The Hunger of The Gods by John Gwynne, a review. The amazing sequel to The Shadow of The Gods, a continuation of the Nordic inspired mythos that grips hold of the reader and never lets go. Welcome to a world of Gods, monsters, and the bonds of warrior kin.

 

The Hunger of The Gods, a review.

 

    This book follows directly from the previous entry, and it keeps the pace that that book maintained. Gwynne keeps the narrative flowing throughout and immediately gets his hooks into the reader, pulling them into his world.  And what a world this is. Gwynne has done a great job of fleshing out the world through the interactions of his characters and the events that swirl around them. Following multiple points of view and seeing how they intertwine allows a better overall look at the world. The stakes are raised considerably, as the previous book's events took them to a deadly level. It is not a spoiler to say that the return of the God Lik-Rifa has thrown all into chaos. The return of the Dragon God will have consequences for all as she has her own plans to enact. Orka's hunt for her son continues, but now she faces a foe that cannot be overcome by an ax alone. Varg continues to learn all he can at the hands of the Bloodsworn, and Elvar faces the aftermath of their betrayal and the return of Lik-Rifa.

    I was unsure where this story would go after the climax of the previous book. I pondered several possibilities, but none of them went in the direction Gwynne took. Right after Lik-Rifa escapes from her prison, the story picks up with a God returned to the world. Elvar and the Battle-grim are collecting themselves and mourning the loss of their chief, licking their wounds after the battle with the dragon-born. Orka reels from the realization that she has missed rescuing her son, reunited with members of the Bloodsworn, and is surrounded by the devastation she has wrought upon Grimholt's Hall. Varg remains with the Bloodsworn, aiding in their hunt for Vol, wife of their chief, Glornir. Going into this book, I expected the story to continue at a decent pace, and it did not disappoint. Orka learns of Vol's abduction, knowing now who Skalk had bundled onto his horse, and relays to Glornir what has happened to his brother and her son. In turn, Elvar and company learn the price of a blood-oath, forcing her to move forward with her pursuit of Lik-Rifa and Uspa's son. Each of the protagonists in this story has very personal reasons to clash with the dragon-born and their risen god, but no way to rival her power. And this is where the story takes an unexpected turn. 

    Elvar and the battle-grim delve into Lik-Rifa's prison, led there by the bound and collared god, Skuld, daughter of Ulfrir and Orna. Elvar knows there is treasure there for the Battle-grim, but she has her own reasons for taking the plunge into the place below. Elvar is a smart woman, and she knows that any pursuit of her quarry would bring her into conflict with the god. She needs an edge, and her hope is that something below will give her what she needs. Skuld leads them, reluctantly, angered at being thralled to Elvar through the magical collar. Skulk has watched over Lik-Rifa with her sisters for centuries, but the world she knew is gone, and she is struggling to adjust to mortals being in power. Attacked by the twisted children of Lif-Rika, they discover something left behind by the goddess, something that they can use in their favor. A huge spoiler for the book lies ahead, so you have been warned. Using the great tome left by Lik-Rifa, Uspa resurrects the god Ulfrir. The battle-grim then uses the chains that bound Lik-Rifa to fashion a collar for the wolf god. This all happened far quicker than I expected it to. I had gone it with the idea of Ulfrir being resurrected, the image on the book cover gave that away, but I thought it would take far more for the task to be completed. It works, as the returned god is far from his full power, but it might be a touch jarring for some readers. With the gods in tow Elvar and the battle-grim head after the dragon-born, hoping to catch them. 

    Orka leaves the Bloodsworn with Lif and some of the Bloodswordn in tow. Glornir has them lead her to the chambers of the rat god, Rotta. Glornir and the rest of the Bloodsworn continue their pursuit of Vol, heading after Skalk, back to Darl. Orka continues to train Lif, with some help from the Bloodsworn, the young man determined to be ready to face his brother's killer. Upon arriving at Rotta's chamber, they are attacked by a group of dragon-born led by Myrk, the sister of Ilska the cruel. After a brief battle Myrk is taken prisoner by Orka, who is determined to find out what the woman knows. After discovering Myrk is one of Ilska's people, Orka has her lead them to where the Raven-Feeders are headed. The journey takes them westwards to the town of Starl, where they meet up with Elvar and the returned Ulfrir. They split up after the encounter, and Orka tricks Myrk into leading them to where the Raven-Feeders are.

