The Pariah
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- Create Date：2021-08-28 09:16:09
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Anthony Ryan
- ISBN：B08M96B18F
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Summary
The Pariah begins a new epic fantasy series of action， intrigue and magic from Anthony Ryan， a master storyteller who has taken the fantasy world by storm。
Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine， Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw。 Quick of wit and deft with a blade， Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves。 But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path - one of blood and vengeance， which eventually leads him to a soldier's life in the king's army。
Fighting under the command of Lady Evadine Courlain， a noblewoman beset by visions of a demonic apocalypse， Alwyn must survive war and the deadly intrigues of the nobility if he hopes to claim his vengeance。 But as dark forces， both human and arcane， gather to oppose Evadine's rise， Alwyn faces a choice: can he be a warrior， or will he always be an outlaw？
Praise for Anthony Ryan
'A master storyteller' Mark Lawrence
'Robin Hobb meets Joe Abercrombie 。 。 。 this is fantasy with a totally legendary feel' Fantasy Book Review
'The Wolf's Call is everything a fantasy fan could ever wish for' Booknest
'Fantastic storytelling' Novel Notions
Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine， Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw。 Quick of wit and deft with a blade， Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves。 But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path - one of blood and vengeance， which eventually leads him to a soldier's life in the king's army。
Fighting under the command of Lady Evadine Courlain， a noblewoman beset by visions of a demonic apocalypse， Alwyn must survive war and the deadly intrigues of the nobility if he hopes to claim his vengeance。 But as dark forces， both human and arcane， gather to oppose Evadine's rise， Alwyn faces a choice: can he be a warrior， or will he always be an outlaw？
Praise for Anthony Ryan
'A master storyteller' Mark Lawrence
'Robin Hobb meets Joe Abercrombie 。 。 。 this is fantasy with a totally legendary feel' Fantasy Book Review
'The Wolf's Call is everything a fantasy fan could ever wish for' Booknest
'Fantastic storytelling' Novel Notions
Reviews
Xerxes
，
The Pariah illustrates the tale of Alwyn Scribe， a thief whose life is set on fire to journey to the corridors of dark power and corruption。 To witness events that are beyond him in a grim-dark fantasy world where the concept of chivalry can be safely discarded for greed and corruption。 This novel had fantastic action sequences， heart-wrenching moments of characters and a confident stand on where it stood。 Alwyn never apologised for any of the actions he did in this novel， but he is not ashamed The Pariah illustrates the tale of Alwyn Scribe， a thief whose life is set on fire to journey to the corridors of dark power and corruption。 To witness events that are beyond him in a grim-dark fantasy world where the concept of chivalry can be safely discarded for greed and corruption。 This novel had fantastic action sequences， heart-wrenching moments of characters and a confident stand on where it stood。 Alwyn never apologised for any of the actions he did in this novel， but he is not ashamed to admit it。 In one sense， Alwyn’s world is constantly changing。 Whether it be serving the famous Outlaw King only to find himself running away as the King’s forces destroy the rebels， whether it be working in the Pit under a very deluded Lord that thinks high and mighty of himself。 Alwyn goes through a personal journey of redemption yet commits acts that no one would approve of。 This is as much as Alwyn’s story as it is of the companions that often surround him。 Alwyn is a man living his life on a rope。 He doesn’t trust anybody， and that forms a central arc for the rest of his novel。 Most of the time he is confronted with terrible truths that no ordinary human could take。 Half the time is spent dealing with horrible people that are the worst of the worst。 Perhaps， he has his way with the ladies as well， to an extent。 However， there were many memorable characters in this novel: Torah， Shilda， Evadine， Wilhum， Deckin。 Each of these characters teaches Alwyn an important lesson along the way。The writing is great， and the description of the world is more than enough to engage you。 However， in some aspects， I felt the pacing of the story was sometimes dragged down by a bit of lengthiness here and there。 Some scenes could have been shorter， and perhaps some weren’t needed。 I particularly enjoyed the parts where Alwyn kept distrusting characters， but Alwyn did not always want to seem to change。 I longed for some time where Alwyn could for once， not see the world as evil。 For once， he would experience true bliss。 In some cases in this novel， he does。 But for most of what he experiences throughout his whole journey is loss， love， and more loss。 He gains more than what he bargains for。 He’s a very lucky fox。 Let that be known， dear reader。 He’s like a cat with nine lives。 This is an excellent start to a wonderful series that I cannot wait to read and continue because I am sure of one thing。 We are not finished with Alwyn’s journey。 He has a lot more to give。 In a way， I sense he may become the most powerful man in his realm one day。 Or he could not， and he could become the most famous thief。 Legends will be told of his tales when he passes away。 I， for one， wish to read book 2 already。 This is worth it！ Thoroughly！ Without a shadow of a doubt。 。。。more
Dylan Yang
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 At first i didn't know who Anthony Ryan is。 I just picked up this book because of the cover and thank god i did because this book dragged me in within the first few pages。 Alwyn's journey from a thief， a prisoner， a scribe， and a soldier was riveting。 I admit there is some part where i just wanted to skip ahead due to the many many religious fanaticism part but i didn't。 The sermon Just forcing myself to read through it made me so much more attached to Alwyn。 The part where Alwyn fight against A At first i didn't know who Anthony Ryan is。 I just picked up this book because of the cover and thank god i did because this book dragged me in within the first few pages。 Alwyn's journey from a thief， a prisoner， a scribe， and a soldier was riveting。 I admit there is some part where i just wanted to skip ahead due to the many many religious fanaticism part but i didn't。 The sermon Just forcing myself to read through it made me so much more attached to Alwyn。 The part where Alwyn fight against Althus was beautiful。 His revelation about King Tomas gave me goosebumps and boy i cannot wait to read the second book。 。。。more
Sanoo
，
I do believe this to be a bit better than more recent works from Ryan （having not yet read the Draconis Memoria）。 Structurally and narratively， this was more of a return to Blood Song， a book I really liked， where the story was told as more of a recollection of past events， with time skips as necessary， and knowledge from the future mentioned within the present of the narration。What made me go for a relatively low 4 stars is that， unlike Blood Song， this was not a full story。 That book goes from I do believe this to be a bit better than more recent works from Ryan （having not yet read the Draconis Memoria）。 Structurally and narratively， this was more of a return to Blood Song， a book I really liked， where the story was told as more of a recollection of past events， with time skips as necessary， and knowledge from the future mentioned within the present of the narration。What made me go for a relatively low 4 stars is that， unlike Blood Song， this was not a full story。 That book goes from childhood to present， and ends with a more or less completely told tale。 Here though the ending was really， really abrupt; I didn't realise the book had ended until I turned the page and saw "the story continues。。。。" Turns out last 5% of the book， which I thought would actually conclude this installment of the story in some way， was just excerpts from some other books。 That was just a major disappointment for me， and I feel this book could really have benefitted from a bit more structure。Still， what was there， I read really， really quickly， in around two sittings。 Rather enjoyable and fast-paced enough; the time skip where necessary was a good decision here。----------------------------August 25， 2021 – 49。0% "From one prison， to another prison， to another。 Definitely an entertaining read so far。 Quite a few overused tropes， and some very heavy Count of Monte Cristo vibes， but the way everything's tied together within the narrative is still pretty good。" 。。。more
TheDigressiveApproach
，
