John Gwynne

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About John Gwynne
I am the author of epic fantasy series The Faithful and the Fallen, Of Blood and Bone and The Bloodsworn Saga. I’m also a Viking re-enactor and enjoy nothing more than standing in the shield wall with my three sons, who are as passionate about swords and axes as I am (when I’m not stuck in my coat of mail; it’s harder than it looks).
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).
My dogs think I am their slave.
Malice, my debut novel, was published by Pan Macmillan in 2012 and went on to win the David Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Debut of 2012. That was a truly wonderful moment, as David Gemmell is a hero of mine and one of the reasons I write.
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.
My second series, of Blood and Bone, is set in the Banished Lands, the same world as the first series. Book 1, A Time of Dread, begins 130 years after the events of the first series.
A Time of Courage, book 3 Of Blood and Bone, made the Spiegel Bestseller’s List in Germany.
My latest book, The Shadow of the Gods, book 1 of the Bloodsworn Saga, will be published in May 2021. It is inspired by Norse mythology, Beowulf and Ragnarök.
I am represented by Julie Crisp.
You can find me online at:
https://john-gwynne.com
https://twitter.com/JohnGwynne_
https://www.instagram.com/john_gwynne_author/
https://www.facebook.com/john.gwynne.12
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Books By John Gwynne
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 Vigrid, 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.
Set in a brand-new, Norse-inspired world, and packed with myth, magic, and vengeance, The Shadow of the Gods begins an epic new fantasy saga from bestselling author John Gwynne.
Packed with myth, magic, and bloody vengeance, John Gwynne's "masterfully crafted, brutally compelling, Norse-inspired epic" (Anthony Ryan) continues in The Hunger of the Gods.
THE DEAD GODS ARE RISING.
As Orka continues the hunt for her missing son, the Bloodsworn sweep south in a desperate race to save one of their own–and Varg takes the first steps on the path of vengeance.
Elvar has sworn to fulfil her blood oath and rescue a prisoner from the clutches of Lik-Rifa and her dragonborn followers, but first she must persuade the Battle-Grim to follow her. Yet even the might of the Bloodsworn and Battle-Grim cannot stand alone against a dragon god.
Their only hope lies within the mad writings of a chained god. A book of forbidden magic with the power to raise the wolf god Ulfrir from the dead...and bring about a battle that will shake the foundations of the earth.
Praise for The Shadow of the Gods
“There is not a dull chapter in this fantasy epic.” —Vulture (Best of the Year)
"A satisfying and riveting read. It’s everything I’ve come to expect from a John Gwynne book." —Robin Hobb
"A masterfully crafted, brutally compelling Norse-inspired epic." —Anthony Ryan
"A masterclass in storytelling . . . epic, gritty fantasy with an uncompromising amount of heart." —FanFiAddict
For more from John Gwynne, check out:
The Bloodsworn Trilogy
The Shadow of the Gods
The Hunger of the Gods
Of Blood and Bone
A Time of Dread
A Time of Blood
A Time of Courage
The Faithful and the Fallen
Malice
Valor
Ruin
Wrath
"A Time of Dread reminds me of why I became a fantasy enthusiast in the first place." -- Robin Hobb
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.
In the south, hotheaded Riv is desperate to join the Ben-Elim's peacekeeping force, until she unearths a deadly secret.
In the west, the giantess Sig investigates demon sightings and discovers signs of an uprising and black magic.
And in the snowbound north, Drem, a trapper, finds mutilated corpses in the forests. The work of a predator, or something far darker?
It's a time of shifting loyalties and world-changing dangers. Difficult choices need to be made. Because in the shadows, demons are gathering, waiting for their time to rise. . .
Called a 'Hell of a debut' by bestselling author Conn Iggulden, Malice by John Gwynne is the first in The Faithful and the Fallen series.
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.
The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed in battle, the earth running dark with their heartsblood. Although the giant-clans were broken in ages past, their ruined fortresses still scar the land. But now giants stir anew, the very stones weep blood and there are sightings of giant wyrms. Those who can still read the signs see a threat far greater than the ancient wars. Sorrow will darken the world, as angels and demons make it their battlefield. Then there will be a war to end all wars.
High King Aquilus summons his fellow kings to council, seeking an alliance in this time of need. Prophesy indicates darkness and light will demand two champions, the Black Sun and the Bright Star. They would be wise to seek out both, for if the Black Sun gains ascendancy, mankind’s hopes and dreams will fall to dust.
Continue the epic fantasy series with Valour.
Events are coming to a climax in the Banished Lands, as the war reaches new heights. King Nathair has taken control of the fortress at Drassil and three of the Seven Treasures are in his possession. And together with Calidus and his ally Queen Rhin, Nathair will do anything to obtain the remaining Treasures. With all seven under his command, he can open a portal to the Otherworld. Then Asroth and his demon-horde will finally break into the Banished Lands and become flesh.
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.
His life hangs in the balance -- and with it, the fate of the Banished Lands.
The cunning Queen Rhin has conquered the west and High King Nathair has the cauldron, most powerful of the seven treasures. At his back stands the scheming Calidus and a warband of the Kadoshim, dread demons of the Otherworld. They plan to bring Asroth and his host of the Fallen into the world of flesh, but to do so they need the seven treasures. Nathair has been deceived but now he knows the truth. He has choices to make, choices that will determine the fate of the Banished Lands.