    Varg and the Bloodsworn head to Darl, intent on freeing Vol from Skalk. Things turn out to be far more complicated than they expect. Their assault to free Vol from Skalk comes too late as she has been taken from the Galdurman by Prince Jaromir.  The prince of Iskidan has fled southwards, as the Bloodsworn is left to deal with the aftermath, having to negotiate their way out of a clash with Helka and her people. The Bloodsworn give pursuit. hoping to catch the Prince, and his people, before they reach the port town of Liga. Unfortunately, they flee across the sea, heading for safety in Iskidan, but Glornir will not be swayed from his hunt.

    The story is weaved together brilliantly, each of the main characters brought together by events that affect the others. The action remains visceral and well enacted. The fights are brutal and vivid, well thought out from a narrative standpoint. Orka is easily my favorite of the main characters, but every character here is well fleshed out with their own agency. The stakes are raised enough that the reader is aware of the true dangers that are arrayed against our heroes. 

    This book is an easy nine out of ten stars. It is a great read, with well-rounded characters, great action, and a world that feels real and epic in equal measure. John Gwynne is one of my favorite new authors, and I am eager to see where this series will go. I would recommend this to any fan of fantasy, and any reader in general. Let me know what you think of this book if you have read it, and feel free to recommend any books you think I should review.

The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter. The next book in The Burning series. A review and look at this next entry that continues Tau's adventures, and sees just how far he'll go to protect those he loves and avenge those he's lost.

 

The Fires of Vengeance, by Evan Winter.

 

    I picked up the previous book after watching a review by Daniel Greene. It turned out that the disheveled Goblin had it spot on for the brilliant first entry into the series by Evan Winter. To my great relief, this book continues that run brilliantly. The story picks up immediately from where the last one finished. Tau is now the Queen's champion and finds himself in a position no lesser had ever hoped to achieve. Now those loyal to the Queen face the challenge of dealing with a split amongst the Omehi and the potential for civil war, whilst the threat of the Xiddeen looms. This book centers more on the growing relationship between Tau and his Queen whilst keeping the narrative moving towards the inevitable conflict between Tsiora and her sister.

    The story opens up mere hours after the attack. The Xiddeen have retreated in the face of the Guardians' wrath, and Tau is reeling from yet another loss. Jabari is now heavily burned and bedridden, the petty Noble horribly scarred by Dragon's breath. Here we see Tau make a choice that looks like it will come back to bite him, confessing things to Jabari in the belief that the other is unable to hear him. That is not the case, and this will play out further down the road. This story is very much a look at the bigger world of the Omehi and their history, Tau discovering more than he had imagined as he delves fully into his role as the Queen's champion. We continue to look at the disparity between Lessers and the Nobles, how the social standings work, and how Tau's placing challenges those long-standing ideals. I would like to say that our protagonist had a moment to catch his breath, but that is not so, from the outset he is faced with dealing with assassins, injured further, and then forced to give chase after the Xiddeen. Tau pushes himself further than he should be able, driven by that need to be better, to do more, and save those around him regardless of the damage he does to himself. Tau's time in Isihogo has changed him so utterly that he is a creature of pure will, even poisoned by Dragon's blood, he manages to remain one of the deadliest men in the Queen's army. It is Tau's actions that often lead to how the story unfolds, even his decision to save Kana comes back to bite him, and we watch how he continues to view himself as a failure. The strongest part of this book remains the relationship between Tau and his sword brothers, the bonds there are unbreakable, and without them, Tau would truly fall foul of his worst instincts.

