The Librain……retired

I don’t suppose that it will be hard to guess the titles of the two books I read this last week! After all, in the previous Reading Roundup I gave you all my verdict on John Gwynne’s A Time of Dread, part #01 of his Of Blood and Bone series. So, yes, here are my thoughts on parts two and three.

A Time of Blood by John Gwynne

First of all, let’s check out the blurb for A Time of Blood, part #02 Of Blood and Bone:

Defy the darkness. Defend the light.

At the battle of Starstone Lake, Drem and his friends witnessed horrors they’ll never forget. They saw magic warping men into beasts and a demon rise from the dead, creating something new and terrifying. So they flee to warn the Order of the Bright Star. But the demons’ high priestess, Fritha, is determined to hunt them down.

Concealed in Forn Forest, Riv struggles to understand her half-breed heritage. She represents the warrior angels’ biggest secret, one whichcould break their society. So when she’s found by the Ben-Elim’s high captain, he goes in for the kill.

Meanwhile, demonic forces are gathering a mighty war-host, to crush their enemies and rule the world of man. All while the Ben-Elim are fractured and facing betrayal. Like heroes of old, Riv, Drem and the Bright Star’s warriors must battle to save their land. But can the light triumph when the dark is rising?

Before I add my review, as posted on Goodreads, I will give you my usual apology for the poor quality of what is to follow. I am still suffering with short-term memory loss from my stroke and that means that the details of books fade very rapidly after I have finished reading. Please refer to other reviewing websites or use Goodreads as I do for better responses to these books as I really am not capable of properly doing them the justice that authors deserve.

Anyway, here it is:

A Time of Blood by John Gwynne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This certainly didn’t suffer from the often experienced “middle book in a trilogy” syndrome! The first ended with various revelations and I was lucky that I was able to read the whole series at one go, without having to wait for each book to be published.

Some of the nit-picky flaws that I noted for A Time of Dread were toned down a little this time (repetitive descriptions), which was very pleasing. The whole book was one amazing, fast paced ride, moving from character to character as they moved around the chess board of the plot. I found myself turning to the map frequently as I attempted to keep everything straight in my mind

The book as a whole was great, with enough flashes of light to brighten up the dark events and themes, setting the reader up nicely for the final part…

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A Time of Courage by John Gwynne

So then I came to the final part of the trilogy: A Time of Courage. Let us first see the blurb:

Battle the dark
Reclaim the world

The Demon-King of the Otherworld is finally free. And armed with mighty new starstone weapons, Asroth prepares to lead his demonic war-host south. With the help of his dark bride Fritha, he plans to crush the warrior-angels and their allies.

In the shadows of Forn Forest, Riv and the surviving Ben-Elim hold a war council. After the catastrophic events at Drassil, they are desperate to unite those who would stand against Asroth and his army. So they fly west, to join the Order of the Bright Star. But Drem and the Order are besieged by a demon horde – and their fragile defence may soon shatter.

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?

OK, so this sounds interesting…

Interesting! It was amazing, brilliant, gripping and… and…

I must admit that I felt even more exhausted than usual when I came to the finish – here’s why:

A Time of Courage by John Gwynne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of the first things that I did on finishing this book, well after trying to breathe again, was look up the publishing date. I was gutted to realise that it was only published this year…

…this means that I will have to WAIT until John Gwynne can write another book…

Aaaaaaargh!!!

…flaps her wings in rage…

…(skin or feathers!!!)

I have given the book five stars because of the best written (in my fairly wide reading experience of almost 60 years) fictional battle scenes. The incredible build up and pace, the sheer invention, the surprises and heart-almost-stopping shocks, the sadness and joy, the retribution and disasters – all there in this book.

If you want to be transported outside of yourself and your concerns and worries, read John Gwynne. If you want to blot out your own personal disasters, read John Gwynne. If you want excitement, great characters, fantastic storylines, intriguing world building and satisfying reading, then John Gwynne is your writer.

Thank-you John.

P.S. When is the next book due?

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I must apologise again for missing last week’s Reading Roundup post. There are two books to write about this week and I am already halfway through a third.

A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay

A few weeks ago, I wrote about one of my favourite author’s books: Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay. The book I am writing about this week is his latest book, A Brightness Long Ago, which is a prequel. Here is the blurb:

In a decadent, often violent world in which mercenaries destroy city-states for the highest bidder and women’s lives remain desperately limited, the lives of extraordinary figures play out . . .

Guidanio Cerra is the son of a tailor whose intelligence had won him entry to a renowned school. He goes into service at the dangerous court of a count known as The Beast . . .

Adria Ripoli, born to power, has rejected the choices offered to her, opting for a life of danger – and freedom – in the service of her mercenary uncle. But freedom always comes at a price – in this case a night-time encounter from which she is unlikely to escape alive.

And Danio, living in a chamber overlooking the waterways of a maritime city, looks back in time to relate his part of this sweeping tale that contains unforgettable characters in an extraordinary era, including a healer who has also defied life’s expectations of her, and the two larger-than-life war leaders, lifelong adversaries, whose encounters put the world’s survival in the balance . . .

As always, I love reading anything by Guy Gavriel Kay and this was no exception. I won’t say anything further as I will save my thoughts for my review on Goodreads:

A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yet again, as I finish a book by GGK, I am left with my head both spinning and dreaming. The author does indeed weave bright stories, based around true events in history. In this case, I didn’t know anything about the real events, so just immersed myself in the interwoven tales of the main characters.

It was a little confusing for me, at first, that this is a prequel to his previous book, Children of Earth and Sky, and that there were also allusions to his two books set in a fantasy version of Byzantium. I have only recently finished reading the former, but it is such a long time since I read the latter two and I, therefore, feel inspired to buy ebook versions and re-read them. My memory is very poor now and I struggle to remember events in books that I have only just finished, never mind read decades ago!

I suppose this could be seen as a gift and another reason to read GGK’s books repeatedly!

Having read quite a few of the other reviews of this particular book here on Goodreads, I must recommend them to other readers. Many are truly excellent and will give you far more insight than I can.

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Ooh, I can’t wait to read another book by GGK, although I might return to an old favourite,  when I have finished my current reading pile.

A Time of Dread by John Gwynne

I started reading John Gwynne’s series The Faithful and the Fallen back in June 2019. This series of four giant hardback books sort of grips you by the throat, shakes you around for a while, then hurls you across battlefields, forests, plains and mountains. If you are lucky, you might land on your feet at the end, although you will struggle to catch your breath! So, you can imagine that I was quite pleased when I saw that he had started a new series…

NO!!!!! I was absolutely thrilled!

OK, I will calm down now as I am sure that you will get the point. Here is the blurb for A Time of Dread, part #01 Of Blood and Bone:

Set in the same world as the Faithful and the Fallen quartet, the first novel in John Gwynne’s Of Blood and Bone series, A Time of Dread, takes place one hundred years after the end of Wrath.

The Ben-Elim, a race of warrior angels, once vanquished a mighty demon horde. Now they rule the Banished lands. But their dominion is brutally enforced and their ancient enemy may not be as crushed as they thought.

In the snowbound north, Drem, a trapper, finds mutilated corpses in the forests – a sign of demonic black magic. In the south, Rae, a young, tempestuous soldier, discovers a deadly rift within the Ben-Elim themselves. Two individuals with two world-changing secrets. But where will they lead? And what role will Drem and Rae play in the Banished Land’s fate?

Difficult choices need to be made. Because in the shadows, demons are gathering, waiting for their time to rise. . .

I have just written this review on Goodreads:

A Time Of Dread by John Gwynne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s always great to pick up the first book in a fantasy series, where you already rate the author. I had greatly enjoyed the Faithful and the Fallen last year, so I was thrilled when I saw that John Gwynne had a new series on the way. After finishing this book, I am not disappointed.

This new series takes place well over a century after the previous one and that knowledge brings some sadness in its wake. We have lost well-loved previous characters who we have grown to know in the previous books, although many of them are consistently referenced in this book. Instead, we are introduced to new characters very quickly. That does bring some problems to someone like me, who has severe memory issues. The new names and backgrounds are quite difficult to get a handle on at first. However, as the book developed, I was able to fit this new set of people and animals into the landscape, mythology and plot.

There are only a few caveats and these are reasons why I have not given the full five stars. I feel that the author needs to check on his repetitive use of phrases to describe his characters. Yes, we quickly realise that one constantly checks the pulse in his neck! This seems to be obsessive. We have also got the point that some warriors have a particular hairstyle – does it always have to be described in exactly the same way? These are just niggles really, but I did find them increasingly irritating.

But don’t let me put you off in any way. This series is building up to be another blockbuster! Enjoy!

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A Time of Blood By John Gwynne

Phew! Now I am going to return to my latest book. You will not be surprised to learn that it is the second book in the series, A Time of Blood.

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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