A Time of Dread: 1 (Of Blood & Bone)

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The story features the same areas and cities as the Faithful and the Fallen but time has changed the environment a degree. This book strengthens the notion that he’s one of the greatest SFF authors out there when it comes down to writing lovable protagonists and despicable villains. Sig, Riv and Byrne are all great strong women taking up the mantles from Coralen, Cywen, Edana and Brina from the original series.

I appreciated that there were a few unexpected surprises thrown in to prove that nothing is quite as it seems and that the baddies are just as bad as ever.Gwynne delivers adrenaline-filled fight scenes with characters you care about, and the outcome never feels certain, that aforementioned dread is convincing, you feel that characters you care about really might not make it. John Gwynne is one of the modern masters of heroic fantasy' – Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Ruin . The novel starts slowly as the characters, their allegiances and the history of the world are gently and cleverly massaged into the reader's mind. Hundreds of years have passed, so most of our beloved characters have become legendary figures and their names and deeds are mentioned a lot here. A Time of Dread is a breathtaking beginning to what will surely be another utterly brilliant series by John Gwynne.

Also, for those of you who had trouble with the myriad amount of characters in TFatF, A Time of Dread casts are smaller in quantity, with only four main POV to follow throughout the entire book; Drem, Riv, Bleda, and one side character from the previous series. My time in the Banished Lands will always be one of my most treasured memories and experiences in my fantasy literature adventure, and I was beyond pleased to dive back into this world again. The Ben Elim have banned warfare between human factions, their reasoning being the numbers are needed for something more important, enforcing this with an iron hand and some decapitation.This series takes place 120+ years after the events of the first, so while there is a nostalgia factor involved as characters or places from the first series are name-dropped, Gwynne does a really great job of setting this story apart from his last. I found his writing in this book incredibly engaging, vivid, immersive and bloody addictive to read. Where Malice used a white background, A Time of Dread used black; this captured the tone of the book perfectly.

John Gwynne has never been afraid of killing off characters so be warned, I've a feeling this series is going to be as emotionally devastating as the first one. They give us elite fighting units, rampaging giant-carrying war bears, masters of horse riding and archery and so much more epic stuff.I think that was another point where Drem’s storyline was left a little weak: we never followed any perspectives that allowed us to see him from the outside as someone else would. The homage Mr Gwynne pays is truly befitting of the ineffable love his fans have for the stories that came before. Horrible circumstances reveal to Drem that his life, and his family, are not what he thought they were and drive him to find Sig and the members of Dun Seren to help with the situation unfolding in Drem’s town. I have to admit that I went a bit teary-eyed with joy when occasionally some individuals discussed their relationships with the characters that I had followed for four books previously, and what had happened to them following the conclusion of Wrath. We welcome respectful dialogue related to speculative fiction in literature, games, film, and the wider world.