    The story largely follows the split in the Omehi people, the capital of their nation taken by general Odili with Queen Tsiora's sister now declared as Queen. The potential civil war sits at the worst time as the threat of the Xiddeen is never far away, though they believe they have bought themselves some time with the War Chief's demise. Determined to take back her capital, Tsiora, is willing to risk much, she demands that the fiefs support her and is willing to force them to comply if they refuse. Evan's political world feels real, with the social standings well defined and the views of the Greater Nobles feeling reminiscent of standings in the real world.  The story moves at quite a fast pace, with Tau lurching from one challenge to the next. Again, Evan continues to create a world and characters that feel so real, fleshing it out so well that you are truly immersed in the story. He focuses on Isihogo more in this book as Tau has to utilize the demon prison far more than in the previous book, its dangers becoming more real in some ways, and yet a piece on the board of play that proves more important. The backstory of the Omehi is fleshed out through the discourse between Tau and his Queen, and we learn of where they came from and the threat that looms ever in the background. 

  

    What impressed me most was the choice Evan made around Tau's rage and his revenge. I had wondered if Tau would become totally lost to that rage, but throughout the story, he is pulled from it. It is not always easy, but the life he has now pulled him back from fully indulging in it. Events threaten to push him back to that familiar wrath, but he is never completely consumed by it in the way he had been in the first novel. This book looks at the destructive power of anger and the cost of it. Evan Winter is great at these themes, they are at the core of the book, but they never feel that they loom over everything to its detriment. The action scenes remain a highlight of the book. Evan's fight scenes are visceral and carry a weight to them, especially when they fight the demons in Isihogo. Tau still feels a mark above those around him, but that gap is narrowed in this book. I have to say that I am so glad that the dragons in this world are not real. They feel far more dangerous than many of their contemporaries in other works of fiction

    This book is a brilliant continuation of the story that began in The Rage of Dragons. I would recommend that anyone give this book a look. This is a fully realized world with strong characters and brilliant action throughout. I hope that Evan's next entry keeps the momentum going, and I am excited to discover where the story will lead.

    This is an easy 4.5 out of 5. Give this a look if you enjoy fantasy or just a damn good read. Evan Winter has rapidly become one of my favourite authors, and I can't wait to see what he will do next.

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, a review. The sequel to the popular Kingmaker remains true to the formula with epic gameplay and story but more than a few flaws.

 

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, a review and look at one of the best RPGs of this year.

    After backing and loving Pathfinder Kingmaker, it was an easy decision to follow suit for the sequel. I was one of many that backed Wrath of the Righteous and enjoyed the alpha and beta stages. This is a very different story from the first game, with higher stakes and a more defined goal right from the outset. The game is bigger in many ways, with a more expansive class list and greater options to define your character as you begin your journey into Golarion and the city of Kenebras.

    For any RPG fan, it is always important to have several options to define your character to your own liking. The greater the ability to personalize, the better. The game has expanded on those available in the previous entry, and now there are over twenty-five classes to choose from, each with its own subclass. The variety is staggering, with several races on offer, with some having their own further subtypes. It took me a while, but I have tried several, and the Kitsune is one of my favourites by far. Certain races have unique roles amid the classes, providing you with a path that will not be available to any other race in the game. This will open up possibilities to an entirely new way of playing through your game, further expanding on how the game unfolds for you. And that is one of the main factors in this game, a unique playthrough. This is not unusual for any decent RPG, it is also prevalent in the tabletop games about which this is crafted. Being more of a D&D fan, it took me a while to understand the many complexities and offerings that Pathfinder provides, but soon enough, I found myself enjoying the number of options on display. I have to be honest that I have created far too many characters. Trying out the many classes since playing the beta and into the released game. The character creator is great, but I did find that the character models did leave something to be desired, with little in the way of face and hair options and with no way to alter features. I would have liked a way to change height and weight, but that seems not to be the developer's priority. It is a minor annoyance overall, given the type of gameplay style on show. The character creator is one of the highlights of this impressive game.

