C.T. Phipps's Reviews > A Gathering of Ravens
A Gathering of Ravens (Grimnir, #1)
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A GATHERING OF RAVENS is an interesting premise for a book: a tale of a monstrous orc-like creature who is the last of his kind along with an idealistic pacifist Christian girl during the last days of paganism in the Viking Era.
It is a story which is reminiscent of the tv show VIKINGS as well as some of the writings of Bernard Cornwell. You really don't think any fantasy which includes an orc would be so serious and grim but it's more Beowulf than a Lord of the Rings rip off.
This is definitely "grimdark" fiction with all the religious hypocrisies, secular cruelties, and racism which you can expect from this sort of story. There's also the World Tree, the last witch in the world, and a world where there's evidence of both God as well as other pantheons working together. It's a unique vision of fantasy and one which I think works well for the four hundred or so pages the story lasts. It's a tale of vengeance, the ending of an age, and more.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. If you like dark and gritty fantasy then this will be right up your alley. It's a pretty harsh story for lighter fantasy fans but I felt the ending more than made up for the difficult journey--at least for our protagonists. It was bittersweet in all the right ways.
9/10
It is a story which is reminiscent of the tv show VIKINGS as well as some of the writings of Bernard Cornwell. You really don't think any fantasy which includes an orc would be so serious and grim but it's more Beowulf than a Lord of the Rings rip off.
This is definitely "grimdark" fiction with all the religious hypocrisies, secular cruelties, and racism which you can expect from this sort of story. There's also the World Tree, the last witch in the world, and a world where there's evidence of both God as well as other pantheons working together. It's a unique vision of fantasy and one which I think works well for the four hundred or so pages the story lasts. It's a tale of vengeance, the ending of an age, and more.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. If you like dark and gritty fantasy then this will be right up your alley. It's a pretty harsh story for lighter fantasy fans but I felt the ending more than made up for the difficult journey--at least for our protagonists. It was bittersweet in all the right ways.
9/10
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