The Shadow of the Gods
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- Create Date：2022-02-10 08:51:53
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：John Gwynne
- ISBN：0356514218
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Summary
From acclaimed fantasy author John Gwynne comes the first in the Bloodsworn trilogy， an epic of wild lands and wilder magic， where not all monsters fight with tooth and claw。。。and the treasures of the gods come at a price。
This is the age of storm and murder。
After the old gods warred and drove themselves to extinction， the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrio。
Now， power-hungry jarls carve out petty kingdoms， and monsters stalk the shadow-haunted woods and mountains。 A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power， promising fame and fortune for those brave - or desperate - enough to seek them out。
As whispers of war echo over the plains and across the fjords， fate follows the footsteps of three people: a huntress searching for her missing son， a jarl's daughter who has rejected privilege in pursuit of battle fame， and a thrall who has cast off his chains and now fights alongside the famed mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn。
All three will shape the fate of the world， as it once more teeters on the edge of chaos。
For more from John Gwynne， check out:
Of Blood and Bone
A Time of Dread
A Time of Blood
A Time of Courage
The Faithful and the Fallen
Malice
Valor
Ruin
Wrath
This is the age of storm and murder。
After the old gods warred and drove themselves to extinction， the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrio。
Now， power-hungry jarls carve out petty kingdoms， and monsters stalk the shadow-haunted woods and mountains。 A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power， promising fame and fortune for those brave - or desperate - enough to seek them out。
As whispers of war echo over the plains and across the fjords， fate follows the footsteps of three people: a huntress searching for her missing son， a jarl's daughter who has rejected privilege in pursuit of battle fame， and a thrall who has cast off his chains and now fights alongside the famed mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn。
All three will shape the fate of the world， as it once more teeters on the edge of chaos。
For more from John Gwynne， check out:
Of Blood and Bone
A Time of Dread
A Time of Blood
A Time of Courage
The Faithful and the Fallen
Malice
Valor
Ruin
Wrath
Reviews
taylor
，
I have not been this excited about a book in FOREVER。 I actually screamed at the last page。 Wow。 I am counting down the days until April 14th！
Valentina Quirland
，
Loved it！ Can’t wait for the next one！！
Brenda
，
4。5！ Oh the Viking feel of this book was everything I wanted。
Chloe
，
I wanted to love this book。 First and foremost， the writing。 I will hurl my phone across the room if I have to read another character "snarl" or "growl" or "scold" PLEASE find expand the vocab or simply don't use these terms。 It got so annoying and felt lazy。 "Thought-cage" was another annoying term but to a lesser extent。 Second， none of the characters were likable。 Secondary characters blended together， no one felt distinguishable enough。 When semi-important characters died， I didn't care。 Thi I wanted to love this book。 First and foremost， the writing。 I will hurl my phone across the room if I have to read another character "snarl" or "growl" or "scold" PLEASE find expand the vocab or simply don't use these terms。 It got so annoying and felt lazy。 "Thought-cage" was another annoying term but to a lesser extent。 Second， none of the characters were likable。 Secondary characters blended together， no one felt distinguishable enough。 When semi-important characters died， I didn't care。 Third， the storylines took way too long to take off。 Like， way way too long。 They got boring。 They got dull。 The dialog could've made up a lot of the bad but no， the dialog was cheesy if not borderline cringy at times。 It felt like the author was trying too hard to make things meaningful。 Sometimes the writing was fabulous and sometimes I wondered if the book has ever been seen by an editor。 Some sentences were awkward， incomprehensible， just downright bad。 The ending made up for a lot of the bad， I will admit。 But I don't know if I'll pick up the sequel though。 I will have to think about it in my thought-cage。 。。。more
Horng Jiunn
，
