Most Popular Books by James Barclay

An action-packed fantasy following a crew of mercenaries on an epic quest. Full of mystery, battles and magic, this is perfect for fans of David Gemmell Chronicles of the Raven: One ELITE, UNSTOPPABLE ... AND HIRED TO DO THE UNTHINKABLE The Raven are an elite. Formed of six men and an elf, they''re swords for hire in the wars that have torn their land apart. For years their only loyalty has been to themselves, and to their code. But that time is coming to an end. The Wytch Lords have escaped and The Raven find themselves fighting for the Dark College of magic, on a mission which soon becomes a race for the secret location of Dawnthief. It''s a spell - one created to end the world - and there''s a danger that someone is going to use it ... Readers love Dawnthief: ''Barclay writes with power, pace and a wonderful sense of humour'' David Gemmell ''This book was great, it had magic and swords and the old fashioned dungeons and dragons feel to it that I was craving'' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ''It''s tense, a lot, because no one is safe. There''s plenty of action and intrigue'' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ''The characters were loveable and I loved the fact that they weren''t perfect, as in they made mistakes in how they fought and they got hurt'' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ''This was one hell of a ride! . . . Without a doubt, The Raven are some of the most colourful, engaging characters I''ve ever had the pleasure of traveling with'' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ''Barclay writes an exciting, action-packed story, with intelligent world-building and a fresh, believable magic system'' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Chronicles of the Raven: Three AN UNSTOPPABLE NEW POWER IS RISING ... The power of the land has manifested itself in Lyanna, a five year old girl. She has the power to sweep the four colleges of magic aside, or - unknowingly - to destroy Balaia. And the colleges will do anything to control her. If she cannot be controlled, she''ll be killed ... but first they have to find her. Denser, one of The Raven, is desperate to find Lyanna and her mother too - not because Lyanna''s powers are ripping the world apart, but because she''s his daughter. But can even The Raven find Erienne and her child when they don''t want to be found? And if they find her, with thousands of lives at stake, can The Raven afford to let her live?

Chronicles of the Raven: Two AN ANCIENT EVIL HAS BEEN BANISHED - NOW THE PRICE MUST BE PAID ... Balaia is torn by war, and now suffering the consequences of an apocalyptic spell too. The Dawnthief - designed to destroy the world, but cast in desperation to save it - has ripped a hole in the sky ... ... which becomes a pathway to a dragon dimension, through which unfriendly eyes are already turning to Balaia. But with war already sweeping the land, there are no armies to send against the dragons. Only a band of tiny, but legendary, mercenaries: The Raven.

The elves have fled to Calius, seeking to escape the overwhelming power of the demonic Garonin. A desperate last stand in their own dimension saved the race, at the cost of 100,000 elves lost to the Garonin. The elf who led that fight, Takaar, is blamed for the losses and has gone into hiding. Now the weakened elf race is tearing itself apart in civil war, human mercenaries have arrived in Calius and are ripping the continent apart. Only one elf can unite the elves. And only one elf believes in him. A young warrior named Auum sets out to bring back the shamed hero and save the elven race. James Barclay''s ELVES trilogy will tell the whole story of his immortal elven race, and will appeal to all fans of Tolkien and fantasy - this is a uniquely entertaining take on a fantasy staple perfect to bring new readers to Barclay. And old readers of James Barclay will welcome a return to one of their favourite creations and will also love seeing one of their favourite characters again - the Tai Gethan warriror Auum destined to be one of the Raven.

Thousands of years ago the elves were enslaved by the Wytch Lords. Murdered in their thousands, worked to death in slave gangs and divided against themselves, the wounds inflicted by man run deep - and elves have very long memories. Two of them - Auum and Takaar - led the rise against their enslavers, and united their people against men in order to free their nation. Now Calaius is at peace ... but that doesn''t mean their nation is safe. Men need their help. The Wytch Lords have rallied, men''s magic has grown more powerful, and their politics have become altogether more dangerous. Especially now: one of the mages has created a spell, called Dawnthief, which has the potential to destroy all living things on the planet. All four magical colleges are fighting to seize it and, in the background, the Wytch Lords have schemes of their own. Schemes which involve crushing the elven nation for good. Whoever seizes the spell, it places the elves in tremendous danger. But can Auum and Takaar overcome their differences and work together to save Calaius? And even if they can, is it not already too late ... ? Find out more on his website, www.jamesbarclay.com, or you can follow @barculator on Twitter.

Legends of the Raven: One THE ELVES ARE DYING. The rivalry between the four colleges of magic has brought misery and war to Balaia, and throughout it the Elves have remained apart. They have watched, aloof and untouched, from their homeland of Calaius as human dynasties came and went. Until now. Suddenly, the Elves are dying in their thousands, seemingly struck down at random. Ilkar, an Elven mage, is uniquely placed to find the cause of this plague and put an end to it. For Ilkar is one of The Raven: a tiny mercenary band of warriors and mages, bound together by a vow stronger than blood. Over many years their prowess has become legendary. But like elves, even heroes are mortal ...

Death cannot separate them. This is The Raven, older, wiser, some returned from the grave. Grieving they seek nothing but rest from conflict, something the world will not grant them. But they remain The Raven, still answering when the call comes, still the force most likely to survive and bring the world with them, and still willing to die so that those they love can live.

