Subject: Review: Dawnthief by James Barclay

From: "Aaron M. Renn" <[email-masked]>
Date: 11 Oct 1999 22:57:20 -0400

Dawnthief, James Barclay
	Review Copyright (c) 1999 Aaron M. Renn

Conclusion: Mindless fantasy adventure - Worth Reading

This is your basic swords and sorcery type adventure story, albeit one
with a high attrition rate.  The Raven are a mercenary outfit in the
fantasy land of Balaia.  Originally there are seven, but they proceed to
die off at the astounding rate of one every fifty pages.  This pace abates
about half way through the book however, and the Raven go back to being
the invincible good guys they've always been.

The plot is that they have to break into this legendary old wizard's
workshop to find the details of a super-spell needed to kill off some
powerful evil creatures called the Wytch Lords.  These Wytch Lords had
been defeated in a previous generation, but oddly enough weren't killed,
but simply imprisoned.  Now they've escaped and only the super-spell can
stop them.  The Raven better find it fast or the bad guys will win.

This is decent light fantasy reading, though it's probably a little
expensive for what you get.  It's the first of three books, but basically
stands alone.  I expect the rest of the books in the trilogy will have
that "continuing adventures of the Raven" feel.

%A Barclay, James
%T Dawnthief
%S Chronicles of the Raven
%V Book One
%I Victor Gollancz/Orion
%D 1999
%G ISBN 1-85798-594-X
%P 416 pp.
%O trade paperback, £9.99

Reviewed on 1999-09-26

Aaron M. Renn ([email-masked]) http://www.urbanophile.com/arenn/