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Tower Lord
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Tower Lord
Unavailable
Tower Lord
Audiobook24 hours

Tower Lord

Written by Anthony Ryan

Narrated by Steven Brand

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Vaelin Al Sorna, warrior of the Sixth Order, called Darkblade, called Hope Killer. The greatest warrior of his day, and witness to the greatest defeat of his nation: King Janus's vision of a Greater Unified Realm drowned in the blood of brave men fighting for a cause Vaelin alone knows was forged from a lie. Sick at heart, he comes home, determined to kill no more. Named Tower Lord of the Northern Reaches by King Janus's grateful heir, he can perhaps find peace in a colder, more remote land far from the intrigues of a troubled Realm.

But those gifted with the blood-song are never destined to live a quiet life. Many died in King Janus's wars, but many survived, and Vaelin is a target, not just for those seeking revenge but for those who know what he can do. The Faith has been sundered, and many have no doubt who their leader should be. The new King is weak, but his sister is strong. The blood-song is powerful, rich in warning and guidance in times of trouble, but is only a fraction of the power available to others who understand more of its mysteries. Something moves against the Realm, something that commands mighty forces, and Vaelin will find to his great regret that when faced with annihilation, even the most reluctant hand must eventually draw a sword.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 1, 2014
ISBN9780698163690
Unavailable
Tower Lord
Author

Anthony Ryan

Anthony Ryan was born in Scotland in 1970 but spent much of his adult life living and working in London. After a long career in the British Civil Service he took up writing full time after the success of his first novel Blood Song, Book One of the Raven's Shadow trilogy. He has a degree in history, and his interests include art, science and the unending quest for the perfect pint of real ale.For news and general wittering about stuff he likes, check out Anthony's blog at: http://anthonystuff.wordpress.com.

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Reviews for Tower Lord

Rating: 4.103660975609756 out of 5 stars
4/5

246 ratings14 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    "The best way to avoid a trap," the Shield said, "is to kill the bastard who made it before he gets a chance to set it."

    A very interesting read. While the first book concentrated on one character, this book switched between a number of characters, and did so quite well. All the characters had meaningful development over the course of the book, and I liked most of them pretty well, although Reva was probably my favourite.

    The way not only the bad people™ but everyone, including the protagonists, committed war crimes left right and center was risking alienating me, but they somehow pulled it off while still retaining some of my respect for the protagonists.

    All in all, I can't wait for the third book to come out. Usually, I would give this one 4.5 stars and round down, but as it is a comparatively new author, and as the book engaged me quite well, I'll round up to five stars this time.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Tower Lord by Anthony Ryan is a strong follow up to his debut novel Blood Song. He changes things up in this edition as it is written in a multi POV style but this to me was very well done and did not detract from the story being told. You will find the continuing stories of both Vaelin al Sorna, Frentis and Lyrna (who was only a minor character) from Blood Song along with new character Reva in rotating chapters as they each follow their paths. Each section of the book also starts with an extended journal entry from Verniers. The book comes with lots of action, good character studies and a great edge of your seat ending that will have you eagerly awaiting the release of the next book in the series.

    5 stars for a truly enjoyable read. You will want to read this one!!!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    So, I did not like this one as well as the first book. I felt like there was a lot of unexplained in portions, nothing that was necessarily important to the plot, and I guess that it was realistic, in that Vaelin did not know the answers either, but it bugged me for some reason. And mostly there were so many different perspectives. I realize that epic fantasy is "epic" because it is expansive and encompasses many realms and people, but I really liked the focus of the first book better. The language was much coarser, to the point I found it distracting. I don't think everything should be sanitized or anything like that, but this got annoying.

