"With The Raven, Barclay has created one of the more memorable casts of heroes in recent memory, supporting them within a world of magic based upon constructs entirely his own. While action may dominate the pages of his narratives, this has not taken place in the absence of increasingly strong characterization or a secondary world imaginatively and freshly developed. If his stories may lack the more serious and grander intentions of authors such as Matthew Stover or Steven Erikson, they nonetheless represent the best among his less ambitious contemporaries in providing simpler and more straightforward heroic entertainment. And, with the inclusion in Elfsorrow of an underlying, if relatively simple, environmental statement, the author may well be showing an emerging interest in using his narratives for purposes other than mere entertainment. As his writing talents have continued to evolve and improve, this is certainly a writer to watch, for immediate enjoyment as well as for future development." --SF Site
Description:
From Publishers Weekly
Barclay uses complexly threaded plot lines to follow several heroes, villains, and ordinary people as they attempt to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of the terrible war described in Barclay's Chronicles of the Raven trilogy. After the temple to the elven god Yniss is desecrated, a strange plague known as Elfsorrow begins to ravage the countryside. Led by the Unknown Warrior, the Raven, a group of mercenaries, works to save the elves. Meanwhile, antimagical forces led by Selik of the Black Wings are trying to convince the local barons that the common people have lost their trust in mages and the colleges of magic must be destroyed to save the world. Real enjoyment of this volume requires both familiarity with the previous trilogy and a commitment to reading future installments. (Nov.) (c)
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Review
"With The Raven, Barclay has created one of the more memorable casts of heroes in recent memory, supporting them within a world of magic based upon constructs entirely his own. While action may dominate the pages of his narratives, this has not taken place in the absence of increasingly strong characterization or a secondary world imaginatively and freshly developed. If his stories may lack the more serious and grander intentions of authors such as Matthew Stover or Steven Erikson, they nonetheless represent the best among his less ambitious contemporaries in providing simpler and more straightforward heroic entertainment. And, with the inclusion in Elfsorrow of an underlying, if relatively simple, environmental statement, the author may well be showing an emerging interest in using his narratives for purposes other than mere entertainment. As his writing talents have continued to evolve and improve, this is certainly a writer to watch, for immediate enjoyment as well as for future development." --SF Site