The Shadow of the Gods
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- Create Date：2021-07-16 09:50:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：John Gwynne
- ISBN：035651420X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
The Gods are dead。 The world is broken。
The old Gods have fought themselves to extinction， their remains scattered across the battleground of a fractured land， where monsters roam and humans are most definitely not the apex predator。
From the ashes of this cataclysm a new world must be forged， territories carved out and ruled over by new Jarls， petty kings and queens， all hungry for power。 No matter what the cost。
And there is power to be found within the remains of the gods – their bones， their weapons and jewels， and their off-spring。 The half-breed children of Gods and humans， gifted with powers that make them a fearsome enemy – and a desirable prize。
Mercenary bands form， hired to search out these relics， remains and God-children， competing against one another for the most powerful， seeking to sell them to the highest bidder。 Power doesn’t come cheap。
The old Gods have fought themselves to extinction， their remains scattered across the battleground of a fractured land， where monsters roam and humans are most definitely not the apex predator。
From the ashes of this cataclysm a new world must be forged， territories carved out and ruled over by new Jarls， petty kings and queens， all hungry for power。 No matter what the cost。
And there is power to be found within the remains of the gods – their bones， their weapons and jewels， and their off-spring。 The half-breed children of Gods and humans， gifted with powers that make them a fearsome enemy – and a desirable prize。
Mercenary bands form， hired to search out these relics， remains and God-children， competing against one another for the most powerful， seeking to sell them to the highest bidder。 Power doesn’t come cheap。
Reviews
Sandra
，
Wow！ And I’m not even a fantasy reader。 Well， maybe I should say I used to not be one。 How long must I wait for Book 2？ This was fantastic❤️❤️❤️ 🖤
Vojtech Sroub
，
My first book from John Gwynne。。。 picked it up， cause Mike from Mikes review praised it quite a lot。 The start of the book was prety nice for me， cause as soon as I started reading， nice world started to pop-up。 I saw Vikings TV shows， played God of War and AC Vallhalla， also read Norse Mythology from Gaiman and I was lecturing about Nordic History at work recently。 So the wordlbuilding is good，and familiar for me， I could go without gods and tainted ones。。。。but alright。 What I didnt like is tha My first book from John Gwynne。。。 picked it up， cause Mike from Mikes review praised it quite a lot。 The start of the book was prety nice for me， cause as soon as I started reading， nice world started to pop-up。 I saw Vikings TV shows， played God of War and AC Vallhalla， also read Norse Mythology from Gaiman and I was lecturing about Nordic History at work recently。 So the wordlbuilding is good，and familiar for me， I could go without gods and tainted ones。。。。but alright。 What I didnt like is that some of the ideas in a book that I am writing are in this book as well， it is like someone took em out of my head 。。。。 well， what can you do？！ Will need to shift them a bit then。。。:/Anyways， worlbuilding is great （with some nice fresh ideas） ， character wise I wasnt impressed that much （No way， we can talk about Abercrombie level。。。。not in long margin） Plot was ok enough to keep me going， even thought middle part of the book was a bit slow for me。 Also it is typical firts book out of 。。。。trilogy？！ So， it is mostly just setting the pieces around。。。。All in all 3，5。。。but will definitely check other works from JohnP。S。: The word Seax I will remeber forever。。。。。no Idea how many times it was used， but it was a lot 。。。more
Steve
，
4。50
Bookish Addict
，
Definitely one of my top reads this year。 I really didn't want to put the book down。 The world building is vast and detailed。 The characters are multidimensional and relatable。 The story takes you to the depths of your imagination。 I kept picturing a tv series as I was reading this。 It's descriptive without going overboard and the writing is just captivating。 Highly recommend and I really can't wait for the next book。 This is my first read from this author and I feel like I've been missing out！ Definitely one of my top reads this year。 I really didn't want to put the book down。 The world building is vast and detailed。 The characters are multidimensional and relatable。 The story takes you to the depths of your imagination。 I kept picturing a tv series as I was reading this。 It's descriptive without going overboard and the writing is just captivating。 Highly recommend and I really can't wait for the next book。 This is my first read from this author and I feel like I've been missing out！ 。。。more