My eyes were bright with excitement， glistering my mind into the vibrant landscapes and the best action written。 The hefty cast of characters were a handful to me and this does make me look forward to the release of God of War Ragnarök！
Victor
，
Боговете са живи。 Боговете се мразят。 Боговете воюват едни срещи друг във война， която ще е техният край。 Със своя край， те строшиха света， техните гигантски скелети напомнящи на оцелелите хора за жестоката война。300 години по-късно， историята на "The Shadows of the Gods" започва да тръгва да започва。 В рамките на около 490 страници， следим какво се случва с Орка， Варг и Елвар， тримата герои и трите гледни точни， през които виждаме света。Техният проблем обаче е， че те са сравнително едноизмерни Боговете са живи。 Боговете се мразят。 Боговете воюват едни срещи друг във война， която ще е техният край。 Със своя край， те строшиха света， техните гигантски скелети напомнящи на оцелелите хора за жестоката война。300 години по-късно， историята на "The Shadows of the Gods" започва да тръгва да започва。 В рамките на около 490 страници， следим какво се случва с Орка， Варг и Елвар， тримата герои и трите гледни точни， през които виждаме света。Техният проблем обаче е， че те са сравнително едноизмерни пресонажи， които претърпяват минимално развитие за всички тези страници。 Орка е "старят" войник， която сега се е оттеглила да си гледа семейството。 Варг е бившият роб， който сам е успял да се освободи и търси какво е станало със сестра си。 Елвар е "млад" войник， която започва да търси своята бойна слава。Но след 490 страници， тримата са претъпели сравнително минимална промяна - те са почти същите образи， които бяха в началото。 Може би това е нарочно， за да може те да покажат нещо повече в следващата книга。 Може би John Gwynne си ги харесва такива。 Може би аз искам твърде много от тях。 Иначе， ако се оттърсим от тяхната еднопластовост， техните истории са добре разказни。 Макар и с мууууддддддннноооо темпо。Техният свят， поне за мен， е доста по-интересен от самите тях。 Силно вдъхновен от Рагнарок， Беоулф и други северни митове и легенди， светът на Vigrid， Бойното Поле， е мрачен， жесток и епичен。 Историите， легендите， страничните пресонажи помагат за изграждането на едно вълнуващо място， в която не бих отказал да се върна отново， скоро。Нещо， което ми направи впечатление в бойните сцени （които никак не са малко） е тривиализирането на насилието。 Гледката на това как трол смазва с гигантски боздуган паднал човек е представена като нещо， което просто се случва， когато започнеш да се биеш с трол。От една страна， това беше напълно нормално за света， който John Gwynne е създал。 От друга， самата тривиалност и може би самото форматиране на параграфите не успя да представи по-сериозните бойни сцени с достатъчно голям импакт， поне за мен。 На моменти напомняха по-скоро на исторически преразказ на събития， лишен от емоция， съсредоточен върху фактите。От друга страна， имаше сцена в която един човек нападна ташаците на трол с брадва。На моменти книгата беше стабилни 4 звезди， поняга слизаше до 3。 Средно може би е 。。。 3。75？ Балиго。 Беше приятна за четене， когато най-накрая успях да се потопя в света и историята。 。。。more
Ethan Williamson
，
This was missing something and I don’t know what。 I loved the Norse influenced world and lore; but something wasn’t there for me。 I think the structure of the book worked against it。 The chapters are slim and switching between the characters kept momentum low。 Anytime there would be something revealed we’d be whisked away to someone else completely independent of what we were reading。 Things didn’t start getting tied together until the last 100 pages or so and as a result nothing really jelled a This was missing something and I don’t know what。 I loved the Norse influenced world and lore; but something wasn’t there for me。 I think the structure of the book worked against it。 The chapters are slim and switching between the characters kept momentum low。 Anytime there would be something revealed we’d be whisked away to someone else completely independent of what we were reading。 Things didn’t start getting tied together until the last 100 pages or so and as a result nothing really jelled as well as it should have beforehand。 Great read for Norse lovers and Gwynne is a good writer; but it’s hard to overcome the structural issues with the short chapters dragging the reader around far too often。 。。。more
Smita
