A review by nclcaitlin
A Tide of Black Steel by Anthony Ryan

4.0

Your next Norse, sea faring fantasy fix!

Thera is the Vellihr of Justice for Ascarlia, sent to investigate rumours of rebellion. 
Felnir, lesser brother to Thera’s renown. Disgraced and unhappily forced in his great-grandfather's service.

Elvine, daughter to Ascarlian librarian Berine Jurest (!!!! Covenant of Steel !!!) ends up working for the Sister Queens, rulers of Assarlia. after being arrested at a Covenant rite, a practice not tolerated in Ascarlia.

Ruhlin, a young fisherman, is stolen from his home by raiders where he discovers a rage which makes him near invincible. The name Fire Blood follows him.

Our big baddies are cult of the Volkrath who believe themselves inheritors of the blood of the Ultvar, the first race of men set upon the earth by the Worldsmith.
Their mission is basically our version of Hitler’s perfected, best gene vision. 

We sought power, and we found it. But power is like a flame: it warms but it also burns.

There are a lot of characters as you have noticed. However, they are all so distinct with very different quests and journeys that it is easy to distinguish them. 

Ryan has always been great at writing deeper and dark characters. For example, both Elvine and Ruhlin, both stolen from their homes, grapple with self-recrimination, fury, hatred warring with fear and self-perseverance.  

If you thought you had tumultuous relations with your siblings, wait until you meet Felnir and Thera. One is condemned to ignoble skulking at the other steals all glory. I liked that it was the sister that had the honour in the eyes of the public as this is not normally so!

"What's that Alberic word, Margnus? The one for those who make a living by enmeshing folk in the vast, contradictory web of their customs?"
"I believe the term is 'lawyer', my queen," the Tielwald supplied.

Finally, I would be remiss to not mention his amazing world-building as he stretches his world of the Covenant of Steel in a Scandinavian/Norse-inspired part of the world twenty years on.

You don’t have to have read CoS to understand this series, but you might miss Easter eggs and you might struggle with some information dumps. Also, the revelations will make your jaw drop in shock, excitement, and satisfaction. 

I would recommend this if you enjoyed The Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne. 

Thank you to Orbit for providing an arc in exchange for a review!
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