    Trigger warnings:
    I would also warn that there is constant and pervasive reference to sexual violence as a means of torture and punishment. There is also references to child abuse and molestation that could be extremely difficult for some readers.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Never quite lived up to book one for me, which is/was a shame as I was really looking forward to it. Not enough pace and action for my liking.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A worthy follow-on to Blood Song. This picks up almost immediately after the events of Blood Song. Vaelin al-Sorna, master swordsman and warrior has been 'banished' to the position of Tower Lord. Without saying it, the King knows that Vaelin is too popular and too powerful to leave around the capital. There are always layers on top of layers to the King's plans though, so there's more than one reason he's been sent to the frontier. There are a couple of other plot lines introduced in this book, which for me lowered my impression of it a little, but all of the new characters are excellent. Like the first, this is well written and well thought out. Best of all, it is book two of a completed trilogy. Imagine that, a completed series!Well done and fun to read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved both when is the third to be done
    .
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I did love the new characters he built in this one, but I felt like I needed a separate notepad to take notes about each character. Each time the book would move from one character to another, it took me a while to catch back up to who this new character was and what their situation was. At the end, it seemed like things wrapped up to quickly and neatly, though I did love the way he brought the story toward the ending. Even with these little flaws, this is really good stuff!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Ryan continues his story and it rushes you along to want to know more of this well put together world. Well, a caveat to that, is that the empire to the east of our kingdom which is so powerful, seems as if it could have overwhelmed the west many times in the past, and perhaps some more equilibrium was needed, not relying on our heroes to grow so that they could face such a problem.However, the individual quests that our heroes undertake, expanded now to include others beyond what we focused on in the first book, make this a very intriguing series. It is not just a middle book, but strong enough to be enjoyed even without context.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Nice sequel to a very good first book. Some of the best side characters from the first book get bigger roles but at the expense of the main character Vaelin Al Sorna.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    great story, but the first one was far better. this one seemed to stagger and run, but still loved it
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Familiar style in the genre yet innovative enough to easily become memorable. Wonderful descriptions and character-delivered insights.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I know everyone is wondering: Is this as awesome as Blood Song? I had a hard time comparing because the formats are so different. But...Here it is, I’ll say it early for anyone with a short attention span: this is great book in its own right. For me, it may not have had quite the same addictive quality, the kind that keeps me reading way too late at night, and compels me to pick right back up too early in the morning, that I had with Blood Song, but honestly, I read maybe two books a year that achieve that. Not to say I don’t stay up too late reading with many others (this one included), it’s just not quite as furtive of a need. And I don’t know if I have ever had it happen with a book that has multiple POVs.That’s right. If you haven’t already heard, the book is not centered on Vaelin. He’s still a central figure in the overall story arc, but every page in the book is not devoted to solely his perspective and plights. Tower Lord is broken into five parts, each of with starts with a Verniers entry, which are all great fun. I’m honestly not sure if I appreciated Verniers as much in the Blood Song as I should have and as I did in this one. Perhaps because I was so anxious to continuously read about Vaelin, and the journal entries were the only intermissions I had from that. But this time, I definitely fully appreciated Verniers’ wry wit.In addition to Vaelin, we get POV chapters from 2 familiar characters from Blood Song: Frentis and Lyrna. And then we also get a new character with a POV, Reva. The four POVs, paired with Vernier’s journal entries, give the reader a great opportunity to see a much clearer picture of the overall story. And understand the movement of battle from all fronts in addition to the different people and cultures involved. I think it also leant a stronger air of anticipation as you experience the trials of all involved across the land. I was also quite appreciative of the maps in Tower Lord. I don’t too often find myself referencing maps, but in this one, with the story so spread out, so many characters on the move, I often would flip to them for reference.Reva was an interesting addition. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to like her in the beginning. I started having flashbacks of Renna from The Daylight War and was quite concerned Reva’s character might go in that direction (for those not familiar, I found Renna to be grating and a distraction). I am quite happy to say it did not. Not at all. I am actually quite a fan of Reva and really liked seeing her character growth through the book. She was faced with loyalty issues that challenged her to reevaluate her Faith as it had been taught to her versus how she believes Faith should be. In addition to that, she also becomes critical to the story in ways I’d rather you read for yourself to find out.I remember a while back, some fellow fantasy fans, either on twitter or a forum, using the term ‘siege porn’ (probably in regard to The Red Knight by Miles Cameron). Seven hells, if you are looking for an incredible, down and dirty, gritty ‘siege porn’ fix, then look no further. Some truly great siege action in this one!My only real disappointment in the book is that at the end of Blood Song, I was quite curious about Caenis, and am sad to say he is not really featured in Tower Lord. However, I am consoled by the fact that it seems he will be again (he is mentioned. We know he’s out there still). I would love to have Caenis POVs in future books, but since I still really enjoyed this one, I can’t really complain