Blackwing

core novel 2017 The Raven's Mark

Record

First published	2017
Original language	EN
Work type	novel
Canon status	core
Reader rating	4.08 (8,651 ratings, collected 2026-09-23)
Page count	360
First-edition ISBN	9781473222014
Internal chronology	1

Synopsis

Bounty hunter Ryhalt Galharrow has spent twenty years patrolling the edge of the Misery, a wasteland left behind by an ancient war with the immortal Deep Kings. Sent to find a masked noblewoman at a frontier outpost, he instead finds himself caught in a renewed attack by the Deep Kings and reunited with Lady Ezabeth Tanza, a figure from his own past who wields a dangerous and little-understood power. Together they uncover a conspiracy that threatens the Engine, the weapon that has kept the republic's fragile peace, forcing Galharrow to confront both the coming invasion and the truth of his own violent history.

Where it sits

• Universe: The Raven's Mark
• Series: The Raven's Mark core; position 1 of 3 in the series' recorded order
• Author: Ed McDonald

Awards (verified)

• David Gemmell Morningstar Award (Best Fantasy Newcomer), 2018: nominated

Notes

• From the series record (The Raven's Mark): Completed grimdark secondary-world trilogy following bounty hunter Ryhalt Galharrow across the Misery, a wasteland created by an ancient war against the immortal Deep Kings.

Neighbouring works

Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.

• Reading order, within the series The Raven's Mark: position 1 of 3: next Ravencry (2018)

Sources

• Ed McDonald's own author site
• FantasticFiction: Ed McDonald
• FantasticFiction: Blackwing (Raven's Mark, book 1)
• 2018 David Gemmell Award Shortlists - Locus Online
• 2018 Gemmell Awards Winners - Locus Online

← The Raven's Mark dossier · All universes

Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.