Review : Dawnthief, James Barclay

Earlier this year, I read the fantasy novel Dawnthief, the first novel (of three) in The Raven Chronicles by James Barclay. I have a video on this topic if you are interested below!

If I was to give it a score out of a hundred, it would be 82! Pretty good I say. All in all, the novel features a lovely blend of fantasy action and adventure, complete with a quest to the save the country. The excellent, almost “Avengers” or “Justice League”, ensemble-like team dynamic of the Raven are a real treat for fantasy lovers who yearn for deep interactions and banter-heavy adventures. But what really sets this world (called Balaia) apart from other fantasy novels is the excellent magic system and the singular quality present in this novel.

Dawnthief can be read as a singular novel, providing enough background on characters and general world-building context to get an interesting immersion into the story without being tethered or pressured into reading the other two novels in the series to complete the story arc. The narrative contains a slightly slow but steadily improving beginning, an action packed middle and an adrenaline pumping, immensely satisfying end, all in the one 400-something page book. Sure, there’s a sequel and even a third book to top it all off, but you don’t need those to get a brilliant experience from a fantasy novel.

What I find really unique about this novel is the magic system that distinguishes itself from the vast sea of generic fantasy magics. The magic, or rather, factions of magic are treated in a similar manner to the way philosophical academia is treated. There are four major “colleges” of magic and each have their own students, lore, techniques and ethics. There are rivalries, collaborations and research projects just in the same manner as universities in our lives.

As such, problems dealing with magic are addressed in a wonderfully technical manner that is often overlooked in many fantasy novels. The characters that deal with magic come together to solve a problem using teamwork techniques and their individual expertise. Of course, when teamwork is involved, it doesn’t always run smoothly, people don’t always get along and that adds to the masterful tension between the characters, that is only resolved by the threat of the enemy.

There are only a handful of negatives in this novel and they are mostly centred around female characters and the way they deal with their problems. One of the few female characters seems to forget her trauma almost instantly after being rescued by the Raven and another female character undergoes some horrific treatment that I felt was unnecessary, providing a shock factor but little else.

But all up, I definitely think it is well worth a read. Check it out!