The Pariah

The Covenant of Steel, Book 1

By: Anthony Ryan

Narrated by: Steven Brand

When the task is a killing, be quick and make sure of it.

Torment is an indulgence.

Save it for only the most deserving.

Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw. Quick of wit and deft with a blade, Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves. But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path - one of blood and vengeance, which eventually leads him to a soldier's life in the king's army.

Fighting under the command of Lady Evadine Courlain, a noblewoman beset by visions of a demonic apocalypse, Alwyn must survive war and the deadly intrigues of the nobility if he hopes to claim his vengeance. But as dark forces, both human and arcane, gather to oppose Evadine's rise, Alwyn faces a choice: can he be a warrior, or will he always be an outlaw?

The Pariah begins a dark and bloody new fantasy epic from New York Times best-selling author Anthony Ryan, whose books have sold more than a million copies worldwide.

©2021 Anthony Ryan (P)2021 Hachette Audio UK

Critic reviews

"A master storyteller." (Mark Lawrence)

"A gritty, heart-pounding tale of betrayal and bloody vengeance. I loved every single word." (John Gwynne)

"The Pariah is Anthony Ryan at his best. A fast-paced, brutal fantasy novel with larger-than-life characters and a plot full of intrigue and suspense." (Grimdark Magazine)

Amazing book

Amazing stuff. The story follows flawed but likable and smart rogue on his way to redeem himself and it kept me on the edge till the very end. This book is one of those cases where you feel sad when you finish it. That is how good the quality of writing and narration are. Highly recommended.

very good

very good book can't way to see jow it will go on and what will happen to the characters

Satisfying setting and characters

This novel entecies you to follow into a lively and lived in world. The scope starts small and you will still not have a full grasp of it by the end but that is part of the charm. With expert prose and believable characters if you have been looking for some med

Amazing story sadly undercut by monotone reading.

Although I loved the voice of narrator, I can't help but think it was too monotone. The cadence of speaking was sometimes too fast for the situation, some characters lacked emotions. Still the story was amazing and I'm happy to give another chance to the narrator.

Internering story however…

The firat thing I reacted to is the amount of gore and lengthy descriptions of how people are killed messily. This feels unnecessary to me, the plot and story is well above average without this addition. I don’t generally mind characters swearing, but I prefer a little more ingenuity than constantly and often using the f word. Historically this is also a rather modern swear so it makes no sense to me and, again, spoils rather than helps the novel. I really like the characters, plot and intrigue though and will buy the next book in the series - but I hope Ryan stays away from more in-depth descriptions of what war is like in a pike wall, for this description seems very very unrealistic to me.

Best fantasy since Abercrombie

If you like Joe Abercrombie, give this a try, honestly - you'll be glad you did.