This was an okay novella. From what I understood, it serves as a prequel or introduction to a new series, and as such, it did a good job introducing the main character, Pilgrim, as well as giving us a tantalizing glimpse into the world he inhabits.

Unfortunately, the story fell rather short for me. We follow the journey of several characters who are thrown together because all of them chose to undertake a pilgrimage into the domain of a mad god, in the hope that he will grant their most sacred wish. As such, they should all have their own stories, right? Something that pushed them to this act of desperation. And desperation it is, because nobody ever returned from the realm of the Mad God...

Yet, we don't really SEE those characters, because because they don't have personalities of their own. They are cutouts with labels put on top of them - the terminally sick woman and her grieve-stricken husband, the fierce huntress searching for a lost loved one, etc. It doesn't help that we follow this journey through the Pilgrim's eyes and his voice is just as bland as the description of the other characters. Seriously, the only character with any grain of personality in this book is the cursed sword. He is a homicidal demon, but at least he has some nuances.

As such, it's hard to empathize with the characters, and if some of them die gruesome deaths, I just shrugged and read along. I think the only character I felt any empathy for was Priest, but mostly because I never learned what his purpose for this pilgrimage was. What was he going to ask of his god? Why had he volunteered to lead this doomed group?

My other problem was that I couldn't figure out Pilgrim's motivation either. For seeing this story entirely from his POV, we get no insight into his inner thoughts. Apart from the banter with his cursed sword, there is nothing. He is painted as this ruthless killer, a scourge upon the world, but his actions go against that picture. Also, his reaction when discovering Book's true identity in the later part of the story goes against his whole character, especially when we learn in the last page of this story that he dedicated his life to destroying that particular church and its adepts.

I liked the little I saw of the worldbuilding and the hints at other cultures and religions inhabiting it, but I'm not sure I liked that enough to follow Pilgrim for a whole book or a whole series.

PS. I received and advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was honored to be given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Anthony Ryan, so it's no great surprise that I loved this novella. My only complaint is that it is too short. I wanted more, but what we are given in the short page count is something exciting, terrifying, and compelling.

You will not find a wasted word anywhere. Every piece of the novella either moves the story forward, teaches us some history or develops the characters. It moves at a breakneck pace and is hard to put down. The main character is interesting, flawed, but likable. I was extremely impressed by the amount of depth Mr. Ryan packed into this character with so few pages. I think the sword helps add a lot to his role too, and I found it to be one of the better characters in its own right. The ending was satisfying and left the door wide open for more. I think I heard that this might eventually turn into a series of full-length novels, and if they do, I will be first in line to buy them.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This will be released on September 30th.

Wow! Reminiscent of Tad Williams or Sean Russell, this book has everything I look for in an epic fantasy. The world building- especially the religious beliefs and how they’ve affected everything over the years- was masterful. It was well-thought out and delivered, without turning into the dreaded information dump. I loved the idea of the Mad God granting one prayer if you can survive the Execration. The stakes are high; the Mad God will only answer the prayer of one person.

I was immediately drawn in to the desolate feel of the setting, and the desperation of the characters. It was hard to really pick a favorite character because they all had their own, valid to them, reasons for the journey. Pilgrim was fascinating, complex and multi-faceted. His character was filled with conflict; was he a monster, or a man?

Seeker was also fantastic. She had a hyena companion! That is by far the most original animal sidekick (for lack of a better term) that I’ve read in any fantasy book. In fact, each character had something that set them apart from those in other fantasy books.

The book sucked me in; I finished it in a day. I highly recommend this book. I know I’ll be checking out other books by this author since I enjoyed A Pilgrimage of Swords so much.

A very engrossing novella. I hope to read more from Ryan about this world, full of demons, decaying religions, and impossible landscapes.

Anthony Ryan gives us a fine example of fantasy, even with notes of darkness. I loved the way Ryan used imaginative characters and settings to craft an entertaining read.

This is a book with harrowing moments and atmospheric writing. Another strong publication from Subterranean Press.

I have yet to read anything by Anthony Ryan that I haven't been quite taken with, this was no exception. My largest and only gripe is that a novela is far too short a medium for a story of this caliber.

The world, characters, and backstory that we get mere glances of would entice me to read a series of massive tomes expanding on all of it.

This is a very fine piece of work, and I would recommend it without reservation to anyone that can handle the heartbreak of it ending all too soon.

This is a great short read for anyone who is a fan of Anthony Ryan. It contains an easy to follow story line and has the great plot twists that one has come to expect from Ryan. I enjoyed the face pace of this novella and that the main character had his internal dialogue with a demon sword, giving the reader a sense of humor, but also the depths that the Pilgrim has taken to be independent of the swords voice. The ending really surprised me, but in a good way.