John Gwynne Faithful and the Fallen Collection 4 Books Set

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The worldbuilding is absolutely amazing and intricate and I haven't been this immersed in a long long time! It actually reminded of why I read books, why I read fantasy in the first place. Events are coming to a climax in the Banished Lands, as the war reaches new heights. King Nathair has taken control of the fortress at Drassil and three of the Seven Treasures are in his possession. And together with Calidus and his ally Queen Rhin, Nathair will do anything to obtain the remaining Treasures. With all seven under his command, he can open a portal to the Otherworld. Then Asroth and his demon-horde will finally break into the Banished Lands and become flesh.

I would call this an 'old style' book that reminds me of much of my reading as a teen but brought up to date in the same sort of way that Michael Sullivan has done with his work. Looking forward to reading the second book, Valor for the continuing saga of the Banished Lands and its people. Giving this one five Fearless Fighting stars! War eternal between the Faithful and the Fallen, infinite wrath come to the world of men. Lightbearer seeking flesh from the cauldron, to break his chains and wage the war again. Two born of blood, dust and ashes shall champion the Choices, the Darkness and Light."The Faithful and the Fallen is an amazing series. You read these books for the adventure and action, and the easy to love characters, and after a bumpy start you will enjoy this ride like no other. Except in the eyes of the characters, that is. The protagonists in this book are so pathetically, monumentally, unreasonably, unrealistically moronic and naive that everything gets past them. And so you’re left sitting waiting for the painfully obvious to catch them unawares. Yes, they’re young and stupid. Yes, they don’t have all the information. There are many excuses one could make, and none of them even come close to mitigating these examples of cataclysmic idiocy (there is one scene in particular I will always remember from this book, which is unfortunately an example of just this). But alas, when the whole world is too obvious for comfort, the characters in it have to be kept in the dark even when it makes no sense, so that the storyline can go where it clearly must go. The series is frankly fantastic. It's an excellent modern execution and interpretation of the "Chosen one v. Evil Emperor in Medieval Times"-style of fantasy. The series is by no means the most original or groundbreaking work out there, but it subverts many fantasy tropes and executes others tremendously well. Veradis is too cool. He is sent over to another King to fight in his son, Prince Nathair's warband. He does a pretty freaking good job protecting the prince, but some things happen there and off Veridis goes fighting stuff because of stuff. And I'm not sure what is going on with Nathair at this point. I'm thinking all kinds of people in this book are being possessed by stuff. <--I love saying stuff!

With its shifting scenery (cinematically comparable to Game of Thrones, Ironclad, Spartacus and Lord of the Rings) and mixed mythological influences (from talking birds to wolf companions to legendary weapons to GIANTS RIDING BEARS) Gwynne’s saga is much greater than the sum of its parts: and is no less than a brilliant blend of Arthurian motifs and Brythonic lore scaled to epic, Norse-like proportions. So next time you’re in a bookshop and you hear somebody muttering “giants… where are all the giants?” you’ll be able to step in and give them exactly what they need. The way I have described it is ASOIAF fans would eat this book up. Not because the story is similar; far from it. This story is pretty fresh. But in that it's a similar structure and character/world building theme that made many of us fall in love with Westeros long before HBO had even considered purchasing the adaptation rights. Have you ever read a book that you cannot put down, but at the same time desperately trying to slow your reading pace, wishing the book will never end?

The Broken Empire Trilogy by Mark Lawrence

Now, having said this. What is the genre that is the easiest to confuse with epic fantasy? A YA coming-to-age story. I know some authors who thought they are writing YA when in fact they produced a grimdark tale, Mr Gwynne, to the contrary, is convinced that what he proposes is a high fantasy when we get a bloated YA. My latest book, The Shadow of the Gods, book 1 of the Bloodsworn Saga, will be published in May 2021. It is inspired by Norse mythology, Beowulf and Ragnarök. The story starts off with familiar fantasy vibes - think young teens with big responsibilities, like the classic village boy and the often-ignored youngest son. But Gwynne isn't just playing the same old tune. He takes these typical characters and adds his own twist, making them more intriguing and less predictable. A Time of Blood (2019) – As the demonic forces multiply, they send a mighty host to overthrow the angel’s stronghold. Like heroes of old, Drem, Riv, and the Bright Star’s warriors must battle to save themselves and save their land. But can the light triumph when the dark is rising? I loved the legends and mythology behind the plot, the many references to the out of cannon tales of the time when Angeles mingled with humans and G-d was involved daily in Earthly affairs... It is fascinating and very engaging. But most of all, I fell in love with the two pups - a hound and a wolffen animals who can teach us all about loyalty and love.... ( While reading about the pups I couldn't help but think about Alcatraz Smedry by Brandon Sanderson, who has a theory that authors must really hate mothers and dogs, since they always tend to kill them in their books... Hahaha!!! I hope JG is not one of those authors).