either. It just gives me something to look forward to.If you enjoyed Blood Song, by all means, you have to read this. I think the strengths of this book are different than Blood Song, but it works so well. Blood Song was the coming of age story of Vaelin and setup for the grander story. This book gives you a much clearer picture of the impressive scale of the conflict, introduces you to more characters. And it has siege porn! And prepare yourself. The first thing you will want to do you finish reading this, is look to find out when the next book is going to be released! Absolutely brilliant ending that leaves you both satisfied and on the edge of your seat for what happens next. Loved it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    There are a number of sequels coming out this year with big shoes to fill, and not the least of them is Tower Lord which is the follow up to the sensation that was Anthony Ryan’s Blood Song. While this second installment might not pack the kind of punch its predecessor did, I nonetheless enjoyed the book immensely. It’s a very different novel than the first book, with a shift in style, focus, and character perspectives, and yet it still has all the elements that we epic fantasy fans live for.In book one, we met Vaelin Al sorna, a brother of the Sixth Order and one of the greatest warriors the world has ever known. Coming home from a bloody war, he has sworn to fight no more, instead focusing his efforts on seeking any of his relatives that might still live. Named Tower Lord of the Northern Reaches by the new monarch, Vaelin has the noble thought perhaps naïve dream of living out his life in peace and quiet, for news of his exploits (and his crimes) have spread far and wide and those who know of his mysterious gift that guides him will not let him rest.Anthony Ryan also adds several more point-of-view characters to the mix in Tower Lord, which I was glad to have been prepared for, as Vaelin no longer takes center stage. Instead, he shares the book with mainly three others: Reva, a young woman who begins this journey with hate for Vaelin in her heart and an unquenchable thirst for revenge; Princess Lyrna, sister to the new king and who possesses more strength and resolve than her brother ever would; and finally, Frentis, a familiar face from Blood Song, though he has been changed from his years of being held captive by the Untesh and being forced to fight in the slave pits.Having been aware of this new format, with the chapters cycling through the character viewpoints, I had expected and prepared myself for the slower start. Indeed, with more characters to follow this time around, the author takes much more time to set the stage for the events in this book. And I have to confess it didn’t quite grab my attention right away. It was a pleasant journey through the first half of the novel to meet new faces or to catch up with old friends, but on the whole Tower Lord lacked a certain quality that made Blood Song the dangerously addictive and immersive read it was right off the bat.However, I don’t think this makes Tower Lord a weak sequel. On the contrary, in fact. This second book is stronger than book one in many ways, not only because it expands the scope of the series by giving us multiple character perspectives and opening up the wider world, but it also showcases Ryan’s talents as a storyteller. He’s proven himself as an author who can write a very diverse and convincing cast of characters while maintaining a steady level of suspense and interest in all spheres of action, building intensity as he moves all the pieces into place for when things really start rolling.Quite simply, Tower Lord is a totally different beast. And it’s just hard not to compare a sequel to what came before. It comes down to personal taste, and admittedly, Blood Song and I hit it off much faster. I had myself this experience with a couple other sequels this year; they were all excellent novels, but thematically they just worked slightly less for me. In this case, it’s hardly a surprise. Blood Song began with Vaelin Al Sorna as a young boy, entering the Sixth Order and a huge chunk of the book was dedicated to his training, the relationships he forged with his brothers, and his eventual rise to greatness. It was my favorite part of the novel. And come on, we all know how tough it is beat a good coming-of-age story.The first book was absolutely a tough act to follow, I know. But all things considered, Tower Lord is a wonderful follow-up that might even appeal more to other readers, especially those who preferred the parts with “grown-up” Vaelin from the first book. I mentioned one of the things I liked about the “young” Vaelin’s chapters was his relationship with his fellow Sixth Order brothers, and it’s incredibly fascinating to see how those dynamics have changed over time. Brother Frentis was a huge surprise for me in this one. Thinking about all the terrible things that has been through and how they’ve affected him, it almost makes his story more interesting to me than Vaelin’s. I’m also impressed by Ryan’s female characters, and the energy and conviction he was able to put behind Reva and Lyrna, two women who are not afraid of setbacks and will fight for what they believe in.In the end, it’s definitely the characters who made this such a great read. I absolutely adore the new additions. The characters make things happen, set things in motion, and while the first half of this book might have lagged a little, the same cannot be said about the second half, and the final quarter was pure action bliss. Does it take a bit of investment to get to this point? Yes. But totally worth it. Love the intricate magical elements and political entanglements that made the finale such an edge-of-your-seat ride. Anthony Ryan really tied things together and delivered.I hope when we next meet Vaelin and whoever Ryan decides to let us be acquainted with next time (assuming he once again chooses this multiple POV character format) in the third book Queen of Fire, we’ll be able to jump right into the action. The slower build-up at the beginning held this book back a little, in my opinion, so I can’t say I enjoyed this book more or even as much as Blood Song, but the difference is very close. And I’m not disappointed at all. If you enjoyed the first book, there’s absolutely no reason at all not to pick this up and continue the epic journey.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I "read" the audiobook, which I find is a different experience to reading electronic or paper books. Taking that into account, Tower Lord's story was enjoyable enough. I might actually read the books someday to see how the written word holds up against the spoken word.