Review of ~ John Gwynne – A Time of Dread (Of Blood and Bone #1)

As originally posted on Fantasy Book Review

9/10

I received an advanced copy of A Time of Dread in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank John Gwynne and Pan MacMillan for this opportunity.

The story places readers within the Land of the Faithful approximately 120 years after the conclusion of the novel Wrath, which was an epic, brutal, and fulfilling climax to one of my favourite ever fantasy series. The angel-like Ben-Elim rule the land now from their base at the giant-erected fortress of Drassil. They’ve spent generations uniting the nations and tracking the remaining forces of the grotesque and scarily powerful Kadoshim, their Eternal enemy. The Kadoshim’s leader, Asroth is frozen in metal within the Ben-Elim’s stronghold but that doesn’t mean his faithful aren’t out there plotting, sacrificing innocents and boiling up some horrid actions that could equate to A Time of Dread.

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Review of ~ John Gwynne – Wrath (The Faithful and the Fallen #4)

9.5/10 – If you follow the frequency of my reviews then you will be able to analyse that I have devoured the stories from John Gwynne’s fantasy epic saga, The Faithful and the Fallen at an inhuman pace, and the reason for this is that they are spectacularly envisaged works of art. I always find the final book in a series that I have committed about seventy hours of my time into reading is the most difficult to write a review about. This is due to no longer being able to escape within and have my senses bombarded by the unpredictable, exhilarating action of The Banished Lands, which has an emotional impact on me, and also that a certain amount of what I have stated in the previous novels’ reviews about characters, techniques, devices and editing are still prevalent here; however, I do not wish to recycle the same points written previously.

Review of ~ John Gwynne – Ruin (The Faithful and the Fallen #3)

9.5/10 – Ruin is Gwynne’s third novel in his stunning epic fantasy saga, The Faithful and the Fallen. The fabled God-War is no longer a mythical looming prophecy; it is very real and the events unfolding within The Banished Lands are presented to us by a plethora of vivid and dramatic characters.

Review of ~ John Gwynne – Valour (The Faithful and the Fallen #2)

9.0/10

“One thought circled in his head like the black birds swirling about the mountain peaks. They must be stopped.” – Corban

Valour carries on literally minutes after the action when Malice presented us such an amazing breathless finale. We witness the so-called Bright Star Corban; and his bizarre accumulated band of all sorts that incorporates warriors, witches, Queens and outcast woodsmen – following on from the evacuation of Dun Carreg due to the unforeseeable monstrous actions that took place, with the effects still lingering amongst the groups’ morale. It also picks up with readers favourite, Maquin awakening in the tombs underneath Haldis after the ultimate betrayal and follows him overcoming his tragic loss, knowing that his main ambition is now ultimate revenge.

Review of ~ John Gwynne – Malice (The Faithful and the Fallen #1)

8/10

“That is my prayer, what use is prayer to a God that has abandoned all things…” – Halvor

Gwynne’s debut is the foundation of what will arguably be a perplexing but ultimately breathtaking fantasy saga. One that is flowing with age-old and perhaps cliched elements preparing for the ultimate battle.