Petthu
，
It smells like a traitor
Corey
，
Great start。 Amazing book all the way through。 Can't wait for book two。 Loved the pacing and the action。 Gritty dark full of life。 Great start。 Amazing book all the way through。 Can't wait for book two。 Loved the pacing and the action。 Gritty dark full of life。 。。。more
Dannii Elle
，
This is the first instalment in The Bloodsworn Saga series。The gods once ruled this world but they fought each other into extinction and now man takes charge。 Humans prove， again and again however， that they are not the species that should be ruling， as disputes over power， wealth， slaves， and land brings war to be once again glimpsed on the horizon。Everybody will be tested， with fight， flight， or death being the only possible outcomes for them。 The three individuals who centre in this story hav This is the first instalment in The Bloodsworn Saga series。The gods once ruled this world but they fought each other into extinction and now man takes charge。 Humans prove， again and again however， that they are not the species that should be ruling， as disputes over power， wealth， slaves， and land brings war to be once again glimpsed on the horizon。Everybody will be tested， with fight， flight， or death being the only possible outcomes for them。 The three individuals who centre in this story have already experienced their trials， in the form of all they have lost， and it has hastened them into early action。 A once-noblewoman， once-mother， and once-slave are on three separate paths， with three separate adventures to be had， and three separate hopeful outcomes waiting for them at the end。Either Viking-inspired fantasy stories are my favourite or ones penned by John Gwynne are。 Either way， I absolutely loved my time within this world！ The setting was so well-crafted with such rich detail that I felt myself mesmerised by the evocative descriptions and immediately transported into the story。 The characters who featured there were also created with the same precision， which ensured they felt like real beings who I deeply empathised with， rooted for， and eagerly followed， at different junctures of their narratives。Their three very distinct， but often overlapping， stories captivated me。 Their desires remained universal ones， but there was an ingenuity shown for the directions they each took to get there。 Many a foe， both human and distinctly otherwise， was overthrown and many a blood-thirsty tribe was joined to aid them on their journey。Adventure awaited for the reader within these pages and the conclusion only hinted that a bigger one lay waiting for them in the next book。 I'm already eagerly anticipating joining these characters there。I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you to the author， John Gwynne， and the publisher， Orbit Books， for this opportunity。 。。。more
Noha Badawi
，
Holy freaking moly that was epic！Solid five stars without even a second of thoughts！
Abby Turner
，
Wowowow。 Okay， I knew I’d be biased to like this from the first chapter。 Came for the heavy use of Nordic mythology and Icelandic history， stayed for the gorgeous world with some of the best female representation I’ve ever experienced in fantasy。 I can’t wait for the rest of the trilogy。
Ruth Harwood
，
I love all the Viking references， the fjords， the character and place names， the stories of the gods， all the cultural elements， such as the weapon in the hand on death。。。 the first thing that strikes me is that cleverly those names and stories are altered to make them specific to the story。 There are recognisable gods so the reader can feel at least a little comfortable thinking 'oooh， that's so-and-so， I watched Vikings， I know a bit of the mythology of the Norsemen。。。' Slight differences make I love all the Viking references， the fjords， the character and place names， the stories of the gods， all the cultural elements， such as the weapon in the hand on death。。。 the first thing that strikes me is that cleverly those names and stories are altered to make them specific to the story。 There are recognisable gods so the reader can feel at least a little comfortable thinking 'oooh， that's so-and-so， I watched Vikings， I know a bit of the mythology of the Norsemen。。。' Slight differences make this the author's own， however。The images and personalities are expertly shown， the tastes and smells， the sights and sounds: all are so easy to grasp and close your eyes and feel。 Such is the power of such a skilled storyteller。 No connection that I can tell to his previous two series。 but the style and prose are the same: the feel that anything can happen at any time， that the characters may not pull through （he is known for killing off characters when it suits the story， which is not only brave but unusual）， and the excellence of his writing makes this book worth reading。 I really can't wait for the next installment， and thanks to the author for writing such a great tale filled with battle， betrayal， grit and friendship， may the books never stop （put him in a tub a-la-futurama so he can continue to write/dictate！！） 。。。more
