Book Review of The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

 

Name of Book: The Shadow of the Gods

Author: John Gwynne

ISBN: 978-0-316-53988-3

Publisher: Orbit 

Part of a Series: The Bloodsworn Trilogy (Sequel is The Hunger of the Gods)

Type of book: Based on Norse mythology, war, battles, fame, found family, prisoners, secrets, dead gods, determination, exploring, betrayal 

Year it was published: 2021

Summary:

Set in a brand-new, Norse-inspired world, and packed with myth, magic and bloody vengeance, The Shadow of the Gods begins an epic new fantasy saga from bestselling author John Gwynne.

After the gods warred and drove themselves to extinction, the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrið.

Now a new world is rising, where power-hungry jarls feud and monsters stalk the woods and mountains. A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power for those brave - or desperate - enough to seek them out.

Now, as whispers of war echo across the mountains and fjords, fate follows in the footsteps of three people: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman who has rejected privilege in pursuit of battle fame, and a thrall who seeks vengeance among the famed mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.

All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods . .

Characters:

Main characters include Orka, Elvar and Varg. While the second book goes a lot into their backgrounds and stories, in the first one, the tales and whatnot are hinted at; Orka and her husband are traders who are raising a precious boy named Breca. While Orka is cunning and a survivor and someone to strongly admire, she at times rushes in first then questions later. Elvar has a noble lineage and a desire to become a warrior rather than her father's pawn. She is observant, determined and strongly admires the leader of her war band. Varg is a former thrall who is highly determined to avenge his sister and find out what happened to her. In order to do that he has to have a lot of patience and has to learn a lot of skills, both battle and relational. Minor characters are also well drawn and the reader isn't likely to be bored while reading this delightful yarn. 

Theme:

What is more important, blood or deeds?

Plot:

The story is in third person narrative from Orka's, Varg's and Elvar's points of view. Unlike the sequel, the characters of Biorr as well as Guthvarr don't have separate points of view, but they do play minor and major parts. As well as having talent with writing battle scenes, there is also talent when it comes to myriad relationships and creating fascinating mythology. There are plenty of explanations and stories to pull a reader into the beautiful and harsh world of Vigrith so a major treat alert. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

I am the author of epic fantasy series The Faithful and the Fallen, Of Blood and Bone and The Bloodsworn Saga. I'm also a Viking re-enactor and enjoy nothing more than standing in the shield wall with my three sons, who are as passionate about swords and axes as I am (when I'm not stuck in my coat of mail; it's harder than it looks).

I live on the south coast of the UK with my beautiful wife, three sons and my daughter, and an assortment of animals (at the moment three dogs, a horse and a lamb who thinks she's a dog).

My dogs think I am their slave.

Malice, my debut novel, was published by Pan Macmillan in 2012 and went on to win the David Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Debut of 2012. That was a truly wonderful moment, as David Gemmell is a hero of mine and one of the reasons I write.

The following three books in the series - Valour, Ruin and Wrath, were all shortlisted for the David Gemmell Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novels of 2014, 2015 and 2016, with Wrath winning the 2017 BookNest Awards for Best Traditionally Published Novel.

My second series, of Blood and Bone, is set in the Banished Lands, the same world as the first series. Book 1, A Time of Dread, begins 130 years after the events of the first series. A Time of Courage, book 3 Of Blood and Bone, made the Spiegel Bestseller's List in Germany.

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.

I am represented by Julie Crisp.

Opinion:

Although I'm coming back to the first novel after reading its sequel, THE HUNGER OF THE GODS, I found the first one to be just as good and just as interesting as the sequel. I couldn't help but turn pages very quickly in reading to know what is going to happen next, as well as why. The novel does tend to be pretty graphic in battle areas, but John Gwynne certainly made it a lot of fun to read them. I also loved the Norse mythology as well as relationships the characters had with one another, in particular Orka with her husband Thorkell. The world isn't an info dump but instead one is exposed slowly to the ins and outs. I am also surprised at how much I have forgotten between reading the first and second novels too. So yes, even if one read second book first, I would highly recommend going back to the first novel. 

This was given for review

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)