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions expressed in this review are my own。---I've known of Anthony Ryan's works for a while but unfortunately hadn't gotten around to reading any of them yet。 I'm super glad to I requested The Pariah as it's easily one of my favourite reads this year！The story follows Alwyn as he describes his journey from a member of the infamous Outlaw King's band of thieves to a soldier。 I really do Huge thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions expressed in this review are my own。---I've known of Anthony Ryan's works for a while but unfortunately hadn't gotten around to reading any of them yet。 I'm super glad to I requested The Pariah as it's easily one of my favourite reads this year！The story follows Alwyn as he describes his journey from a member of the infamous Outlaw King's band of thieves to a soldier。 I really don't want to say any more to avoid spoilers but rest assured that the pacing of this story is immaculate considering how many years the first book spans。The worldbuilding was my favourite aspect for the first quarter of the story but then the protagonist's depth of character quickly caught up and surpassed it！I love that Alwyn is not entirely a good protagonist， both in terms of his morality as well as in terms of his reliability as a narrator of his own story。 The former is proven repeatedly as he is driven by his desire for vengeance but is also helpless in the face of the obstacles hindering his path。 The latter is acknowledged by himself on many occasions as the story is told from his older self and as such he gives quite a lot of commentary on his thoughts of past events。This isn't a short book but I practically flew through its pages。 The action is wonderfully alive and the side characters are done justice。This is an exciting start to a new series and I'm eager for book 2！Overall rating: 5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 。。。more
Raj
，
I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。The main character is Alwyn， the illegitimate son of a prostitute。 Fleeing for his life at an early age， he finds himself in the company of thieves， robbers and murderers in an outlaw band living in the forest。 Here he grows and learns his skills in life。 Alwyn is content to live amongst the lowest of society until his life takes a sudden twist。 Betrayal abruptly results in a dramatic change in Alwyn's life。 Wha I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。The main character is Alwyn， the illegitimate son of a prostitute。 Fleeing for his life at an early age， he finds himself in the company of thieves， robbers and murderers in an outlaw band living in the forest。 Here he grows and learns his skills in life。 Alwyn is content to live amongst the lowest of society until his life takes a sudden twist。 Betrayal abruptly results in a dramatic change in Alwyn's life。 What follows is Alwyn working his way up， becoming a warrior in a bloody quest for vengeance。For some reason， I struggled to get into the book at the start; however， I was very soon engrossed in the story。 Pages flew past as I sunk into the mesmerising tale。 The biggest problem with the story is the delay till the next book in the series。 The plot flows smoothly for the most part。 As expected from the author of the blood song， the world-building is phenomenal。 Similar to blood song， the story is from the protagonists perspective。The characters have depth; the protagonist， Alwyn， is noted for his intelligence early in the book。 Organically this lends to deeper introspection and thought。 Women are fascinating and brought to life， unsurprising given the strong female leads in previous books。 Throughout a journey set in a medieval world， a variety of individuals appear at pivotal moments。 Each one changes Alwyn's life， and thus the story。 Magic， surprisingly， is barely present。 The tale takes life through the heroes journey。 A path through a landscape influenced by faith， politics and battle。 Fight scenes are vivid and enchanting， a marked improvement。 Maybe Anthony has taken lessons from John Gwynne， whose quote graces the amazon page。This is a brilliant book and a great start to a new series。 Recommended and worth buying。 。。。more
Amanda K
，
Thank you to Orbit for the ARC， all opinions are my own。 The tale of Alwyn Scribe takes a bit of time to get underway， but the initial backstory does play a part in the rest of the book， so don’t forget it。 I liked that Alwyn learned something from the places he ended up， however otherwise awful or contrary to his own nature they might be， he rolled with the punches。 It is also nice to have a character who is unashamed of his own self interest when the obviously heroic set are rushing into somet Thank you to Orbit for the ARC， all opinions are my own。 The tale of Alwyn Scribe takes a bit of time to get underway， but the initial backstory does play a part in the rest of the book， so don’t forget it。 I liked that Alwyn learned something from the places he ended up， however otherwise awful or contrary to his own nature they might be， he rolled with the punches。 It is also nice to have a character who is unashamed of his own self interest when the obviously heroic set are rushing into something stupid or dangerous。 I didn’t like that he kept making the same mistakes， for an otherwise intelligent character he shoots himself in the foot a fair bit but that does make him relatable。 I’m interested to see where his story goes since this is book one of a series。 If you like your fantasy worlds epic in scale and main characters plucky， impulsive and far too observant for their own good then pick up The Pariah！ 。。。more
Jordan
，
The Pariah is the first entry in a new series by Anthony Ryan。 It follows Alwyn Scribe， an outlaw who lives in the woods with his comrades。 However， a betrayal sets him on a new path filled with blood and vengeance。 I’d like to thank Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel。 Unfortunately for me it was a DNF。 I got to 22% which is about 120ish pages in， so I can only talk about that first 22%。 I definitely think that this was well-written and the character work stuck The Pariah is the first entry in a new series by Anthony Ryan。 It follows Alwyn Scribe， an outlaw who lives in the woods with his comrades。 However， a betrayal sets him on a new path filled with blood and vengeance。 I’d like to thank Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel。 Unfortunately for me it was a DNF。 I got to 22% which is about 120ish pages in， so I can only talk about that first 22%。 I definitely think that this was well-written and the character work stuck me in this portion as pretty good， for the main character at least。 However， this is written in first person POV， and because I didn’t connect with or particularly like the MC， I really struggled to get to 22%。 This was incredibly character focused to start， and while there was nothing that particularly upset me or that I felt was wrong， it just felt a lot more gritty and crass than I cared for。 The MC didn’t even feel gray exactly， he just felt like a skeezy guy and I didn’t care to read about him。 Because this was a review copy， I tried to push through， but after a month of putting it down pretty quickly after picking it up， I hit the point that I knew it would just be a hate read if I continued。 I do recommend this book if you like morally questionable main characters， don’t mind a single POV for that questionable person， and like gritty character-driven stories。 。。。more
ash | novelly rooted
，
The Pariah by Anthony Ryan is the first novel in The Covenant of Steel， an all new epic fantasy trilogy introducing a perilous yet compelling journey through the eyes of an outlaw。“Paths to walk， fates to meet。”The story centers around Alwyn Scribe， an outlaw raised in the kingdom of Albermaine。 Thrown out of the only home he knew as a young boy， he found a home in the freedom of the woods with a band of thieves。 Alwyn， now a young man， finds himself on a new path after an act of betrayal agains The Pariah by Anthony Ryan is the first novel in The Covenant of Steel， an all new epic fantasy trilogy introducing a perilous yet compelling journey through the eyes of an outlaw。“Paths to walk， fates to meet。”The story centers around Alwyn Scribe， an outlaw raised in the kingdom of Albermaine。 Thrown out of the only home he knew as a young boy， he found a home in the freedom of the woods with a band of thieves。 Alwyn， now a young man， finds himself on a new path after an act of betrayal against his band of outlaws occurs。 He is forced to leave the woods behind and embark on a journey fighting for his freedom in the name of vengeance。 From outlaw to soldier， Alwyn sets his sight on delivering justice to all those who harmed the people closest to him。“All revolts begin with a spark that births a flame。”With a prose and narrative style that is dark， brave and full of spirit， The Pariah features politics， religion， myths， and battle scenes。 The world building was developed well as we progressed through some interesting places that had a sense of character and an air of mystery in and of itself。 The plot is tightly connected to Alwyn’s quest for justice and vengeance。 The places he journeys to are often influenced by others he has met along the way。 Despite being an outlaw， I loved how he was always open to acquiring new （and finer） skills to help aid his survival and learned as much as he could from others during the months and years he was sometimes forced， and other times voluntarily staying put。 