John Gwynne Faithful and the Fallen Collection 4 Books Set

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There are a lot of things going on in this book. The author built up this world pretty good in this debut novel! 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. With perspective comes understanding, and readers will no doubt find themselves surprised by their own changing attitudes towards certain characters. Viewing a battle—along with its associated victories, losses and deaths—from different sides of the conflict brings humanity to every character, no matter how despicable they may seem. And with humanity comes sympathy. Have you ever found yourself ambling around your local bookstore, mumbling as you search the shelves for something – anything– that will fulfill your need for fictional giants mounted on giant bears? The Faithful and the Fallen respectfully eschews elements of ‘high’ fantasy in favour of more unusual, folklore-inspired creatures. Dragons, elves, wizards and dwarves are nowhere to be seen; nope, instead, the Banished Lands are populated with giants, draigs, fallen angels and – yes! – wyrms. (And giants. Did I mention the giants? Riding bears?)

Among the standout characters, Tull, Storm, and Envis particularly resonated with me. Tull's journey of bravery and Envis's descent into something more unhinged are just two examples of the rich, multi-dimensional character arcs Gwynne crafts. The book's strength lies in its ability to present a wide range of complicated personalities—some are immediately likable, while others remain shrouded in mystery. Apart from it being a typical fantasy - which isn't really a problem, I do have one criticism. For a published novel by TOR, I noticed a handful of errors. Main character names spelled wrong, missing "-marks from sentences, repeating exactly the same statement a paragraph later when that point; for the progression of the book did not need to be repeated. In the introduction, Gwynne thanks 9 people; excluding an editor for proof-reading his manuscript. It is a shame that errors sneaked through. (I know I make spelling mistakes - probably even in this review yet I don't sell these at Waterstones). Spelling errors alas, but still a spellbinding story and I can't wait to start Valour well, probably in about 7 minutes.

How to read John Gwynne’s Book Series in Order?

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. While I thoroughly enjoyed exploring this world, I wouldn't say that it blew me away. Although engaging, it weaves around some rather tropey ideas – tropes that I personally love, but which might feel familiar to seasoned readers of the genre. Gwynne's world-building is both expansive and intricate, yet it treads a path well-worn by fantasy predecessors, striking a balance between the comfort of the known and the allure of a new take on ancient myths. The world of the Banished Lands is set in the medieval surroundings influenced by Celtic folklore and mythology so you have the names like Cywen, Mordwyr, and creatures such as giants, wyrms and draigs. This helps to create the atmosphere of this novel and gives a particular feel to it. 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. 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 quartet begins with just a handful of PoVs – including the ‘main’ protagonist, Corban. But as the story expands, so too does its cast. Gwynne’s structuring of these PoVs is especially smart: he introduces, and shifts between, new voices in a way that ups the complexity and creates excitement rather than confusion. Veradis is a warrior born and bred, sent to the capital city of Tenebral to earn both respect and experience in service to his king. Soon, however, our young swordsman finds himself the fast friend of Prince Nathair of Tenebral; a brilliant youth who is the epitome of all a king should be: handsome, strong, eloquent, brave, and enlightened. And Veradis finds himself rising to heights of authority and power he had never dreamt of attaining, but he soon finds that the web of friendship, respect, and adoration that ties him to Nathair also has a dark side, for the Prince of Tenebral dreams of more than following in his father’s footsteps as king but of becoming something even more legendary: The Bright One himself. A Time of Courage(2020) – The demon-king Asroth is free of his iron prison, and the whole of the Banished Lands stands on the brink of domination. With the Ben-Elim broken and routed, half-breed Riv and a small band of comrades must try to find a way to strike at the demon forces.

New in Series

Now, the romances are so-so but there is one between two middle age characters, and this one was so well done. I absolutely love a romance where the two people have to go through so much pain and tragedy to be together (for example Geralt and Yennefer in The Witcher), and the romance I'm referring to here was just like that. Really good stuff.

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? 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. Clearly influenced by the likes of David Gemmell and Bernard Cornwell, Gwynne’s prose is as economic as it is brutally beautiful.

I am not a big fan of multiple POVs when reading fantasy books, but it seems that John Gwynne proved to me that anything unimaginable could be done excellently as long as you have the skill and talents. Honestly, I found Malice to be a little slow, and perhaps a little bit laborious: there are times when excessive detail in the child PoVs becomes repetitive. Having read the entire series, however, I now appreciate the first book’s investment in character-building. 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.