James Barclay
Encyclopedia
James Barclay is a high fantasy
author
He has written two trilogies, Chronicles of The Raven
and Legends of The Raven
, and a related novella
, Light Stealer.
His latest project is a new duology titled The Ascendants of Estorea
. The first book, Cry Of The Newborn
, was published in October 2005. The sequel, A Shout For The Dead
was published in January 2007, which was late due to publication delays.
Barclay's love for writing spawned from a love for reading. His brother introduced him to the genres of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and he began to play role playing games enthusisatically. From reading many books from the genre, Barclay began to write from the age of 11. The first story which he wrote (at the age of 13) was called "Troja: Dawn". Barclay claims "it was and is utterly awful". After this came his second effort at the age of 15, titled "What Price, Civilization?".
At the age of 18, Barclay moved to Sheffield City Polytechnic to study Electronics Control and Design Engineering. After two weeks he changed from Science to Arts, taking up Communication Studies. His first published work came at this time in a local journal.
By the end of his course, Barclay had decided to become an actor, and moved to London
to do a post graduate course in Performing Arts. Since leaving the course, he has been a part in a small number of student films, and several works of amateur dramatics.
The first full manuscript which Barclay wrote had its roots in the earlier sci-fi/fantasy fusion genre. It was entitled "The All-God's gift" and was not published.
After multiple jobs from the age of 23, including a parcel delivery driver (where he lasted just nine weeks) he left Insight Investment in March 2004 to write full time.
Barclay never stopped writing and submitting, and in May 1998 he achieved success when he found out he was going to be published. The first book of six about The Raven
, Dawnthief, was published in the UK in 1999. Since then he has gone on to write a number of books regarding the raven, and also his new duology The Ascendants of Estorea
.
Barclay is currently married to his wife Clare, and they both live in Teddington. Their first child, a boy, was born on January 25, 2007.
is primarily set on Balaia
and revolves around a group of mercenaries who call themselves The Raven
. The trilogy consists of three novels:
The events of Legends of The Raven
continue on from the events of Chronicles of The Raven
and consists of another three novels:
The story is picked back up 10 years after the end of Demonstorm many of the previous characters are brought back
His two trilogies are both published by Victor Gollancz Ltd
.
Light Stealer is set in the same world as the above trilogies, but set several hundred years previously. The events revolve around a famous mage named Septern who is mentioned many times in the trilogies. Light Stealer is published by PS Publishing
.
Barclay has stated on numerous occasions that he is unlikely to write any more books regarding The Raven
, however he has stated on his online forum that he is interested in writing an encyclopedia on the world of The Raven
. But in 2008 he released Ravensoul which brings back many of the previous characters for one final battle.
On July 18 Barclay announced he is writing a seventh Raven book titled Ravensoul, quoted in the news section of his site "Ravensoul is about how honour and love transcend the boundary of life and death; and how greed and the lust for power can put at risk the lives, and deaths, of everyone."
http://www.jamesbarclay.com/news.htm
, departs from the world of Balaia
. The titles of the two books are:
.
He also participates and encourages discussion regarding his books on his online forum, which to date (March 2007) has just over 300 members.
The forum has recently been changed and updated. It is a growing community, and its members have referred to themselves as "Ravenites" and "Forumites" and James acknowledged these members as "Forumites" in the dedications for his book, Cry Of The Newborn
.
High fantasy
High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s...
author
He has written two trilogies, Chronicles of The Raven
Chronicles of The Raven
Chronicles of The Raven is the first of two trilogies by James Barclay which revolves around a band of mercenaries named The Raven.The trilogy consists of three novels, all set in the fantasy world of Balaia:* Dawnthief* Noonshade...
and Legends of The Raven
Legends of The Raven
Legends of The Raven is the second of two trilogies by James Barclay which revolves around a band of mercenaries named The Raven.The trilogy consists of three novels:* Elfsorrow* ShadowHeart* DemonStorm...
, and a related novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
, Light Stealer.
His latest project is a new duology titled The Ascendants of Estorea
The Ascendants of Estorea
The Ascendants of Estorea is a fantasy novel duology by James Barclay.The first novel in the duology, Cry Of The Newborn, was released on October 20, 2005...