It’s fascinating to see how a sequence of events and the people who come across Alwyn’s path could lead to a turn of events from an outlaw to a soldier in the king’s army。“Understanding should bring wisdom，” she told me。 But it will be drowned if you surrender to the indulgence of wrath。”The Pariah is full of characters to both love and hate。 Alwyn is such a well written character who is full of complexity。 Many of the supporting characters， including the villainous， evil forces， do feel one dimensional; serving as a player for Alwyn’s character to develop against。 It’s not a negative for me， but after recently finishing a line of books featuring multiple povs， The Pariah didn’t feel as robust in the depth of overall growth and dynamics for the other characters。 I think having only Alwyn’s pov was a little limiting for me personally。 I felt neutral towards the other characters。 As I said before， it’s not a negative and did not impact how I felt about the story overall because I do love how we experienced everything as Alwyn did and I think this story benefited from being told from only his perspective。Overall， a fantastic start to a series。 Alwyn is a character who stays with you long after you turn the final page。 His journey is one of justice， transition， morality， and definement。 Thank you to Orbit Books for providing me with an advanced readers copy via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion。 。。。more
Jill
，
The Pariah is the first novel in The Covenant of Steel saga by Anthony Ryan。 If you’re new to the author’s work， this is as good a place as any to start as both story and setting are all-new。Here we follow the tale of Alwyn Scribe， raised as an outlaw in the forests of Albermaine， forced by betrayal and hardship to become a soldier in the army under a commander haunted by visions of a demonic apocalypse。 The story is told in first person narration by Alwyn throughout。I found The Pariah quite dif The Pariah is the first novel in The Covenant of Steel saga by Anthony Ryan。 If you’re new to the author’s work， this is as good a place as any to start as both story and setting are all-new。Here we follow the tale of Alwyn Scribe， raised as an outlaw in the forests of Albermaine， forced by betrayal and hardship to become a soldier in the army under a commander haunted by visions of a demonic apocalypse。 The story is told in first person narration by Alwyn throughout。I found The Pariah quite difficult to engage with at first; it took a good 100+ pages before my interest was captured。 I also thought the plot was a little overly-episodic at times， which affected the pace of the novel in places。 That said， this is a very well written book; the prose flows nicely and I enjoyed the narrative voice of the protagonist throughout。 Anthony Ryan has also written some excellent battle scenes here。If you’re looking for a lengthy new fantasy saga to sink your teeth into， look no further。 The sequel（s） promise some excellent potential。Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers， Little Brown Book Group UK， for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
M。K。
，
Find the full review of The Pariah by Anthony Ryan right here。Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of The Pariah in exchange for an honest review。 I’ve been a fan of Anthony Ryan since the days of Raven’s Shadow。 Getting a chance to review the start of a new epic fantasy series was a blessing。The Pariah follows outlaw Alwyn Scribe whose life takes a sharp turn after his band falls victim to a traitorous plot。 From an illiterate outlaw to a talented scribe to a Find the full review of The Pariah by Anthony Ryan right here。Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of The Pariah in exchange for an honest review。 I’ve been a fan of Anthony Ryan since the days of Raven’s Shadow。 Getting a chance to review the start of a new epic fantasy series was a blessing。The Pariah follows outlaw Alwyn Scribe whose life takes a sharp turn after his band falls victim to a traitorous plot。 From an illiterate outlaw to a talented scribe to a soldier under a religious banner， Alwyn walks a cruel road。 Driven by revenge and then fueled by the mysteries of his world， he tries to survive in a setting that hides a blade ready to cut him at every step。While the book has a very slow start （thus the 4* rating）， it picks up speed after a hundred pages or so and can keep you glued to the pages。 It’s a thick book， but those 600 pages feel like they merely set the stage for a truly epic adventure in the sequel。 In terms of worldbuilding， it’s a meaty world， but there are things that could’ve been explored more in a way that would’ve benefited the story。 Things like the mysterious doom of the Scourge and the strange demonic Malecite。 But I expect this to be explored further in the sequel。All in all， if you’re looking for a classic medieval epic fantasy， go read The Pariah。 There’s clearly a lot brewing。 The sequel is too far off。 。。。more
Jo
，
The Pariah is my first Anthony Ryan book， and I've heard that it is set in an entirely new world - which definitely makes it a lot easier for me to catch up。The book follows the live of the outlaw Alwyn Scribe who later becomes a soldier and。。。。well， as as you know， a scribe。 Alwyn's narration and character pulled this book for me， showing that Anthony excels at writing amazingly realistic characteristics as well as easing new readers into an ever-growing world。 The Pariah is my first Anthony Ryan book， and I've heard that it is set in an entirely new world - which definitely makes it a lot easier for me to catch up。The book follows the live of the outlaw Alwyn Scribe who later becomes a soldier and。。。。well， as as you know， a scribe。 Alwyn's narration and character pulled this book for me， showing that Anthony excels at writing amazingly realistic characteristics as well as easing new readers into an ever-growing world。 。。。more
Heidi
，
If you like grim dark fantasy you should read this book。 It’s the story of a whoreson who was a bandit， pit miner and scribe。 It’s told in his view and he’s a sympathetic character。 It’s a very medieval world and you can just about smell the filth， blood and poverty coming off the pages。 Despite that he’s a sympathetic character。 He’s loyal to his friends and isn’t unnecessarily cruel。 Even his loyalty to a bandit is reasonable。 What’s a cast off boy supposed to do in a setting like that？ It’s s If you like grim dark fantasy you should read this book。 It’s the story of a whoreson who was a bandit， pit miner and scribe。 It’s told in his view and he’s a sympathetic character。 It’s a very medieval world and you can just about smell the filth， blood and poverty coming off the pages。 Despite that he’s a sympathetic character。 He’s loyal to his friends and isn’t unnecessarily cruel。 Even his loyalty to a bandit is reasonable。 What’s a cast off boy supposed to do in a setting like that？ It’s steal or starve。 Very well written but very dark。 Not for the faint of heart or of stomach。 。。。more
Hailey
，
What an incredible read！ This book is powerful， brutal， dark， and overall a brilliant beginning to a new fantasy series I cannot wait to dive further into。 When I first received my copy from Orbit I had initially started and got about a quarter way through but had to put the book on pause due to life being crazy。 The whole time I was not reading it all I could think about was Alwin。 His character experiences so much throughout the book and develops quite a bit as a person。 Going from an outlaw t What an incredible read！ This book is powerful， brutal， dark， and overall a brilliant beginning to a new fantasy series I cannot wait to dive further into。 When I first received my copy from Orbit I had initially started and got about a quarter way through but had to put the book on pause due to life being crazy。 The whole time I was not reading it all I could think about was Alwin。 His character experiences so much throughout the book and develops quite a bit as a person。 Going from an outlaw to a soldier， trying to exact revenge on those who betrayed his band， making close friendships。 Alwin is sharp-witted， cunning， and loyal to his friends。 There is just so much to love about him and the story。 We also meet a girl named Toria who is an incredibly strong and fierce woman as well as an extremely loyal friend。 Her interactions with Alwin are very humorous and help to lighten up the book。 It did take me a little bit initially to become fully invested in the story as the beginning few chapters can be quite dense with character introductions （luckily Ryan provides a great character list in the beginning of the book to go back to） but once it really started moving I was hooked。 Ryan also does a wonderful job with his world building， providing a lot of detail to give readers a clear picture without going into too much detail as to lose them。 The magic system in this first installation is a little light but this adds to the mystery and I’m hoping to see it developed more。 Overall the Pariah is a fantastic read with a complex plot， phenomenal world building， amazing character development， action， and just enough grimdark elements to give it some bite。 Cannot wait to read the next installment in this series！ 。。。more