    Having backed the game I have played through both the alpha and Beta stages of the game before enjoying the full release. I have spent well over a hundred hours in-game, playing through the earlier chapters of the game in various playthroughs. The released game is far less buggy than the previous stages, but it has been plagued with several bugs that have impacted my game, one or two that even crashed my games. Thankfully, Owlcat has made an effort to patch these bugs and keep on top of issues that have arisen since the release. That doesn't lessen the impact these issues have had on my enjoyment, but I am satisfied that they are at least working to resolve them. Some of these issues have already been resolved upon writing this post, but I am aware that some players continue to deal with problems.

    The game itself is fun, like Kingmaker before it, it has a good enough story to keep you engaged. With the fate of the Worldwound hanging in the balance, the demonic forces pushing ever at the crusaders, you come into play. An unknown dropped into this conflict and then gifted with unusual powers as you rise to lead the Fifth Crusade. The game does a great job of making you feel powerful and gifting you with Mythic abilities that change how you play the game and how the game reacts to your growing abilities. There are at least eight Mythic paths to choose from, with a ninth being hinted at. These paths have their own unique story influencing points, the game reacting to the path you choose by having specific dialogues, quests, and NPCs opening up to you as you move through each act. Speaking of NPCs. Your companions in this game are far less black and white than in the previous entry, with developing complexities and some hints at what are their true motives. Woljif, Seelah, Lann, and Ember are my favourites, but I found I liked all of them. Not so much their actions but their general portrayal and the stories behind them. It would have been nice to flesh them out more. With something more akin to how it was done in Kingmaker, but overall they are all believable and unique. Like any good RPG, there are many weapons, armour, and trinkets on offer for the player to increase their stats and equip on their character. There is a massive array of spells on offer, along with abilities that change with whichever class you have chosen to play. The game also has several prestige classes that can alter the direction of your classes and playthrough. I have to mention the Crusade system, as it does contribute to the overall gameplay. Whilst not the most inventive system it can be fun to play through if you want to manage armies and hunt down rival factions. It is worth noting that this system can be put on automatic. So that you can have very little interaction with it if you wish. The game has five acts in total, and though I have not yet completed it, I am enjoying it immensely. 

    So to summarise, if you enjoyed Kingmaker you'll most likely enjoy this entry. The game is solid and expands on the previous entry with new systems whilst expanding on those that were in use in Pathfinder. It is not without fault but if you can look past them you will find this game is worth those minor niggles. Any avid RPG fan could easily stack up hundreds of hours as they try the many races and classes, looking to create their own unique playthroughs.

    I give this game an easy 4 out of 5. It is a worthy successor to Kingmaker and I can't wait to see what Owlcat Games does next with the series. So if you're a gamer and enjoy RPGs give this one a go. And if you're not an RPG fan, give it a go anyway, it might surprise you.

The Shadow of The Gods by John Gwynne, a Norse inspired Epic. A book that is equal parts bloody and brilliant, shaped by the fall of the gods and the will of humans.

 

The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne, a review.

    I really enjoyed the Faithfull and the Fallen series by Gwynne, and I found myself looking forward to this new series. Gwynne is a visceral writer, his action is pulse-pounding and vivid, in a manner that most other authors fail to capture. The Faithful and the Fallen was a brilliant debut series that had a world of light and dark with much hanging on the shoulders of one young man. This book leads us into a world of fallen gods and the fallout from that calamitous event. The book follows three distinct protagonists, Varg, Elvar, and Orka. Each of them has their place in the overall narrative and their own unique tale that plays out as we discover more of this Norse-inspired domain. Much of it is strangely familiar, I suppose, growing up in Wales, I have heard much of the Norse-inspired myths and legends that have come to be in this land. Gwynne being a resident of the UK, must have heard and read much the same growing up. This has the feel of a world after the events of Ragnarok, the fall of the gods has reshaped the world, and the survivors do all they can to reclaim it and shake off the legacy of those gods. Unfortunately, dangers still lurk in the world, and the gods are not entirely gone from the world.

