After having read four separate series by Anthony Ryan, it’s a given that I will at least like his new book. With A Tide of Black Steel being set in the same world as The Pariah, I was even MORE excited to check it out. Yes, it took me months after the release date to finally pick it up, but that was more to do with reading mood and time than anything. Now that I’ve been in the mood for a denser fantasy story with Viking influence, I flew right through the audiobook of this, which is once again narrated by Steven Brand.

This is a multi-POV story following four main characters - Thera, Felnir, Elvine, and Ruhlin. We are first introduced to Ruhlin as his village is attacked by a group of red tattooed raiders who take him prisoner after he is filled with a strange and sudden rage that turns him into a monstrous berserker. Elvine is a young scholar in training who is brought before the Sister Queens and sent on a mission after her seditious beliefs are discovered. Thera is a loyal servant of the Sister Queens and is sent to discover why islands are not paying tribute, and thus discovers news of the raiders. Felnir, Thera’s brother, is an infamous captain who hopes to regain the Queens’ favor by finding the Vault of the Altvar with the scholar Elvine in tow. 

First of all, if you hate Viking fantasy with a lot of sailing, this won’t be the book for you. So much time is spent on boats and I personally don’t mind this if the characters are interesting and they have some interesting ports of call, which A Tide of Black Steel definitely has. There’s also a ton of worldbuilding and complicated character stuff going on that you almost don’t notice because it’s seamless and smoothly woven into the story. AND if you’ve read the Covenant of Steel trilogy there are some nods to that series liberally thrown in too. 

My personal favorite character was actually Elvine because how can I, a book nerd, not also love the character who was basically raised to be a scholar? She’s quite brave despite the fact that she has no combat experience, knows her mother is being held quasi-hostage to ensure her good behavior, and is also following a religion that everyone else in Ascarlia seems to hate. Her quest seems to take her and Felnir’s crew to the most interesting locations as well, which certainly doesn’t hurt things. Yes, I like the other characters and found their chapters to be engaging as well but Elvine was the stand out for me.

Anthony Ryan has written another winner and I always enjoy Steven Brand’s narration, but if you prefer a narrator that attempts different voices, stay away from the audiobook! All the characters sound exactly the same which can get confusing when the characters don't have a super unique written ‘voice’ or if they have similar names. While I’m interested in checking out the next book, I’m not chomping at the bit for it, which is weirdly how I’ve felt about all of his books. That being said, I’ve really enjoyed all of his books so I’ll probably continue on with the sequel even if it’s not currently making my hot list of sequels releasing in 2025.

A great story from an Epic Author. Anthony Ryan sure knows how to write morally grey characters and intense battle scenes. Cheers!

Wow! This was so freaking good! I can't wait for the next book in this series. It's epic fantasy crafted at it's finest - characters, plot, world-building - everything was absolutely incredible. I was completely immersed throughout my reading experience. Can't recommend this one enough, definitely deserves way more hype!

I love Anthony Ryan’s writing style. He never disappoints. The characters that are crafted are well realized. And pop off the page. I did find that I struggled with a couple of them at the beginning but over time they definitely grew on me.

I loved the themes of loyalty and betrayal in this book I thought it was well executed.

If you are looking for good world building and memorable characters then look no further.

Thanks to netgalley and orbit for the chance to read A Tide of Black Steel. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and the Norse inspired fantasy. At some point early on, I was having an issue getting all the characters straight and my interest started to wane. About midway through though, everything started to tie together and pick up nicely. I was on edge for the last 50 pages and was surprised by the ending. I am looking forward to the next installment. I would rate this at 3.5 out of 5 stars.

This is epic fantasy at it's finest. I was super excited to read this Norse inspired first installment in a new trilogy. The world building is beautifully done. I love the descriptions of the isles, and their journey. I felt the characters were well written and fully fleshed out. The writing is well done and easy to get hooked into. I thought that the story its self started a little slower paced but for me that's a normal occurrence when it comes to this level of fantasy. I did not read the previous trilogy that is set in this same world and did not feel like I missed anything but I will probably circle back now.

A Tide of Black Steel
by Anthony Ryan
Age of Wrath #1
Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
Orbit Books
Ages: 17+

The Sister Queens have ruled the land of Ascarlia for centuries. One of the queens sent Thera north with her new apprentice, a young mute girl who has a way with animals. And Thera's brother was sent to search for the Vault of the Altvar, a treasure of the Gods with the help of a young female scribe.

There are rumors of tattooed warriors invading small villages, leaving few alive. Those they do, become slaves, as did one who has a gift given to him from the gods.


Sadly there was an appendix at the beginning of the book and yep, the author used it as an excuse to be lazy with the world and character building. Worse, there are four POVs, I think, there might be another one. I can't be sure because it was confusing! At fifty percent I finally got to know the characters, but I still had the tendency to confuse the two girls, and I have no clue what the guy with the transformation gift has to do with anything.

The story was good and interesting, but as I said the world and character building started off lazy. There's even a character that I don't remember what happened to them.

There is a lot of violence and gore so this is not suitable for readers under seventeen.

I liked the story, and yes, I'm interested in reading the next in the series, but it still fell short of another star.

