A Pilgrimage of Swords is a stunning novella by Anthony Ryan. Released 30th Sept 2019 by Subterranean Press, it's 128 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats (hardcover limited edition format may be sold out).

This is a beautifully spare story which reminds me of a doorstop fantasy (complete with a map at the front, demons, battles, curses, bandits, an epic quest and the rest) condensed down to 128 incredibly compact pages. I've always had a particular fondness for short fiction because it is spare and technically challenging, so you get a better feel for an author's expertise with the form.

I would love to read another couple thousand pages in this world with (some of) these characters and reading this novella left me desperately hungry for the 'what-comes-next'. I sincerely hope the author writes more (much more) in this world-time setting.

Five stars. Just wonderful epic fantasy in a short format.

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Loved it! Haven't been this excited for an Anthony Ryan book since Blood Song. The only bad thing is I want more from this story because it was so good!

4 stars. A fantasy world of impressive breadth. A Pilgrimage of Swords is a fairly classic fantasy obstacle course, with some adventures more interesting than others. The world building is wonderful, and the characters are sufficiently rich. The ending is gloriously unexpected.

On the downside, the writing is occasionally confusing, and the treatment of religion seems overly simplified. And some readers may not be receptive to the following: the use of a “demon” companion, fairly significant violence, and some crude language (including the f-word).

On the whole, this was an enjoyable quick read.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The novella is fast paced but jam packed just enough information. The use of a hyena animal companion was so great. Each character actually felt distinctive in this short book but not everyone makes it in the end. I would love more books set in this world

This may be short, but it is packed with action and some very interesting characters. Pilgrim is my favorite and I look forward to reading more about him. Also, this cover is amazing!

LOVE this cover. Not sure what exactly drew me in but ever since I first saw it I wanted to read it -- but since I'd never read anything by Anthony Ryan I was reluctant to shell out the money (Subterranean Press' books are beautiful and high quality but NOT cheap!). So I was very excited to see it on Netgalley and happy to get a chance to review it.

And this novella lived up to the cover. The story reminded me a lot of the feelings I got reading Andre Norton novels so long ago -- the people undergoing hard trials, the comradarie that builds up (in a realistic way, not all buddy buddy), and especially the ending (which I will keep to myself). Anthony Ryan pulls it off even when all seems hopeless. And then he pulls out a surprise ending. Loved it! -- 4 stars

Review - Pilgrimage of Sword by Anthony Ryan

[4 stars]

I received a free e-arc of this book provided by the publisher - Subterranean Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I ended up really like this book a lot more than I was expecting. I was really excited going into this book because I have never read anything by Anthony Ryan before, and I really wanted to try his work. Since it’s a novella I figured this would be a good way to see if I like his writing, and I really do!

This story is set in a new Fantasy world, and I believe it is like a little prequel to a new series. It is following a character who takes the name Pilgrim at the beginning of the story. He is on a pilgrimage to pray to a mad god. (Btw, I love this concept!)

I expected to go into it enjoying it but I didn’t expect to be as attached to the plot and these character as I ended up being.

Below is my breakdown by aspects:

Character:
I really loved Pilgrim as a character! I loved the actions that he took and the way that he interacted with other characters. I could understand his decision making process. He has a talking sword, and I loved it!
I also really like some of the reveals towards the end that give him more back story. I loved the backstory and the way it was conveyed.

There was a whole cast characters, and I was surprised by how much I actually cared for the side characters. It such a short book, it’s hard to fit much characterization in, but somehow we got all their backstories. I loved their backstories, and I’m excited to see how those affect the novels in the series.

Plot:
I really enjoyed the plot, especially the ending. I’m a sucker for a good ending The ending was soo good!

Worldbuilding:
I think the world-building was the most impressive aspect of this story. It’s a 128-page novella, and I felt like the author managed to fit a whole world into those 128 pages! I really felt like I was in this world, and that there was so much of it that I wanted to explore.

Writing Style:
I loved the writing style! I found it a little difficult to get into at first, but I loved the imagery gave. I loved the way emotions and actions were conveyed.

I feel like I have a few of Anthony Ryan's books in my TBR pile for a while now but I've never picked them up. Too many books, too little time... you know? But when I saw his new novella (set up in a new world), I immediately requested an ARC. I was lucky enough to be accepted and now here I am, reviewing it.

A pilgrimage of swords follow Pilgrim, a man with a sword and a voice that talks to him and is asking for blood. We don't know his past or his story but we know he's going to go on a journey to pray to the 'Mad God' and hopefully, be granted a wish. A few people are with him and they all have different ambitions. The path to the Mad God however is full of strange Beasts, monsters and dangerous paths.

Overall, I liked this book especially when there was action. However, it took me a while to figure out what was happening and I was never really into it. I wanted to skim some of the slow/ descriptive paragraphs but the ending was interesting and the way it ended made me want to know more.

(Thank you to the publisher for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

The experience of reading The Pilgrimage of Swords is akin to getting onto the wrong train—the story draws you relentlessly in and you can’t see the journey ahead, much less guess what it holds. An equally daunting and exciting interruption of the mundane. Depending on the reader, you might decline the adventure and choose to disembark at the next stop. Or you could stay, drifting, allow yourself to be jolted out of your habits and see it through ‘til the end.

