Queen of Fire

A Raven's Shadow Novel

By: Anthony Ryan

Narrated by: Steven Brand

In this “deftly and originally executed” (Booklist) New York Times best-selling novel, Vaelin Al Sorna must help his Queen reclaim her Realm. Only his enemy has a dangerous new collaborator, one with powers darker than Vaelin has ever encountered...

“The Ally is there, but only ever as a shadow, unexplained catastrophe or murder committed at the behest of a dark vengeful spirit. Sorting truth from myth is often a fruitless task". After fighting back from the brink of death, Queen Lyrna is determined to repel the invading Volarian army and regain the independence of the Unified Realm. Except, to accomplish her goals, she must do more than rally her loyal supporters. She must align herself with forces she once found repugnant - those who possess the strange and varied gifts of the Dark - and take the war to her enemy’s doorstep. Victory rests on the shoulders of Vaelin Al Sorna, now named Battle Lord of the Realm. However, his path is riddled with difficulties. For the Volarian enemy has a new weapon on their side, one that Vaelin must destroy if the Realm is to prevail - a mysterious Ally with the ability to grant unnaturally long life to her servants. And defeating one who cannot be killed is a nearly impossible feat, especially when Vaelin’s blood-song, the mystical power which has made him the epic fighter he is, has gone ominously silent...

Don't miss the continuation of this epic saga: The Wolf's Call, a Raven's Blade novel.

©2015 Anthony Ryan (P)2015 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

Praise for the Raven’s Shadow novels

“Ryan hits all the high notes of epic fantasy - a gritty setting, ancient magics, ruthless intrigue, divided loyalties and bloody action.” (Publishers Weekly)

Fitting end, but doesn't live up to expectations

Queen of Fire wraps up the story begun in Blood Song very well. In some places, too well. But that is not my gripe about this end to the trilogy. Maybe my residual expectations from the jackrabbit start that was Blood Song were just too high for any author to sustain. Tower Lord was certainly a preview of what was to come in Queen of Fire, so I guess I cannot really claim complete surprise or disappointment.

What I liked? This book, like the others, is dialogue and character-driven. We learn so much about the characters in this book, and are introduced to many others. And through these characters we better understand the interests driving Vaelin et al. and those against whom he battles. The writing is still fantastic, though the prose fails to rival what I enjoyed so much at the start of the series. Ryan is a phenomenal writer, and that carries this story. He pays close attention to detail, cleans up loose ends, and leaves the reader feeling satisfied. After finishing this book, I was not left wanting - I was simply satisfied at a job well done and a trilogy well-read.

What I didn't like? As in Tower Lord, the perspective shifts between the major characters. Vaelin, Reva, Lerna, etc. At the beginning of each of the five parts, we get the first-person perspective of our dear Alpiran scholar. I found this format more difficult to follow and less enjoyable to read than the perspective used in Blood Song. On the same note, I found Queen of Fire to be more convoluted than necessary - many characters have multiple names, there are multiple empires all referred to as "the empire" - in a politics/religion based world with multiple battling factions, it is mandatory to more clearly delineate the "Who's Who" of the world. A few characters had names that Brand pronounced very similarly, which only added to my confusion. I found myself often rewinding and relistening to parts in an attempt to figure out which character had met tragedy or success, or which characters were involved in a complex scene involving much dialogue. The drawback to Brand's narrative style (which I love) is that there is not excessive differentiation to the voices of each character - so it is more difficult to follow when the writer (thankfully) assumes the intelligence of his readers and doesn't repeat the names every other line.

Something tells me, this is one book I would have enjoyed more in print. I found myself frequently wishing I could flip back easily to another part of the book and re-read it. Or flip back to the last time that Vaelin was the perspective-holder so that I could maintain continuity in events. It also would have helped with the occasional boredom that arose during the more bland dialogue that inevitably results from the climax of a battle of conquest (battle strategy, for example).

I am glad this trilogy is finished. But I am sad I have nothing else to read from Anthony Ryan. He is an amazing author and I eagerly await his next book.

Intimidated, humbled, confused...but ...

Where does Queen of Fire rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

top 20 out of 200

What other book might you compare Queen of Fire to and why?

similar to anything by Steve Erikson, because of the intimidation and confusion

Would you listen to another book narrated by Steven Brand?

He has become the 'voice' of Anthony Ryan, but I would not listen to his narration with another author. Perhaps I am spoiled by the likes of Vance, Reynolds, and others, who use intonations (?) for different characters. Brand makes listening to Ryan more challenging.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending!!!! After so much darkness (three books worth!), the final curtain was very beautiful, uplifting, and gratifying, and I wasn't lost listening to it.

Any additional comments?

I am purchasing the e-book version, thinking it will facilitate my comprehension of the many characters, names of places, and events, as I have done with the first two. How about an audible on "How to Understand the Raven's Shadow Series" !! That's how much I love the series!! Great writing!! Doesn't deserve the bashing from some critics. Ryan controls the plot and character development. There is enough of Vaelin, as his song has diminished, and other songs are now playing.

Satisfying end to a great series

This has been a well written and imaginative saga. That characters grew a place in my heart even. I need to state that I found Steven Brands narration unimaginative and almost monotone at times. He wasn't awful, but he wasn't great either, giving little change to either voice or inflection when voicing different characters. Male and female, they were the same. But my overall assessment is of a series I will likely listen to again in future. Happy listening!

Excellent Audio Story

A rich story crafted in a detailed, believable world, Ryan delivers an engrossing narrative that captures the reader/listener and creates that personal investment indicative of great fiction. The narrator in this Audio version is outstanding - with just subtle character differentiation, he delivers the content more as a narrator than an actor and the effect is superb.

A great trilogy

Loved the trilogy. Brilliant writing, great story line.

OK. Performance. Steven Brand doesn't do voices, so sometimes you lose the narrative.

Just an ending of this.

I think of the epic tale and can tell you the second book is where I began to hate this series. With the new character and others so disconnected. It became less a tale and more a collection of s*** that happened.

The book continues on, we have this ending that has to happen. What is his grand plan? Kill em all.... Then what?


I have to say, probably the weirdest book I've ever wanted to finish.

Monotone narrator

Narrator is very monotone and doesn't have a variety​ of voices. However, the story was pretty good if you can get past the narrator.

Ending to a promising series

Book 1 was out of this world, absolutely amazing. The latter 2 books left something to be desired though. I stuck out tower lord/queen of fire because I was so invested in the characters from blood song (vaelin caenis nortah etc). I was a little disheartened at the end but all in all a series worth reading.

A fitting end to the series

I reread the other books in the series before reading this one and I'm glad I did; there were many details to this story I wouldn't have remembered if I hadn't.

It did seem like it could have used another pass at editing. There were a few points that didn't seem as clearly explained as in the previous books in the series. Perhaps that is why others were so harsh in their reviews.

The narrator is very enjoyable to listen to, but I do wish he would distinguish the different voices of the characters more.

Good

Ok, no complaints, nor anything ti be very carried away about. Solid
Performance was strong.