Michelle
，
Shadow of the godsIt was a little difficult to read in the beginning with the elaborate unique terminology but if you stick with it， it’ll get easier。 It’s not that bad。 The story is amazing of course。 The world created is astonishing。 The characters are intriguing。 There’s a lot of heart in this story as well。 Immersive， lovely， and brutal！ I cannot wait for the rest of the series！
Ian Wilson
，
I liked the book。 The characters were interesting - The use of the Norse Fantasy backdrop worked well。 I like an author willing to kill characters and shock you。 Looking forward to reading more。
Heather
，
DNF @ 43%Unfortunately， the pacing was just a little too slow for me and I couldn't get invested in the story。 DNF @ 43%Unfortunately， the pacing was just a little too slow for me and I couldn't get invested in the story。 。。。more
Will
，
Best book I've read in years。 Brilliant concept and what incredible world building！ Best book I've read in years。 Brilliant concept and what incredible world building！ 。。。more
Keith Warren
，
Perfect blend of Viking historical fiction and somewhat dark fantasy。We follow three main characters here， all are brilliantly written， each has their own distinct voice， goals， strengths， fears etc。。。The action is full of gritty， steel scraping awesomeness， perhaps a touch darker compared to The Faithful and the Fallen， which I don't mind at all。The world building is epic in scope， while also being somewhat a grounded story taking place within it。 How the dead gods play a part in the world in t Perfect blend of Viking historical fiction and somewhat dark fantasy。We follow three main characters here， all are brilliantly written， each has their own distinct voice， goals， strengths， fears etc。。。The action is full of gritty， steel scraping awesomeness， perhaps a touch darker compared to The Faithful and the Fallen， which I don't mind at all。The world building is epic in scope， while also being somewhat a grounded story taking place within it。 How the dead gods play a part in the world in this is fantastic， nothing I've seen before。I quite like the dash of mystery that unfolds throughout the book too， well done。All in all， amazing， can't wait for book 2。10/10 。。。more
Lavi
，
OMG。 What a ride…John Gwynne has ruined me。 Won’t be able to pick another book for a long time now。 I have read all his work and this one is Magical， Brutal and Epic。 My favorite Orka。 Absolutely loved her。 Can’t wait for the next one。
Sheri
，
Well， I finished this， which is more than I can say of many books I pick up， but it felt more like trying to get it over with than enjoyment。 This story replaced character development and interesting world building with violence and more violence。 It was clumsy storytelling。 These characters could have been really compelling， but I found myself rather bored with them because they weren’t developed well。 They were predictable。 I won’t be looking for the sequel。
Arun Iyer
，
What a ride this book is！The book tells the story from three PoVs - a strong mother， a woman set out to make a name for herself， and a young man seeking revenge。 What unfurls in front of us is a world rich in magic， magical creatures， gods， children of gods， humans， good and bad and all woven into a tapestry where everything is gray （at least as it stands right now）。 Nothing is black and white and that makes all of it feel real and palpable。The world itself may not be new to those who are famili What a ride this book is！The book tells the story from three PoVs - a strong mother， a woman set out to make a name for herself， and a young man seeking revenge。 What unfurls in front of us is a world rich in magic， magical creatures， gods， children of gods， humans， good and bad and all woven into a tapestry where everything is gray （at least as it stands right now）。 Nothing is black and white and that makes all of it feel real and palpable。The world itself may not be new to those who are familiar with norse mythology and have read fantasies inspired by them （much of it was new for me though）。 However， what I found remarkable about the story are the characters and the pacing of the story itself。