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DNF @ 50%I am so sad :（ I really， really wanted this to be my next favorite book bc the premise appealed to me。。。the norse mythology， the dead gods arising， the epic fantasy setting， and I love the cover。。。however I feel like I kept waiting for the story to get interesting or for me to care about the characters or for the story to pickup and it simply did notAround 25% I knew it wasn't a fav or a 5 star but I was holding out on it potentially being a 4 star or a fun fantasy， though it it tropeyI DNF @ 50%I am so sad :（ I really， really wanted this to be my next favorite book bc the premise appealed to me。。。the norse mythology， the dead gods arising， the epic fantasy setting， and I love the cover。。。however I feel like I kept waiting for the story to get interesting or for me to care about the characters or for the story to pickup and it simply did notAround 25% I knew it wasn't a fav or a 5 star but I was holding out on it potentially being a 4 star or a fun fantasy， though it it tropeyI'm also usually very bad at predicting what happens next in books， and I was able to predict a bunch of things easily so unfortunately it is a DNF 。。。more
L。 R Schulz
，
“I am a hypocrite， you see。 Because a mother’s love is a powerful thing。 An instinct like no other。 I would let the world drown in blood if it would mean my Bjarn was safe back in my arms again。”“You are Wrong，” Elvar said。 “It is kin who are the curse。 You cannot choose them， they are inflicted upon you。 They are the poison。”Mr。 Gywnn’s Battle-fame among the reading and writing community is growing fast lately， and with very good reason。 The Shadow of the Gods is simply a masterpiece。—It was no “I am a hypocrite， you see。 Because a mother’s love is a powerful thing。 An instinct like no other。 I would let the world drown in blood if it would mean my Bjarn was safe back in my arms again。”“You are Wrong，” Elvar said。 “It is kin who are the curse。 You cannot choose them， they are inflicted upon you。 They are the poison。”Mr。 Gywnn’s Battle-fame among the reading and writing community is growing fast lately， and with very good reason。 The Shadow of the Gods is simply a masterpiece。—It was no coincidence I decided to rewatch ‘Vikings’ on Netflix as well as play some Assassins Creed Valhalla on the ps5 at the same time as reading this book。 I felt as though I was there in the shield wall with Elvar and the Battle-Grim and Varg and his Bloodsworn。—The character development is simply top notch， the world building equally so， and the plot was filled with enough twists and turns to keep me on my feet and reading until late at night。—This is a must read for all fans of Norse mythology and even just the average reader looking for a fast-paced， action packed read full of tainted magic and gory violence。5 stars Mr。 Gwynn。 5 stars。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
Kristine
，
Wow。 Just wow。 Okay， let me start by saying that this is my first book ever from John Gwynne。 I actually think that I have a couple of his books in my library， so now I'm definitely going to go check。 Normally， I don't like to start a series until it is compete - or if that is not possible， at least a few books in。 I've learned recently that I'm not a patient person。。。。。 So， why the change？ Honestly， I have no idea。 I did like the cover。。。。 Seriously though， I'm not really sure， but I'm glad I d Wow。 Just wow。 Okay， let me start by saying that this is my first book ever from John Gwynne。 I actually think that I have a couple of his books in my library， so now I'm definitely going to go check。 Normally， I don't like to start a series until it is compete - or if that is not possible， at least a few books in。 I've learned recently that I'm not a patient person。。。。。 So， why the change？ Honestly， I have no idea。 I did like the cover。。。。 Seriously though， I'm not really sure， but I'm glad I did。The funny thing was that I had just finished a book a couple of hours before starting this book that dealt with Vikings， Norse mythology and the old histories。 This book was set in the modern day and was about a serial killer， but I learned a heck of a lot about things that I realized I knew nothing about。 （i。e。 the fact that there are Viking re-enactors） Anyway， it really was a lot of information about the Norse background and almost like a history lesson。 So， imagine my surprise when I start this book and realize that the entire series is set in the Old World of the Norse Pantheon and the Battle of the Gods。 And then I looked up the author and in his bio it says he is a 。。。you guessed it。。。 a "Viking Re-Enactor！" I thought， "hey， I KNOW now what that is！"Sorry， I went way off topic there。 