    We begin with Orka, a woman with her husband and son living apart from the world in many ways. They live a simple life, raising Breca and teaching him the things he needs to survive in this world. Varg is a man on the run, a thrall that has found his freedom as he seeks to discover what has happened to his sister. Elevar is a warrior amongst the Battle-Grim, seeking to earn her battle-fame and living a life of her own choosing. Each of them has its motivations and mysteries, driven forward through the narrative as events play out. Orka hunts for her son, Elevar goes where the Battle-Grim roams, and Varg seeks out a way to discover his sister's fate, leading him to the Bloodsworn. This is a brutal world, where those touched by the gods are seen as tainted, as less than human. It is a world that is hard and unforgiving in many ways, faith is not seen in a positive light, and monsters roam the wilds beyond the walls that surround town and house alike. Each of the protagonists has its own particular qualities. Orka is fierce, incredibly so, with an iron resolve and fierce love for her son. Elevar is a talented warrior, loyal, steadfast, and ambitious. Varg is naive in many ways, his life has been a hard one as a thrall, and his experience of the warrior life is new and unsure. Like Orka, Varg is driven by his love of a family member, determined to keep his oath to them. I liked the way the tainted show their lineage, how they shift as their blood burns in response to danger. This is a throwback to the berserker and werewolf legends of old and felt right in this particular setting.

    As I mentioned earlier, Gwynne does action well. Though well is something of an understatement. The action is brutal and fast, the events well-choreographed yet vicious in the one-on-one scenes, the shield walls, and mass fights feel as though this is something that has been experienced by the man himself. He knows how the press of bodies feels, how the weight of armour and shields impacts the manoeuvrability and function of the warrior beside him. It was no surprise to me that Gwynne is a Viking re-enactor. It feels as though you are right there in the press, bound together as the enemy surges towards you. I liked his use of the traditional monsters of Norse myth, Trolls featured here on several occasions and lacking none of the ferocity that I have seen in them in many other tales. Gwynne builds his world out as the story progresses, and many of the gaps in lore are filled out as we move deeper into the mystery surrounding the events that impact our protagonists. Of particular note, the Dragon on the cover is pretty damn accurate. Gwynne does a good job of weaving the individual narratives into one overall narrative. The threads come together and tie up pretty tightly. I can't wait to see where it will go next.

    I'd give this a 4.5 out of 5. This is a great entry into a new series, the world feels real and brutal from the outset. Gwynne's character work is top-notch, and he clearly knows his Norse myths and legends. This is definitely one to read if you're a fan of fantasy and I would recommend looking at Gwynne's work in general. Let me know what you think and if you're interested in giving this a look.

The Rage of Dragons, by Evan Winter. A review and look at this brilliant debut novel, a self-published piece that stands as an example of what self-published authors can achieve.

 

The Rage of Dragons, by Evan Winter. The Review.

    I decided to give this book a look after hearing positive reviews through several booktubers that I follow. It was the right move, this book is one of the best things I've read in years. I was reading another book for review and immediately lost any interest in it after the first two pages of this book. The premise is a good one, opening up with a people forced into exile, landing on a continent far from their own home as they fight to establish a beachhead and force back the natives that threaten to annihilate them. It is a bloody, hard-fought battle that is won at great sacrifice. We then flash forward to the future and the established nation that sits within hostile lands. Here we are introduced to our central protagonist and his father. Tau is the son of a lesser Common, part of the caste system that we are introduced to within the empire, a young man being taught all that his father knows in the hopes of passing his own testing. Winter created a world so different from the many western-inspired fantasy worlds that I have read. I found the direct correlation between the standings and the physical attributes a refreshing change, those of a higher noble standing being bigger, stronger, and faster than those below them. This plays into the story itself and influences how the world around Tau operates.

