I had never heard of Wilbur Smith and his Ballantyne series before winning this book in a BookishFirst raffle. Call of the Raven is actually a prequel to the first book in this series, A Falcon Flies. Despite not having ever have read the other books in the series, I enjoyed this one very much! You really don't need any prior knowledge of the series before beginning this book, and in my opinion, this prequel is a great introduction to the series. This book is a nail-biting, edge of your seat thriller about Augustus who is the son of a wealthy plantation owner and his thirst for revenge after losing everything he owns and loves. I am very much looking forward to reading the rest of the series!