About the book。 I LOVED it。 The book is based on three separate POV's that have absolutely nothing to do with each other。 You know that somehow， these three people are going to cross each others paths （or at least I was thinking that would happen） but honestly， I couldn't imagine how that was going to happen or how they might be connected to one another。There is Orka。 She is an extremely unique character。 She is a wife and a mother， but you get the feeling immediately that there is much more to her。 She is one tough woman。 Out of all of the characters， I think I fell in love with her the most。 The character development in this book was amazing。 I say that because in the beginning of the book， she was an anomaly to me。 I was following along on her journey， but I couldn't really relate to her。 I understood what she was going through， but I didn't yet UNDERSTAND her。 By the end of the book， I FELT like I personally knew her and boy was I rooting for her。Then there is Varg。 He has been a thrall （slave） his entire life and it has not been an easy life。 I think he was the easiest to like and to root for。 Each of the 3 main characters end up with a separate group of people and the relationships that develop between those individual groups is wonderful。 There are very few times in this genre that I end up liking SO many characters。 The relationships truly make this book。 It also makes it hurt that much more when things invariably go wrong。Then there is Elvar。 She was the hardest to figure out。 I understood her fairly easily enough， but I didn't really "get" her until about halfway through the book。 Once we get a better understanding of who she is and why she has made the decisions she has made， it helps to make that transition to rooting for her and to better understanding what she has gone through。 Again - there are relationships that make this so well done （her relationship with Grend）。Then there are the TAINTED。 Are they really as bad as the world has made them out to be？ Enough to be captured， killed and kept as thralls？ That I guess is an individual decision but to me， people are people， are people。 They should be judged on their own actions， not on who their parents were or on something that they themselves have no control over - in other words。。。being born that way。 That's all I'll say about that。So， there are three groups -each on their own separate journey or quest。 There is something going on in this world that is very， very bad。 Children are being taken。 People are being killed。 How in the world is this going to end？ Well， without spoilers， let me say that it ended with my mouth literally falling open。 Seriously， the last line in the book brought everything together and I turned the page to immediately to get to the next chapter。 And THERE WAS NOT ONE！ It said。。。"To be continued in Book 2" or some nonsense like that！ OMG。 Remember， not a patient person here。 I had a feeling that it would end in a place that would make the reader want to continue， but man oh man was that an evil stopping place。 Mr。 Gwynne， you have made a fan of me。 I'm hooked。 I spent about an hour rethinking things over。 Putting the pieces together in my mind based on the information that we found out in the last 15% of the book。 I very RARELY do that。 I had actually listened to a lot of this with the audio version and that ended up being helpful with some of the pronunciations and with the strange language phrases and felt like the narrator did a wonderful job。 And then I went back and listened to the last 5 chapters。 （again， not something I do）。I guess I'm going to be one of the multitudes waiting somewhat patiently for book 2。 Truly， truly liked this book。 。。。more
Daniy ♠
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paused @ 10%。I really dont care about this book， but I want to read a bit more before deciding if I want to dnf， but I have way too many books that I really want to get to before this
Jason Wilson
，
3。5 Stars
Alina
，
