Publishers Weekly
03/28/2022
Lik-Rifa, the dragon god, is free from her prison and marches with her dragon-born Tainted followers to conquer the divided realms of Vigrid in Gwynne’s furious, battle-filled follow-up to The Shadow of the Gods. As Orka Skullsplitter and Uspa, the Seidr-witch, both search for their stolen children, their quests lead them into the path of the Lik-Rifa’s fierce war band. But Orka and Uspa have war bands of their own, along with monsters called vaesen and spell books written by the gods that can resurrect and enthrall even long-deceased deities. While reborn gods take to the skies to fight for dominion, mortals plot, scheme, and betray down below, all in the name of power. Gwynne keeps mainly to the Norse elements that make his prose ring with verisimilitude, but he expands his world with a visit to the mighty southern empire of Iskidan that gives the book a bit of a Byzantine feel. He also plays fair by giving his characters challenges that sometimes do defeat them, even as they hold the reins on revivified gods. It’s an exciting outing that nicely sets up the trilogy’s finale. Agent: Julia Crisp, Julia Crisp Literary. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
"A satisfying and riveting read. The well-realized characters move against a backdrop of a world stunning in its immensity. It’s everything I’ve come to expect from a John Gwynne book."—Robin Hobb on The Shadow of the Gods
"The world is wonderfully rendered with attention paid to what makes the Norse sagas entertaining….The many layers provide a lavish feast for any reader. A great companion to Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology."—Booklist (starred review) on The Shadow of the Gods
"There is not a dull chapter in this fantasy epic. As tension mounts with each passing page, Gwynne delivers exhilarating fights and gruesome battles with such vivid prose the choreography jumps off the page."—Vulture (Best of the Year) on The Shadow of the Gods
"A masterfully crafted, brutally compelling Norse-inspired epic."—Anthony Ryan on The Shadow of the Gods
"Gwynne, a Viking reenactor, puts in the work, with fine historical details that make the story come to life. Fans of the era will be delighted with the accuracy. This is a duly exciting start to the series."—Publishers Weekly on The Shadow of the Gods
“Visceral, heart-breaking and unputdownable.”—Jay Kristoff on The Shadow of the Gods
"A masterclass in storytelling . . . epic, gritty fantasy with an uncompromising amount of heart."—FanFiAddict on The Shadow of the Gods
"Quintessential Gwynne, honed to perfection . . . The Shadow of the Gods is absolutely stunning, one hell of an epic series opener, and a spectacular dose of Viking-flavoured fantasy."—The Tattooed Book Geek on The Shadow of the Gods