Markus
，
3。5I’ve been wanting to read from Anthony Ryan for years and was excited to hear he was starting a new series with outlaws， betrayal and vengeance but unfortunately I had some mixed feelings about the Pariah。 The book was told in a very interesting way。 The main character narrates by recounting his past and would give you insight/foreshadowing at the end of chapters of what was yet to come， sort of like a memoir style story through first person point of view。 Perhaps this is why I had some issue 3。5I’ve been wanting to read from Anthony Ryan for years and was excited to hear he was starting a new series with outlaws， betrayal and vengeance but unfortunately I had some mixed feelings about the Pariah。 The book was told in a very interesting way。 The main character narrates by recounting his past and would give you insight/foreshadowing at the end of chapters of what was yet to come， sort of like a memoir style story through first person point of view。 Perhaps this is why I had some issues with the pacing。 I found it to be choppy and felt like it jumped around a lot。 I found when I would just finally start to get used to the new situations the main character was in and enjoy them， the plot and tone would suddenly change。 Which was， at times， disorienting。Religion was seen throughout the book but played a heavier role towards the second half。 I’m used to seeing religion in my fantasy books but wasn’t expecting it to be so prevalent in this one。I thought that there would be more fantasy elements in the book but it ended up feeling more like a historical fiction with rare moments of magic。 However， in the scenes where the fantasy elements were featured， I was very absorbed and interested to find out what was going to happen next。 These rare scenes were definitely my favourite parts of the book and I hope they are featured more in the sequels。The author writes his characters in a way where he gives you just enough information to find the characters interesting but not enough information to truly get to know them and understand their motivations/loyalties。 Again， this is most likely due to the narrative style。 This， combined with the harsh world， makes it so it’s hard to trust anyone but also sometimes makes it difficult to get attached to characters。 Overall， I enjoyed how the characterization was done but just wished we had more information/backstory for a few characters to be able to connect more。This was my introduction to Anthony Ryan and even though it wasn’t exactly the story I was hoping it to be， I’m still excited to pick up some of his other books， which is really good considering I own most of them。I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Debra
，
This was the first and only book I have read by Anthony Ryan。 I am wishing I had started with something else because now I have to wait until the sequel （s） to this book come out！This book has everything you could want。 A creative plot， interesting characters; ones you will love and ones you will hate。 Plot twists， good guys， bad guys and you don't always know who is who or who will change to become something else。 Laughs even。 I loved this book。 I wish I hadn't read it so fast。Thank you NetGall This was the first and only book I have read by Anthony Ryan。 I am wishing I had started with something else because now I have to wait until the sequel （s） to this book come out！This book has everything you could want。 A creative plot， interesting characters; ones you will love and ones you will hate。 Plot twists， good guys， bad guys and you don't always know who is who or who will change to become something else。 Laughs even。 I loved this book。 I wish I hadn't read it so fast。Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for the early read。 。。。more
Whimsy Dearest
，
The bastard son of a duke， Alwyn was abandoned in the woods as a child only to be picked up and raised by a band of outlaws。 He’s led a life of misfortune， killing and thieving， 。。。 and yet somehow， he manages to cheat the hangman's noose each time。Now， as luck or fate would have it， he’s finds himself caught in the midst of civil war and fighting under the banner of a noblewoman who claims that she foresees a second demon scourge unless the imposter king is dethroned。The Pariah by Anthony Ryan The bastard son of a duke， Alwyn was abandoned in the woods as a child only to be picked up and raised by a band of outlaws。 He’s led a life of misfortune， killing and thieving， 。。。 and yet somehow， he manages to cheat the hangman's noose each time。Now， as luck or fate would have it， he’s finds himself caught in the midst of civil war and fighting under the banner of a noblewoman who claims that she foresees a second demon scourge unless the imposter king is dethroned。The Pariah by Anthony Ryan introduces the first in a gripping new grimdark epic fantasy series called the Covenant of Steel。 I have to admit， this is a book that grew on me。 The beginning of the story feels slow and unfocused and was a chore for me to get through。 I nearly DNF’ed this book。 However， I’m glad I persevered because around the quarter mark， the story finally hits its stride and I was fully invested。I think for me， the key selling point is how well-written and complex its characters are。 They’re flawed and morally grey and all have their own ulterior motives。 Then， of course， there’s our main character: Alwyn。 He's wry and cunning and cynical， but a small part of him also does secretly want to believe in legends and prophesies。 He's perhaps an unreliable narrator as well since the story is framed as him transcribing his account of events to the reader。 All in all， if you’re looking for a quintessential grimdark fantasy filled with backstabbing， clashing religions， and a waste witch， I recommend picking up The Pariah。 Thank you， NetGalley and Orbit Books， for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sky
，
This was a fun read。 I feel like the storytelling was absolutely wonderful， so incredibly atmospheric。 It felt a little like game of thrones， which is a compliment。 It did not necessarily have a similar plot， but I feel like the writing and storytelling style are quite similar。 It was really engaging and intriguing。 The only issue I had Was that I found the characters to be difficult to care for。 They weren't bad。 I actually think they were pretty well written and decently complex。 I just did no This was a fun read。 I feel like the storytelling was absolutely wonderful， so incredibly atmospheric。 It felt a little like game of thrones， which is a compliment。 It did not necessarily have a similar plot， but I feel like the writing and storytelling style are quite similar。 It was really engaging and intriguing。 The only issue I had Was that I found the characters to be difficult to care for。 They weren't bad。 I actually think they were pretty well written and decently complex。 I just did not overly care if they died。 However， I feel like this issue will be quickly remedied If this becomes a series as we will then have more exposure。 。。。more
Sophia
，
Written from the first person perspective of Alwyn Scribe- an orphaned boy taken in by an outlaw band and raised among murderers and thieves- The Pariah reads as a memoir of his life after a betrayal leaves him ripped away from the life he had known since he was a child。 First things first， this book is written in first person， single character pov so the reader's enjoyment hinges mainly on how much they enjoy Alwyn as a narrator- and while there were moments in which he addresses the read Written from the first person perspective of Alwyn Scribe- an orphaned boy taken in by an outlaw band and raised among murderers and thieves- The Pariah reads as a memoir of his life after a betrayal leaves him ripped away from the life he had known since he was a child。 First things first， this book is written in first person， single character pov so the reader's enjoyment hinges mainly on how much they enjoy Alwyn as a narrator- and while there were moments in which he addresses the reader directly which I personally found to be a bit immersion breaking- I did find that I enjoyed his character and perspective quite a bit。 Alwyn is- what I would consider to be- a unique main character in the fantasy realm in the fact that he is often shown to be more of a scholar than a fighter。 This does mean that there aren't many action-heavy battle scenes within the book， but that isn't something that I would personally consider to be a negative as I feel that this choice lended to a better characterization of Alwyn as well as the many well-written and developed characters that surrounded him。 This is definitely a "minimum fantasy" fantasy book， as aside from some sparse mentions and demonstrations of magic and lore， there aren't really many fantasy elements at play within the story， which at times left me feeling as though I was reading a historical account rather than a work of fantasy- which I suppose from the realm of this book， I technically was。 Personally， that wasn't something that bothered me too much， but it did leave me hoping that Anthony Ryan explores the magic of prophecy- which seemed to be hinted at being a titular part of the story as a whole- in the upcoming books。 