Das Cover sieht toll aus und passt zu der gewaltigen Atmosphäre die in dem Buch erschaffen wird。 Es lädt gerade dazu ein die Seiten aufzuschlagen und in ihnen zu versinken。Zugeben muss ich aber dennoch das ich einige Zeit gebraucht habe in die Geschichte zu kommen。 Ich war vor allem am Anfang einige Zeit mit den verschiedenen Namen und Begriffen überfordert。 So etwa ab der hälfte des Buches bin ich dann wesentlich besser damit zurecht gekommen wenn auch ab und zu etwas Verwirrung auftrat。 Doch d Das Cover sieht toll aus und passt zu der gewaltigen Atmosphäre die in dem Buch erschaffen wird。 Es lädt gerade dazu ein die Seiten aufzuschlagen und in ihnen zu versinken。Zugeben muss ich aber dennoch das ich einige Zeit gebraucht habe in die Geschichte zu kommen。 Ich war vor allem am Anfang einige Zeit mit den verschiedenen Namen und Begriffen überfordert。 So etwa ab der hälfte des Buches bin ich dann wesentlich besser damit zurecht gekommen wenn auch ab und zu etwas Verwirrung auftrat。 Doch dafür war das Setting wirklich gewaltig。 Es hat mir viel Spaß bereitet in diese Welt abzutauchen und sie zu entdecken。 Auch die Handlung an sich fand ich toll。 Es ging meiner Meinung nach relativ langsam los und ich konnte die ganze Zeit nicht auf die Zusammenhänge schließen wodurch ich von manchen Wendungen sehr überrascht war。 Der Schreibstil des Autors hat mich ebenso überzeugen können。 Er ist bildgewaltig und passt zur erschaffenen Atmosphäre。 Die Gesamte Geschichte liest sich dadurch flüssig。 Ich bin schon sehr gespannt darauf zu lesen wie es in den nächsten Teilen weiter gehen wird und freue mich schon darauf ein weiteres Mal in diese Gewaltige Welt eintauchen zu dürfen。 。。。more
Hallien
，
This year's first five star read。 It was my first book by Gwynne - but based on what I have read in advance about the author and the book， I had high expectations， and the author did not disappoint in the slightest。 The only minor gripe I have with the book is that I feel the ending was a little bit rushed， but getting there was a wild ride， and it was one of the most thrilling and well crafted forray into the stories of Norse legends I have seen so far in literature。 The book is obviously heavi This year's first five star read。 It was my first book by Gwynne - but based on what I have read in advance about the author and the book， I had high expectations， and the author did not disappoint in the slightest。 The only minor gripe I have with the book is that I feel the ending was a little bit rushed， but getting there was a wild ride， and it was one of the most thrilling and well crafted forray into the stories of Norse legends I have seen so far in literature。 The book is obviously heavily based on Norse mythology and the "Viking" way of life， but it is masterfuly written， unobtrusive in its worldbuilding and lore dumps and packed to the brim with savage combat， blood and broken bones。Recommended to both veterans and newcomers to the fantasy genre - the magic parts of the book come easy and they are not hard to grasp。 No complicated systems here， just good old fashioned slaughter。 。。。more
Jennie Pease
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 4。5 stars** mild spoilers I really enjoyed this book， particularly good characters in Varg， Elvar and the kick-ass Orka， and Ienjoyed the alternating POVs。 Really looking forward to the next part。I have knocked a star off for the very annoying phrase 'thought-cage' （mind/brain）。 There was at least one instance in every chapter and each time it would jar me out of the story a bit。 4。5 stars** mild spoilers I really enjoyed this book， particularly good characters in Varg， Elvar and the kick-ass Orka， and Ienjoyed the alternating POVs。 Really looking forward to the next part。I have knocked a star off for the very annoying phrase 'thought-cage' （mind/brain）。 There was at least one instance in every chapter and each time it would jar me out of the story a bit。 。。。more
Noha
，
DNF - I really tried， but after I made myself go through 100+ and feeling nothing but mind-numbing boredom I just gave up。 Slow， completely fla， difficult to like or dislike characters and a very bland world。
Paul
，
After 7 HUGE novels set in his Banished Lands， John Gwynne takes us to a whole new world set within the backdrop of Norse mythology。 If you've read John Gwynne before then you shouldn't be surprised at what you get here。 Multiple main characters who populate a harsh world， all of which is given plenty of time to be fleshed out while giving a realistic feel to the action scenes。 We have three POVs this time around and while there are similarities between them each has a very unique feel to them After 7 HUGE novels set in his Banished Lands， John Gwynne takes us to a whole new world set within the backdrop of Norse mythology。 If you've read John Gwynne before then you shouldn't be surprised at what you get here。 Multiple main characters who populate a harsh world， all of which is given plenty of time to be fleshed out while giving a realistic feel to the action scenes。 