4.5 stars

It's a long book at 600 pages, good bang for the buck.

This is a well-woven traditional adult fantasy rife with morally grey characters. Those you meet at the beginning of the book will disappear and then show up when you least expect them a few hundred pages later. We go on quite the ride with young Alwyn as he narrates the follies of his youth. Some Fitzy vibes to it all, though that rascal Alwyn is decidedly more morally grey than the Fitz, at least the Fitz I can remember.

It was a good book. It's an interesting read, and Alwyn is an interesting character. I must say, I'd really like to get a look at his penmanship.

I tried with this book. I really did. I was bored to tears. Between that, the infighting of the characters and the unnecessary sexual undertones, I didn't make it past chapter 4.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this art. Sorry I didn't like it.

I received this as an advanced review copy via NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

4.5/5🌟

This is my first Anthony Ryan book, and will not be my last. The prose is outstanding, from the fight sequences to the protagonists internal dialogue. Ryan sets the stage for a story and world that is both compelling and left me wanting more. Cannot wait to read the next installment of the Covenant of Steel ⚔️

I haven't read much by Anthony Ryan, which is surprising because he has a decent enough reputation and several of his series seem right up my alley. I read one book of his a few years ago, it was good, but for some reason I haven't found myself reading more of his work until now. Well if The Pariah is any indication of his past work I have a lot of catching up to do. I really enjoyed this fast paced story about a clever thief turned false believer turned true believer who gets himself into many horrible situations, only to escape with his a mixture of luck, wit, penmanship and cleverness. I'm thankful this is book one of a series as there is still a lot of story to tell. I got Locke Lamorra vibes which is never a bad thing. I highly recommend this one! 5 out of 5!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the book. I have never read anything by this author and I’m looking forward to more from them.

Anthony Ryan does it again! Pariah is a gripping and complex Grimdark story with exceptional world building and character development. This story is a little vague on the magic aspect which was a little disappointing but also added to the mystery which I hope is expanded on in the next novel. The world of covenant of steel is quite bloody so this is not a book for all readers but I personally loved the grit and Grimdark aspect and thoroughly enjoyed the battle scenes which had high stakes unlike other fantasies I have read. Overall Ryan sets up a great intro to an amazing new series which I cannot wait to dive deeper into.

An interesting novel that unfortunately doesnt capture the excitement or magic of Anthony Ryan's Raven's Shadow or Raven's Blade series. The first 100 pages with Alwyn as an outlaw are interesting however the pace slows considerably for the next few hundred pages and leads to a quite exciting finish. I will probably stick with the series to find out what happens next but hope the next book has a bit of a faster pace.

A fun and adventurous tale in the spirit of Robin Hood - outlaws, soldiers, battles, intrigue - everything you need to keep you enthralled! An exciting start to a new trilogy!

I really liked this book. 4.75/5
It is an epic fantasy novel filled with adventure. Our pessimistic protagonist narrates his tale sometimes addressing the reader directly which I really enjoyed. Alwyn goes through quite a lot, starting as an outlaw, then as a prisoner, then as a soldier and now, well, I don't know. The story will continue and I am very interested to know what happens next.

Although the protagonist is narrating his story, this is not a character-driven story, it is extremely plot-driven. The goings-on and the happenings are at the center of this tale with very little character development. Alwyn is just trying to survive the monarchical politics and the religious wars. In fact, I would say that religion is the center of this story with Alwyn standing very neutral in the midst of what seems to be a very western Christian-inspired religion.

If you like big epic fantasy stories with a plot-heavy focus, this book is for you. It is so richly written without being too heavy with its lexicon, and of course it is filled with adventure, war, strife, and quite a bit of gore. This book got very graphic and I was there for it. Truly amazing!

My thanks to Anthony Ryan, Orbit and Netgalley. It's just a sad old song. My song is often in tune with Orbit.
I have no comment.
It's just that I like/love Scribe Alwyn.
And that's it. I can't ever recall a story that was so bland.

I want to start by saying thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Pariah by Anthony Ryan marks the first in a new series, and what a start to the series it was! The book follows a boy named Alwyn who is part of an outlaw band led by the infamous Outlaw King Deckin. Without spoiling much Deckin has dreams of being more and this sets the story into motion. Now as per the actual review. I absolutely loved Alwyn! He felt witty, resilient, and scrappy while at the same time being both caring and loyal to those around him. The supporting cast of characters was equally as strong, and one in particular ended up being my favorite because of a mix between her colorful language and her terrific one liners (you’ll know who I’m referring to once you read it). The plot had wonderful pacing that some may consider slow, but I actually felt was very much needed to tell Alwyns story. Think Name of the Wind. As for the prose it was wonderfully done while not being flowery. Oh, and did I mention there’s magic? The magic felt similar to what I’d expect of magic was part of our world, and as a result I loved it! To simplify this review as much as possible I would say that if you love outlaw bands, knights in armor, or coming of age fantasy pick this book up. It may be my favorite fantasy book I’ve had the pleasure of reading, and I’m hopeful that the upcoming books will be just as good. Anthony Ryan really wrote a special book here, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store from this series. The Pariah comes out August 24th in the US and on the 26th internationally, and if it isn’t clear by now you don’t want to miss this one as it’s every bit as good as the big names in the fantasy genre.

4.5/5

Very enjoyable read set in a grim dark setting with outlaws and knights. Unique and interesting characters, with a solid setup and follow through. Impatient readers may think that this book has a slow start, but I found the first third/quarter of the book to do a great job setting up the story. I had the unfortunate issue of coming into the book thinking it was a Sword and Magic book, only to be confused by the lack of much swords or magic. This however didn't end up mattering as I very enjoyed the Dagger and Lies style. Would definitely recommend to fantasy fans, and will be picking up a hard copy on release.