I’m glad I chose the latter.

For the most part, it succeeds in doing so effortlessly. In spare prose of great clarity (the quotability of this book is staggering), Ryan builds a vivid, densely believable world with an intriguing confluence of history, politics, religion and culture. His world-building is a labyrinthine sprawl of cultures, environment, wars. The layered narrative across the decades is more like bloody footprints steering you wildly into the dark than a walkway threaded with light burning lines through the reader’s mind. But Ryan makes it work beautifully.

I'm very much looking forward to the next Anthony Ryan book.

This started out bloody and I wasn't sure I could get through it. Eventually it began to grow on me as I saw some ambiguity in Pilgrim. The quest had me reading in awe at times over the descriptions and the scenes with zombie-like creatures and other horrors. I wasn't sure that I ever fully understood the world and how this mad god came to be. When the tale came to an end, I couldn't decide how I felt. I still had many unanswered questions.

I won't be reviewing on my blog, because it doesn't feel like a good fit. For a time, I felt this might be 4 stars, but my remaining feeling of puzzlement precludes that. Great writing but underexplored/underexplained world.

This is my first experience with Anthony Ryan. I don’t expect it to be the last. This novella isn’t bad, but it’s one of those times where honestly, I just wanted more. I wanted to know more about the world, more about Pilgrim and his intrepid band of… Pilgrims..

In A Pilgrimage of Swords, we follow a man called Pilgrim and his cursed sword on a trip across the wastelands to make a prayer to the Mad God. It’s a very difficult and dangerous journey, and few are ever known to have come back from it alive.

The reader understands that Pilgrim has a dark past, but as we travel we also come to understand that Pilgrim isn’t a bad guy, he’s trying to do right by the people he believes are innocent. His character is a lot of fun. He has a few lines that made me laugh out loud.

However, I just felt like there wasn’t enough “room” in this short book (128 pages) to get the details I really wanted. I felt like we were skipping from locale to locale without really knowing why or developing the characters enough to really care about them.

As the book goes on, we do get snippets of information here and there about why each of the pilgrims has embarked on this journey, and by the end of it I did care about a few of them. Still, it was a little frustrating when I could see there was easily enough story here to explore a full length novel about the characters and this world, and felt like this novella was a tease.

The ending was really fantastic though, and the action scenes were exciting and well written. If Ryan decided to write a full length novel about Pilgrim, I’d definitely pick it up, and the ending seems to leave that possibility open.

I do think it’s worth picking up as it can be read in just a couple hours. Thank you to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for review.

A Pilgrimage of Swords releases on September 30, 2019 and can be found on GoodReads or preordered on Amazon.

I didn't know great epic fantasy could come in such small packages! Ryan has created a fully-realized world, interesting characters, and a grand quest all in fewer pages than many writers can even get a character out of their front door. I am eagerly awaiting the next entry in the series.

Received via NetGalley.

Short stories are always tough because there is a limited time to establish characters, build a world and make the reader care.

Anthony Ryan does a fabulous job of this in the fast-paced novella "A Pilgrimage of Swords" which introduces a dark and gritty fantasy world that instantly captured my attention, and characters that I can't help but want more of.

Ryan is at the top of his game with this one and I can't help but be impressed.

Another great read from Anthony Ryan. It was short but very well-written, an intriguing MC and a diverse cast of characters traveling through a fascinating world. A truly enjoyable read.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis

It is two hundred years since the deity known as the Absolved went mad and destroyed the Kingdom of Alnachim, transforming it into the Execration, a blasted wasteland filled with nameless terrors. For decades, desperate souls have made pilgrimage to the centre of this cursed land to seek the Mad God’s favour, their fate always unknown.

Now a veteran warrior known only as Pilgrim, armed with a fabled blade inhabited by the soul of a taunting demon, must join with six others to make the last journey to the heart of the Execration. Allied with a youthful priest, a beast-charmer, a duplicitous scholar, an effete actor and two exiled lovers, Pilgrim must survive madness, malevolent spirits, unnatural monsters and the ever-present risk of treachery, all so that the Mad God might hear his prayer and, perhaps, grant redemption. But can sins such as his ever be forgiven?

Review

Thanks to the publisher and author for an advance reading copy of A Pilgrimage of Swords in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this ARC did not influence my thoughts or opinions on the novella.

This was actually my first experience with Anthony Ryan’s writing, even though I have all of the books in his previous two (2) series [Raven’s Shadow & Draconis Memoria]. Though I have been blogging for a few years, I am still way behind on several authors and series, but I am slowly making my way through them as I clear out ARCs. Maybe I’ll catch up eventually (NOT). This stems from reading and reviewing so many genres *shrugs*.

A Pilgrimage of Swords may be a short, quick read, but for what it lacks in pages and words, it makes up for in fantastic storytelling. This novella gave me sort of a (and please, bear with me on this) Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone ending feel with the trials and tribulations of our characters along their pilgrimage, but mixed with the world-building and characters of Peter Newman’s The Vagrant.