3 Stars

Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
A Tide of Black Steel follows multiple characters in a Norse inspired land on the precipice of war. The land of Ascarlia is threatened as foreign warships appear and destroy the outer isles. Thera is the renowned Vellihr of Justice, sent by the queens to root out rebellion. When she comes across the decimated villages, she vows to find the culprits. Felnir, Thera's disgraced brother, is eager to restore his honor and embarks on a journey to seek redemption. Along with the scholar Elvine, he sets out to find the Vault of the Gods and its mythical treasure. Ruhlin is a boy favored by the gods but struggles with power and control. He's taken prisoner by a nation he's never heard of, and must fight for his freedom. All have a part to play in the upcoming war.

I could just tell I was going to love this book. The world is extensive and it’s easy to get lost in the history and folklore. There’s multiple POVs but each character is actually interesting and brings a lot to the story. They begin living completely different lives and inevitably all tie together. The ending is a major cliffhanger so hopefully the second book comes quickly. I’m already missing this world so much. The author is clearly very talented, and I hope this book gets the recognition it deserves. Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the advance reader copy!

A Tide of Black Steel is the new novel by Anthony Ryan. I would like to thank Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was AWESOME - the storylines were captivating; the characters had depth and were fascinating; and the worldbuilding kept me interested and always wanting to know more.

I love The Shadow of the Gods and this felt very much like that - the way the characters' all had their own plots but they also all intertwined (in some ways obvious and others more surprising). It was masterfully crafted, the way that each plot could stand on it's own but how they also all fit together in a complicated, gory, traumatic puzzle. I love the mix of politics and battle and betrayal and love....it has all the elements of the great adult fantasies and it balances them with expert precision.

I am so excited to dive into this world again with the next book in 2025 - fans of John Gwynne, M.A.Carrick, and Mark Lawrence, don't miss out on this incredible adult fantasy!

Anthony is one of my favorite authors so I might be a bit biased but this take in Nordic fantasy hit really well for me. Had such a great time reading it and can’t wait for me

"A Tide of Black Steel" by Anthony Ryan is a fantastically written, 5-star fantasy read! This novel serves as a great start to the Age of Wrath series, pulling readers into the realm of Ascarlia through chapters told from four characters' points of view. The story centers on a cast of Nordic-inspired characters and leans heavily into themes of sea combat.

Due to the in depth world building it took me a few chapters to fully immerse myself in the setting, the payoff was worth it. The plot is packed with battles and just the right amount of deception and suspense to keep you invested. This is my first book by Anthony Ryan, so I can't compare it to his other works, but you don’t need to have read his other novels to enjoy this one. I’m eagerly anticipating the next book in this trilogy.

Thanks to Orbit Books, Anthony Ryan, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

My thanks to Orbit books, Anthony Ryan and Netgalley.
Well, I ended up loving this damned story! I'm not quite sure when it was that I started looking for Nordic stories, but it happened and now I love the concept! I'm absolutely positive that I would have died multiple deaths if I had lived back then...but the great thing about this is that I can fight like a badass bitch and still put my book down and sleep!
Hey, I'm older now and just a wee bit grumpy. If my battles are now fought like this, then all's well!
Truth is that I had a good time with this book. Mr. Ryan is fairly good at characterization. I actually wish that he would lean a bit more into it. Mostly because his books aren't just one and done. He writes as a series. Usually a trilogy. That's plenty of time to develop people. But.....we've still a few more books to go, and I'm eagerly waiting!
3 1/2 stars, rounded up?

The book was well written it had two different individuals which switched every chapter. Both main characters had awesome character development which really kept the story going. My favorite part was at the end when the female character figures out the ax has a spirit inside of it and the spirit thirst for blood.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit books for the arc of this book. I am going to DNF at 15% with the thought that I might pick this up later. This is the first of a new norse mythology-inspired series by Anthony Ryan. I am having a hard time connecting to any of the characters or the world, but may try again another time. This book is going to get 3 stars from me this time and I'm hoping to give this another try in the future.

a brilliant first installment to a new Norse inspired fantasy series. Excellent character development and world building. I especially enjoy how well the more morally gray/dark characters are written and how the author describes their internal thoughts and feelings. Beautiful, almost lyrical writing style. Continuation in the world from a previous series, but completely stand alone at the same time. Readers will notice familiarities.

I've been on a big Norse Mythology kick lately, and this book fit into that need perfectly! Anthony Ryan knows how to write a story with intriguing characters and immersive settings. I think I would have enjoyed this story even more if I had read some of his other work, but despite this being my first Anthony Ryan experience, I still enjoyed the book! This was fast paced and never had a dull moment. The action scenes kept me engrossed, almost as if I was watching a movie! I will absolutely be continuing my Anthony Ryan journey!!

4.25/5 ⭐️

Anthony Ryan’s Norse inspired fantasy series kicks off with a bang. It is a harrowing tale on the high seas with found family, betrayal, and more than enough fantastical mystery to keep you on the edge of your seat from the very beginning. Ryan has true knack for storytelling, crafting interesting storylines that rely on classic tropes while still being heart tugging and fun. More than anything else this is a rock solid foundation to what should be an incredible series. The only drawback (which may be intentional) to me is that the characters themselves just weren’t fleshed out, at times feeling bland. Given the nature of writing a series I have a lot of faith these characters will get the backstories and development they deserve before the story ends.

This is a perfect new entry series into the mind of Anthony Ryan. If you love Norse style subject matter this one is for you!