitous priest. Fine, powerful, thrilling stuff! Manda Scott A powerful, lightning-paced tale of the Norsemen in England; an astonishing and riveting debut. Bernard Cornwell Plenty of interest for fans of Norse tales, with battles galore and the promise of more to come Daily Mail An unabashed carnival of bloodletting, betrayal and rough sex...Kristian has a knack for writing real blokes living their lives Daily Telegraph
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Book Description
A Viking adventure, packed with battles, blood, and gore; Raven is historical fiction at its very best, and marks the debut of an outstanding new talent.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book was my first in this genre; and quite frankly it did not disappoint. I will be reading the successive books in this series and acquiring similar themed books from different authors as a result of reading this. This book has made me hungry for more.
This is truly a man's book. Filled with violence from the almost from the first page to the last, and rich with humour only the boys can appreciate (such as the inevitable banter between a group of seafaring Norsemen when they get together). These two aspects combine to create what seems a realistic portrayal of the times gone past.
The author does not shy away from the grim aspects of battles and injuries, and can be quite descriptive about these facets.
What also adds to the realistic aspect of the book is the main character, Osric/Raven, who by no means is a character who has superhuman powers or unmatchable skills with a sword. And I like this about the main character; he is an unremarkable boy in the midst of great men. He learns from them, and I can't help but feeling that he may match their skills eventually.
What I liked the most about the book is the group of supporting characters; the `Norsemen'. I enjoyed every page that these characters graced, and I found myself wanting to learn more about these interesting and unique characters. They really add a lot to the story, even if they only play a small part.
I must disagree with one of the previous reviewers slightly; who says that the characters are all memorable and distinguishable. Whilst I will agree that this is the case for the main characters, some of the lesser mentioned characters are a bit indistinguishable at times. But this does not take anything away from the story. You remember the names you need to remember. If you don't remember who someone is, they are not important; it doesn't matter.
The book is written in the first person, which I was a little sceptical about at first. Having never read a first person novel. But I came to love this. The reason being that you never leave the main character as you do in third person books; to help tell some necessary aspect of the plot. Which sometimes I find can be boring, and find myself wanting to get back to the main character and all the action.
This book by no means has a complicated plot, but it is well told none the less. With a great sense of adventure, even though the characters barely leave the southern half of the UK.
I would recommend this book to anyone who shows interest in Norsemen and great books.
I hope this review has been helpful and has persuaded you to buy and enjoy a gem of a book. Thanks for reading.
This is truly a man's book. Filled with violence from the almost from the first page to the last, and rich with humour only the boys can appreciate (such as the inevitable banter between a group of seafaring Norsemen when they get together). These two aspects combine to create what seems a realistic portrayal of the times gone past.
The author does not shy away from the grim aspects of battles and injuries, and can be quite descriptive about these facets.
What also adds to the realistic aspect of the book is the main character, Osric/Raven, who by no means is a character who has superhuman powers or unmatchable skills with a sword. And I like this about the main character; he is an unremarkable boy in the midst of great men. He learns from them, and I can't help but feeling that he may match their skills eventually.
What I liked the most about the book is the group of supporting characters; the `Norsemen'. I enjoyed every page that these characters graced, and I found myself wanting to learn more about these interesting and unique characters. They really add a lot to the story, even if they only play a small part.
I must disagree with one of the previous reviewers slightly; who says that the characters are all memorable and distinguishable. Whilst I will agree that this is the case for the main characters, some of the lesser mentioned characters are a bit indistinguishable at times. But this does not take anything away from the story. You remember the names you need to remember. If you don't remember who someone is, they are not important; it doesn't matter.
The book is written in the first person, which I was a little sceptical about at first. Having never read a first person novel. But I came to love this. The reason being that you never leave the main character as you do in third person books; to help tell some necessary aspect of the plot. Which sometimes I find can be boring, and find myself wanting to get back to the main character and all the action.
This book by no means has a complicated plot, but it is well told none the less. With a great sense of adventure, even though the characters barely leave the southern half of the UK.