. The first book, Cry Of The Newborn
Cry of the Newborn
Cry of the Newborn is the first book in the duology The Ascendants of Estorea, written by James Barclay.The book was released on 20 October 2005 in the United Kingdom and has received a number of positive reviews, whilst a small number of fans of Barclay's previous books regarding the world of The...
, was published in October 2005. The sequel, A Shout For The Dead
A Shout for the Dead
Shout for the Dead is a fantasy novel by James Barclay. It follows Cry of the Newborn in the short series of two by the author....
was published in January 2007, which was late due to publication delays.
Biography
James Barclay was born on 15 March 1965, shortly after midday. For 18 years he lived in Felixstowe, Suffolk with his parents (Thea and Keith), two sisters (Nancy and Virginia) and an older brother (Mike).Barclay's love for writing spawned from a love for reading. His brother introduced him to the genres of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and he began to play role playing games enthusisatically. From reading many books from the genre, Barclay began to write from the age of 11. The first story which he wrote (at the age of 13) was called "Troja: Dawn". Barclay claims "it was and is utterly awful". After this came his second effort at the age of 15, titled "What Price, Civilization?".
At the age of 18, Barclay moved to Sheffield City Polytechnic to study Electronics Control and Design Engineering. After two weeks he changed from Science to Arts, taking up Communication Studies. His first published work came at this time in a local journal.
By the end of his course, Barclay had decided to become an actor, and moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to do a post graduate course in Performing Arts. Since leaving the course, he has been a part in a small number of student films, and several works of amateur dramatics.
The first full manuscript which Barclay wrote had its roots in the earlier sci-fi/fantasy fusion genre. It was entitled "The All-God's gift" and was not published.
After multiple jobs from the age of 23, including a parcel delivery driver (where he lasted just nine weeks) he left Insight Investment in March 2004 to write full time.
Barclay never stopped writing and submitting, and in May 1998 he achieved success when he found out he was going to be published. The first book of six about The Raven
The Raven (characters)
The Raven are a band of mercenaries who are the protagonists of several novels by James Barclay.They are in his two trilogies:* Chronicles of The Raven...
, Dawnthief, was published in the UK in 1999. Since then he has gone on to write a number of books regarding the raven, and also his new duology The Ascendants of Estorea
The Ascendants of Estorea
The Ascendants of Estorea is a fantasy novel duology by James Barclay.The first novel in the duology, Cry Of The Newborn, was released on October 20, 2005...
.
Barclay is currently married to his wife Clare, and they both live in Teddington. Their first child, a boy, was born on January 25, 2007.
The Raven
The Chronicles of The RavenChronicles of The Raven
Chronicles of The Raven is the first of two trilogies by James Barclay which revolves around a band of mercenaries named The Raven.The trilogy consists of three novels, all set in the fantasy world of Balaia:* Dawnthief* Noonshade...
is primarily set on Balaia
Balaia (Raven)
Balaia is a fictional country, featured in the Chronicles of The Raven, the Legends of The Raven and LightStealer, all by James Barclay. Balaia is also the name of the continent on which the country, Balaia, resides...
and revolves around a group of mercenaries who call themselves The Raven
The Raven (characters)
The Raven are a band of mercenaries who are the protagonists of several novels by James Barclay.They are in his two trilogies:* Chronicles of The Raven...
. The trilogy consists of three novels:
- DawnthiefDawnthiefDawnthief is a fantasy novel by James Barclay. It was first published in the UK in 1999.The story is about the Raven , six men and an elf. Swords for hire in the wars that have torn Balaia apart...
- NoonshadeNoonshadeNoonshade is a fantasy novel by James Barclay. It was first published in the UK in 2000. This is the second book in the Chronicles of The Raven."An apocalyptic spell has been cast, an ancient evil banished...
- NightchildNightchildNightchild is a fantasy novel by James Barclay. It was first published in the UK in 2001. This is the third book in the Chronicles of The Raven.- The Raven :Denser - Xeteskian MageErienne - Dordovan MageHirad Coldheart - Barbarian Warrior...
