The Pariah by Anthony Ryan

“And chivalry—” Wilhum let out a short, bitter laugh “—is the worst trick of all, for it fools us with the illusion that war is anything but a chaos of slaughter and suffering.”

-The Pariah by Anthony Ryan

Orbit was kind enough to send me the completed trilogy of The Age of Wrath which I am so excited to read. I didn’t realize, however, that it’s recommended to read The Covenant of Steel trilogy first. So I borrowed The Pariah from the library and cannot get over how good this book was. I am really excited to get to book 2 as soon as it’s available to borrow.

The beginning of The Pariah gave me slight Robin Hood vibes. Alwyn was abandoned when he was a child and taken in by the Outlaw King, Deckin Scarl. He is raised in the Shavine Forest. Alwyn is smart, smarter than he looks and he is admired for his ability to read people. He can tell if someone is lying which has been a skill that comes in handy many times over his years serving with the other outlaws.

It’s actually pretty hard not to give too many spoilers on this one because of the way the events of the book play out. The story is told from Alwyn’s point of view, and it becomes clear to the reader that he is writing this far in his own future. The events that transpire take up several years of Alwyn’s life and make him into the man he becomes by the end of book one.

I really loved this book. Alwyn’s voice really shined through the page and I loved watching him constantly have to choose between the path he wanted and the path he knew that was right. This is one of those books, to me at least, where the main character is constantly caught up in different events but is just making the most of it. I loved the characters you meet along the way- Toria, Brewer, Shirlah, Evadine and most importantly the Sack Witch who I am super curious about.

Again, this is one of those books that really is just worth reading without knowing much about what’s coming. I immensely enjoyed it!