Another point to touch on when discussing this book is the heavy themes of religion within the story， which is the main foundation for the lore and world building and one of the things that I can forsee being a turn off for potential readers who pick up this book without looking into it ahead of time。 It was an element of the book which I thought was done very well and added a lot of depth to the world， but I understand that there are many readers that prefer fantasy religions to be just a minor element of world building rather than being an active contributer to the plot and story。 The writing style was pretty easy to get into， and the grimdark setting was something that I enjoyed and would reccomend to fans of authors such as Scott Lynch， Joe Abercrombie， and George R。R。 Martin。 It wasn't overly wordy and flowery while also not being sparse and vauge to the point where there was no understanding of what was going on。 This was my first introduction to Anthony Ryan's writing and I'm happy to say that it piqued my interest not only for the next book in The Convent of Steel， but for anything else that he has published right now。 The Pariah is definitely a book that I will be reccomending for anyone looking for a grimdark story that doesn't lean too heavy on the fantasy elements of the genre and I look forward to seeing how the next books expand upon the world and the journey of Alwyn Scribe。 。。。more
Kayla with a Book
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ARC acquired by Orbit via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。“The life of a pariah can be as meaningful as that of a king。”The Pariah follows the journey of Alwyn Scribe from bastard-born outlaw， thieving with a notorious band of misfits， to warrior， following noble-woman Evadine Courlain， commander of in the royal army。 The first 15% of this book was quite boring and slow paced。 I didn’t become invested in the story until around chapter seven， when an act of betrayal sparks Alwyn’s rev ARC acquired by Orbit via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。“The life of a pariah can be as meaningful as that of a king。”The Pariah follows the journey of Alwyn Scribe from bastard-born outlaw， thieving with a notorious band of misfits， to warrior， following noble-woman Evadine Courlain， commander of in the royal army。 The first 15% of this book was quite boring and slow paced。 I didn’t become invested in the story until around chapter seven， when an act of betrayal sparks Alwyn’s revenge story。 This was my first book by Anthony Ryan， and I was not disappointed even through this isn’t the typical fantasy I read。 The description can be a bit misleading in its mention of dark forces and demonic apocalypse。 Evadine’s visions didn’t strike me as demonic in any way。 They foretell the coming of the Second Scourge。 The magic in this story is not at the forefront either。 It’s barely mentioned at all until you meet a character known as the Sack Witch。 It is not a story steeped in magic and adventure but instead， it focuses on Alwyn’s quest for vengeance as he moves through capture after capture until he finally finds a place in the royal army。 Religion plays a heavy role in the politics surrounding this story， so if that’s something that you aren’t interested in， know going in， that the second half of the book heavily centers on it。 This is a very character driven story， specifically Alwyn’s character as he figures out where he belongs in this world of outlaws and knights。 This story is told like a memoir， where Alwyn is telling the reader about his journey。 There are times when the reader is addressed directly， and I found that to be a bit distracting as it took me out of story because of how infrequent it appears。 Because we are following Alwyn’s journey， I felt we didn’t get enough time with some of the side characters that were just as interesting as Alwyn。 I would have liked to see more of Toria and the Sack Witch。 There were times when Toria’s character is absent for chapters at a time even though she’s within the same space as Alwyn。 Overall， I enjoyed this first installment to a new series， and I will definitely continue on with the series and look into Anthony Ryan’s other works。 “Cowardice had always felt like a redundant concept to one born to a day-to-day struggle for mere survival。” The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication。 。。。more
Laura
，
What a slog to get through。。。 I actually stopped reading it for a good month or so before was able to return to it， and I debated a number of times if I was dedicated enough to finish it。 If it weren't an ARC， I probably wouldn't have。It has some really good bones， and it's by no means a terrible book， but it feels like an overly wordy prequel。 I'm no stranger to long books， but some of this certainly could've been condensed。 I will say， the pace picked up a bit in part two and on - enough to at What a slog to get through。。。 I actually stopped reading it for a good month or so before was able to return to it， and I debated a number of times if I was dedicated enough to finish it。 If it weren't an ARC， I probably wouldn't have。It has some really good bones， and it's by no means a terrible book， but it feels like an overly wordy prequel。 I'm no stranger to long books， but some of this certainly could've been condensed。 I will say， the pace picked up a bit in part two and on - enough to at least keep me reading。 The stakes didn't feel high， the twists felt predictable。 There are so many names to remember that I lost some of the threads。 And I really don't need detailed remarks of how filled with lust the teenage boys get every time they're around a new female character。。。I probably would read the next one， but it's definitely not high on my list。Thank you as always to NetGallery and the publisher， Orbit， for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
On the Same Page
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ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Rather than meeting my expectations and delivering a pretty standard fantasy story， I ended up really enjoying my time with this book。Alwyn is an outlaw， and he's good at it。 Appreciated by the Deckin， king of the outlaws， for his sharp eyes， ears and mind， he is often sent out to retrieve information。 The purpose isn't always clear， but when Deckin's masterplan is revealed and put into action， Alwyn suddenly finds ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Rather than meeting my expectations and delivering a pretty standard fantasy story， I ended up really enjoying my time with this book。Alwyn is an outlaw， and he's good at it。 Appreciated by the Deckin， king of the outlaws， for his sharp eyes， ears and mind， he is often sent out to retrieve information。 The purpose isn't always clear， but when Deckin's masterplan is revealed and put into action， Alwyn suddenly finds himself on the run， and the life he had imagined for himself forever out of reach。 The story is written like a memoir， or more likely the testament of Alwyn himself， meant for us， the readers。 It spans a relatively decent chunk of his life， starting with his teen years as part of Deckin's band of thieves， and ending with him as a young man， set on an entirely different course。 We follow him through everything he experiences， and while not every phase of his life is filled with action and sword fights， I found all of it compelling。 A huge reason why is Alwyn himself。 I found him a fairly likeable character with few aggravating qualities， which in turn made it very easy to root for him。 He exhibits a fierce sense of loyalty that attracts others to him， but also lands him in a good amount of trouble。 I really enjoyed seeing his relationships with a few of the side characters， especially with Toria。 This could easily have turned into a romance， but instead became a delightful friendship and partnership， and I appreciated it all the more for that。This book was very light on magic， and while it is officially a fantasy， it reads almost like historical fiction。 I'm sure there will be more fantasy elements in the next two books; there seem to be some mystical elements related to the religion within this universe that get hinted at but not fully explored， and I'm curious to find out more。If you're a fan of Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice， I think you might enjoy Alwyn's journey。 。。。more
Daniel
