The Raven by John Lawson Reviewed by D. J. Herda, President American Society of Authors and Writers

  Sir Guiromélans of the Iron Fist is no stranger to the Lord.  A Medianist Knight, he is called Raven of the Seven Kingdoms, and he lives to please his God. 

But when a witch named Esmeree defeats him in battle, Guiromélans is forced to question his blind faith.  Why, he wonders, has the Lord forsaken him so?  As his penance for whatever it is that earned him his disgrace, the Raven turns to the Southern Territories, where he begins a crusade against the Thunderer heresies that have been condemned within the land known as the Seven Kingdoms.

During his travels, Guiromélans befriends a boy named Balen, who looks at the Raven as a mentor and possible father figure.  But with his faith in tatters, how can he serve his own needs, let alone those of a growing youngster?

At times, Guiromélans questions his own ability even to survive.  But he is nothing if not purposeful and devoted to returning to God’s good graces.  Still possessing the super qualities that had once propelled him to greatness, he sees the evil that exists in the world even where others fail.  When the woman Caidryn trips and falls in the dark, she discovers that the culprit is a heavy metal stake planted in the ground.  Lightning reveals many more stakes.

“With a glare at Guiromélans, Baldruus took Caidryn’s arm and helped her limp forward.

“Guiromélans paused before following, glancing down once again at the gory scene Caidryn and Baldruus somehow failed to notice.  Each of these stakes seemed to be nailing a corpse firmly to the ground.”

Corpses are only the beginning of the Raven’s numerous problems, which include battling demons and ghouls, standing up to the powers of black magic and dark sorcerers, avoiding the illusory dangers of the shape-shifting shades, and more.  That he emerges victorious is never a foregone conclusion, and the character’s own very real and human self-doubts help to fuel the story and maintain the reader’s interest.

The Raven, which follows on the tail of the author’s previous novel, Witch Ember, is the riveting tale of a knight who bends under the pressures of the outside world nearly as heavily as he does of those dwelling within.  It is a story continuing from the first, yet it is freestanding and easily understood for first-time readers of the fantasy tales of author John Lawson.  The book, at just over 600 pages, includes more than a dozen illustrations and a Glossary of Terms.  It is well conceived and solidly executed.  I give it four stars out of five.