John Gwynne (1) (1968–)

When earlier this year I read John Gwynne’s A Time of Dread, the first volume in his new saga titled Of Blood and Bone, I was immediately captivated by the author’s storytelling and the complex background of the novel, so that once I learned of the existence of a previous loosely connected series, I knew I would not wait long before reading it. Which brings me to Malice, the start of The Faithful and the Fallen epic.

On the surface, Malice looks like a classic good vs. evil tale, and in show more truth it employs several traditional elements of the genre, like the prophecy of an impending conflict between the champions of light and darkness, or the coming of age of a young man destined to greatness, but it does so with such narrative skill that it’s impossible not to be absorbed by the story and enjoy its rhythm and subtle buildup. I have come to envision the author as a bard of old, of the kind who once gathered people around a fire as he recounted tales that everyone was familiar with, but that gained new depth and meaning with clever storytelling, one where the journey matters more than the end. As a longtime admirer of JRR Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings, I found here the same kind of epic tale I love to lose myself in.

As far as the background is concerned, the novel takes place in the Banished Lands, a region where people retreated after the devastating war between the gods of good and evil, Elyon and Asroth, and where humans dwell in uneasy balance together with giants, wyrms and other outworldly creatures. High King Aquilus, who oversees the various realms in which the Banished Lands are divided, has been warned about the prophecy that heralds a new war between the opposing forces of light and darkness and the final battle between their champions, the Bright Star and the Black Sun: when he calls the other rulers to council, asking for an alliance against the coming darkness, his proposal is mostly met with uncertainty and disbelief, since the forces of evil have already begun to sow their seeds, so that what should have been a united front is fractured by mistrust and competing shows of strength.

I’m not going to delve further into the story because I think it must be enjoyed on its own: no matter how familiar the premise might sound, it’s the kind of tale that takes hold of your imagination and carries you, slowly but surely, toward its stirring climax: Malice works very much as an introduction, and as such it takes its time to gather clues and build them up, requiring some patience from the reader, but that patience is more than rewarded in the last segment of the novel, when events are brought to a peak that leads toward the next book in the series.

The real backbone of the book comes however from the characters: Mr. Gwynne gives us a good number of points of view, alternating them between chapters so that the story flows easily from one to the other: here lies my only contention with this novel, because we make the acquaintance of too many characters all at once, and that might prove a little daunting since we are not given enough time to get to know them properly before moving on to the next one. Aside from this little snag – that I overcame by taking notes to fix their traits in my mind – observing these individuals’ evolution in the course of the story was indeed a fascinating exercise.

The main point of view belongs to young Corban, a village smith’s son: he’s looking forward with some trepidation to the warrior training that all village boys undergo, especially since the local bully does his best to undermine Corban’s faith in himself and his abilities. It does not help that his fiery sister Cywen often comes to his rescue, somehow giving strength to the bully’s claim about Corban’s cowardice: it’s at this point that the mysterious stablemaster Gar offers his services as a combat instructor, mentoring the boy in what look like unusual techniques geared to face worse danger than what the usual village defender encounters. The relationship with the wolven Storm, a wild creature everyone else is wary of, lends a further patina of mystery to Corban’s destiny, and makes for some wonderful passages of bonding between boy and animal, that were among my favorite segments.

On the opposite side of the social spectrum there is Nathair, heir to King Aquilus: he’s eager to prove his worth and somewhat stifled by his father’s caution and his mother’s fear for his safety. The prince’s determination to show his mettle takes him toward a path where darkness rules more often than light does, and in so doing carries along with him another young noble, Veradis, enrolled in Nathair’s personal guard and looking for the recognition that his father always denied him. The theme of a remote father whose absence or lack of interest – which in some cases becomes outright hostility – drives the son away in search of respect encompasses another character, that of Kastell, whose path is however different because he puts himself to the service of the land, joining a specialized cadre of warriors who battle the dangerous creatures roaming the Banished Lands: Kastell’s journey is one of my favorite narrative threads, mostly because I enjoyed his relationship with older Maquin, who acts as a mentor and protector to the younger man. Last but not least is Evnis, the counsellor of King Brenin (one of the lesser rulers under Aquilus), who is painted from the very start as the true villain of the story since he sells his soul to evil Asroth in search of vengeance – and yet he’s not a totally negative character because there are somewhat valid reasons for his actions, although the choices he makes lead him on a dark path.

The character list is by no means limited to the ones I quoted of course: there is a great number of minor figures who enrich the variegated tapestry of this story and add interesting points of view that deepen our understanding of this world – I’d like to quote healer Brina here, because her caustic demeanor and sarcastic wisdom were among the highlights of Malice, to the point that I hope she will be present in the next volumes as well. All these figures contribute the immersive experience of the novel, one where the themes of courage and deception, of selflessness and wickedness, of friendship and hate all contribute to create a lively, believable background that is brought to life piece by piece as the complex mosaic of the story comes together. When taking into account the fact that this first volume of The Faithful and the Fallen is the author’s debut novel, Malice looks an even more extraordinary feat, one I know blossomed into the successful A Time of Dread, and one that makes me quite eager to continue exploring this saga.



