A Tide of Black Steel

• Author: Anthony Ryan
• Genre: Fantasy
• Publication Date: September 24, 2024
• Publisher: Orbit
• Series: Age of Wrath #1

Thank you to Orbit and Oliver Wehner for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: murder, blood, gore, violence, enslavement

From the international bestselling author Anthony Ryan comes the spectacular first novel in a new epic new fantasy trilogy inspired by Norse mythology. 

A new age has dawned. An age of blood and steel. An age of wrath. 

The land of Ascarlia, a fabled realm of bloodied steel and epic sagas, has been ruled by the Sister Queens for centuries. No one has dared question their rule. 

Until now.

Whispers speak of longships of mysterious tattooed warriors, sailing under the banners of a murderous cult of oath-breakers long thought extinct. A tide of black steel that threatens to vanquish all in its path.

Thera of the Blackspear, favoured servant of the Sister Queens, is ordered to uncover the truth. As Thera sails north, her reviled brother, Felnir, sets out on his own adventure. He hopes to find the Vault of the Altvar – the treasure room of the gods – and win the Sister Queens’ favour at his sister’s expense.

Both siblings – along with a brilliant young scribe and a prisoner with a terrifying, primal power – will play a part in the coming storm.

The Age of Wrath has begun.

Anthony Ryan won my admiration with the Covenant of Steel series, and I couldn’t help but jump at the opportunity to check out a new Norse mythology-inspired trilogy. It wasn’t until later in the book that I realized a character from the Covenant of Steel was referenced multiple times in the story, creating a connection between the two series.

To start with, the story is told through the eyes of a sprawling array of characters, yet each perspective is distinct and well-rounded. Ryan makes it easy to connect to his characters, and there’s such a diverse range of characters. Between Ruhlin, a young man who survived an ambush on his village and is taken as a slave; Thera, an enforcer to the Sister Queens who takes on an apprentice; Felnir, brother to Thera, warrior and spy; and Elvine, daughter of a well-known scholar, and the dockmaster’s excise agent, there is always someone to empathize with. 

The paths of the characters are fascinating, watching their storylines intersect, which they all do at some point in the story. While the pace is slow in the beginning, this feels more like a deliberate choice on the part of the author, as we acclimate to the world he created and are able to put ourselves beside the characters as they walk through the story. Once we are firmly invested in the story, the pace picks up a little bit and doesn’t let up until the end. I enjoyed connecting to the characters and watching them on their own individual journeys. 

The story takes place in multiple locations across Ascarlia and beyond, offering new insights into the vast world of both this series and the one prior. Ryan’s world building is off the hook in this book—he creates an incredibly complex and nuanced world with mythology, history, and beliefs, and it was a joy to read. The interactions between the characters really made the book stand out for me, and that’s a high point in a book full of positives.

Overall, I can’t say enough good things about this book. I’d recommend starting with the Covenant of Steel series before starting this one, although it isn’t a requisite for reading and understanding the plot. It’s really more of an interconnected series than a continuation, and there’s a gorgeous map of Ascarlia and a handy glossary of characters at the beginning of the book. I appreciated having that, especially at the start of the book, so I could page back to it as needed. The pace keeps moving faster towards the end of the book, leaving readers dangling with a major, shocking cliffhanger, yet it never feels rushed. And I have to admit that I’m already anticipating book two, even before I’ve finished truly processing the events of book one. This is grimdark at its finest, and I love the gory, bloody, political intrigue, and external pressures that make up this incredible story.

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