The Shadow of the Gods

Book One of the Bloodsworn Saga

By: John Gwynne

Narrated by: Colin Mace

Set in a brand-new, Norse-inspired world and packed with myth, magic and bloody vengeance, The Shadow of the Gods begins an epic new fantasy saga from best-selling author John Gwynne.

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

Now a new world is rising, where power-hungry jarls feud and monsters stalk the woods and mountains. A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power for those brave - or desperate - enough to seek them out.

As whispers of war echo across the mountains and fjords, fate follows in the footsteps of three people: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman who has rejected privilege in pursuit of battle fame and a thrall who seeks vengeance among the famed 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....

©2021 John Gwynne (P)2021 Hachette Audio UK

Critic reviews

"John Gwynne is one of the modern masters of heroic fantasy." (Adrian Tchaikovsky)

"John Gwynne writes fantasy with the heart of a hero and the inventiveness of a master mage." (Sebastien de Castell)

Wow.

Damn that was good. Narrator is good and story is great. Give it a listen.

Great fantasy with a bit of myth

This is a great fantasy book.
I haven’t been captured by a fantasy book like I was with this one for a very long while.
The story is great, especially with the myth elements included.
The characters are pretty well thought out and the narrator is also amazing.
I am very excited to start the second book.

A lot of vikings

Characters were kinda boring, not really my cup of tea. Im not too into vikings, I like the Gods though, from alot of Pantheons. but yeah, this was a little meh

A master storyteller at work

John Gwynne has transitioned from one believable world to the next. This story takes you on a ride that never allows you to breathe beyond the gasp it takes to get to the next chapter. Shield wall to Shield wall, this saga drags you through mud, blud and gore to a breathtaking end. Definitely a story worth your time!

What?!

What the F****ck did I just listen to??!!

Best audio book this year period.

It's gripping

I bought the 2nd audiobook right away after finishing this one. The story is getting more exciting, and I want the 3rd book right now.

3 stars. No more, no less.

The world building is good, the characters are lacking, the prose is acceptable. And that's it. It's acceptable.
After all the internet hype, the book was pretty underwhelming. Nowhere near Abercrobmie or Robin Hobb level. It is building up for something big to happen and it just doesn't happen. There is no climax. Written more like a chronicle, events described with little emotion. Worst characters I've read in years.

Fantastic

Loved the characters

Loved the story

Narration great too

Would recommend - just about to start the second book

Empty thin characters

Finally finished. Took me 5 or seven attempts to get rolling and listening to this book regularly. Boring. It gets more interesting with about 6 hours remaining. Problem is that the characters are totally bland, they have no interesting conflicting virtues or interests.
First character - bad ass warrior smashing skulls to get her son back
Second character - bad ass warrior smashing skulls to get renown for smashing skulls (and a glimpse of daddy issues that don't play a meaningful part)
Third character - a warrior having a limited understanding of the world, untrained but talented in smashing skulls.

There is nothing to tell about their personalities. It's just a bunch of typical DnD human fighters that you hear jokes about.
The world is somewhat interesting once the characters start to explore the mythical lands and creatures, but since it's so hard to care for the empty characters the adventures are boring. For me this book would have been better as a lore encyclopedia, just cut out all the meaningless characters and their time wasting adventures.

I couldn’t

I don’t know why but I tried to complete it but couldn’t keep up with the pace and switching from character to another