The events of Legends of The Raven
Legends of The Raven
Legends of The Raven is the second of two trilogies by James Barclay which revolves around a band of mercenaries named The Raven.The trilogy consists of three novels:* Elfsorrow* ShadowHeart* DemonStorm...
continue on from the events of Chronicles of The Raven
Chronicles of The Raven
Chronicles of The Raven is the first of two trilogies by James Barclay which revolves around a band of mercenaries named The Raven.The trilogy consists of three novels, all set in the fantasy world of Balaia:* Dawnthief* Noonshade...
and consists of another three novels:
- ElfsorrowElfsorrowElfsorrow is the first book in the trilogy Legends of the Raven, which takes place after Chronicles of the Raven. At this stage, the members of The Raven are Hirad Coldheart, The Unknown Warrior, Thraun, Ry Darrick, Denser, Erienne and Ilkar.-Plot summary:...
- Shadowheart
- Demonstorm
The story is picked back up 10 years after the end of Demonstorm many of the previous characters are brought back
- Ravensoul
His two trilogies are both published by Victor Gollancz Ltd
Victor Gollancz Ltd
Victor Gollancz Ltd was a major British book publishing house of the twentieth century. It was founded in 1927 by Victor Gollancz and specialised in the publication of high quality literature, nonfiction and popular fiction, including science fiction. Upon Gollancz's death in 1967, ownership...
.
Light Stealer is set in the same world as the above trilogies, but set several hundred years previously. The events revolve around a famous mage named Septern who is mentioned many times in the trilogies. Light Stealer is published by PS Publishing
PS Publishing
PS Publishing is a Hornsea based publisher founded in 1999 by Peter Crowther. They specialise in novella length fiction from the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres. It has quickly become established as one of Britain's premier small presses...
.
Barclay has stated on numerous occasions that he is unlikely to write any more books regarding The Raven
The Raven (characters)
The Raven are a band of mercenaries who are the protagonists of several novels by James Barclay.They are in his two trilogies:* Chronicles of The Raven...
, however he has stated on his online forum that he is interested in writing an encyclopedia on the world of The Raven
The Raven (characters)
The Raven are a band of mercenaries who are the protagonists of several novels by James Barclay.They are in his two trilogies:* Chronicles of The Raven...
. But in 2008 he released Ravensoul which brings back many of the previous characters for one final battle.
On July 18 Barclay announced he is writing a seventh Raven book titled Ravensoul, quoted in the news section of his site "Ravensoul is about how honour and love transcend the boundary of life and death; and how greed and the lust for power can put at risk the lives, and deaths, of everyone."
http://www.jamesbarclay.com/news.htm
The Ascendants
The Ascendants of EstoreaThe Ascendants of Estorea
The Ascendants of Estorea is a fantasy novel duology by James Barclay.The first novel in the duology, Cry Of The Newborn, was released on October 20, 2005...
, departs from the world of Balaia
Balaia (Raven)
Balaia is a fictional country, featured in the Chronicles of The Raven, the Legends of The Raven and LightStealer, all by James Barclay. Balaia is also the name of the continent on which the country, Balaia, resides...
. The titles of the two books are:
- Cry of the NewbornCry of the NewbornCry of the Newborn is the first book in the duology The Ascendants of Estorea, written by James Barclay.The book was released on 20 October 2005 in the United Kingdom and has received a number of positive reviews, whilst a small number of fans of Barclay's previous books regarding the world of The...
- Shout for the DeadA Shout for the DeadShout for the Dead is a fantasy novel by James Barclay. It follows Cry of the Newborn in the short series of two by the author....
Online Presence
Barclay runs an official website (below) which contains his biography, a bibliography, latest extract, and also an online BlogBlog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
.
He also participates and encourages discussion regarding his books on his online forum, which to date (March 2007) has just over 300 members.
The forum has recently been changed and updated. It is a growing community, and its members have referred to themselves as "Ravenites" and "Forumites" and James acknowledged these members as "Forumites" in the dedications for his book, Cry Of The Newborn
Cry of the Newborn
Cry of the Newborn is the first book in the duology The Ascendants of Estorea, written by James Barclay.The book was released on 20 October 2005 in the United Kingdom and has received a number of positive reviews, whilst a small number of fans of Barclay's previous books regarding the world of The...
.