John Gwynne Faithful and the Fallen Collection 4 Books Set

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Reasons you'll like it: George R.R. Martin is a fan, Robin is punishing to her characters and if Jon Snow is your favourite character, Fitz is a king's bastard . . . While nowhere near the ‘shades of grey’ you’ll find in books by Mark Lawrence or Rebecca Levene, many of Gwynne’s characters—particularly later in the series—show how easy it is to find oneself on the ‘wrong’ side of a conflict, and how ‘evil’ can be a matter of perspective. It’s particularly interesting to watch some of the protagonists develop and change because of careful manipulation by others. P.S The last 10% of this book was cruelly and realistically heart-breaking. I had to remind myself to BREATHE constantly.

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?) 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.

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The huge amount of names can be quite overwhelming since they were all introduced right from the beginning consecutively. It took a quarter of the novel for me before I was able to memorize all the names of the characters and places; this was possible with the help of the beautifully drawn map at the beginning of the book. My only real negative was the pacing - which as I've already mentioned was just a little too slow for me. Also, while I enjoyed the familiar tropes and the comfort they bring, the first half of the book did feel a bit too familiar, leaving me craving something a bit more groundbreaking. I do wonder if I'd read this book before Shadow of the Gods (Gwynne's more recent series) if would have liked this more - because that book just set up a lot of expectations in my head as to what his original series was going to be like. 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. A significant part of book two, Valour, takes place in a Romanesque setting, while books three and four ( Ruin and Wrath) introduce misty marshes and mighty forests; ancient fortresses and windswept mountain peaks. Such vivid variety is a welcome change from the gorgeous, but overly-comfortable starting location. War eternal between the Faithful and the Fallen, infinite wrath come to the world of men. Lightbearer seeking flesh from the cauldron, to break his chains and wage the war again. Two born of blood, dust and ashes shall champion the Choices, the Darkness and Light."

While nowhere near the ‘shades of grey’ you’ll find in books by Mark Lawrence or Rebecca Levene, many of Gwynne’s characters – particularly later in the series – show how easy it is to find oneself on the ‘wrong’ side of a conflict, and how ‘evil’ can be a matter of perspective. It’s particularly interesting to watch some of the protagonists develop and change because of careful manipulation by others. Do you ever have this feeling, just after you finished reading the first book of a series, you knew immediately there's a huge potential for the series to become one of your favorite series of all time? Malice, the first book in The Faithful and the Fallen quartet by John Gwynne is one of those rare cases for me. A buddy read with my Fantasy addicted friends at BB&B!!!! We are on a quest to read all worthwhile Fantasy ever written:-) As the books increase in length and complexity, so too do they become more engaging – a testament to the author’s continually improving skills. Each book is stronger than the last, growing in pace, intensity and sheer readability with every chapter.

Publication Order of The Faithful and the Fallen Books

The story is loaded with detailed descriptions of this world along with the characters that are folded within the storyline. There are different villains as well roaming throughout the book which includes: giants, dragons, elementals, etc. The Banished Lands are about to enter a God-War which will bring all races together in a fight for survival.

Plenty of books deal with the celestial versus the demonic. In the Banished Lands, angels and demons wage war against one another in a landscape heavily inspired by Paradise Lost. At first, the protagonists seem obvious; the Ben-Elim are the angels, bringers of light, while the brutal Kadoshim are the harbingers of darkness and death. I shall stay and tell my tale, hope that it may serve some purpose, that eyes shall see it and learn, that the future will not repeat the mistakes of the past. That is my prayer, but what use is prayer to a god that has abandoned all things . . .” As the demonic forces multiply, they send a mighty host to overthrow the angel's stronghold. Like heroes of old, Drem, Riv, and the Bright Star's warriors must battle to save themselves and save their land. But can the light triumph when the dark is rising? I already mentioned the large cast of characters and the thing I liked about them was that they were all memorable which means they’re very well written and their progression was very well done because each of them evolves in an unique, and for some, an unpredictable way. They are the main focus of this story and their motivation and inner thoughts are moving it forward. There were a couple of main ones that stood out for me; Corban, a young boy training to become a warrior, who we follow the most in this novel. His POV is a coming-of-age tale and through this tale we’re introduced to his friends and foes and I would like to mention one certain friend that appealed to me, a wolf named Storm. Their relationship reminded me of the one between Fitz and Nighteyes from the Farseer Trilogy and it was a joy to read. The second one is Veradis. I can’t say more of his role without spoilers so I’ll just say that he is a master swordsman, in service of Nathair, who fights to earn his father’s respect (and that is a hard task because his father is a king), and I have high hopes for him. As you probably concluded yourself, Gwynne succeeded in one thing that is very important to me, he made me care for them so I can’t really ask for more.

Read Malice by John Gwynne

Meanwhile Corban has been taken prisoner by the Jotun, warrior giants who ride their enormous bears into battle. His warband scattered, Corban must make new allies if he hopes to survive. But can he bond with competing factions of warlike giants? Somehow he must, if he's to counter the threat Nathair represents.

I would call this an 'old style' book that reminds me of much of my reading as a teen but brought up to date in the same sort of way that Michael Sullivan has done with his work. The First Law is a fantasy series composed of a trilogy and three stand-alone novels set in the same world, written by British novelist Joe Abercrombie. Malice (2012) – Young Corban watches enviously as boys become warriors, learning the art of war. He yearns to wield his sword and spear to protect his king’s realm. But that day will come all too soon. Only when he loses those he loves will he learn the true price of courage. Corban - who is young and impressionable but wants to learn how to fight and stand up for himself. He would like to be a warrior.Malice has a few of those familiar traditional fantasy themes (light vs dark, farm boy goes questing, etc) among a boatload of new ideas. There are a TON of characters here. And locations. At first it may seem overwhelming, but no more so than A Game of Thrones did 25 years ago. Recognizing which family tree applies to which region is the first step to grasping this world, much like any epic fantasy is at this point. But something this has over the ASOIAF series is that I love ALL of these characters almost instantly (remember those early Sansa chapters? Woof). The dialogue between POV and secondary/tertiary characters is fantastic. So much so that some unexpected character deaths hit me in the feels... In this novel - so many of the presented personae are complicated, some are likable and others are intensely mysterious. Characters that stood out most to me, and there are a few which speaks volumes in itself - were Tull, Storm, Nathair, Envis, Cywen, Maquin, Camlin amongst about 47 others. You will get attached and yes; it will hurt. The story constantly kept me on the edge of my seat, it’s a book that is both heart-warming and heart-breaking, and I cannot believe this is his DEBUT???????