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

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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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