Book Review of The Pariah by Anthony Ryan

 

Name of Book: The Pariah 

Author: Anthony Ryan 

ISBN: 978-0-316-43076-0

Publisher: Orbit 

Part of a Series: The Covenant of Steel (The Martyr and The Traitor are sequels) 

Type of book: Medieval fantasy, powerful leader, ambition, goals, worship, religion, wars, nitty gritty, charismatic leaders, outlaw life, mines, wealth, class, 

Year it was published: 2021

Summary:

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?

Characters:

Main character is definitely Alwyn the Scribe. Alwyn is best described as extremely intelligent, resourceful and talented young man with a lot of potential. He is also best described as extremely favored in circumstances that normal men wouldn't be favored in. He is highly humorous, and is capable of completing numerous tasks. There are plenty of secondary characters such as the leader of the outlaw band, Deckin Scarl who is both mad and brilliant and who is determined to prove to anyone his abilities. Others would also be Lorine, Deckin's lover and the one who runs the band behind the scenes as well as Martyr Sihlda who taught Alwyn everything she knew and helped Alwyn escape and Toria who keeps Alwyn on his toes and doesn't let him forget his goals. Of course we also meet the Sack Witch, Evadine and Wilhum, but they are merely glances or tertiary characters. 

Theme:

The star can rise very far

Plot:

The story is in first person narrative from Alwyn's point of view. Unlike in the second book which seems to be a transition from humor to action, the tone of THE PARIAH definitely felt relaxed and there were numerous humorous moments. The story is divided into three parts; the first one focused on Alwyn's outlaw days while the second one focused on the pit mines and the last is when he joined Evadine's army. I did have some issues with understanding the politics part, but despite that I loved watching Alwyn rise from nothing to being close to Evadine Courlain.(Definitely makes me consider reading the second book again, although I have read it previously last year.) 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

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

Opinion:

I began Alwyn's journey with the second book, THE MARTYR, but then decided to read the first one in order to prepare myself for THE TRAITOR. Reading THE PARIAH definitely added a whole lot to the knowledge I possessed of Alwyn and Evadine as well as numerous other characters that I have met in THE MARTYR. Although one can describe it as medieval and a bit on the dark side, there are a lot of funny moments within the story that had me chuckling and laughing when I found them. I also enjoyed meeting the famous Deckin Scarl as well as Erchel and Sihlda and Toria and Ayin. Even if you began your journey with second or third book, then going back to the first book is well worth the time and trouble in order to at least spend time with the notorious outlaw turned scribe. 

This was given for review

5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)