Name: Raven Song
Series: Inoki's Game (Book 1)
Paperback: 290 pages
Published Date: March 14, 2016
Publisher: Lucid Dreams Publishing
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1944674004
ISBN-13: 978-1944674007
Available @
GUEST POST:
Titles are sometimes as
important as the words in a story, how did/ do you come up with your book
titles? What is the significance of the tile, Raven Song?
Raven Song is kind of a curious name, I admit! It was
actually the very last thing written in the manuscript, something I agonized
over, as we authors do, haha. But, I’ve been asked about it a few times, and
I’d love to share how it came about. Now, ravens aren’t usually known for their
singing, per se. They croak, they chuckle, they mimic: extraordinarily
expressive birds. Their song is almost the conversation they hold with their
kin and flock and those other lucky beings they regard as family.
Usually the titles in my books speak to some important theme
that’s going to drive the story. In the case of Raven Song, it’s a
moment of transformation. In the universe of this book, the world’s gone to
hell in a lot of ways, and the plucky, mischievous creatures that are ravens
have died out. However, one of the main characters, Jackson, has been haunted
by visions and dreams of them for as long as he can remember. And another thing
that haunts him is a strange magic that he has no control over, something he’s
been aggressively medicating into submission for years. Anna, the other main
character, has been forcibly removed from her own time and thrust into his, and
she has no idea ravens are all supposed to be dead. Yet… she sees them too. She
wonders at their meaning.
Magic and ravens have deep ties in mythology, and have for
thousands of years. If you’re familiar with Norse myth, you’ll know of the god
Odin, who keeps raven companions. They whisper in his ears all of the happenings
they spy in the mortal world. Odin is a god who knows, more than most, that all
magic comes with a price. To be granted the secret of the runes, he hung
himself on the world tree with his own spear for many days and nights. Only
after this suffering, this proximity to death, was the secret knowledge of the runes
granted to him.
To be whole, to learn the secrets kept from them, Anna and
Jackson will need to face death and transformation, as Odin did. And the
ravens, the ones who have been trying to sing secrets in their ears, will be
there with them, will lead them to more mysteries.
Hence the title! I hope the promise of myth and magic will
entice you to come share this story with me. I love connecting with new readers
almost as much as I admire ravens themselves. There is a free excerpt available
at ia-ashcroft.com, and I also have
some upcoming free short stories for people on my mailing list. Hope to see you
around!
Book Blurb:
A century ago, the world burned. Even now,
though rebuilt and defiant, civilization is still choking on the ashes.
Jackson, a smuggler, lives in the shadows,
once a boy with no memory, no name, and no future. Ravens followed him,
long-extinct birds only he could see, and nightmares flew in their wake. Once,
Jackson thought himself to be one of the lucky few touched by magic, a candidate
for the Order of Mages. He is a man now, and that dream has died. But, the
ravens still follow. The nightmares still whisper in his ear.
Anna’s life was under the sun, her future
bright, her scientific work promising. She knew nothing of The Bombings, the
poisoned world, or the occult. One day, she went to work, and the next, she
awoke in a box over a hundred years in the future, screaming, fighting to
breathe, and looking up into the eyes of a smuggler. Anna fears she’s gone
crazy, unable to fill the massive hole in her memories, and terrified of the
strange abilities she now possesses.
The Coalition government has turned its
watchful eyes towards them. The secret factions of the city move to collect
them first. And, old gods stir in the darkness, shifting their pawns on the
playing field.
If Anna and Jackson wish to stay free, they
must learn what they are and why they exist.
Unfortunately, even if they do, it may be too
late.
Raven Song
is the first of a four book adult-oriented dystopian fantasy series, a story of
intrigue, love, violence, and the old spirits in the shadows who wait for us to
notice them again. Readers of Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, and Charlie Human will
enjoy this dark magic-laced tale rooted on the bones of what our world could
become.