Pros:
- Main character very well developed
- Enjoyable dialogue/banter
- Thrilling battle scenes that felt like there were actual stakes
- Utilized grim dark theme without going overboard
- Subtly/sparsity of 'magic' left me excited every time it was encountered
- Good use of fantasy religion without sounding preachy
- Good set up for remaining series

Cons:
- One supporting character fell extremely flat for me, they experienced no growth throughout the story, and only served as a point of constant complaining. I kept waiting for them to do anything at any point of the book, but nothing happened. Possibly, based on the ending, the character will have a bigger impact in the sequels.
- Repetitive phrases. There were a few phrases repeated throughout the book more often then I felt necessary. Phrases like "Later I would realize this look meant....", or "I would only come to realize this at a later point"
- Wish that there was slightly more information teased about the past lore, although the Scourge wasn't mentioned quite often, almost no real information was given about it

I was sent an ARC from the Publisher for a honest review, thank you as I have been awaiting this book all year!

I have been a huge fan of Anthony Ryan's books, and I can honestly say this is on par with Blood Song, my favorite book of his. While set in different worlds, the combat, intrigue and world building were just as incredible. Also providing enough of an original "coming of age" story to keep the reader guessing.

Alwyn the Scribe, outlaw, somewhat reminded me of a brawnier Will Scarlett. At first I was worried that the book was just a revised take on the Robin Hood stories, but as the story progressed, it's clear that the main character stand on his own alongside Vaelin from Blood song. His strengths, weakness's, and the subtle nods to whats coming later in the story keeps the reader absolutely enthralled. I cannot wait for book #2.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.
I am a huge fan of fantasy and it is mainly the genre I stick to. This book delivered in every way I wanted it to. There was action and the world building was incredible as well as the narration. There was never a dull moment and I cannot wait for more people to get a chance to read this masterpiece!

The Pariah is a brilliant introduction to a new fantasy world in The Covenant of Steel series. Ryan has crafted a vivid world with outlaws, feuding lords, religious conflict and hints of magic. The characters are entertaining and the battle scenes are action-packed. A solid fantasy, filled with adventure, comraderies, and betrayal.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Anthony Ryan and Orbit Books for the advanced copy of The Pariah.
#NetGalley, #ThePariah

This is a really terrific book! I'm totally frustrated now that I can't read the rest of the series immediately. Anthony Ryan is a wonderful storyteller, the kind where I might find anything he writes about interesting and engaging. I'm not a huge fan of the "dear reader" device, especially used to foretell doom, as Ryan does in this book, though this is a very minor detail and really my only tiny complaint. There's a certain atmosphere of dread that persists regarding Alwyn, who is a very likeable protagonist. Not all is dread though, there's an optimism and lightheartedness also. Alywn ponders a few times that he's fortunate his good humours (aka body odor) are keeping him healthy. He is enthralled by two successive women who have some kind of magical voices, but seems to maintain some amount of his own agency. The magic in this book is subtle and mysterious, but a major factor. There's a sense that we've only seen the tip of the magical and historical iceberg, and that there's a lot more to be uncovered. Without any magic of his own, Alwyn still leads a small group that stand by him in a genuine way. I very much want to know more about what happens to Alwyn, and will be watching for the next book. I'm also delighted to find a new-to-me author to follow, and that Ryan has several other series I can add to my to-read list!

I received and an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

I've liked Anthony Ryan books for a while, with the various series being very different. This one was quite a shift from other books. It's set in a very grim world, bad things happen to everyone. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, I hadn't read any synopsis of the plot, so it took a bit of time to sort out the protagonists and where this was heading. This is not a fantasy book with dragons, strange magic or superpowers, there's hints of things that are supernatural, but no wizards or strange weapons, just a lot of blood.
The plot is well paced, building slowly, with events that happen but it's more of a character piece at first, fleshing out the people and the world before adding elements of bigger plans and schemes. I won't give too much of the story, as it's definitely one to experience as you go. I have no idea where this will all end up, but I'm very interested to find out!

Thanks to the publisher/Author and Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel.

I actually finished this book four days ago, and I have spent that time trying to figure out how I am going to write this. During that time, I can honestly say that I have referred this book to at least a half dozen people to check out when it is released for sale.

This. Book. Is. Amazing. I have read other works by this author, and enjoyed the Raven's blade and the Raven's Shadow series. But The Pariah is just ... above those. Ryan was able to build a world that I felt was truly realistic, with characters you could not help but have some sort of emotion for. I personally admit to wanting to stab a couple characters at different parts of the story. Truly written by a master storyteller. I am definitely recommending this one to anyone that loves fantasy and medieval stories!

#ThePariah #NetGalley

The Pariah remind me of a mixture between Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson and the classic Robin Hood. Murder, mayhem, unique world setting. You’ll get lost as you read. What more can you want?

The Pariah by Anthony Ryan(Covenant of Steel #1)- It is the times of knighthood in this strangely familiar land, with dukes, peasants, crossbows, and long swords. Alwyn is likable main character who's charm and wit sometimes get him into much trouble. At first he is a thief, wary of everyone and everything, but begins to grow somewhat comfortable with the people around him. A little K.J. Parker, and a little Mark Lawrence first person POV narrative. He is swayed by the forces around him, causing him to do things he knows are not in his own self-interest. There are dangerous battles, dreadful enemies, and breathtaking escapes. Along the way he meets a beautiful woman on a religious quest and becomes embroiled in her crusade. Very entertaining and enjoyable characters, prose, and action. I can't hardly wait for the next book in this series.