These characters are Orka, an ex-warrior who lives with her husband and son at a quiet steading, Varg, a thrall who is running to escape his slave masters, and Elvar, a young warrior who is trying to find battle fame with the monster hunting warband the Battle-Grim. They all have deep and interesting pasts of which we are given more details of as the story progresses. Through the eyes of these characters, I was engrossed from the very first chapter and by about the fourth chapter I was chuffed to see that Gwynne had worked his magic again. So, closer to the start of this year I heard about a new independent bookshop selling science fiction and fantasy books (perfection, right?) – The Broken Binding. One of the characters gave me Abercrombie characters vibes and I really enjoyed it. The Gods are a big part of the story in this entry which made the world-building and magic systems more complex and I am here for that.

The Hunger of the Gods is definitely one of my favourite reads of 2022. There are so many things that made this such a memorable and enjoyable read! Firstly, I felt much more invested in the characters in this book! This book follows Orka, Elvar and Varg after the events of the first book. Consequently, Gwynne has added two additional POVs! I enjoyed following every POV in this book! I remember that I didn’t feel as invested in Elvar’s plotline in the first book, but that was not a problem in The Hunger of the Gods. All the characters, and even the side characters, are complex and compelling! Even the new POVs were enjoyable to follow and helped add higher stakes and depth to the world of Vigrið!Un propósito como una partida de ajedrez en el sentido de que Gwynne avanza la trama como quiere y a menudo no ves a donde va, o lo ves pero no aciertas. Solo tiene un fallo este libro y es que se termina. Three centuries ago, the gods of the north fought each other in a bloody war, bringing themselves down and leaving behind a devastated and broken land. It took many decades for the people to recover from this war and for a new world to emerge, in which power-hungry jarl try to expand their influence on the continent of Vigrið and rule the land. Terrible creatures from ancient sagas and legends roam the forests and mountains and are a threat to all who cannot bravely defend themselves with axe and sword. Una evolución constante es lo que encuentra el lector en esta segunda parte, no es para nada un puente hacia el tercero. Es un puta pasada. Una saga que integra continuamente elementos nórdicos de una manera tan eficiente que es para aplaudir. La tradición, leyendas e idiomas nórdicos. El uso de los lenguajes por ejemplo en la magia le da ese toque de realismo. Y eso no es nada. Una ambientación de lo más cuidada y muy bien desarrollada. With his latest incredible novel, the impressive John Gwynne once again shows why he is one of the leading authors of dark fantasy fiction. The Shadow of the Gods is a fantastic and captivating read that takes the reader on thrilling adventures with some exceptional characters. Featuring a powerful narrative and an intricate and grim new fantasy setting, The Shadow of the Gods is an outstanding and addictive novel that is one of the best fantasy books of 2021. A highly recommended read for anyone looking for their latest dark fantasy fix, I cannot wait to see where Gwynne takes The Bloodsworn Saga next, but you have to know it is going to be something particularly epic.

If more made that choice, in their head and hearts, to live a peaceful life with those they love and value, and just allow others to do the same.” // After the gods warred and drove themselves to extinction, the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrið. The Shadow of the Gods revolves around three different main characters with their own respective quest in the new age of storm and murder: Orka, Varg, and Elvar. Their storylines of blood, death, battle-fame, and vengeance are seemingly separate for almost the entirety of the book, but rest assured, their paths eventually converged, and my god, it was such an electrifying convergence. Ever since I finished reading The Faithful and the Fallen in early 2017, I’ve mentioned several times that it would be amazing if Gwynne one day decides to write a Norse-inspired epic fantasy series; well, here we are. This is one of Gwynne’s bloodiest books so far; that’s saying a lot. Seriously, if you’ve read Gwynne’s previous books in The Banished Lands Saga, you should know how bloody this book is when I said that. But with that in mind, then you’ll also know that the key elements that made Gwynne’s books so damn lovable are all evident in this phenomenal start to a series. Yes, family, camaraderie, the pursuit of fame, and loyalty in superbly-written characters are still vital in Gwynne’s storytelling. El mundo continúa creciendo y vemos muchos lugares a medida que los personajes viajan y viajan. Este mundo tiene mucho que exprimir aún. Espero que Gwynne se quede más pues creo que da para otra saga, ojalá, porque me encantaría. I liked Elvar more in this book. (Although she is still not much better then Biorr) She stepped up and seems to be coming around to seeing how inhumane it is to enslave people. I love Grend and I thought his reaction to Orka was "interesting". En los libros de John Gwynne que he leído y en los que voy a leer, seguramente, reflejan su muy marcada habilidad para retratar una realidad sombría y brutal, sin exagerar, ni empleándola sin razón. Todo tiene un orden que nunca ves venir.

So, a little life lesson for me here: when the entire reviewing world says a book is good, then you can be damn sure that it will be an amazing read! In this case, The Shadow of the Gods turned out to be an exceptional and captivating novel which provides an intense and clever story with great characters exploring a harsh and broken world. Gwynne did an incredible job with his latest novel, and this was easily one of the best fantasy books I have read so far this year, earning an easy five-star rating from me. The Shadow of the Gods has an incredible and powerful narrative that becomes even more addictive and exciting the further you get into it. This is an outstanding and dark fantasy story which cleverly Gwynne has anchored to three separate point-of-view characters, Orka, Varg and Elvar. I really liked how Gwynne came up with three separate narratives that are fun and memorable in their own unique way, and The Shadow of the Gods is stronger because of this. Brother. How have I had such good fortune to find these people, after so many years of loneliness and pain?” Ares is the POV Character of this chapter and during this chapter he storms past several of the guards of his brother Zues's palace and begins yelling at his brother as he knows that the death of Yen Fang would not have happened had Zeus not forces Ares and the other Noble Titans to abandon Yen Fang to the forces of Chaos.

Indescriptible lo que crea este autor desde personajes, momentos y escenas que hay que leerlo para entender lo difícil que es para mi explicar el nivel de detalle y de precisión de John Gwynne. Mejor ni hablemos de lo que engancha. I received an uncorrected proof copy of The Shadow of the Gods in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to John Gwynne and Orbit Books. This is yet another incredible book from John Gwynne, and for me cements him as the best active fantasy author. Every one of his books is a 5/5 for me, which is not true for any other fantasy author. It's frequent for the middle book in a series to be the worst one (looking at you Mistborn), but thankfully this book breaks from that trend.

If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month. As always, John Gwynne is able to write some of the most vivid and thrilling action sequences. The battles are epic, cinematic, intense and riveting! There are few authors that are able to write such great action scenes as Gwynne – and that is high praise coming from a reader who rarely enjoys battle scenes! Consequently, the themes of loyalty, determination, morality, family, courage and leadership are at the forefront in this book! I am probably biased, being his son, but I genuinely adore this series. The characters are household names, so it almost feels as if they are real, and thus the trials, tribulations and torment they are put through just wrenches my heart. This is one rollercoaster of emotions, and I cannot wait to see it edited and released for everyone to see. It is a story of loss, torment, vengeance, and that of friendship. In conclusion, The Shadow of the Godsis an excellent read. If you like action-driven fantasy and Norse myth or Vikings, this is a must-read fantasy book for 2021.