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The book follows Alwyn Scribe， an outlaw that experiences a betrayal that ultimately results in him joining the army and following a Joan of Arc type character。 This book was very enjoyable。 Perhaps my favorite of the Anthony Ryan books that I have read。 I think the major strength of this book was the character of Alwyn Scribe himself。 Seeing his development from scrappy outlaw to where he ends up at the finale of the book was a lot of fun and his developments all felt organic and made sense for The book follows Alwyn Scribe， an outlaw that experiences a betrayal that ultimately results in him joining the army and following a Joan of Arc type character。 This book was very enjoyable。 Perhaps my favorite of the Anthony Ryan books that I have read。 I think the major strength of this book was the character of Alwyn Scribe himself。 Seeing his development from scrappy outlaw to where he ends up at the finale of the book was a lot of fun and his developments all felt organic and made sense for the character。 The setting itself was appropriately dark。 The world is your pretty standard Medieval Europe with the bulk of the story taking place on the continental Europe analog with a brief foray into a frozen North with viking type characters。 Magic made a few appearances throughout and seemingly will play a bigger role in the future which is something that I look forward to。 Not that the magic in here was poorly done or anything， it's just that teases we got made me want more。 Speaking of wanting more， I found myself unable to put the book down。 I read the entire book in a day。 It reads fairly quickly and does not feel like the nearly 600 pages that make it up。 I look forward to learning more about Alwyn's future。 。。。more
Books。With。Peach
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3/5 stars！ Guess who binged another book， me！ I read it through the night and this is a great start to a new epic fantasy series。 It did take me at least 150 pages to get into the story， but once I did， oh man， this novel takes you on a journey。 There’s lots of amazing action scenes， prophecies， and political intrigue。 We mainly follow the story through the eyes of Alwyn Scribe， an outlaw。 After a sudden betrayal， he finds himself working under a noblewoman's command。 We get to see his journey a 3/5 stars！ Guess who binged another book， me！ I read it through the night and this is a great start to a new epic fantasy series。 It did take me at least 150 pages to get into the story， but once I did， oh man， this novel takes you on a journey。 There’s lots of amazing action scenes， prophecies， and political intrigue。 We mainly follow the story through the eyes of Alwyn Scribe， an outlaw。 After a sudden betrayal， he finds himself working under a noblewoman's command。 We get to see his journey and growth as he goes from an outlaw to a knight。 Alwyn is such a complex character， he’s cunning and resourceful （due to his time with the outlaws）， and naive at times。 He’s susceptible to being manipulated， yet he’s intelligent。 There’s also Toria， a character that I loved， her interactions with Alwyn are funny。 Toria is fierce and a loyal friend to Alwyn。 Of course， we also have the noblewoman Evadine， who has visions of an upcoming apocalypse。 The reason I dropped a star was due to the large amounts of religion talks in fantasy。 I do like there being some in the novel， but I felt like I was being preached at， forcibly。 There was just too much， I had to force myself to read through those parts。 But other than that， the novel is written in 1st person POV。 I generally dislike it in other books， but it worked here！ If you’re looking for a new fantasy epic， with grimdark elements， vague magic， and lots of great action， please pick this up。 It’s releasing on August 24th！ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Orbit for giving me an e-arc of the book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Petrik
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ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review。I’ve read every novel by Anthony Ryan， and The Pariah just might have his best prose so far。 "When the task is a killing， be quick and make sure of it。 Torment is an indulgence。 Save it for only the most deserving。" There were three reasons why I was incredibly excited to read The Pariah。 One， excluding novellas and short stories， I’ve read every novel by Anthony Ryan， and I plan to keep it that way。 Second， the cover ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review。I’ve read every novel by Anthony Ryan， and The Pariah just might have his best prose so far。 "When the task is a killing， be quick and make sure of it。 Torment is an indulgence。 Save it for only the most deserving。" There were three reasons why I was incredibly excited to read The Pariah。 One， excluding novellas and short stories， I’ve read every novel by Anthony Ryan， and I plan to keep it that way。 Second， the cover art is illustrated by Jaime Jones， one of my favorite cover artists。 Lastly， I heard that Anthony Ryan is sticking with one POV for the narration of The Pariah， and this made me gleeful。 “All ambition is folly when it fails to be matched by reason。” The story in The Pariah is told exclusively through the perspective of Alwyn Scribe。 Raised as an outlaw and quick on his wit， Alwyn is content with life on the woods and the comradeship he has with his fellow thieves。 At least， until a brutal event changes his life completely。 That is pretty much all I can say regarding the premise of the novel。 If you’re really averse to spoilers， I suggest you not check out the official synopsis of this novel; there’s plenty of spoilers in there， and frankly， quite a few inaccuracies。 There’s close to zero magic in The Pariah， and Alwyn definitely wasn’t skillful with a blade。 Seriously， do not start The Pariah expecting a lot of actions， magic， or fantastical creatures; The Pariah takes place in a medieval world， and at times—for now， anyway—it almost felt like I was reading historical fiction。 Again， these aren’t negative things to me。 I highly enjoyed reading The Pariah。 It’s a compelling slow-burn narrative filled heavily with themes of religions， justice， and freedom。 “We fought and we bickered， but we also suffered cold and hunger together， as families do， and family is to be cherished， as is life… And life should not be wasted on pointless feuds or hopeless endeavours。 This much I’ve learned。” Whether you love The Pariah or not， I think， would depends a lot on whether you could click with Alwyn’s narration or not。 As I said， Alwyn is the only POV character in this novel， and the novel is told in a diary format written by him， similar to The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell。 Sometimes， Alwyn himself mentioned “dear reader” in his narration to remind us of this fact。 I personally think that The Pariah exhibited Ryan’s prose at his best。 I’ve mentioned it several times now， and this is obviously just my preference， but I feel like I always enjoy reading Ryan’s fantasy books the most when the story is told from the perspective of one or two POV characters。 For example， just like Blood Song， The Raven’s Blade duology， and this。 “Every man is a liar， but the worst lie is the one he tells himself。” However， this doesn’t mean that there weren’t any memorable side characters。 Throughout the story in The Pariah， Alwyn encountered several individuals that ended up being crucial in influencing the path of his life。 Deckin， Toria， Shirlah， and Evadine Courlaine being the most pivotal of them all。 Plus， although I stated that there weren’t a lot of action scenes， the few battle scenes that exist in The Pariah hits immensely hard。 Invigorating battle speeches， vivid chaotic battles， and each intense battle sequences were bloodsoaked。 If there’s anything that I wanted more out of The Pariah， it would have to be for the series to exhibit more fantasy elements。 The Pariah felt like the groundwork for the rest of the series on this aspect。 There are hints of these to come; religions and faith are dominant in the narrative， and we’ve heard about the Scourge， Seraphile， and Malecite in this book。 I hope the sequels will feature more of them。 “Rage can make us feared and compel the obedience of the weak as a wolf compels its pack， but also it blinds us， as Deckin learned too late。” The Pariah is a superbly written beginning to The Covenant of Steel trilogy。 The first-hand account of Alwyn Scribe is rich with personality and distinction。 I definitely loved it， I have no idea where the story will go from here， and I’m excited to find out what’s next in Alwyn’s adventure。Official release date: 24th August 2021 （US） and 26th September 2021 （UK）You can pre-order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Blackwells （Free International shipping） | The Broken Binding （Use my code: NOVELNOTIONS121 for discount！）You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channelSpecial thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing！My Patrons: Alfred， Annabeth， Ben， Blaise， Devin， Diana， Dylan， Edward， Element， Ellen， Gary， Hamad， Helen， Jimmy Nutts， Jennifer， Joie， Luis， Lufi， Melinda， Mike， Miracle， Nicholas， Samuel， Sarah， Sarah， Shaad， Summer， Wendy， Wick， Zoe。 。。。more
Dawn
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I can't tell you how much I wanted this book when I first saw it， and having read it I can't tell you how much I want the next book in the series （but it's a safe bet if you double it！）。 The plot is full of twists that makes this fairly straightforward story anything but， and it was a hard book to put down。 The characters are solid， complicated， and brilliant。 Of course， there's some fantastic writing which always helps！My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written v I can't tell you how much I wanted this book when I first saw it， and having read it I can't tell you how much I want the next book in the series （but it's a safe bet if you double it！）。 The plot is full of twists that makes this fairly straightforward story anything but， and it was a hard book to put down。 The characters are solid， complicated， and brilliant。 Of course， there's some fantastic writing which always helps！My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own， unbiased， opinion。 。。。more
