The Faithful and the Fallen is an amazing series. You read these books for the adventure and action, and the easy to love characters, and after a bumpy start you will enjoy this ride like no other.

The Shadow of the Gods (2021) – 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. I heard this is the authors first book... Umm wow what a great start to no doubt a wonderful career for John Gywnne! This first book was amazing with how the author went into deep detail of everything that happens with not only the characters, but the world of the Banished Lands. The author goes into explicit detail with the characters bringing you in close to the characters and how they feel and what they think as they play a part in this story. In A Time of Courage, angels, demons and heroes face the ultimate fight for the Banished Lands. Thousands of years of enmity will be put to the test, in the epic conclusion to John Gwynne's mighty trilogy. 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, with Wrath winning the 2017 BookNest Awards for Best Traditionally Published Novel.

Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne Series by Brian Staveley

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? P.S The last 10% of this book was cruelly and realistically heart-breaking. I had to remind myself to BREATHE constantly. Even so the story was still able to come to an exciting head for me in the closing stages with all manner of battles, betrayals and revelations. The story constantly kept me on the edge of my seat, it’s a book that is both heart-warming and heart-breaking, and I cannot believe this is his DEBUT???????

Have you ever found yourself ambling around your local bookstore, mumbling as you search the shelves for something – anything – that will fulfil your need for fictional giants mounted on giant bears? I am not a big fan of multiple POVs when reading fantasy books, but it seems that John Gwynne proved to me that anything unimaginable could be done excellently as long as you have the skill and talents.

From being a privileged royal child, raised by a loving mother, Jorg Ancrath has become the Prince of Thorns, a charming, immoral boy leading a grim band of outlaws in a series of raids and atrocities. The world is in chaos: violence is rife, nightmares everywhere. Jorg has the ability to master the living and the dead, but there is still one thing that puts a chill in him. Returning to his father's castle Jorg must confront horrors from his childhood and carve himself a future with all hands turned against him. One thing I believe we see way too much after the success of HBO's Game of Thrones is every fantasy series labeled as "The NEXT Game of Thrones!" or "It's Game of Thrones meets the Arthur Legend!" etc. Denying the cultural impact of the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin would be pretty stupid. So I understand why marketers are doing this, but the problem is that it rarely turns out to be true. It's either nothing like Martin's series or it's a bad rip off. So where would The Faithful and The Fallen fit in there? Malice has a few of those familiar traditional fantasy themes (light vs dark, farm boy goes questing, etc) among a boatload of new ideas. There are a TON of characters here. And locations. At first it may seem overwhelming, but no more so than A Game of Thrones did 25 years ago. Recognizing which family tree applies to which region is the first step to grasping this world, much like any epic fantasy is at this point. But something this has over the ASOIAF series is that I love ALL of these characters almost instantly (remember those early Sansa chapters? Woof). The dialogue between POV and secondary/tertiary characters is fantastic. So much so that some unexpected character deaths hit me in the feels... History is of value. If more of us took heed of the mistakes of the past, the future could be a different thing.” Search no longer, my darlings! I present to you: “The Faithful and the Fallen” fantasy series by British fantasy author John Gwynne.

In "Malice" by John Gwynne, the slower pacing might detract a bit from the plot for some, but it's a boon for character development, which is executed brilliantly. The narrative unfolds through seven to eight points of view, all in third-person perspective. This diverse array of viewpoints allows readers to grow alongside the characters, experiencing their development organically over time rather than through rushed exposition or info-dumps. Malice (and, to some extent, Valour) carefully builds the web of character relationships that is then brought beautifully to the fore in Ruin. No matter how grand the situation or how large the scale, Gwynne never lets us forget that this entire series is a sprawling net comprised of a thousand little strands of humanity – and it’s this that makes it such an engaging and emotional read. I can’t say Malice brought something new to the genre, it felt more like a convergence of tropes but a convergence done right. Gwynne has shown a promising talent with this great debut and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. I have felt so emotionally invested in these books and the climax of the final book was so good, yet devestating. I am an almost 30 year old man and I bawled my eyes out several times at the end of Wrath, simply because I was so attached to these characters and it hurt to experience all the tragedy with them.War eternal between the Faithful and the Fallen, infinite wrath come to the world of men. Lightbearer seeking flesh from the cauldron, to break his chains and wage the war again. Two born of blood, dust and ashes shall champion the Choices, the Darkness and Light." 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. Across the Banished Lands armies are heading south, to settle ancient grudges and decide the fate of humanity. Drem, Riv and the Bright Star’s warriors will need every ounce of their courage if they are to join the final battle. But will their combined forces be enough to face down their greatest foe? 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.