A Tide of Black Steel

By: Anthony Ryan

Narrated by: Steven Brand

From the international bestselling author Anthony Ryan comes the spectacular first novel in a new epic new fantasy trilogy inspired by Norse mythology.

A new age has dawned. An age of blood and steel. An age of wrath.

The land of Ascarlia, a fabled realm of bloodied steel and epic sagas, has been ruled by the Sister Queens for centuries. No one has dared question their rule.

Until now.

Whispers speak of longships of mysterious tattooed warriors, sailing under the banners of a murderous cult of oath-breakers long thought extinct. A tide of black steel that threatens to vanquish all in its path.

Thera of the Blackspear, favored servant of the Sister Queens, is ordered to uncover the truth. As Thera sails north, her reviled brother, Felnir, sets out on his own adventure. He hopes to find the Vault of the Altvar—the treasure room of the gods—and win the Sister Queens’ favor at his sister’s expense.

Both siblings—along with a brilliant young scribe and a prisoner with a terrifying, primal power—will play a part in the coming storm.

The Age of Wrath has begun.

©2024 Anthony Ryan (P)2024 Orbit

excellent ending

a few surprises I didn't see coming and great cast of characters made this an enjoyable read

Likeable Characters, Story, and Fast paced.

This story has gory battle, mystery, and excellent characters. I personally liked how each chapter switched to one of the 4 main characters and it revolved. I was never bored and plenty of action or mystery to keep engagement. I can't wait for the rest of the trilogy.

Ended up really liking it.

It was hard to keep track of characters at the beginning but as it went some things are explained and eventually I got it all straight.

Another great story from one of the best

Well worth your time and a credit. You won't be disappointed if you're a fan of his work.

The traditional names used

There is too much world building and norse mythology that is needed to understand the story fully. Also the characters do not build enough throughout the story, making you lose connections/interest when jumping from character to character.

Felt like a later book in a series

I like fantasy and I like Viking stuff, so I thought I'd like this. It felt like this was the later book in a series, one where they say it can be stand-alone but really isn't. I felt like the storyline was being dumped into the deep-end of the pool to learn how to swim. The narration was excellent.
I like most books so when I start a series I normally just buy the entire thing at once. Glad this was the only one available. Maybe if a re-listen it will make more sense.

Great Adventure

Really enjoyed this book and the story concept. It moves very fast and has a lot of action.

can't wait for what's next

excited to see the next book and go through it ! and our beloved scribe maybe returns

Worth the read, but not the listen.

The story (As with all Anthony Ryan books) was great, but the reader was terrible. No changes in voice for characters, making it really hard to follow. It just droned on and on and on. I had to re-listen to chapters over and over because it got so monotonous my mind would wander, and that's not typical with an Anthony Ryan story. Steven Pacey would've knocked this out of the park. For now, I'm going to read it and see what I get out of it.

Rather disappointing

My review might be little biased given that I have recently just reread the Blood song series, unfortunately this is not what I'm looking for. The story is alright, but it doesn't have his Blood song series magic.