    Tau is a young man with particular ideas of how his life will play out. These change as the story unfolds, but in the first part, he merely wants a life similar to his father's. That is until the first time he is forced to kill, forced to face the horror of killing, his ideas change, and he begins to look for an out from military life, a way to avoid service. Piled on top of that, he is dealing with his feelings for Zuri, a young woman awaiting her own testing. I would like to highlight that Tau is not a perfect character, he is impulsive, childish in some ways, and his view of the world is narrow due to his upbringing and experience. I should point out that the army of the chosen is bolstered by the 'Gifted' woman that can call down dragons, turn warriors into enormous engines of destruction and send the souls of men to hell through the skill of enervation. This is the reason they have held back the Hedeni as long as they have. Tau continues to train with his friend and Petty Noble, Jabari, the two young men looking forward to their testing. As Jabari's training partner Tau struggles with the death he inflicted. His plan to injure himself after his time training with the army is still in his mind as time goes by. Unfortunately for him, that will never come to pass as events beyond his control shape the young man's future. A singular mistake at Jabari's testing causes Tau's entire life to be broken, creating a fury in the young man that will drive his entire path in life.

    Tau returns home and is exiled from his home. He attacks Jabari's brother in a fit of rage and should be hanged for this offense only Jabari's interference keeps him from that fate. The night before he is due to leave, Zuri comes to him and begs him to leave with her. The young woman has passed her testing and is destined to become gifted, but she does not want that life, a life without him. Tau is too lost to his pain and rage to hear her and leaves, determined to make the Nobles pay for what they have done to him. This is what the story is primarily about, revenge. Tau is driven by it, his whole fate decided by it, and he will do anything to see it done. As he takes to the north, after a bloody encounter with Leskan, Tau finds himself in Kigambe and the testing there. Soon it is proven that Tau isn't as skilled as he believed, only winning his first bout after goading his opponent into making a mistake. His fifth bout is against a giant of a man, Uduak, and there is no way he can win. Tau doesn't win against his opponent but refuses to fall, fighting until the two hundred counts, something that seems almost impossible. This is the prime attribute that carries Tau forward, he isn't the biggest, the fastest, or the most talented, but he refuses to fall. The young man will not surrender no matter what it costs him. As a character, this makes him unrelenting but so single-focused that he is hard to like, though it is easy to understand the fury that makes him so. Even with that, he makes stupid choices, is too hard on those around him, and loses himself to his fury more than once. Taken into the army, he is trained with other lessers, his squad leader eager to prove that they can be as an effective fighting force as the higher nobles above them. It is a gamble to prove this, and he rests his hopes on Tau and several of his sword brothers. He tries to teach Tau the way to be greater than his natural talents, that dedication and hard work will allow him to reach his goals but it is not enough for the young man. Determined to push himself harder, Tau walks a dark path to become more to push his skills to the extreme. This singular decision is one of the craziest made by the lesser. I loved how Winter filled out his characters, made them feel so real, with their own agendas and agency, not just driving the narrative through Tau's own place in the world. This builds then to the end of the book and Tau's need to kill those he holds responsible for his father's death. 

    Nothing is so simple, the climax of the book leading to an invasion and an attempted coup, Tau, and his scale caught up in it as he is forced to fight by the side of one of the men responsible for Aren's death. Winter does a great job of building the tension and keeping the pace fast as they are driven from one scene of carnage to another, determined to save the queen from those that would see her slain, all the well the Hedeni invading the lands around the capital. It is a desperate race to her, and it leads to several choices that influence how events play out, Tau and his scale doing all they can to survive amid the chaos. This ending leads directly into the next book, and I can't wait to read it. 

 

    This is easily one of the best books I've read in recent years. With its different settings, cultures, and a protagonist that is not so easily likable, it stands apart from so many fantasy books I've read. Winter has a solid authorial voice, his prose is not overly flowery, but it holds your attention, and his character work is brilliant. I can't wait to read The Fires of Vengeance, and my attempt to read a certain book has been put back as I found it so lackluster in comparison. 

    The Rage of Dragons is an easy 5 out of 5. Any fan of fantasy should pick this book up and delve into a world that stands so well on its own. I'm looking forward to what else Winter will bring out in the future. He is definitely a talent to watch.