Ed McDonald Books In Order

Publication Order of Raven's Mark Books

Publication Order of The Redwinter Chronicles Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Ed McDonald is a fantasy fiction author best known for the “Raven’s Mark” series of novels. Before he became famous as a fiction author, he spent several years in different countries, cities, and professions. He has said that all these provided him with the experience and free time to write his novels. He made his fiction debut with the writing of “Blackwing” the first novel of the “Raven Mark” Trilogy that was published in 2017. The novel went on to be published in Russian, Hungarian, German, French, Spanish, and English in the United States. He currently makes his home in the city of London, where he has a job teaching at a university. He has said that the city has provided a lot of inspiration for many of his plotlines. When he is not wrangling plotlines or grading student papers, he spends his time fencing with pollaxes, rapiers, and longswords.

McDonald has always been writing and does not remember a time when he was not writing something. It has always been a dream of his to create his own versions of things he loved whether they were movies, novels, video games of comic books. Much of his inspiration has come from his reading of other works of fiction that sent him on a rollercoaster that he wanted to evoke the same feeling in other people. As such, he usually starts his stories with an emotional experience intended to tackle issues such as victory against the odds, loss, tragedy, and heroism. He then works out how he can provide the expressive experience through a narrative, which he managed to do exceptionally well with his debut novel Blackwing. He has asserted that a good novel by his standards is something that causes his reader to come away punching the air yet sad at the same time. While he was inspired to genre fiction such as the “Jackson and Livingstone Fighting” novels and “Lord of the Rings” as a nine-year-old, he gets much of his stylistic inspiration from David Gemmell. The inspiration for the debut novel “Blackwing” came to him in parts rather than in a single clear idea. He had always loved the themes of power and magic and wanted to write about sword fights. He also wanted a romance where the romance drives the plot. Among the others that have had a great influence on his writing include Daniel Polansky, Joe Abercrombie, David Gemmell, Lee Child, and Bernard Cornwell.

Ed McDonald started writing “Blackwing” in 2015 and finished it by 2016. By the time she was done with it, it was radically different from her initial inspiration but at 150,000 words, she started sending out queries to agents. He got interest from an agent in March of 201 only to be turned down a few days later. Less than a week from the rejection, she got a call from Sheil Land’s Ian Drury, who asked for the entire manuscript and within a week she had an agent. The agent was the big break she needed to get to the publishers. Once she had done the necessary revisions suggested by the agent, she got multiple book deals, which she attributes to her hard work and the efficiency of her agent Ian.

Ed’s popular novel “Blackwing” is a story of a republic on the verge of annihilation. Galharrow Blackwing had done his best but when a mysterious raven tattoo on his body rips itself off to go deliver a message, he is forced to investigate the legacy of a sorcerer long dead. There is a conspiracy within the city: flesh-eaters, traitors, and ghosts from the wastelands are seeking to destroy the citadel’s inhabitants. The only way to stop them is to resolve the ancient wizard’s paradox or else the shadowy forces will take over. The war with the empire from the east had ended with no winner thanks to the invention of a wizard crafter weapon named Nall’s Engine. Not even the Dark Kings could stand its power and might. But the engine had resulted in a lot of misery with a no man’s land between the two empires now full of corrupted magic and ghosts. But when Galharrow heads out to a fortress on the frontlines, he discovers that the defenders have become so complacent they could be charged for treason. Things get worse when the enemy storms the walls and the Engine they were depending on jams. Glaharrow is lucky to get away as he has access to paranormal magic courtesy of the noblewoman in his company. Together, they dash towards the capital where they hope to restore the nation’s defenses and unmask the people who had betrayed the homeland.

“Ravencry” the second novel of the “Raven Mark” series by Ed McDonald continues from the events of the debut. It is four years since the republic’s dependable Nall’s Engine had beaten off the Deep Kings right across no man’s land as they hurled brimstone on the shadowy forces seeking to conquer their land. The land is now at peace and a new power is rising out of the devastation of the war. The power has been called the Bright Lady and many on the city report that they have seen it at different locations. It is soon apparent that the manifestation is as a result of at attempt at a power grab by a cult that seeks to take control of the land. Things get bad for the defenders when an object of terrible power is taken from the arcane vault in Crowfoot. It is now up to the Blackwings and their leader Galharrow to find the person responsible before the weapon can be used against them. To save the city, they may have to engage in more twisted and dark actions than they ever had to before.

Ed McDonald’s “Crowfall” is an epic fantasy novel that opens to a world in which a sorceress catastrophe threatens the republic. The Range which was the last line of defense between the immortal Deep Kings and the Republic is about to be crossed. The land is being pounded by tormenting rains while the power of the gods that have protected the land for eons is broken. The Blackwing captains are being preyed on and dying off one by one with not even the mortals surviving the onslaught. Meanwhile, the Deep Kings have been working hard and are now hoping to deliver a killing blow to end the war. Galharrow has not been participating in the latest events having been deeper into no man’s land than any man before him. The experience has changed him and he is now more powerful than ever though the power comes with a price. The ghosts of his experiences now accompany him everywhere he goes and the only way to banish them is to visit the Misery for one last mission.