Let me first talk about the pacing， the story is superbly paced。 At no point in my reading， did I feel that the plot got sluggish or I felt like I was getting bored。 Every part of the story was either telling me something about the character or moving the story forward。 These are the kind of books that keep me hooked for long durations and I just loved that。All the three characters through whom the world is introduced are quite interesting， you don't get to know everything about the characters right at the outset， you get to know them in bits and pieces over the course of the story。 The author holds his cards and well and gives some shocking exposures （particularly the one at the very end） and I enjoyed that aspect of things。 And despite not knowing a lot about these characters， you do get invested in what happens to them。 The only thing that I somewhat disliked how the chapters are structured。 The author has a weird tendency to escalate the events in one of the chapter， but the conclusion to that event won't be presented in that chapter and the PoV will switch to some other character in the next chapter and I would be like， "But I wanted to know what happened there！！！！ AGGHHHH！！！"。Overall， I felt that this was a fun， enjoyable read and will highly recommend and I need the next book NOW！ 。。。more
Caitlin
，
This is my first book of Gwynne’s and OH MY GOD IT WAS SO FREAKING GOOOOOOOD。 The strong women！ The well rounded characters！ The fight scenes！！！ This was bloody and intense and I loved every page of it。
Matsidi Lionel Kekane
，
WOW， that was a great read。
Crystal Andresakis
，
Orka is the bomb！
Shawnee
，
Great epic fantasy but just not my type。 4 stars because it’s well written and obvious high quality but 3 stars for personal enjoyment。
Bren Andrew
，
4 starsIt is a slow start and like any first entry in a series， this one really feels like a setup book。 To me， there wasn't really any conclusion or resolution on any of the story arcs。 However， the world and the magic system is really intriguing， so this book will leave you wanting more。。。 4 starsIt is a slow start and like any first entry in a series， this one really feels like a setup book。 To me， there wasn't really any conclusion or resolution on any of the story arcs。 However， the world and the magic system is really intriguing， so this book will leave you wanting more。。。 。。。more
A
，
4，5🌟
Judith
，
Just amazing！ Love to see all the Viking habits， vocabulary， and the Norse-inspired mythology。 So fun to find the similarities， but also it's an amazing story！ Just amazing！ Love to see all the Viking habits， vocabulary， and the Norse-inspired mythology。 So fun to find the similarities， but also it's an amazing story！ 。。。more
P。L。 Stuart
，
Let's be clear， John Gwynne has nothing to prove。 He already has plenty of accolades: David Gemmell Morningstar Award， BookNest Award， bestselling lists， and more。 He is already acknowledged in the fantasy world as one of it's brightest stars， thanks to his famous 'The Faithful and the Fallen" and "Of Blood and Bone" series。 But he went ahead and proved it anyway。 He proved that he can get even better。 Somehow， he accomplished this， with the debut entry of his new "The Bloodsworn Trilogy"， calle Let's be clear， John Gwynne has nothing to prove。 He already has plenty of accolades: David Gemmell Morningstar Award， BookNest Award， bestselling lists， and more。 He is already acknowledged in the fantasy world as one of it's brightest stars， thanks to his famous 'The Faithful and the Fallen" and "Of Blood and Bone" series。 But he went ahead and proved it anyway。 He proved that he can get even better。 Somehow， he accomplished this， with the debut entry of his new "The Bloodsworn Trilogy"， called "The Shadow of the Gods"。 When a writer of this calibre shows that he still has another gear， that he can turn things up quite a notch， and exceed already lofty expectations， it is incredibly impressive。 Gwynne will have your "thought-cage" spinning with the dizzying brilliance of his latest novel。The concept of "The Shadow of the Gods" is an intriguing one。 In this Norse-inspired world， a war has taken place between the gods， where all of them were either killed or imprisoned， and they have left the land that humans inhabited partially devastated in the wake of the conflict。 These gods took the form of mammoth beasts， such as dragons and giant wolves。 Because of the havoc they wreaked on the land， called Vigrid， for the most part， the gods are reviled， rather than revered。 While there are still some devotees to these seemingly callous gods， most people shun them， hoping they stay dead， and vanquished。 The gods may have vanished， however eerie， tangible traces of them remain。 