The Shadow of the Gods

By: John Gwynne

Narrated by: Colin Mace

From acclaimed fantasy author John Gwynne comes the first in the Bloodsworn trilogy, an epic of wild lands and wilder magic, where not all monsters fight with tooth and claw...and the treasures of the gods come at a price.

This is the age of storm and murder.

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

Now, power-hungry jarls carve out petty kingdoms, and monsters stalk the shadow-haunted woods and mountains. A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power, promising fame, and fortune for those brave - or desperate - enough to seek them out.

As whispers of war echo over the plains and across the fjords, fate follows the footsteps of three people: a huntress searching for her missing son, a jarl's daughter who has rejected privilege in pursuit of battle fame, and a thrall who has cast off his chains and now fights alongside the famed mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.

All three will shape the fate of the world, as it once more teeters on the edge of chaos.

For more from John Gwynne, check out:

Of Blood and Bone series: A Time of Dread, A Time of Blood, and A Time of Courage

The Faithful and the Fallen series: Malice, Valor, Ruin, and Wrath

©2021 John Gwynne (P)2021 Orbit

Critic reviews

"Gwynne, a Viking reenactor, puts in the work, with fine historical details that make the story come to life. Fans of the era will be delighted with the accuracy. This is a duly exciting start to the series." (Publishers Weekly)

Quite enjoyable.

I enjoyed this book and believe you will too. That is my review, good day.

Unexpected gem

Aside from a little lackluster emotion from the reader, this tale is one of the few monster and sword books that seem right. Not for teenagers and there’s no sappy romantic drama. This is a dark book and the descriptions and writing are set in their time. It’s no “modern take” with new age slang and speech. I enjoyed this much more than I expected to.

Dark, brutal, and fantastic

From beginning to end, the imagery is beautiful and the various story arcs are amazing. The world building and the character development was masterfully done. I very much enjoyed the narrator too, despite the many negative reviews I saw, I found his voice to be a great fit and easy to listen to. Having just come from a narrator that I very much disliked, it was a great relief.

All in all it was a GREAT experience and I'm excited to explore more of his work. I plan on buying the physical book as well, so my wife can read it too. Highly recommend it!

Pleasantly surprised

There is almost nonstop action in this book. It’s hard for me to get into books but this one did the trick. Voice acting was good for the number of characters this book had. My only complaint is that all the weird names and places made it hard to follow sometimes. I had to replay certain parts.

Entertaining, but … strange.

Book is engaging and makes you want to listen more. But … it’s confusing at times. Almost as if you need a guide to understand who is who, the history and meanings of words. There will be multiple consecutive sentences where all these strange words and names are used and you’ll have no clue what the author is referring to.

Generally live Gwynne’s work. Mace is fantastic as always. Hopefully Gwynne can clean this up and make it make more sense.

Amazing Narration, Fantastic Story

This might be my new favorite work. The story was compelling and edgy. Everything about it was top notch. The characters were visceral and real, their emotions clearly written in a unique way for each.

FANTASY ADVENTURE MASTERPIECE

THIS IS THE BEST FANTASY ADVENTURE BOOK I'VE READ IN A WHILE.
GWYNNE IS A MASTER STORY TELLER.
AVIDLY ANTICIPATING THE NEXT INSTALLMENT!

👍

once you get into it it gets good but I don't feel like I had enough time to connect to the characters before the story got going.

Amazing

This book follows three main characters and their story to recover lost things. Give it a listen and you won’t be disappointed

Magnificent

This book is the first in a long time to make me immediately get the sequel. What a ride this story is.