We have three POVs this time around and while there are similarities between them each has a very unique feel to them。 I especially loved that two of the three are women who really have no need to be protected by anyone， one especially was a complete and utter bad-ass who's thought process was very straightforward and her action scenes were some of my favourites in the book。 All three were enjoyable to follow and I felt I learned about a different aspect of the world through all of them。 The plot itself doesn't become clear for quite some time。 This is very much a character driven story and while we know the motivations of all our main characters the overarching plot isn't made clear initially。 I'd go so far as to say that just like Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself you wouldn't be reaching if you considered this a prologue to the series。 The action isn't as frequent as it was in The Faithful and the Fallen nore is it as military accurate。 It's still there in abundance and it's very realistic， to the point it's no surprise to see on the backflap that Gwynne is part of a Viking re-enactment， but the exposition is given more time to breathe between the fight scenes which was a welcomed discovery for me。 As I've said this is norse inspired。 And for that reason I really feel it needed a glossary。 Getting to grips with the characters was fine this time around but there was terminology， clothing and creatures that I had no idea about。 Yes Google is a thing we all have at our fingertips but putting the book down to do a search rather than just being able to do a quick flip-through to the back of the book would take me out of the story for a short while which was unfortunate。 Add that in here and this is a 5 star。 Overall， though I loved this book。 The characters were great， the direction the story is going has me really excited for book 2 and as well as some big shocks I found myself laughing a lot more than I would have expected， a certain line about Eagles swooping down had me in hysterics for a good minute。 Oh and I'm not overly keen on adaptations because they ultimately disappoint me but if what I think is going to happen IS going to happen then I would love to see this on the big screen。 。。。more
Rachel
，
Absolutely phenomenal！！！
Phillip Davis
，
There were things I really enjoyed about this book， but I had a hard time staying engaged。 The world creation is compelling and the characters interesting。 It just didn't hook me。 There were things I really enjoyed about this book， but I had a hard time staying engaged。 The world creation is compelling and the characters interesting。 It just didn't hook me。 。。。more
N。E。C。C。
，
Wow！ FUCKING WOW！！！This is epic， from world-building to character development， with beautiful writing style and A LOT of reserch about viking history。 John Gwynne took everything he could from nordic culture and from there went into fantasy in an amazing way， everything feels very grounded and all of the sudden BOOM！ Pure fantasy ecstasy。 It blew my mind。I tend to not like POV chapters， tehre's always sometone i don't like and that makes the books harder for me。 But here， there're only three cha Wow！ FUCKING WOW！！！This is epic， from world-building to character development， with beautiful writing style and A LOT of reserch about viking history。 John Gwynne took everything he could from nordic culture and from there went into fantasy in an amazing way， everything feels very grounded and all of the sudden BOOM！ Pure fantasy ecstasy。 It blew my mind。I tend to not like POV chapters， tehre's always sometone i don't like and that makes the books harder for me。 But here， there're only three characters and they are incredible。 From start to finish， i was invested with all three of them equally （Elvar probably took me a few chapters）。 And the author really knows how to get you emotionally invested with everything that happens in this world。 From the characters i love to the ones i hate， i got （and still have） srong felings about them。The story felt a little bit slow， but it wasn't。 Thinking back， it's fast-paced and full of superb action。 The atention to detail during the fight scenes was awesome。 It's not a super gory story， but it has more than a few gory moments were i was at the edge of my sit。 The third act is amazing， the second to last chapters is epic。 But the last page of the book is astonishing。 I don't know why but i love it。Audiobook narrated by Colin Mace: This guy is spectacular， sometimes the female voices were identical but it's just a nitpick。 Superb job。Overall: For someone that likes Viking history （not super into it， i just like it） this is the Viking book i was looking for。 Perfect from start to finish in every possible way。 。。。more