I would recommend this book to anyone who shows interest in Norsemen and great books.
I hope this review has been helpful and has persuaded you to buy and enjoy a gem of a book. Thanks for reading.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am so pleased to see someone who can fill the long gaps between new Cornwell issues of his incredible Uhtred adventures. It is unbelievable that this is Giles Kristian's first work. I read every Viking saga book I come across and this one is second only to Cornwell's tales of Alfred's world in terms of action, characterization, historical content and its ability to put one into the time depicted. The only negative is that it is just too hard to put down, thus the enjoyment ends much too quickly.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A sensational debut novel from a very promising new author!
Fans of historical fiction should read this book - it's an absolute must.
The story follows a band of Norsemen as they travel the English coastline raiding villages along the way. Placed in an inescapable position, the band are forced to make a daring raid deep into Mercia leaving their beloved ships firmly behind! Treachery divides the group on the return leg of the journey and the finale involves battles in Wales and on the Wessex coastline.
Saturated with brutal battles, gory sacrifices and the hardships typical of this harsh period; fans of the genre will not be disappointed with this book.
The first of what I certainly hope will be a lengthy series, this book definitely sets a high opening standard and my expectations are very high for the forthcoming second book.
A refreshing yet definitive newcomer to the genre, exceptionally well written and littered with battle scenes - this book has it all!
Fans of historical fiction should read this book - it's an absolute must.
The story follows a band of Norsemen as they travel the English coastline raiding villages along the way. Placed in an inescapable position, the band are forced to make a daring raid deep into Mercia leaving their beloved ships firmly behind! Treachery divides the group on the return leg of the journey and the finale involves battles in Wales and on the Wessex coastline.
Saturated with brutal battles, gory sacrifices and the hardships typical of this harsh period; fans of the genre will not be disappointed with this book.
The first of what I certainly hope will be a lengthy series, this book definitely sets a high opening standard and my expectations are very high for the forthcoming second book.
A refreshing yet definitive newcomer to the genre, exceptionally well written and littered with battle scenes - this book has it all!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
outstanding historical fiction
I've read a lot of historical fiction, and over time I've found it harder to find something that grips me. Read more
Published 27 days ago by Allan Davy
I like vikings? Who knew...
I was doubly surprised by Raven. I bought it, in all fairness, because I'd spoken to Giles on twitter - he's a really nice fella - and it had a cool cover. There. Read more
Published 1 month ago by SJATurney
Wow what a book
I read this book on recommendation from a friend and they told me it was really good, when I actually read the book I couldn't believe it I couldn't put it down until I finished... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Zacky17
Raven off to a good start
I enjoy "warrior" and "saga" type novels and was pleasantly surprised to find how good this was. The characters are three dimensional and you actually care what happens to them,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. Ashton
SOMETHING A BIT DIFFERENT
While to start with it was a struggle to engage with main character, I felt that by the end of the book I was interested enough to want to read the next excerpt of his story, just... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Douglas Brown
History brought to life
This is a great read for fans of early English history. Set in the AD 802, it follows the story of a boy captured by Norsemen from his hamlet, where everyone else but the boy's... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Kirsty Riddiford
My First Step
I had not ventured in to the world of "Historical Fiction", as a reader, prior to picking up a copy of "Raven" by Giles Kristian. Since then my feet have not touched the ground. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Raven Mad
Very poor
One of the very few books I haven't completed.Very poor plot and it didn't fire my
imagination or interest at all.Strongbow series is far better.
imagination or interest at all.Strongbow series is far better.
Published 2 months ago by JG
I've read it all ..
and found it reasonably entartaining. It's not top tier historic fantasy, though. The settings is plausible, but you can see the author designing the plot. Read more
Published 2 months ago by vittorio
Enjoyable historical yarn
I have been a fan of historical fiction for quite a while and as such have a lot of comparison. Although this book does not quite reach the heights of Iggulden or Cornwell, there... Read more
Published 3 months ago by joevascotia
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