The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

The Blurb:

THE GREATEST SAGAS ARE WRITTEN IN BLOOD.

A century has passed since the gods fought and drove themselves to extinction. Now only their bones remain, promising great power to those brave enough to seek them out.

As whispers of war echo across the land of Vigrið, fate follows in the footsteps of three warriors: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman pursuing battle fame, and a thrall seeking vengeance among the mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.

All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods.

The Review:

Okay, before we get started, I just have to say that I am in awe of the size of that dragon. Have you seen it yet? I know it’s on the thumbnail and the Amazon widget at the bottom of this post, but I’m gonna post the full-sized art, too, just to drive the point home.

That right there, friends and enemies, is a very large and very angry dragon.

And like most good cover art, it gives a really good idea of the kind of book that lies in store. The Shadow of the Gods is a Norse-inspired book from fight-scene aficionado John Gwynne. It features three main POV characters: Orka, Varg, and Elvar. Orka is a warrior, a mother, and her story is effectively a gender-flipped fantasy version of Liam Neeson’s Taken. Varg has recently lost a loved one, and in the process of seeking revenge instead finds himself a family among a band of brutal mercenaries. Elvar was born to a noble father, but seeks to earn her own fame in the field of battle and among friends of her choosing.

This is one of those books that long-time readers of the fantasy genre might find “familiar”. There may not be much in the way of breaking new ground, but Gwynne embraces all of those familiar trappings and looks to make them the best they can be. When I read his last series opener, A Time of Dread, I was really blown away by some of his fight scenes. And it was the same here. They feel… grounded. More real than most. There’s a focus on impact, on the struggles involved. John Gwynne’s fight scenes, for the most part, add to his characterisation. Which is refreshing for someone whose pet peeve is a bunch of fighting for the sake of it.

The world of The Shadow of the Gods is one of expanding kingdoms, dead gods and their distant descendants, vengeance, and of finding your people. It has that feeling of old magic fighting to come back into the world, which I loved, and also has some talking fantasy creatures, which is always going to elevate a story in my books. Again, there wasn’t much that felt “new” to me, but I never came close to feeling bored. Gwynne’s style of writing is efficient at pushing your buttons when it needs to, and the story rolls on at a quick enough pace to keep you invested before the explosive conclusion.

If I had to nitpick, I’d say that a couple character arcs felt quite similar in places. Both Orka and Varg’s storylines rely on them seeking vengeance following a tragedy that befell one of their loved ones. While the personalities of these characters were distinct enough that this overlap didn’t feel too same-y, there were a few instances where I felt that a scene from one perspective would be hammering at emotional notes only recently struck by the other. But with that being said, I thought this served to strengthen the overarching theme of vengeance.

Admittedly, I wasn’t a huge fan of Elvar for the first half of the book. Where Orka and Varg were introduced in a way that shows who they are as people (and what their motivations are), Elvar was just… there. She is shown to be a very competent fighter and to really care about the opinions of those around her. But it wasn’t until maybe the halfway point that we get a sense of who she is. Until we’re given a glimpse of the context behind her character. This delay in unearthing her more interesting facets frustrated me a little, and I found her earlier chapters to feel quite generic in comparison to those that came after.

The Shadow of the Gods will be a book for those that love traditional, norse-inspired fantasy. There’s a lot here to love. I adored the found family feelings between Varg and the rest of the bloodsworn, and loved the banter between them. Certain scenes have a wonderful “cinematic” quality to them which set my imagination alight. There are several brutal scenes involving dead bodies, which some readers may want to avoid, and those readers who are burned out on the “dead loved ones used as motivation” trope may want to steer clear. But beyond that, the Shadow of the Gods is a book that does exactly what it says on the tin. And in my opinion, does it well.

My biggest complaint is that I was left waiting too long for the dragon.

Worth it, though.

We recieved a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you to Orbit Books for the review copy!

The Shadow of the Gods is out now!