It is the autumn of 2019. Merlin’s wayward apprentice has escaped from the Tower of London with his raven familiars. Legend foretells that the White Tower, then England, will fall.Can King Arthur, a weary veteran of the English Civil War, Waterloo and the Somme, prevent the Ravenmaster from exacting his revenge?
The Ravenmaster’s Revenge: The Return of King Arthur
By jacobsannox
As an Arthurian legend fan, I’m always up for any retelling concerning the legendary King of the Britons. So you can imagine I was very excited to read “The Ravenmaster’s Revenge”, Book 1 of “The Return of King Arthur” series by the wonderful author, Jacob Sannox. The fact that this novel was was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2019 SPFBO (Self Published Fantasy Blog Off) competition, indicated it would likely be a great read. Although, honestly, the book was not what I expected, it was indeed an excellent read!
My fault, I did not take a look at the book length on Amazon. This was (for me) rather short book, and I would have loved a bit more time to delve into the transfixing world that Sannox has created. Nonetheless, the brevity made for a quick and entertaining romp, back and forth between ancient settings, and modern day ones. For the bulk of the narrative, the reader will find themselves in modern day England. This is the land that, according to legend, Arthur is a sort of immortal guardian of, as the “Once and Future King”. Sannox picks up this concept, and makes his Arthur a weary but devoted man who is tasked with protecting his beloved land, throughout the ages, down to the present day.
At his side is his mentor, the omnipotent Merlin, who is the eponymous Ravenmaster of the book’s title. Merlin, I must say, was my favourite character of the book. He has been somewhat of a puppet-master, manipulating world events, with seemingly noble intentions. Sannox cleverly ties Merlin’s modern-day job as Ravenmaster of the Tower of London to the fact that he orchestrates the destiny of the land, and includes the Legend of the Tower Ravens to illustrate this: “…if the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it.”
However, while he manages to safeguard England successfully for centuries, not all of Merlin’s machinations turn out well. Merlin is consistently forced to correct errors he has made in influencing world history. As is canon, Arthur becomes the tool Merlin uses to do this. And in Sannox’s version of Arthur, Arthur’s immortality is explained, and we see the fabled king fight or be engaged in affecting some pivotal historical events. Some of these critical junctures include the First World War, the 17th century English Civil War, and the Napoleonic War.
As a history buff, I found this book absolutely fascinating. I also found it was an interesting choice by Sannox to depict Arthur the way he did. Surrounded by some of his celebrated knights of the Round Table, who in fealty have accompanied Arthur, Arthur perseveres in his tasks, though what he truly desires is respite from his burdens. Sannox has given his Arthur a sort of Captain America-esque type arch. Sannox has written Arthur as a man who is living out of his time, but whose fate, and overwhelming sense of duty and obligation, forces him to continue his mission. And continue it he does, even though in many ways he cannot entirely relate to the land and people that he protects anymore. It makes Sannox’s Arthur, a man lionized in the annals of history and of particular significance to the British, very human and relatable, and I thought this was very well-done.
The heart of the plot is a classic good versus evil tale, with Merlin’s apprentice, Branok, as the villain. Merlin, Arthur, and his redoubtable knights are locked in an eternal game of wits against Branok, who tries to maneuver history for his own adverse purposes. The book provides plenty of action, with thrilling battle and fight scenes, including peaks back in time, like such epic confrontations as Arthur’s venerated “last” battle at Camlann versus Modred.
I completely adored Sannox’s vivid writing, in terms of how he describes England, a place I have always longed to visit. Sannox captivated me with his expository prose. I truly felt I was strolling or driving through today’s downtown, bustling London, or the quaint urban countryside. The conversations between especially Arthur, Merlin, and the knights, were engaging, and sprinkled with some good humour. As noted, Sannox does an amazing job with Arthur and Merlin, to make them main characters the reader can identify with and root for. Once again, though I would have preferred a longer book, the pacing was exceptional. With the plot always being driven forward in exhilarating fashion, voracious readers might knock this book off in one day’s setting.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have already purchased the sequel: “Agravain’s Escape”, and am very much looking forward to diving into that one! Five stars for “The Ravenmaster’s Revenge”!
It starts out as a seed of discontent, but over centuries it takes root in the heart as it feeds on the anger and a twisted need for control. Fully grown it towers over the land, pouring forth the deadly poison of vengeance. It comes in the form of Merlin’s apprentice, who is determined to finally bring modern day Britain to its knees. Only one stands in his way, the one who always has. It’s an oath to defend and protect that spans the ages embodied in one man and the brotherhood that will not be vanquished. King Arthur and his knights. Arthur is a king whose reign transcends time, one who continues to somehow fight in every battlefield his people’s blood is shed. However, the battlefields have taken their toll, and Arthur finds he’s battered in more ways than one from the centuries of onslaught. He’s given up much, lost even more as he stares at the grave of one of his fallen friends. Still the king’s heart holds true to his vow for he cannot abandon the people he loves to the closing terror. So, the legendary king, along with his trustworthy wizard and his surviving faithful brotherhood of knights, will not hesitate to face another battle, to take up the weapons of war again. Yet, will their sacred oath to defend be enough to claim this battlefield or will an age-old vow of revenge finally bring darkness to the land?