The Estorean Conquord has stood for 850 years. Its Advocate, Herine Del Aglios, knows that she presides over the greatest civilisation in history. But she wants more. And in Estorea''s recently conquered territories dissent is brewing. Forced to fight old friends and neighbours in the cause of the ever-growing Conquord, they face brutal choices and savage demands for money and men to be fed into Estorea''s wars - demands made by Paul Jhered, head of the Gatherers and the iron hand of the Advocate, With Jhered by her side, Herine believes that nothing can go wrong. Until a disastrous and bloody reversal in the war to overrun the Kingdom of Tsard puts Estorea''s armies on the back foot and has Tsardon troops flooding into the Conquord. As the empire trembles, far from the war four unique children are discovering their powers. They are the first true Ascendants, in touch with the elements, able to shape the world. An empire descending into war is about to discover the wonder and terror of magic ... James Barclay''s new series is a triumph of epic plotting and heart-stopping action.

Legends of the Raven: Three WHAT PRICE VICTORY? The Raven have kept their promises, but fate has not finished with them. As the war between the colleges of magic rages on, one man sees his chance for revenge. Balaia is already in flames ... as Tessaya, Lord of the Paleon Tribes, unleashes his horde on the Dark Colleges. Dystran, Lord of the Mount, faces certain defeat at Tessaya''s hands. He may be cornered and desperate, but he refuses to be beaten; so he turns the unthinkable power of his dimensional magic on his enemies...and tears the veil between the realms, allowing a vast, predatory even to catch the sent of the countless souls of Balaia. It''s possible not even The Raven can save them now ...

Naida is living a lie. A peerless battlefield surgeon. A talisman for the army. A symbol of hope in an impossible, grinding war. A fraud. Society, led by the queen, has long held that the Esselrode people and their abilities are inherently, irredeemably evil, a truth which Naida has been brought up to believe. But as one of them, feeling compelled to use her powers again and again to heal those on the brink of death, it''s hard to accept. It''s even harder to live a lie, conflicted about her hidden identity, when the truth could save lives. Taken from the battlefield where she thrives to a court where her life hangs ever more precariously in the balance, Naida is about to learn that there are even greater secrets, and conspiracies, afoot . . . and that her dangerous truth could change the course of a nation . . . James Barclay is back with a brand-new standalone adventure which will tug on your heartstrings and keep you glued to your seat. James is truly a fantasy great, and this new novel will satisfy all fans of the genre.

Legends of the Raven: Two ONE BATTLE TO FINISH THEM ALL. The conflict between Balaia''s four colleges of magic has blazed into furious, dangerous life. The Dark College, Xetesk, faces an alliance between Lystern and Dordova, while Julasta remains crippled without its link to Balaia''s Mana flow. And so the armies mass one last time. The Raven are caught in the flames of war. Three of the legendary mercenary band are dead; one struggles with a burgeoning power that could herald a new world - or destroy the old. They all have promises to keep: to lost friends; to the enslaved Protectors; to the dragon, Sha-Kaan. They will keep the faith. They will fight - and they will triumph. It''s what they do.

THE ELVES ARE ENSLAVED Calaius is occupied by an implacable, relentless enemy. The great elven cities are little more than prison camps. Elven slaves are forced to destroy their beloved rainforest to harvest timber for their masters. The enemy has no mercy, no honour and little skill in battle. The enemy is Man. Those few elves who remain free are fragmented, in squabbling factions, and they must unite before they can take a stand against Man. Many believe that the battle is already lost, but Auum is not one of them. He knows Men''s numbers are great but their tactics are weak; he knows Men think the Elves are already beaten; he is convinced that his people must fight now, or see their race destroyed. Takaar disagrees. He believes Elven salvation lies in unlocking their magic, not in fighting pitched battles against Man. He is determined to save his people too, but his tactics are entirely different ... and if some Elves must die now to ensure Calaius will be free of Man in the future, it''s a sacrifice he is willing to make. The Elves must choose their sides. Whatever they decide, victory will win their freedom ... and failure will mean extermination ...

In THE CRY OF THE NEWBORN we were introduced to four teenagers, each of whom had nature at their command. They became the pawns in the struggle of the Estorean empire to survive. Through them their world discovered magic and we were drawn into a superb new epic fantasy that, for the first time, told the story of what happens when magic arrives in a previously non-magical world. Now ten years have passed and Estorea is consumed by war and the four ascendents have chosen different sides in the conflict. As the armies muster and the final conflict draws close the ascendents are only now coming to their full power and soon summoned armies of the dead will march against the living. This is epic fantasy full of fallible characters, political machinations, betrayal and bloody battles. It combines vivid storytelling with an original theme in a popular sub-genre and shows Barclay to be a writer who is getting better with every book and who is truly comfortable with epic scale.

The world has become a battleground in a war which no side is winning. But for those determined to retain power, the prolonged stalemate cannot be tolerated so desperate measures must be taken. Max Halloran has no idea. He''s living the brief and glorious life of a hunter-killer pilot. He''s an ace in the air, on his way up through the ranks, in love, and with his family''s every need provided for in thanks for his service, Max has everything . . . . . . right up until he hears something he shouldn''t have, and refuses to let it go. Suddenly he''s risking his life and the lives of all those he cares about for a secret which could expose corruption at the highest levels, and change the course of the war. One man, one brief conversation . . . a whole world of trouble . . .

An anthology of all original stories written to honour the memory of one of Britain''s greatest fantasy authors. Determined warriors, hideous creatures, wicked sorceries, tricksy villains and cunning lovers abound as fantasy''s finest imaginations do their best... and their worst. James Barclay reveals the origins of The Raven, Adrian Tchaikovsky unveils new aspects of the realm of the Apt, Tanith Lee, Joe Abercrombie, Storm Constantine, Stan Nicholls, Juliet E McKenna and more weave their magic as only they can. Produced in cooperation with the David Gemmell Awards, Legends will, in part, act as a fund-raiser for the awards. Steel yourself, throw caution to the wind, and dare to enter the realm of Legends