Reviews:
‘Aware that this is just the first book in
the series and I am hooked and will read on, however as a standalone book it
would still make a fantastic read.’ ~ Mark on Goodreads
‘A good urban fantasy with well-developed
characters and a grim and complex setting. I would recommend.’ ~ Dannica
Zulestin on Goodreads
‘Ashcroft has a brilliant imagination coupled
with an eloquent writing style that draws the reader in, makes us feel a wide
array of emotions, and holds us captivated to the very end. I anxiously await
the next volume in this series.’ ~ K. McCaslin on Amazon
‘I usually think endings are the worst part
of most books, hard to wrap up into a logical and solid ending, this book did
well at it I was satisfied but very much looking forward to the next book.’ ~ taruofatlantis
on Amazon
‘The narration by Mikael Naramore was good.
He was able to capture the voices of the characters well, especially the manic
Tony. In general the characters were distinguishable and the voicing gave life
to each of them. The production quality was good as well.’ ~ Poonam on
AudioBook Reviewer.
Author Bio:
I. A. Ashcroft has been writing fiction in
many forms for almost twenty years. The author's first book, written at age
seven, featured the family cat hunting an evil sorceress alongside dragons and
eagles. This preoccupation with the fantastical has not changed in the
slightest.
Now, the author dwells in Phoenix, AZ alongside
a wonderful tale-spinner and two increasingly deranged cats. Ashcroft writes
almost exclusively in the realm of darker fantasy these days, loving to
entertain adults with stories of magic, wonder, despair, violence, and hope,
bringing a deep love of mythology into every tale penned. The author also loves
diverse and intriguing casts of characters.
When not buried in a book, one might find
Ashcroft learning languages, charting road trips, and playing tabletop RPGs
with clever and fun people.
Contact
the Author:
PROLOGUE
A boy lay on the broken sidewalk, eyes
closed. He was pale and thin, looking not a day over ten years old. His
half-clothed body shuddered against the chilly night air. His bony frame
scraped against the grime of the street as he curled into himself, trying to
keep back the cold. Overhead, the stars hung bright and lonely.
In the alley, almost invisible against the
midnight darkness, a man stood tall over the boy. His well-pressed suit was as
black as the shadows, as his skin, and as the raven on his shoulder. The way he
hovered over the child, he seemed a strange guardian. But his eyes were turned
upwards to the sky, away from the boy’s plight, as if it was no real matter. In
those black eyes the stars were mirrored, impossible and brilliant. Those eyes
stared back into the past, when the celestial lights were loved and revered, when
each constellation had a story.
Once upon a time… this was when the world had
sung to him, the dream-walker, the song-weaver, the star-stringer.
Once, before humans had forgotten his name.
Now, the starry sky was almost hidden by the
glowing blue haze of the Barrier, a shield cast over what was left of the city:
proud New York, ruined, rebuilt, defiant.
The stranger kept staring upwards into
oblivion, even as the boy let out an unhappy whimper, chills wracking his weak
frame. The raven flew from the stranger’s shoulder then, alighting onto the
sidewalk, picking past the weeds and rubble. It rejoined its fellows who had
settled amicably around the child, oblivious to the fact that ravens were all
supposed to be dead. One hundred years ago, poison had leeched into the earth,
into the grass, into the grazers, and into the corpses left behind. The blight
spared little, its kind no exception. Regardless, this impossible creature affectionately
brushed at the boy’s dark hair with its beak.
At the touch, the boy awoke with a start. His
wide, uncomprehending eyes took in the world as he struggled to sit up, his
head swinging around wildly; past awnings and high rises he had never seen,
past scrawled words and graffiti he could not understand. He teetered to his
feet, then fell back down again as his knees gave out, sending the birds around
him into flight.
He saw no starry eyes in the darkness, no
stranger standing nearby. He was halfnaked, shivering, hungry, and alone, his
head aching down to his teeth. The nameless boy shook off the dreams he
couldn’t remember and wondered where he was.
If there had been any passersby on that cold
autumn night, they would have sworn that this boy hadn’t been there a minute
ago, and no stranger or ravens had been there at all.