Anna
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wow。 solid 4。5
Sarah O'Riordan | travelseatsreads
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I've struggled with writing a review for this one as I really enjoyed some parts of the book but then felt like other sections were almost a chore。What I Liked-Amazing world building-Some amazing sections of writing and lots of quotable lines。-Lots of action and mythical creatures -Great female charactersWhat I Didn't Like -There were chunks where I was bored-I felt most of the characters needed more depth-It needs a glossary and character map。 There are so many terms and characters to make sens I've struggled with writing a review for this one as I really enjoyed some parts of the book but then felt like other sections were almost a chore。What I Liked-Amazing world building-Some amazing sections of writing and lots of quotable lines。-Lots of action and mythical creatures -Great female charactersWhat I Didn't Like -There were chunks where I was bored-I felt most of the characters needed more depth-It needs a glossary and character map。 There are so many terms and characters to make sense of it's easy to get lost， especially for the first book of a series。It's quite obviously a really well written book and is getting huge praise but for me I felt it was a little bit too much hard work for the pay off of the level of enjoyment I received from it。 I've no doubt however that it will make for an amazing series。 。。。more
Kayla
，
This book was incredible！ It follows the story of three worriers in a world where the gods have died， as their stories slowly started to intertwine and more was learned the book became entrancing making me never want to put it down。 I have heard great things about the author and this book， lets just say it did not disappoint。 While reading the last page i had todo laps around my room and almost started crying （ sounds dramatic i know） the way that this book ended was so surprising。 Can’t wait fo This book was incredible！ It follows the story of three worriers in a world where the gods have died， as their stories slowly started to intertwine and more was learned the book became entrancing making me never want to put it down。 I have heard great things about the author and this book， lets just say it did not disappoint。 While reading the last page i had todo laps around my room and almost started crying （ sounds dramatic i know） the way that this book ended was so surprising。 Can’t wait for the next book in the series。 。。。more
Sophie
，
So。 Good。
Trevor Bowyer
，
4。4
John Hassey
，
Well this was an enjoyable read。 It had some absolutely incredible battle scenes， which Mr。 Gwynne excels at writing。 The characters were well written。 I especially cared for Varg and his whole character arc。 The only problem I did have was I didn't feel the emotional connection with these characters that I did with the characters from the Faithful and the Fallen。 I felt that Gwynnes writing of those characters was better and more fleshed out。 I also didn't feel a sense of urgency in this partic Well this was an enjoyable read。 It had some absolutely incredible battle scenes， which Mr。 Gwynne excels at writing。 The characters were well written。 I especially cared for Varg and his whole character arc。 The only problem I did have was I didn't feel the emotional connection with these characters that I did with the characters from the Faithful and the Fallen。 I felt that Gwynnes writing of those characters was better and more fleshed out。 I also didn't feel a sense of urgency in this particular novel that I did in the Faithful and the Fallen。 Not a bad read at all， and I do look forward to the next book in this series。 。。。more
Steve Lace
，
Decisamente un buon primo volume， mi ha soddisfatto。 Ha mancato per un soffio le 5 stelle。 Bella trama， bei personaggi principali， scrittura è ritmo ottimi。 Mi è piaciuta moltissimo l'ambientazione prettamente nordica， vichinga/germanica， da cui tutta la mitologia prende palesemente spunto。 Diciamo ecco， che probabilmente avrei preferito meno personaggi secondari sovrapponibili tra loro， e magari un glossario con i personaggi e i nomi strani usati。 Ci si perde un po' con tutti sti nomi strani ad Decisamente un buon primo volume， mi ha soddisfatto。 Ha mancato per un soffio le 5 stelle。 Bella trama， bei personaggi principali， scrittura è ritmo ottimi。 Mi è piaciuta moltissimo l'ambientazione prettamente nordica， vichinga/germanica， da cui tutta la mitologia prende palesemente spunto。 Diciamo ecco， che probabilmente avrei preferito meno personaggi secondari sovrapponibili tra loro， e magari un glossario con i personaggi e i nomi strani usati。 Ci si perde un po' con tutti sti nomi strani ad essere sincero。 Curiosissimo di proseguire con la tri（？）logia。 。。。more