Originally posted at SPACE and SORCERY BLOG show less

A tale about 3 people (three different viewpoints) as they move through this battle-strewn world. Orka needs to find her son after he gets kidnapped. Varg wants vengeance for his sister, joining the Bloodsworn to find more information. And Elvar wants to find battle-fame with the Battle-Grim. In the background, a deep history of battling gods that shaped the current world.

What works well is the sense of epic proportions. Gwynne has clearly daydreamed about this world for a long time and his show more passion for the project is evident. It results in strong protagonists, especially Orka and Elvar are strong women who battle fiercely for their beliefs. You can't help but root for them.

My favorite was Varg though, I was most interested in his back story as a slave. His journey of self discovery and how he can reach his goals like a meandering river are quite interesting. The set-up in and of itself is quite good.

However.

I found the execution quite tedious. Gwynne has a tendency to fall into repetition and I feel like I got more repeated character plot points than I got actual exposition about their goals and why they are going after them. It's quite cliche and shallow. But that doesn't mean that doesn't work. Brotherhood is clearly an important theme for Gwynne, and he quite nails the feeling that the characters are willing to die together for a shared purpose, and shared glory.

It is slow until about 75% in and then it kicks into a higher gear. It makes for a great narrative rush towards the end. Gwynne also managed to shock me once or twice with something unexpected.

Perfect for people that don't mind little plot exposition but love sweeping landscapes and violent battles. It's not dumb-fodder, but it's also not high-brow or deep. It's just fun.

It kind of worked for me, but I also rolled my eyes and sighed in exasparation. more than I would have liked. show less

This is a world of blood. Of tooth and claw and sharp iron. Of short lives and painful deaths.

The Shadow of the Gods is the first in The Bloodsworn Trilogy by author John Gwynne and, oh, what, an epic first it is. The world is based on Norse mythology and takes places a century after the gods warred against each other and, in the process, destroyed themselves and the world as it was. Now, all these years later, it is populated by warriors, monsters, and the human descendants of those dead show more gods called the Tainted - powerful, feared by most and hunted by mercenaries to be sold as Thralls (slaves). There is a cast of hundreds it seems but is divided by three main protagonists:

Orka - once a warrior now living with her husband and son in a once quiet steading but now on the verge of change

Varg - a Thrall, running after escaping from his master and set on revenge for the death of his sister

Elvar - a young warrior, seeking her fame and fortune as part of a group of monster hunters

Each is a unique character with their own backstory, traits, and purpose, all of which is slowly revealed as the story progresses.

This is a fairly long book but. despite it's length, it captured my interest right from the first page and never let go. One hint to any future readers - I made the mistake of beginning this book just before bedtime. Big mistake as it is nigh unputdownable. The story moves along at a fairly frenetic pace with lots of action and bloody battle scenes separated by fascinating descriptions of the world - not only the landscape but the food, the clothing, the battle weapons and armour, and the legends told around the campfires.

As the first book in a trilogy, it's purpose is to introduce us to the world and the characters as well as a set up for the rest of the story. And it does that wonderfully. It's been a while since I found a fantasy series that sucked me in so quickly and kept my attention throughout. My only regret - now I have to wait impatiently for the next in the series. So, if you like fantasy with great world building, interesting characters to cheer on or, conversely, hate, with unique monsters, great writing, and a story that keeps your attention throughout, trust me when I say you have to read this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less

Oh my god! NOOOOOOO!!!! F@#^$%@@#$!!!! ((falls to knees in tears)) T___T

So, this book was absolutely fantastic. So much heart-pounding action that had me actually terrified, angry, and happy. The story-telling/writing was absolutely amazing. Everything flowed really well and kept me hooked right from the get go. There were no slow moments AT ALL. Every scene had its purpose and added another piece to the over all tale. If I had to pick one thing that I didn't like, it would have to be that show more it is still hard to tell how much time has passed, though that was such an incredibly minor thing.

The characters continue to inspire such a wide range of emotions in this story. There are some, like the Jotun giants and Jael and Lykos (among others) that just made me so incredibly angry that I found myself gritting my teeth. Others, like Camlin and Corban and Maquin that made me fear for them and root for them in their fights. There is just an overwhelming amount to say about the individual characters that I could write a thesis on them.

Speaking of emotions, holy heart break, Batman! The battle between Asroth and Elyon and their respective sides is rapidly approaching the pinnacle of the whole thing. There was just so much back-stabbing betrayal and heart-breaking deaths this time around that the only thing keeping me from literally crying is the fact that I was at work while reading most of it. While all of the Elyon-side deaths hurt me, the one that hurt the most is the one that happened at the very very end. Reading the very last two sentences broke my heart the most.

All that being said, this right here is what a high fantasy book should be. It has literally everything that makes a good book. If you are looking for action, adventure, romance, friendship, betrayal, loss, and love, this series right here is for you. show less