Delaney
，
Review for The Pariah by Anthony Ryan A huge thank you Orbit for the sending me a copy to review！ Blurb: “Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine， Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw。 Quick of wit and deft with a blade， Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves。 But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path - one of blood and vengeance， which eventually leads him to a soldier's life in the king's army。Fighting under the command of Lady E Review for The Pariah by Anthony Ryan A huge thank you Orbit for the sending me a copy to review！ Blurb: “Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine， Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw。 Quick of wit and deft with a blade， Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves。 But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path - one of blood and vengeance， which eventually leads him to a soldier's life in the king's army。Fighting under the command of Lady Evadine Courlain， a noblewoman beset by visions of a demonic apocalypse， Alwyn must survive war and the deadly intrigues of the nobility if he hopes to claim his vengeance。 But as dark forces， both human and arcane， gather to oppose Evadine's rise， Alwyn faces a choice: can he be a warrior， or will he always be an outlaw？” My Thoughts I went into this book super excited to read my first book from Ryan。 It has outlaws， betrayals， and a vengeance arc in it， what’s not to love？！I have a few bones to pick but want to get into what I did enjoy first。My favorite， shining star of this book was Toria。 She brought me the most joy out of all the characters and is who I would be the most interested in learning more about in subsequent books。 While she isn’t our main character， she did consistently make me chuckle when she showed up on the page。A close second is Ayin， who has a sharp edge to her， but can also be very ignorant to the world around her。 Think of a deer caught in the headlights， who also knows how to wield a knife， and you’ve got Ayin。Then we have Alwyn。 I really wanted to love him， but something just didn’t click for me。 He’s an outlaw， he’s been betrayed， and just goes through it in the first chunk of this book if we’re being honest。 But something just made me not enjoy reading his journey。 Maybe it’s because through a 600+ page book， I never really got to know him。 Sure， we must leave some mystery to his character for future books， but I just didn’t get to connect to him at all。It also never helps when I have to hear about a teenage boy being lust filled every time we meet another female character。 It’s a big no from me。 The pacing of this book starts off really strong， and tips at about the 30% mark， and then everything seems to move in slow motion。 This book sets us up for a lot to come， and almost felt like a prequel should。 It has a ton of exposition， and what feels like a lot of filler right now。 In first books in a series you expect a lot of worldbuilding， but it ended up feeling a bit like a history textbook without any payoff。 I found my mind wandering through pages of Alwyn’s internal monologue， with a very small amount of actual dialogue to break it up。Overall， I went in expecting to love this because the premise sounds great， and I usually love following a single character throughout a vast adventure。 It missed the mark due to its glacial pacing， lack of Alwyn’s character depth， and exposition that seemed to come without a payoff。 Overall （TLDR） I know this book has （and will continue） to find an audience who loves it。 I’d recommend it to those who want a new fantasy series to truly immerse themselves in with a slow plot and a lot of information。 I’m bummed that I didn’t enjoy this as much as I was hoping， but I’ll always be honest in my reviews。 I’d rate this a 2。5/5 but rounded up to rate via Goodreads and Netgalley。Thank you as always to Orbit for the copy to review！ This has in no way altered my opinions。Go read this， and then find me on Instagram and Twitter！InstagramTwitter 。。。more
L。K。 Evans
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I’m so thankful I won an advanced reader copy of this book。 I’m a huge fan of Mr。 Ryan， and it seems when I’m in a reading slump， his books always pull me out。The book is told in first person by Alwyn Scribe and is pretty much the story of his life starting at a pivotal moment。 We follow him as his once-familiar life gets turned upside down and events set him on a path of mystery and greatness。 And there’s a fair share of mystery and I have loads that I need to know still。 For those of you who a I’m so thankful I won an advanced reader copy of this book。 I’m a huge fan of Mr。 Ryan， and it seems when I’m in a reading slump， his books always pull me out。The book is told in first person by Alwyn Scribe and is pretty much the story of his life starting at a pivotal moment。 We follow him as his once-familiar life gets turned upside down and events set him on a path of mystery and greatness。 And there’s a fair share of mystery and I have loads that I need to know still。 For those of you who are fans of Ryan， this book won’t disappoint。 For those unfamiliar with Ryan， I think you’ll enjoy it。 My mother， who has yet to read any of Ryan’s books despite my pleading， has started reading this and hasn’t put it down。 My mother might actually be more picky of a reader than me， which says more than I can about Ryan’s storytelling talents。I think where Ryan shines through every book I’ve read is his world building。 It’s always rich， grounded， and fleshed out without massive info dumping。 He leads us into his world through scenes that naturally unfold and explain what the hell is going on。 When I sit with his books， I’m never nervous。 He’s earn my trust as a magnificent author who gives what I need when I need it。This book is heavy on fictional religion with a dose of politics but it’s not burdened by them。 The story moves from a forest to a pit mine to a battlefield and keeps us along for the ride。 The settings are described with efficiency and fullness。 I don’t think those who love description will be disappointed nor those who feel bored with description。 Balance in all things。 I will say， there’s a battle scene that I think was done wonderfully well。 So many battles I read are massive events told broadly。 Ryan boiled that down to the perspective of one and showed the gritty horror of it。 I loved it！The characters are all wonderful and fleshed out。 I will admittedly say this is the first book of Ryan’s where I didn’t feel attached to the characters， yet somehow it satisfied my desires and I enjoyed them all。 My mother， on the other hand， has grown fond and attached to a few。 For me， I was looking for more emotion from Alwyn。 He certainly had a past to support a bit more of an unstable mental state， but I found him pushing through events faster than I wanted。 Now， I will say that I was riddled with interruptions while reading this book， so perhaps that played a role in my distance。Overall， this is a wonderful story that moves along at a nice pace and got me out of my reading slump， which is all I really need to say。 It’s due to publish on August 24th， so now is a good time to preorder！ 。。。more
Madeline
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I love love love Anthony Ryan， so I was desperate to get my hands on a copy of his new book as soon as possible。 Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for making that happen。The Pariah is the start of a new series and it feels like it's setting up something big。 It is the story of Alwyn Scribe， told in first person narrative。 I don't know what kind of wizardry Mr Ryan gets up to， but he manages to do fantastic world building and character exploration through a single voice with no blatant i I love love love Anthony Ryan， so I was desperate to get my hands on a copy of his new book as soon as possible。 Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for making that happen。The Pariah is the start of a new series and it feels like it's setting up something big。 It is the story of Alwyn Scribe， told in first person narrative。 I don't know what kind of wizardry Mr Ryan gets up to， but he manages to do fantastic world building and character exploration through a single voice with no blatant info dumps。 How does one do that？！？ His mastery of the written word is something else。 Anyway， Alwyn is a bit of a scallywag （my description） who is a keen observer of the surrounding world。 It isn't a fantastical skill， he's just very shrewd in a human way。 Alwyn's early life is deprived， until he is recruited into a band of outlaws （a bit Robin Hood-esque） and his keen sense is valued。 Then things go awry。Things happen， but this book mostly feels like it is preparing for a bigger story in the second and third books。 I was enjoying it， but not devotedly loving it until the last quarter where it rollicks along to the end。 I can't wait to read about what the scamp is going to get up to next！ 。。。more