Like I said, bear with me. It is an odd comparison, but it makes 100% sense to me; except this story is much more latter than the former. It is as close to grimdark as you can get without devoting yourself to gods of brutality and gore.

While this novella shows off Ryan’s ability to write such a great story in so few pages, it leaves me with the difficult job of writing an extended review. I could see myself rating APoS 5-stars if it were expanded upon, fleshing out the characters a little more and gifting us the pleasure of emotionally connecting with them. But all in all, there is plenty of hack’n’slash and fantasy goodness to go around that I think anyone that is a fan of Ryan, let alone the fantasy genre as a whole, will immensely enjoy.

<i> Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. </i>

A mysterious warrior carrying a sword imbued with a demon, a beast charmer, a priest, a scholar, an actor, a wife, and a husband go on a journey across a place called “The Execration” to make their petitions to a Mad God. What could go wrong?

Anthony Ryan’s first in a series of novellas was a fast paced, edgy journey that by the end I didnt want to stop reading. Getting to know the world through the eyes and discussions of the characters as they crossed the Execration was one of my favorite parts of the story.

Our characters were all unique and fun to get to know. Pilgrim had the most depth and back story and therefore the best arc of any of the characters. I really enjoyed him. Seeker and Player were also well done and very intriguing.

What an ending! I was debating between 3 and 4 stars for this one and the ending solidified it at 4 stars and made me want more of this world and these characters. Pilgrimage of Swords is definitely worth a read!

First of all, this short story is entirely separate from the Raven’s Shadow world so anyone can enjoy this and it’s a great way to acquaint yourself with Anthony Ryan’s writing. Secondly, since A Pilgrimage of Swords is published by Subterranean Press you can guarantee that it will be a small work of art. The cover art is fantastic and the story within is just as great.

Pilgrim is introduced to readers during the tail end of a caravan raid, though at this point he doesn’t have a name. He’s surveying the damages and his sword is talking to him… and he’s talking back. Rest assured, he’s not crazy his sword’s just possessed. We are shortly thereafter introduced to a woman who calls herself Seeker and her hyena, both of who are on the same journey as Pilgrim. They are seeking the Mad God in hopes that he will grant them a wish.

The plot of the story is well outlined in the synopsis and I see no need to rehash the topic. The journey to the Mad God is perilous and filled with the horrors of the blasted land now called the Execration. The group of travelers are an odd bunch – there’s Pilgrim and his demon sword, Seeker who hopes the Mad God will tell her where her daughter is, a couple who have called themselves after a pair of star crossed lovers, a masked actor, a scholar, and of course the young priest who is probably the last of his order. Not all are as they seem and for the most part they hold their cards close – what will they ask of the Mad God? It was fascinating to see these mysteries unravel as they get closer to their destination. Hidden talents and motives are revealed and not everyone makes it to the end.

I was suitably impressed with the story and the history of Pilgrim and his sword was particularly fascinating. As novellas tend to be, this was a tantalizing snapshot of a world and one that I would love to read more of. The ending left plenty of room for future books in the series, though I shan’t say more because it would spoil who lives through the book!

This was a fun, fast read! The story was quite lively and moved well from point to point. The characters were fully realized. The story was pretty unique, which can be difficult to find. I am looking forward to the next book to see where the story can go from here.

4 / 5 ✪

So, a talking sword, a mysterious cast of players, a quest for one wish from a mad god. We follow Pilgrim and his talking sword on this quest, accompanied by only five other seekers and their guide, Priest. That’s Pilgrimage of Swords in a nutshell.

Well, I didn’t care for the beginning, despite that it kinda tied in later on. I would’ve liked a bit more backstory or something before diving into the epic quest, or maybe even just begun the story at the doorstep on the temple where the quest begins. Instead we endure a chapter of mostly meaningless conversation—though it does give the sword a chance to be witty, so… I guess that’s good enough.

The end’s a good one, with a satisfying conclusion. The middle is what won me over, despite its beginnings, though. Fast moving, entertaining; a lovely bit of lore and action mix atop a post-apocalyptic backdrop.

After that, the story’s pretty entertaining. It’s somewhat lacking in description, being a novella and all, but it’s the quest itself that the story follows, and that’s what we see. The concept is pretty interesting, so much so that I left the world wanting more. I hope that Ryan returns to it in the future.

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2019/08/04/book-review-a-pilgrimage-of-swords-by-anthony-ryan/

I have never read any of Anthony Ryan's other works. That might change.

A Pilgrimage of Swords is the perfect length for the story it tells. It's about a man on a journey to supplicate the Mad God of a ravaged realm. He and his companions, strangers to him, make the perilous journey in good swift fashion.

Pilgrim, or the "tall man", is pretty stoic. Initially the dialogue is made up mostly by remarks from his talking sword. I can't help but be reminded about Nightblood, from Warbreaker, but this sword is different and it's pretty wicked.

The story is straightforward, the worldbuilding interesting enough while seeming to draw from pretty classic sources. It doesn't pull a lot of emotions out but it's entertaining. I don't really ever read novella's, but I'm glad I read this. It gives me a broader view of epic fantasy.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2910637814