The Shadow of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga)

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Este libro abre aún más el telón sobre el aspecto mítico de esta epopeya de fantasía inspirada en los nórdicos. Los dioses emergen. Personajes que avanzan, sufren, mueren y sobreviven.

Second, Elvar. I did not like her in the first book, well, I was just bored reading her PoVs the most and I wasn't interested in her arc at all. However, I got to admit, she shone in this book. Very impressive character development. I found myself looking forward to her chapter if anything. His characterisation is superb, his books populated by characters that readers genuinely care about

Una saga que integra continuamente elementos nórdicos de una manera tan eficiente que es para aplaudir. La tradición, leyendas e idiomas nórdicos. El uso de los lenguajes por ejemplo en la magia le da ese toque de realismo. Y eso no es nada. Una ambientación de lo más cuidada y muy bien desarrollada. This is an incredible followup to what is fast becoming one of my favorite series of all time. John Gwynne is a master of his craft, and his characters in this story are (in my opinion) the best he's ever created. Hundreds of years ago, the gods fought in a brutal and fatal war in the lands of Vigrið for power, vengeance, and pride. When the fighting stopped all the gods lay dead, the land was shattered, and hordes of monsters and demons were unleashed upon the world. Now, after barely surviving the carnage of the god’s war, humans dominate Vigrið, with powerful jarls fighting for control of the towns while mercenary war bands quest after monsters and the most feared inhabitants of Vigrið, the Tainted. The Tainted are human descendants of the gods who bear small remnants of their savage power, and who are now hunted out of fear and a desire to harness their power for the wars to come.

The review for today is a story that mixes Viking mythology and other monsters up into a beautiful fantasy blend that is sure to become a favourite for fans of Vikings and the Witcher series. I have read everything that Gwynne wrote with this being the ninth book. My favorite up to this point is The Faithful and the Fallen series which still remains my favorite quartet of all times. Of Blood and Bone & The Bloodsworn Saga book 1 were good but I wanted more from both. I am happy to say that The Hunger of the Gods is close in quality to TFATF and it is is the first book to get 5 stars from me in 2022 after reading almost 60 books! These characters are Orka, an ex-warrior who lives with her husband and son at a quiet steading, Varg, a thrall who is running to escape his slave masters, and Elvar, a young warrior who is trying to find battle fame with the monster hunting warband the Battle-Grim. They all have deep and interesting pasts of which we are given more details of as the story progresses. Through the eyes of these characters, I was engrossed from the very first chapter and by about the fourth chapter I was chuffed to see that Gwynne had worked his magic again. Each of the points of view are very different, and I found myself looking for signs of them coming together throughout but it’s honestly like three different stories almost for about… 90% of it maybe? I absolutely definitely liked Orka’s side of the story most of the three, but each of them were very unique and had their own exciting elements.

Top 100 Fantasy Books Of All Time

Okay, incredible story and character development aside, let's talk about some of the fun settings and my favorite sequences. Right at the top of the heap would have to be the tongue creatures that Varg and the crew come across on their way across the ocean. I do not want to give too much away here, but these creatures infect your tongue and slowly rot the body and the mind until you become a shell of yourself and a slave to their will. The description is disgusting, and I had to marvel at the innovative idea. The second would have to be something I can’t say without spoilers. Let’s just say large things are flying that go bump in the night. The third would have to be the infiltration of Galdur Tower. It was brisk, but oh so exciting. The fourth has to do with Vol. I’ll just leave it there. Whew, it was insane. Oh, and one more thing. Can we give a round of applause to the description of the weapons and how they are handled? Also, the shield wall tactics were a fun strategy to learn about, both offensively and defensively.