Such as major human cities constructed inside or even on top of their bones。 The dichotomy is that humans still covet the protection of the gods， and believe that the carcasses of the individual deities that were worshipped can ward off further evil。With incredibly beautiful prose， compelling human drama， fantastic world-building and realism， and of course Gwynne's trademark - some of the most gripping and realistic battle scenes this side of GRRM or Bernard Cornwell - "The Shadow of the Gods" deftly marries dark and high fantasy into a blood-soaked， gritty， ingenious saga， full of heart， romance， humour， stunning plot twists， and overall， pure magnificence on a completely epic scale。 The plot pivots around three main POVs。 The first is Orka， an indomitable warrior， married to another awesome fighter， Thorkel， with whom she has a son， called Breca。 The three are simply trying to lead a peaceful life on their farm， however someone in the vicinity is stealing children and murdering their parents。 The three are drawn into political intrigue and danger， as they begin to unravel what is behind the sinister kidnappings and killings。 The second POV is Varg， a fugitive on the run， haunted by the death of his sister， and thirsting for vengeance。 Varg's life changes when he encounters the eponymous Bloodsworn crew， as he seeks to trade bondage for battle， and find a true family to belong to。 The third POV is that of Elvar， a warrior of noble birth， trying to prove herself， and seek glory， among a hardened group of sellswords， called the Battle-Grim。 The loyal and fearless Elvar will end up on one of the greatest quests ever dared: to seek the sacred tree Oskutred （the equivalent of Yggdrasil）， and uncover its treasures。 But the costs will be high， and formidable enemies， betrayal， and the unleashing of ancient evil await her。 "The Shadow of the Gods" is sure to make the vast majority of 'Fantasy Book of the Year" lists， and that is entirely well-deserved。 Many may have considered Gywnne to be a jarl in the nobility of fantasy wordsmiths - safe to say with "The Shadow of the Gods"， he has ascended to princedom， and no doubt kingship awaits。 I have long been a huge John Gwynne fan， and no secret he is one of my influences as a writer。 He has truly outdone himself， and "The Shadow of the Gods" is a masterpiece。I will be anxiously awaiting book two of "The Bloodsworn Saga"！ 。。。more
M。
，
- 1 star only Varg has some kind of arc - 1 star for the abrupt ending， almost in the middle of the sentence On the funny note: Orka is Uruk-hai， powerful， born killer Elvar is an Elf， great eyesight， perfect aim Varg is a dwarf （dverg）， has。。。 a cleaver。
Mathijs Breedveld
，
Leuk maar op de één of andere manier zat ik er niet altijd helemaal in。
Wim Nijst
，
I'm a true Gwynne fan， the world in this book is one of the most intriguing I've ever seen。 There is blood， terror and violence in this book， there is warmth and friendship too。 But for some reason I'm still missing something， is it gritt， is it true suffering and heartache？ Is it the fact that I wasn't really blown away by the ending of this book？ Possibly。 But should you read it？ Definitely。 Why？ Because you'll love it。 And as it's the first of the serie， knowing John's writing， the next books I'm a true Gwynne fan， the world in this book is one of the most intriguing I've ever seen。 There is blood， terror and violence in this book， there is warmth and friendship too。 But for some reason I'm still missing something， is it gritt， is it true suffering and heartache？ Is it the fact that I wasn't really blown away by the ending of this book？ Possibly。 But should you read it？ Definitely。 Why？ Because you'll love it。 And as it's the first of the serie， knowing John's writing， the next books will probably 5 stars with a 5+ as an ending。 Proper start to a new trilogy。 。。。more
Chris
，
I'm a huge John Gwynne fan。 Faithful and the Fallen is one of my favorite fantasy series。 So， I was super excited to start The Shadow of the Gods and it lived up to my expectations。 liked all three pov characters。 Orka being my favorite of the three。 The story was interesting and I look forward to reading book 2。 I'm a huge John Gwynne fan。 Faithful and the Fallen is one of my favorite fantasy series。 So， I was super excited to start The Shadow of the Gods and it lived up to my expectations。 liked all three pov characters。 Orka being my favorite of the three。 The story was interesting and I look forward to reading book 2。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Shadow of the Gods
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Shadow of the Gods&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft