The Hunger of The Gods
The Hunger of the Gods continues John Gwynne’s acclaimed Norse-inspired epic fantasy series, packed with myth, magic and bloody vengeance.
Lik-Rifa, the dragon god of legend, has been freed from her eternal prison. Now she plots a new age of blood and conquest.
As Orka continues the hunt for her missing son, the Bloodsworn sweep south in a desperate race to save one of their own – and Varg takes the first steps on the path of vengeance.
Elvar has sworn to fulfil her blood oath and rescue a prisoner from the clutches of Lik-Rifa and her dragonborn followers, but first she must persuade the Battle-Grim to follow her.
Yet even the might of the Bloodsworn and Battle-Grim cannot stand alone against a dragon god.
Their hope lies within the mad writings of a chained god. A book of forbidden magic with the power to raise the wolf god Ulfrir from the dead . . . and bring about a battle that will shake the foundations of the earth.
Title: The Hunger of The Gods
Series: The Bloodsworn Saga
Author: John Gwynne
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Norse Mythology
Hardcover: 656 pages
Publication Date: 04/12/2022
Publisher: Orbit
Language: English
ISBN: 0316539929
ISBN-13: 9780316539920
My Review
There is no mercy found in these pages.
“I learned to fight in the streets of Svelgarth,” Huld snarled, “against men and women who would cut your throat just to warm their hands on your blood, not in some privileged weapons court with thralls all about me to mop my brow when I broke a sweat.”
The Hunger of The Gods, The Bloodsworn II is one amazing sequel, and it comes in with all the deep, bellowing rumble of emotions and vengeance, possible. It is one of the best and most visceral Nordic tales I have ever read. Gwynne’s imaginative storytelling hurls the characters into a mash of myth and folklore creating one outstanding fantasy. As The Shadow of The Gods has paved the way with unforgettable and well fleshed out individuals in the story against the backdrop of an amazing landscape with ties to gods and creatures, this novel dives deeper, becomes more visceral, and accelerates to a crashing crescendo that will tear you apart.
I have enjoyed Gwynne’s writing in the past, but I want to say he outdid himself with his one. Many of the scenes were uncompromisingly brutal with a realness to them that hit hard. Dialogues were on point and thought cage moments lend relevance to the depth of different perspectives. Told in changing points of view, the plight of the characters in the aftermath of the previous novel takes up a good first third of the novel to regroup with them, regain an understanding of alliances and foes, as well as establish the motivational factors behind them. This was done so well. I don’t want to give away spoilers, because you want to get to know your favorite characters the way it was done here.
Orka Skullsplitter continues as one of my favorites throughout this book. Her dedication to finding her son Breca and avenging the death of her husband Thorkel knows no bounds. She remains the staple of fear for a lot of other characters in this novel with her fierce, no-nonsense attitude and the strength that rages inside her.
“Wait. Soon, she told the wolf again, even as she felt the change happening, time slowing, a sharpening of her senses between one heartbeat and the next. The anger that always bubbled away beneath the surface changed within her, like forge fire moving from red flames to white incandescence. A flush of strength flooded her muscles. Orka looked down at the ground, closing her eyes.”
Elvar Fire-Fist of the Battle Grim is another character who receives a great amount of attention in this story. Though I liked her previously, she claims her agency over the course of this novel and I must say, she grew on me in this book more so than in the last.
Some of the most visceral chapters and scenes found here go to Gudvarr…but he is not alone. Accompanied by Skalk and his inner, mostly witty dialogue and the terrible, flesh boring hyrndor creatures, it had me turning the pages with my breath held. Yikes….so good and sooo scary!
Other touching stories I connected with involved Bjarn Beraksson, abducted by Ilska and the Raven Feeders, as well as Breca Thorkelsson, Orka’s son. With that, the story of the abducted children was another component of the novel I enjoyed.
In terms of the setting and the magic, hold on to your seat. For one, as naturally and unforced as the story starts, it sort of snowballs into this epic crescendo of all the factions. The ties of the characters to the gods and the awakening of different creatures, and summoned ones were mind-boggling. I enjoyed the blood ties and ancestral history of the characters a lot. I am not an expert so I can’t tell how much of it finds its roots in the mythology as we know it, but it is easy to see that Gwynne is and he has a plan. He has spun, awoken, and called upon the most fascinating creatures in a Nordic setting that feels real to grasp and experience. As a sucker for descriptive writing, it hit all the notes for me. Oh, the creepy crawly creatures in the woods and the giants in the skies and below the earth, nothing remained safe!
I do not know how he will tie this all together. I just know, I want more of it.
This novel was superb. My only digress was some intrigue I felt like I wasn’t keeping up with as well for a little while after the middle. In its defense, there are a lot of characters and alliances and backstabbery to keep track of and a reread should do it for me. Overall, there is so much shock and awe in this book, it is consuming. In one instance, there was a torture scene that actually made my tummy squeezy. As I had said, there is no mercy found within these pages…and the end made me want to weep.
If that isn’t a good book, then I don’t know what is.
Such an immensely innovative Nordic tale. I loved it and highly recommend it.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
All opinions are my own.
Thank you!
(Yes, it’s necessary picture spam just so you understand how much I loved this book! )