Elsewhere the flame of resistance is growing -- Queen Edana finds allies in the swamps of Ardan. Maquin is loose in Tenebral, hunted by Lykos and his corsairs. Here he will witness the birth of a rebellion in Nathair's own realm.
Corban has been swept along by the tide of war. He has suffered, lost loved ones, sought only safety from the darkness. But he will run no more. He has seen the face of evil and he has set his will to fight it. The question is, how?
With a disparate band gathered about him -- his family, friends, giants, fanatical warriors, an angel and a talking crow he begins the journey to Drassil, the fabled fortress hidden deep in the heart of Forn Forest. For in Drassil lies the spear of Skald, one of the seven treasures, and here it is prophesied that the Bright Star will stand against the Black Sun.
Corban flees his homeland searching for peace, but he soon discovers that there is no haven in the west as the agents of Rhin and roaming bands of giants hound his every step.
Veradis leaves the battleground and rushes to his King's side. But he has witnessed both combat and betrayal and his duty weighs heavily upon him.
Maquin seeks only revenge, but pirate slavers and the brutal world of pit-fighting stand in his way.
Nathair becomes embroiled in the wars of the west as Queen Rhin marches against King Owain. The need to find the cauldron of the giants drives him on.
Sides are chosen and oaths will be fulfilled or broken in a land where hell has broken loose.
Defy the darkness. Defend the light.
Drem and his friends are haunted by the horrors they witnessed at the battle at Starstone Lake: the screams of men being warped into beasts and the sight of a demon rising from the dead. But worse than any memory is Fritha, the demons' deadly high priestess. And she is hunting them.
Concealed in Forn Forest, Riv knows her very existence is a threat to the Ben-Elim. She represents their most dangerous secret, and if the warrior angels find her, they won't hesitate to silence her.
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?
For more from John Gwynne, check out:Of Blood and BoneA Time of DreadA Time of BloodA Time of Courage
The Faithful and the FallenMaliceValorRuinWrath
Now is the time of reckoning...
The demon-king Asroth is free of his iron prison, and thewhole of the Banished Lands stands on the brink of domination.
With the Ben-Elim broken and routed, half-breed Riv and asmall band of comrades must try to find a way to strike at the demon forces.
Meanwhile, Drem is with the Order of the Bright Star on a desperate march south to join the battle. He fears what they will find along the way, even as he knows it is better to fight and fall than to live without hope.
Of Blood and BoneA Time of DreadA Time of BloodA Time of Courage
The Faithful and the FallenMaliceValorRuinWrath
Feuer und Blut ergießen sich über das nordische Reich Vigrið. Der Drachengöttin Lik-Rifa ist es gelungen, Verbündete aus den unwahrscheinlichsten Reihen zu gewinnen. Und in ihrer Hand befindet sich nun auch die Frau, die der bösen Göttin wahrlich gefährlich werden könnte. Nun bleibt den den Streitkräften der Sterblichen nur noch eine Wahl: eine letzte Allianz zu bilden. Blutgeschworene und Berserker, Vaesen und Götter, Thralls und Jarls – sie alle müssen zusammenstehen, um die neue Weltordnung der bösen Drachengöttin Lik-Rifa zu zerschmettern.
Alle Bänder der Saga der Blutgeschworenen:
Nordnacht
Frostnacht
Blutnacht
Wie eisiger Frost legt sich eine neue Weltordnung über das Reich Vigrið: Lik-Rifa, die wütende Drachengöttin, ist nach dreihundert Jahren unterirdischer Gefangenschaft auferstanden und sucht erneut die Welt der Menschen heim. Um eine unbesiegbare Armee aufzustellen, ruft sie nun alle Vaesen an ihre Seite. Doch nicht nur die böse Göttin ist ins Leben zurückgekehrt – verzweifelt erwecken die Sterblichen weitere Götter, um sich gegen die Drachin wehren zu können. Waffen, Klauen, Zähne und möglicherweise nicht einmal die Blutgeschworenen werden ausreichen, um Lik-Rifa zu zähmen ...
Alle Bänder der Saga der Blutgeschworenen:
Nordnacht
Frostnacht
Blutnacht (in Vorbereitung)
Die Romane von John Gwynne sind nichts für schwache Nerven: In England und in den USA steht der Autor für ein intensives, brutales und viele tausend Seiten umspannendes Fantasy-Erlebnis, das auch zahlreiche deutsche Leser begeistert hat. Jetzt erscheint Gwynnes neue Saga, die ihm den Durchbruch beschert: In »Nordnacht« treten Leser*innen eine Reise in eine Fantasywelt an, die der skandinavischen Mythologie entlehnt ist: Unheimliche Wesen, die an Andrzej Sapkowskis Monster erinnern, bevölkern den Norden. Ausgerechnet drei sterbliche Menschen müssen in dieser grausamen Welt bestehen und der größten Bedrohung entgegentreten: den von den Toten wiederauferstandenen Göttern ...
Alle Bänder der Saga der Blutgeschworenen:
Nordnacht
Frostnacht (in Vorbereitung)
Blutnacht (in Vorbereitung)
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