One day Corbin goes off because of (reasons) and he runs into some wolven. Then some stuff happens that endears Corbin to the wolves. But later on some bad stuff happens by some @ssholes and Corbin ends up with a wolven pup. He named her Storm. He also gets a little colt given to him by Gar who he names Shield and I was loving the part when Shield actually saved his life. I wanted to kill people seven ways til Sunday in this book! The damn bullies and the evil people. If you read this book you best not like anyone or anything because they are going to DIE! Well, not all of them, but still! You know how these epics go =)

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The A Game of Thrones comparisons here are completely understandable. As in Martin’s series, there is a varied cast of characters from whose perspectives we witness this story unfold. There is no time travel here, no resurrection for those who die. Death is final, and it is an equal opportunity reaper, not caring how good or bad a person is, how likable, or how important. As with Martin’s work, no one is truly safe here. Hey guys, I'm halfway through the fourth (and final) book of TFAF and can I just say, oh.my.god I haven't felt this way since ASOIAF and perhaps Riyria Revelations. And the last thing. As a female I root for females in all things fantasy. Bring them on, give them voice, give them agency, show how indispensable they are. At the same time, please do not turn them into a grotesque things that happen to have biological traits of a woman but be men in disguise when it comes to the rest. Malice does not have a decent female protagonist. Brina, yes, perhaps but the is an old crone. The rest is simply despicable: Rhin sexually voracious evil queen bee, very similar to this pathetic villain from The Queen of Tearling. Cywen with her murderous to the point of being laughable berersk rages and Edana that has nothing to offer except for being a princess. The ending was a great culmination of all the threads (or should that be threats?) and it does finish with most events being nicely tied up. No major cliffhangers. A few of my friends said that this books finale brought tears to their eyes. I will not argue - it is brutal and utterly devastating and unpredictable at some points. It didn't upset me too much following on from reading the heartless deaths in Malazan and also the fact I am a cold hearted psychopath. Unless, it involves animals. I saw a dead cat once and cried. If a characters' pet animal (who you will love) got injured I threatened to throw this and the remaining three books into my fire. And I will. You best think that over Gwynne before you release Wrath in 7 days or you with honestly feel my Wrath. Grr. Pixieltd on Reading The Wheel of Time: Taim Tells Lies and Rand Shares His Plan in Winter’s Heart (Part 3) 5 hours ago

I already mentioned the large cast of characters and the thing I liked about them was that they were all memorable which means they’re very well written and their progression was very well done because each of them evolves in an unique, and for some, an unpredictable way. They are the main focus of this story and their motivation and inner thoughts are moving it forward. There were a couple of main ones that stood out for me; Corban, a young boy training to become a warrior, who we follow the most in this novel. His POV is a coming-of-age tale and through this tale we’re introduced to his friends and foes and I would like to mention one certain friend that appealed to me, a wolf named Storm. Their relationship reminded me of the one between Fitz and Nighteyes from the Farseer Trilogy and it was a joy to read. The second one is Veradis. I can’t say more of his role without spoilers so I’ll just say that he is a master swordsman, in service of Nathair, who fights to earn his father’s respect (and that is a hard task because his father is a king), and I have high hopes for him. As you probably concluded yourself, Gwynne succeeded in one thing that is very important to me, he made me care for them so I can’t really ask for more. The world-building is good too, the map definitely helps too. Regarding the magic system, it is not extensive in book 1 yet but I This series follows a young warrior named Takeo in his struggles to avenge his adoptive father, escape the legacy of his biological father, and pursue the love of his life in the midst of an enormous power struggle involving dozens of clan lords and thousands of warriors. The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed shields in battle, the earth running dark with their heartsblood. Although the giant-clans were broken in ages past, their ruined fortresses still scar the land. But now giants stir anew, the very stones weep blood and there are sightings of giant wyrms. Those who can still read the signs see a threat far greater than the ancient wars. Sorrow will darken the world, as angels and demons make it their battlefield. Then there will be a war to end all wars. Have you ever got a feeling when just starting a book, almost like an intuition of a fortuneteller, that the book you are reading is going to become one of your all-time favorite books?Almost like a spell, the temptation of the glory entangled with the viciousness of the scheme, lurking behind the winter woods. The smell of the mountain, earthy, damp, and a bit rotten. The shadows of the ruined fortress, ancient and silent, shimmering under the silver moonlight. The howling of the wolvens, deep and throaty, disappeared with the western wind. Many have asked if this is Grimdark, since they know I love that subgenre. I'd say no. There is a grit and a darkness to it and your favorite characters are never safe. But there is no feeling of hopelessness or nihilism here. You'll find those comfortable pair of jeans in the familiarity of the themes that made us fall in love with Fantasy in the first place, but then Gwynne will turn you on your head and subvert your expectation in a completely satisfying way. Legends 2, Stories in Honour of David Gemmell (2015) – anthology dedicated to David Gemmell with a contribution from John Gwynne (“ An Oath Given“). Meanwhile Corban has been taken prisoner by the Jotun, warrior giants who ride their enormous bears into battle. His warband scattered, Corban must make new allies if he hopes to survive. But can he bond with competing factions of warlike giants? Somehow he must, if he's to counter the threat Nathair represents.