Blood Song

Blood Song
Vital statistics
Author	Anthony Ryan
Illustrator	Unknown
Published on	November 20, 2012
Published by	Penguin Group (USA)
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Unknown	Tower Lord

Blood Song is an epic fantasy novel by Anthony Ryan, exploring themes of conflict, loyalty and religious faith. . It is the first book of the Raven's Shadow series.

The book tells the story of Vaelin Al Sorna, Brother of the Sixth Order, as he is trained from the childhood as a warrior-priest in service to the Faith.

Plot Summary

Vaelin's father, the battle lord takes him to the Sixth Order. There he undergoes several years of harsh training, which along with deadly tests bonds Vaelin's group of brothers together. His friends are Dentos, who turns out to be a supernaturally gifted blacksmith, Barkus, Nortah, the son of the first minister, and intelligent, yet naive Caenis who is historically adept. In the test of the wild, Vaelin discovers first hints of his supernatural power called the blood song, which enhances his senses and helps him to distinguish right from wrong. With the help of a great wolf, he kills several assassins lurking for him in the woods. When Vaelin stops Nortah who desperately tries to save his father from execution, he meets hist new friend Frentice, who subsequently enlists as a brother of Sixth Order as well, fleeing the streets after an unsuccessful attemt at killing a local racketeer. Frentice is abducted by this criminal in one of his tests outside the order. Vaelin and his brother save him from the criminal who had acquired supernatural powers. In his hideout, Vaelin discovers evidence of the secret Seventh Order, who seem to be related to the previous assassination attempt on several of the Order's Aspects. In one of his tests, Vaelin meets a refugee girl and her guardian, followed by the Fourth Order, who hunt heretics. Vaelin helps them, possibly because of the girl's supernatural power. He meets her again later, when he finds Nortah, who fled because of a quarrel with the current (battle lord?).  Vaelin is promoted by the king to a military leader, after a quest to kill a rebellious group of disbelievers in a inaccessible region. His actual mission there was to assassinate the leader of his own war party, who is a thorn in Janus eyes, undermining his son's position at court. Vaelin lerns that he was supposed to marry princess Lyrna, Janu's daughter, to support Janu's successor Malcius in his reign, but instead was brought to the Sixth Order according to Vaelin's mother's dying wish.

Vaelin crosses way with an undead witcher, who can possess dead bodys several times.

Characters

Vaelin Al Sorna

Main article: Vaelin Al Sorna

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