John Gwynne Faithful and the Fallen Collection 4 Books Set

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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? 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. There are quite a few interesting supporting characters to begin with. And in impressive ways, they almost without exception all manage to lose their appeal. Mostly that is because you start realising that they are all cardboard cutouts only functioning as plot devices placed somewhere for the furtherance of the author’s plan. Just like the protagonists, that is. And then one of the two that remain somewhat interesting at the end turns out to be a secret bastard prince, taking his trope-ridden archetype factor to level 437. I don’t know about you, but I often reflect on the fact that there just aren’t enough ‘wyrms’ (with a ‘y’) in fiction these days. And no, I’m not talking about bog-standard dragons who’ve changed their name by deed poll to make themselves sound more interesting. I mean Proper Wyrms, the kind that show up in Germanic myths without wings or even legs and looking like pants-shittingly gigantic– well, worms.

Wrath (2016) – Events are coming to a climax in the Banished Lands, as the war reaches new heights. Corban has been captured by the warrior giants who ride enormous bears into battle. His Warband scattered, Corban must make new allies to survive. But can he bond with competing factions of warlike giants? Somehow he must, to counter the threat Nathair represents. 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. This series follows a young warrior named Takeo in his struggles to avenge his adoptive father, escape the legacy of his biological father, and pursue the love of his life in the midst of an enormous power struggle involving dozens of clan lords and thousands of warriors. 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. Corbin and his best friend Dath get bullied by this jerk named Rafe and oh I can't wait until the day he gets his. I hope he gets it bad! Watch, he will turn into a good person and I will have to like him!Love and family! Something I just have to give Gwynne a standing ovation for is how he writes love between family and friends. This is one of the reasons why you will love the characters so much. There are so many small but moving scenes in these books and they felt so real. I haven't really read stuff like that before. 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. 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. KASTELL – Unwilling heir; gentle giant-hunter (by which I mean he’s a gentle guy who just happens to hunt giants… not a guy who actively hunts gentle giants).

A race of warrior angels, the Ben-Elim, once vanquished a mighty demon horde. Now they rule the Banished lands, but their peace is brutally enforced. Malice by John Gwynne is the first book in The Faithful and the Fallen series, and it is an epic fantasy that has flown under the radar of a lot of fantasy aficionados. After reading it, I can understand that to some extent, because – in this time when grimdark and its close cousins are all the rage – Malice is more of a classic fantasy story with many of the tropes that go along with that term. However, where some novels might flounder under those classic themes, Malice embraces them, turning them into a very engaging and entertaining story; one that any fantasy lover will find themselves enjoying. I finished this series yesterday after almost two months reading, and I need to gush and talk about it before I can start reading anything else. There are no spoilers in this review! The worldbuilding is absolutely amazing and intricate and I haven't been this immersed in a long long time! It actually reminded of why I read books, why I read fantasy in the first place. JadePhoenix13 on Reading The Wheel of Time: Taim Tells Lies and Rand Shares His Plan in Winter’s Heart (Part 3) 6 hours agoI have heard tons of great things about this series and I have been putting reading it off for a long time because I am intimidated by huge books and this is a series of huge books. I also thought it would have more rigid writing and it would be hard to follow but I am glad I was wrong. This book was a great introduction to what I would expect to be an amazing series. I broke the fear of facing this series so I should be making my way through the rest of the series soon. The book is the classic battle of good and evil, G-ds and Demons, but unlike many of the typical Fantasy books we were raised on, it shows the internal battle of good people who find themselves fighting for the bad side, and those with dubious character, who have to stand on the side of the Light. Those are the characters who are best invested in throughout the whole book and the inevitable questions of what makes a person chose one way or another, what are the motivations which form the people we become.... 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.

Corban, Storm, Kastell, Maquin, Veradis, Tull. Just a few of my favourite characters of the book, it would take far too long to recite them all and the reasons why they are in this list. Each character is unique and vivid and feels so real to me. So, of course that gives me great joy and the fist-pump worthy moments, and then forces great despair when they go through countless trials and tribulations and tragedies. I live on the south coast of the UK with my beautiful wife, three sons and my daughter, and an assortment of animals (at the moment three dogs, a horse and a lamb who thinks she's a dog).

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I absolutely loved almost everything about this book that in fact, I only have two really minor cons. I promise you, even if you are one of those readers who struggles with Malice, you will come to love this series. You will not regret reading it.

This series is without a doubt a 5/5. I have a serious book hangover now, but it felt good to share some thoughts about it. Hopefully you will also give this series a chance and join the warband. Often, the best heroic fantasy is both intimate and epic, whether our hero is triumphing over inner demons – or the ones rampaging across the countryside. And John Gwynne is no stranger to either conflict. His books, set in the Banished Lands, sweep masterfully from bloody battlefields to fraught personal dilemmas, which culminate in tense, explosive climaxes. Corban, on the other hand, is entirely fallible. Love and loyalty confuse his decisions, and he makes plenty of mistakes along his entire journey (not just at the beginning). Furthermore, the skills he does possess are a result of growing up within a hard-working warrior culture. I’ve mentioned already that neither Malice nor Valour swept me off my feet. Ruin, however, totally blew me away. By the time you reach book three, you’re invested in the characters and the story, but you’re possibly also wondering if and when the shit is going to hit the fan. 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.World building – This was really nothing special at all. I always got the sense that the Banished Lands were quite empty and depopulated, even though we visit every nation, But, like I said, there is no filler and everything is about the plot and enjoying the ride. This has its cons of course, because I would have loved to know more about the history of every nation and their cultures. Unfortunately, all the different nations felt a bit copy and paste. The only real difference was that they drank wine in the south, mead in the west, and ale in the north. Oh, and they have sandals in the south, not boots. One thing I believe we see way too much after the success of HBO's Game of Thrones is every fantasy series labeled as "The NEXT Game of Thrones!" or "It's Game of Thrones meets the Arthur Legend!" etc. Denying the cultural impact of the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin would be pretty stupid. So I understand why marketers are doing this, but the problem is that it rarely turns out to be true. It's either nothing like Martin's series or it's a bad rip off. So where would The Faithful and The Fallen fit in there? The following three books in the series - Valour, Ruin and Wrath, were all shortlisted for the David Gemmell Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novels of 2014, 2015 and 2016, with Wrath winning the 2017 BookNest Awards for Best Traditionally Published Novel.