Jenny
，
Brutal， gruesome， and action-packed， The Shadow of the Gods creates a battle-hardened story for readers to get immersed in。 Strongly influenced by Norse mythology， Gwynne is able to craft an insanely detailed world filled with fallen gods， mystical creatures， and warriors。 There are plenty of moments of action throughout the book as we follow the three POVs of Orka， Varg， and Elvar as each one sets out on their own personal quest。 "This is a world of blood。 Of tooth and claw and sharp iron。 O Brutal， gruesome， and action-packed， The Shadow of the Gods creates a battle-hardened story for readers to get immersed in。 Strongly influenced by Norse mythology， Gwynne is able to craft an insanely detailed world filled with fallen gods， mystical creatures， and warriors。 There are plenty of moments of action throughout the book as we follow the three POVs of Orka， Varg， and Elvar as each one sets out on their own personal quest。 "This is a world of blood。 Of tooth and claw and sharp iron。 Of short lives and painful deaths。"From the start， Orka's storyline really captured my attention and captivated me。 She is an amazingly strong character willing to stop at nothing to protect her family。 After her son is kidnapped， she is on the hunt to kill the people responsible and save her son from the odd rumors that are surrounding a series of kidnappings。 Her chapters were gripping as it is hinted there is a past and darkness that she struggles with， never fully able to leave her previous battles behind。 Nevertheless， the love she has for her family pushes her forward no matter the cost。 "I am blood。 I am death。 I am vengeance。"Varg is a former slave trying to find justice for his sister's murder who eventually falls in with the Bloodsworn troop becoming engrained with the other members and their battle quests for glory。 Elvar is trying to make a life of herself free from family constraints searching for battle glory and the opportunity to command her own future。 These two POVs took a little bit longer for me to become invested in， but eventually， their stories come around。 Seeing the camaraderie and the "band of brothers" mentalities that are displayed in their respective troops was really nice to see as it served to be a huge motivation behind their actions and why they fight for what they do。 "Remember， we are Bloodsworn， bound to one another。 Stand or fall， we are sworn to each other。 That is our strength。"In the land of fallen gods and children of the gods， there is never a moment where one can be considered safe。 And with the explosive ending of this book， it only sets the stage for more gruesome battles to come as the threat of the fallen gods rise and become ever more daunting。 。。。more
livia
，
4。25/5 starsOh god， trying to articulate my feelings about this book would be difficult。 Objectively， this is nearly flawless。 The brutality， the setting and landscape， the world and its history about the long-lost gods， the story of survival and people who have the gods' blood， the character work， it's all phenomenal。 I'm just having a slightly hard time connecting to the characters in the beginning because it took me a while to get through the first half， but after that， everything goes up 4。25/5 starsOh god， trying to articulate my feelings about this book would be difficult。 Objectively， this is nearly flawless。 The brutality， the setting and landscape， the world and its history about the long-lost gods， the story of survival and people who have the gods' blood， the character work， it's all phenomenal。 I'm just having a slightly hard time connecting to the characters in the beginning because it took me a while to get through the first half， but after that， everything goes uphill （or downhill for the characters）。 That ending left me gaping and I'm so， so glad the sequel is coming out soon。 。。。more
Hunter Ramey
，
This book is bloody good。 Unbelievable。 First time reading a John Gwynne book and I’m here for it。 Can’t wait for the 2nd installment。
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