Reviews

The Pariah by Anthony Ryan

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kensingtonska's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Not a big fan of the way the first person past tense has been delivered. I found the main character to be a bit too much of an edgy mary sue (in my opinion).

The story beat is pacing is good. I didn't feel like i was reading a travel log at any stage. An exemplary usage of the "yes but, no and" plotting technique.

I liked the subtility of the magic system, although I'm unsure if it's even a "system" at this stage in the series.

The setting was pretty bland. Very typical US inspired medieval England. I generally found myself forgetting where any of the places referenced in the world were. But i don't think it held the story back in any way since the main story locations were all well defined.

All in all, a fine book.

bookish_withsky's review against another edition

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4.0

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.

vshashank666's review against another edition

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5.0

Excellent.

Well written characters. Multiple threads. SWORD. SHIELD. COVENANT.

Sold.

nathanreadsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

neilsef's review

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

With most books, standalone or series, that I have read the direction the plot is heading is possible to guess, and within reason work out what the general conclusion will be, but this book is one of those where it's difficult to see just where it's headed as it appears just to be a recounting of the life of the main character, this being Alwyn, a whores bastard, who was found lost in a forest and taken in by an outlaw at the age of ten, becoming a valued member of his band. In the next fifteen or so years, life takes many twists and turns for Alwyn, with very few of them in the latter part favourable to him, in this well-paced tale, that draws you in as the events and experiences that shaped Alwyn's life unfold before you.

The characters, which are many and varied, are on the whole well written and nicely developed as the story progresses, with more than a few of them having interesting personalities, though I didn't develop any great emotional attachment to them.

This is a very entertaining adventure that is full of blood and guts conflicts, betrayal, revenge, mystery and intrigue, plus a plot that will keep you engaged from start to finish as well as rarely going in the direction you might expect, which to me is always a sign of a good book.

iswendle's review against another edition

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3.0

Anthony Ryan sure has a way with words. The Pariah is a meticulously crafted fantasy story with a war waried world in which an orphan, our hero, makes his way from outlaw to knight.

Alwyn is picked up by a legendary band of roving thieves as a young orphan, who was left at the whorehouse. He becomes a clever thief with the tutorage of the Outlaw King. However, outlaw life being unpredictable, Alwyn finds himself in all kinds of danger ranging from life in prison, learning letters, the battlefield of the ongoing war, boats travelling the northern seas, knighthood training and overzealous religious wars.

The Pariah being my first Anthony Ryan book found a good spot in my collection, it really filled an otherwise empty spot. The book (and all his books judging by other reviews) is really well crafted fantasy realms in which a lone boy goes from zero to hero with a cast of likable characters in a world that you soon learn most of the small details from.

The best part about the book is in fact its characters and world building. Most main characters, while having the tendency to appear in the story as a mere "quest giver" as you'd find in an RPG game, are really likable or at least well written in a way that makes them easy to imagine and hard to forget. They are normal people, not too high strung like most other fantasy wizards and knights you'd meet in your share of fantasy literature. These characters roam a world that is very, very vast in its complexity which came as a real surprise to me. There is ancient peoples feuds, king's heritage, (imaginable and relevant) geography and overall a well though out landscape. This is not new to fantasy readers but what I really liked about Anthony Ryan's writing is that it is written in such a way that the reader doesn't have to go back every other page to remember the name of the new king or knight that's just been introduced. The world and its cast really are the highlight of the book.

That isn't to say the book doesn't have its flaws. It somewhat hugely relies on some pretty old story tropes, which may or may not bore a reader. There is the old: orphan gets picked up by legendary fighter and somehow is a natural at their trait. Or: hero who almost went from zero to, well, hero, gets captured and sent to prison. Followed by: prison is perfect and hero finds mentor number 2 who shows them another valuable skill in which hero is of course naturally gifted. These are not that annoying and mostly appear in the book's setup. I found them fun to read, but I can imagine this first half of the book seeming a little familiar.

Apart from that the only bone I have to pick with the author is on his sometimes weird writing? The book, to me, felt quite quick and although some sections are dragged on a little this book does well in presenting the reader with plenty of action or intrigue in every other chapter. The writing is quick and visual, with the action never being dragged on and always hard and in your face. Sometimes though, in between these scenes, the author sometimes resolves to drag on in a very chique, eloquent form of describing situations, which just makes the slow section stand out even more from the rest of the otherwise intriguing book. This is especially true in the early part of the book when introducing the religious motivation of the factions and characters. I saw some reviewers put the book down because of it and I really see why. Religion is an important motivator of the book but I feel like the way it does the motivating is really not a problem; it maintains a way of reasoning for characters but not for the overall story, thus making big turning points still seem like proper changes in story instead of "God X wants me to do it this way so." To the people who put the book down because of this: keep reading because it gets better halfway through!

All in all, The Pariah has probably got me hooked to Anthony Ryan's writing and I'll pick up one of his other works really soon. It fills the void for a more adult fantasy version of some of my favourite YA novels when I was younger, Ranger's Apprentice especially comes to mind. I'd say this is between a 3 and a 4 star for me, 4 for its pacing, 3 for its story. Great read if you're looking for a new low fantasy medieval world to delve into.