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Gods of the Wyrdwood: The Forsaken Trilogy, Book 1: 'Avatar meets Dune - on shrooms. Five stars.' -SFX

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A vividly realized high-seas epic that pulls you deep into its world and keeps you tangled there until the very last word."— Evan Winter, author of The Rage of Dragons on The Bone Ships The world is a bit Lovecraftian in setup. The flora and fauna are utterly alien, and incredibly weird. There are tentacles galore, along with animals that float via gas bladders and vines that float. These things combined made for a tough world to picture until I finally envisioned an underwater realm, but without the water. The Wyrdwood at the heart of this world is greatly feared, and with good reason. Everything in it seems thirsty for blood. And yet, as it’s described at night, it’s also a place of breathtaking beauty. Think Ferngully, or Avatar’s Pandora. It’s luminous, and seeing it sounds almost worth the risk of death and dismemberment. Cahan du Nahare is a warrior, a very special one who hides from his past, now he is known as the forester - a man who has expertise in passing through Deepforest. Barker is one of my favorite authors and the Tide Child Series one of my favorite series of all time, so when I started this I knew I would enjoy it, even love it, I did not think it would measure up to Tide Child though, it did. It is just as good, if not even, dare I say it marginally better than Tide Child. And I loved Cahan absolutely as much as I loved Joron Twiner, not more mind you, no character will ever be better than Joron for me.

Cahan has a past. Mingled in between the chapters are snippets of his consciousness in the works, or excerpts told that help the reader understand where he is coming from. There is an ominous/mysterious way about them and they read strikingly vivid... maybe slightly purple. These snippets build and culminate by the end of the first book in the Forsaken Trilogy with an important clue/cliffhanger, even though the story arc comes to an end...for now as it seems.

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Now, where does he get all these eggs to throw into his pudding of stylistic effect? Where did all these periods come from? Well, given Barker’s propensity to comma splices, I’d argue that they were donated from bits like this: I think "good" fiction authors work to fill these blanks until the chain of events is "good enough." That chain may allow some plotholes and require some inexplicable decisions to be made, or characters to simply have a character flaw of massive stubbornness to "explain" the inexplicable, but once they've reach what to the undiscerning reader is a likely to be a tolerable level of cohesion, they move on to the next part of the story they were originally planning. I literally finished the book last night and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I woke up. It has found a permanent residence in my head. Gods of the Wyrdwood is book one in a new fantasy trilogy set within the bounds of a forest straight out of darkest folklore - with outlaws fighting an evil empire and warring deities. RJ Barker is the British Fantasy Society Award-winning author of The Bone Ships and Age of Assassins. And of course we can't forget th exceptional cast of characters here. I loved each and every one of the characters almost the minute they were introduced as with Tide Child they are all beautifully relatable with complex personalities and completely understandable motivations. There is absolutely no point in this book when I stopped and said, "Okay c'mon now that's a stupid decision.", because none of them made any stupid decisions.

So if you decide to read Gods of the Wyrdwood know that you’re in for a long haul. Not only is Gods of the Wyrdwood a huge novel, but it’s the first of a trilogy. Barker does give a satisfying ending to the battle for the people of Harn but there is a bigger conflict coming that he sets up at the end. So be ready for a lot of reading, but enjoyable reading.

Editors

The strongest point of this book is easily the world and its flora and fauna. It’s familiar enough to settle into initially, giving me vibes of the British Isles in ancient times, before the Romans showed up and ruined everything, but it’s also distinctly alien in a way that reminds me of the world from ‘The Stormlight Archive’ by Brandon Sanderson. Instead of crustacean-based critters, in this world we have many creatures that are mollusk-based, specifically squids - except these aren’t ocean-dwelling squid-things, these ones fly. Lots of interesting animals, both mundane and magical, including a lot of deep-forest dwellers that are somewhat familiar fae-like things, while others are straight out of Slavic folklore nightmares.

The Bone Shipsis excellent. Aside from the standout writing, it's one of the most interesting and original fantasy worlds I've seen in years."— Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author Describing Gods of the Wyrdwood is tough because, to be honest, it’s plot is not its strongest element. I thought I should state this upfront because Barker’s plot here does meander quite a bit; sometimes the pacing is a bit slow, there are parts in the middle where it drags a bit, and things don’t accelerate until the last little chunk of the book. The book almost feels episodic at times, like an epic and dark slice of life book. Things definitely happen in this book, but they don’t build on top of each other as you would expect from a traditionally plotted story. If you mostly read for plot, you might walk away disappointed. It’s a slow burn novel, taking its time to build – but as a result we have an immersive world that feels very real. I’ve had a few conversations recently where fantasy fans have stated that modern fantasy worlds are often too obviously based on our world. I get that – I do. Perhaps this is a result of Game of Thrones/House of the dragon and the strength of it’s links to the War of the Roses and the Anarchy – both periods of British medieval history – and the impact that’s had on modern literature? Or perhaps it the rise in interest in world mythologies and how these can be woven into new stories? He's kinda a hermit, somebody that is not well-accepted among the villagers from Hua, especially because he's a clanless; Cahan only wanted to renounce to his nature, and live peacefully. But when a traumatic event forces him to use his cowl, those powers inside him, he will have to start a journey (partly literal, partly metaphorical), changing in the process.

Founders

While Gods of the Wyrdwood showcases impressive world-building and a unique setting, the slow start and disconnected plot may not appeal to all readers. It is possible that the writing style of the author may not resonate with everyone. However, for those who appreciate immersive world-building and are willing to invest in a slower-paced narrative, this book may offer a rewarding reading experience. Power, Udinny, and what can be done with it.’ He took a breath. ‘But it is not something I would speak of now, I have spent so long not being that which I was raised to be that it is painful to even think of it.’ A splendid fantasy work, full of RJ's trademark invention." -Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author But in a land at war, in a forest full of monsters - Cahan will need to choose between his past life and the one he leads now - and his choice will have consequences for his entire world. Gods of the Wyrdwood is an interesting and rather dark fantasy novel. I was immediately intrigued by the concept of the novel, which involved competing gods and a malevolent forest, and I was not disappointed. The novel has solid world-building, complex characters, and an amazing twist ending.

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