Nightchild (Chronicles of the Raven 3)

by James Barclay

Book Overview

Chronicles of the Raven: Three AN UNSTOPPABLE NEW POWER IS RISING ... The power of the land has manifested itself in Lyanna, a five year old girl. She has the power to sweep the four colleges of magic... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591027853
• ISBN13: 9781591027850
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: Pyr
• Length: 403 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.9" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Nightchild: Chronicles of the Raven

Five years have passed since the mercenary band known as The Raven retired, but a threat to a child born to two members of the group has brought them together again. Lyanna, daughter of Denser and Erienne, is the child of prophecy and her unfocused power is tearing the world apart. Fleeing the mage college that had awakened the child's powers too early, Erienne seeks help from the only surviving mages who can train Lyanna. Denser seeks out the remaining members of The Raven to find Erienne and Lyanna and protect them from the mage hunters who seek to kill the child before her power can be fully realized. //Nightchild// is the third book in the //Chronicles of the Raven// and is easily James Barclay's best book so far. Mixing terrifically atmospheric action with excellent characters, Barclay continues to show steady growth as an author and assurance with building a credible story. //Nightchild// is a bittersweet book that reminds us that love can be costly, but it is still a satisfying read and well worth the time. Reviewed by Theresa Lucas

A Perfect Conclusion to the Trilogy...

NIGHTCHILD. So here we are, the third and final novel of The Chronicles of the Raven series by my friend James Barclay. So does it stay true to the prior novels? Does it elevate the series to new heights? Easily. This is by far the best of the trilogy. If you've been reading this series, you know what makes this series work. Fast-paced, bloody action. Battles and journeys of epic proportions. Grim tones amidst witty banter from the stars of the series, the mercenary group The Raven. Saving the world. With NIGHTCHILD, Barclay had some heavy expectations to fill. How do you go bigger than the Dawnthief spell from the first novel, DAWNTHIEF? How do you go bigger than a rift to another dimension full of dragons like we saw in NOONSHADE? This is the trap that many authors could fall into. With NIGHTCHILD, Barclay perfectly avoids the pitfall. Instead of going bigger, he goes personal. The result is a much more character-driven novel, and in my opinion, a much more powerful reading experience. The Raven have changed. They are older. They have families. They have responsibilities. Do they need to save the world again? Well yeah, it wouldn't be a Barclay novel without our heroes saving the world. But NIGHTCHILD is so much more than that cliché. The world saving bit is almost a secondary issue. The real plot of the story for The Raven is racing to prevent Denser and Erienne's daughter, Lyanna from being killed. In theme with the more personal nature of the novel, the huge-scale battles of the prior novels have been condensed and focused on The Raven to wonderful effect. Why is NIGHTCHILD so powerful? In this novel we get to see that our "Heroes" are not "Super Heroes." We see how strained their relationships can become, and how vulnerable they really are. We witness the tough personal and moral choices that they have to make that will inevitably have serious consequences. We, as readers, get to experience the benefits and drawbacks that loyalty brings...and demands. By the end of the novel, you will be satisfied and thrilled. However, in true James Barclay fashion, you will also feel saddened at what The Raven had to sacrifice. It's not a common occurrence to have every book in a trilogy be completely awesome. The Chronicles of the Raven should be on the shelves of every reader of Heroic Fantasy and Sword and Sorcery. Heck, it should be on the shelves of every reader of the Fantasy genre in general. NIGHTCHILD brilliantly concludes the trilogy, and it makes me positively giddy with excitement for the US release of the four-book series, The Legends of the Raven. Barclay's writing and story telling improved tremendously, and made NIGHTCHILD a true treat to read. Just imagine how his other books will be. Recommended Age: 16 and up. Language: As usual in Barclay's novels, there is a little. When it happens, it is strong, but it doesn't come close to saturating the novel. Violence: Uh, yeah. The great thing about i

brilliant climax to a strong saga

The seven mercenaries that made up the Raven split up in retirement five years ago after the harrowing events in which they and the Dragons saved the world (see DAWNTHIEF and NOONSHADE). However, the Dragons cannot go home and are dying due to the air of the Kingdom of Balaria where they reside and people hunting them as beasts rather than saviors who were critical in shutting down the rift. Two of the magnificent seven Erienne the Dordovan mage and Denser the Xeteskian mage had a relationship that led to the birth of Lyanna. The Colleges of Magic want Lyanna at all costs as the Lord Mages recognize who she is and what she will do to their positions of power. They believe she is the prophesized NIGHTCHILD, who will unite the four magics currently, divided amongst the colleges and kill thousands in the process. They are coming for the five years old leading to the reunion of the Raven who though they argue, fuss and fight with one another; also unite to protect one another even if the one they keep safe apparently is ripping asunder from within the kingdom leaving thousands dead. This is a brilliant climax to the trilogy as the "threat" to the existing order comes from within, a five year old magical hybrid. The story line is fast-paced from the onset as fans of the saga catch up with retired friends who gave up swashbuckling and magic to tend bar, raise a child, etc. However, the only thing that could bring together a five year reunion is the threat to one of them. Filled with moral issues big and small, NIGHTCHILD is a fitting end to a strong saga. Harriet Klausner

Other Books

Magic users should consider adoption.The two members of the current Raven that can do the spellcasting thing have had a kid. Given they come from two different schools of magic, apparently this could possibly have some not so good consequences, more in a blow up your planet sort of way, than lack of political power for one group or other whingeing.So, a lot more about the various magic organisations in this book, and the dilemma at the heart of it is, to save everyone, do you slaughter your own kid, or a friend's kid, if it ocmes to that?

NightChild

Book 3 of the Raven Chronicals. A very touching and sad tale but written well. The action never ceases nor does the story suffer from being part of a series. Barclay is a clever and interesting writer and he leads you into one crisis after another and keeps your interest piqued.