Nina
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The Fussy Reader First off， big thanks to the publisher， Orbit， and Netgalley for letting me have the audiobook early。 Apologies if I spell any names incorrectly， I don't have any physical reference。This was my first Anthony Ryan book， so I've no idea if this is separate from his other series or set in the same world。I struggled the whole time to connect and can't help think the only reason I finished it was because it was an audiobook， and also an arc， so I had an obligation to at least try to The Fussy Reader First off， big thanks to the publisher， Orbit， and Netgalley for letting me have the audiobook early。 Apologies if I spell any names incorrectly， I don't have any physical reference。This was my first Anthony Ryan book， so I've no idea if this is separate from his other series or set in the same world。I struggled the whole time to connect and can't help think the only reason I finished it was because it was an audiobook， and also an arc， so I had an obligation to at least try to finish it。That's not to say this is a bad book -- there're dozens of five stars reviews -- however， I don't think I was the right audience for this one。CharactersWe follow the life of Alwyn Scribe in an autobiographical narrative。 Not my favourite， as I often feel that the characters delivering the story of their life oftentimes have pretty unexciting lives。 Alwyn is no exception。And yes， sure， there are certain interesting events that happen in Alwyn's life， but too often I felt that the interesting events were buffered by long stretches of mundanity。 It almost lessens the impact of the more important events。I mean at least， thank god， we skip over those years in the pit mine。 I don't think I could have suffered an indeterminate amount of chapters of him learning to read while a zealot preaches at him。I really liked Toria though。 She was awesome and ballsy but not without fear。 She felt well thought out and wasn't just another typical cookie-cutter female character。 She was probably the only stand out character for me。PlotAll that being said， I was willing to give Alwyn the benefit of the doubt and try to throw myself into his story。 And to be fair， in the beginning， I was interested to see where things would lead him。 I enjoyed his time with the outlaw band。 Then things happened that I didn't expect and my interest doubled， thinking this would be some kind of brutal revenge plot， and I was totally here for it。 But then the whole pit mine arc happened and it felt like the brakes had been thrown on。 It was around the 50% mark that I realised my focus on the story was slipping。 For a time I blamed the fact that I was listening to an audiobook， so that must have been why I couldn't concentrate。 Then I realised， maybe I'm just not finding the book engaging enough to keep my focus。 Maybe I'm just finding it all a little。。。boring。This feeling continued until the 60% mark， however after this point， the pacing improved。 I found the introduction of the sack witch and any involving story arcs fascinating， but wished she'd been used a bit more。Plot-wise， it's a bit too religious for my tastes。 I actually really enjoy made-up religions in fantasy， but I'm not a fan when it's such a prominent part of the plot。 Nothing wrong with it， and it's actually very well done in this book and shows real character growth。 But for my own personal tastes， it dominated the story far too much。The battle scene was also brilliant。 Detailed and fast and fluid in pace。 I love a well-written battle that doesn't hold back on the brutality and horrors of war， and this battle scene was truly great。 However， as Alwyn is narrating his own story in past tense， I never felt the drama or anxieties that I would normally feel when reading a battle scene。 I already knew Alwyn would survive it， he's narrating this story after all。 Same in his final single combat battle。 I just couldn't bring myself to invest because I knew he'd survive。SettingThis is a vast， rich world populated by many different cultures。 I could really feel how developed this world was。 Great care has been taken to make this distinctive against other fantasy worlds。I've noticed a lot of reviews and such branding this as high fantasy。 But by definition， this is very much low fantasy in my book。 Of course， it's not urban fantasy， it's still set in a secondary world， but it's a secondary world very reminiscent of our own， even down to the 'fantasy Scandinavian' culture in which an execution practice called 'Crimson Hawk' is performed， AKA， Blood Eagle。 The magic in this world， if we can even call it such， is minimal。 Besides the sack witch and the few mysterious things she does， there're no magical elements in the story。 This isn't me complaining at all， just mentioning that I'd personally categorise this as low fantasy rather than high。Writing StyleThe writing is fantastic and feels very natural and comfortable within the genre。 I feel like a fantasy pro has written this， so from the very start， I felt assured the storytelling was in safe， capable hands， even if it wasn't to my taste。 Descriptions are vivid without being over-written。 There's no denying this is excellently written with deliberate word choices that create strong imagery。Because this autobiographical style is not my taste in narrative style， I think it inhibits my enjoyment somewhat。 A narrator telling me what is happening， eluding to things that will happen in the future， whilst also calling me 'dear reader，' does nothing for me except slap a great big wall between me and immersion。 It immediately reminds me that all I'm doing is reading a book， and I don't want to feel like I'm reading a book， I want to feel like I'm there， running alongside the characters in an unknown world。I don't know what it is， but I struggle to fully connect myself to a character or world when it feels like the story is being told to me rather than me experiencing it first-hand with the character。 I think it's cause the character themselves already knows what will happen， while I'm left in the dark。 I much prefer to live in the moment with the characters and not be delivered a story second-hand。So for this reason， due to my own very personal taste in narrative style， I couldn't connect to Alwyn as a character and therefore found myself investing very little into his tale。 But despite everything， this was still a more compelling autobiography than Kvothe's。Final ImpressionAdmittedly， not for me。 But I can see this will be loved by many， many readers and I hope that's so。InstagramTwitter 。。。more
Nick Brett
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I have enjoyed all Anthony Ryan’s previous works， meaty fantasies and strong， usually male， lead characters。 His early books had very much a touch of the David Gemmell about them （which was a good thing）， heroic brooding stuff。So， to The Pariah which felt a little different to his previous work。 The Pariah is the story of a young man using his wits to survive through a number of life changing events， although he generally becomes known as The Scribe rather than The Pariah。We start with very much I have enjoyed all Anthony Ryan’s previous works， meaty fantasies and strong， usually male， lead characters。 His early books had very much a touch of the David Gemmell about them （which was a good thing）， heroic brooding stuff。So， to The Pariah which felt a little different to his previous work。 The Pariah is the story of a young man using his wits to survive through a number of life changing events， although he generally becomes known as The Scribe rather than The Pariah。We start with very much a Robin Hood vibe as our young man is a member of an outlaw gang， led by a man with dangerous ambitions。 When the gang is betrayed he manages to escape for a while before a series of adventures end up with him enlisting as a soldier， being sent as a prisoner to the mines and then as a fighter for a mesmerising woman of faith。The faith thing is an interesting theme here， often used in fantasy as a theme for good or （usually） evil。 Here our young man plays the game to survive but ends up embracing the powerful messages and people he meets。 And it will change him forever。A bit different this one and has to be seen as the first in a series。 It doesn’t have the big powerful world changing feel of previous books， this is smaller picture （so far） with a reasonably linear story。 Right to the end of the book you are not entirely sure what our Hero’s motives are， is he self-serving or becoming a believer in the cause？ I did enjoy it， but so it didn’t quite find that uniqueness to make it stand out， that may come in the next books。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Pariah
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Pariah&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Pariah&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0