The Shadow of the Gods Audiobook By John Gwynne cover art

The Shadow of the Gods

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The Shadow of the Gods

By: John Gwynne
Narrated by: Colin Mace
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About this listen

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 series: A Time of Dread, A Time of Blood, and A Time of Courage

The Faithful and the Fallen series: Malice, Valor, Ruin, and Wrath

©2021 John Gwynne (P)2021 Orbit
Action & Adventure Dragons & Mythical Creatures Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fantasy Essentials Fiction Historical Mystery Icelandic Sagas

Critic reviews

"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)

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What listeners say about The Shadow of the Gods

Highly rated for:

Gripping Storyline Intriguing World-building Immersive Narration Well-woven Plots Epic Adventure
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Loved it

Game of Thrones esque but more Norse-like and I personally enjoyed it more. Also reminds me of the First Law books by Joe Aberceombie.

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Masterpiece

An amazing story, with intriguing characters and a fresh setting. I will be listening to the sequel right away!

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Best Fantasy BOOK since then First Law

Loved Every Last bit of this book so pumped to have a new universe to enjoy

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Another Masterpiece

Big fan of John Gwynne. I can't wait for the rest of the books in this series to come out. I have read his other two series and greatly enjoyed them. Then dark and grim work is phenomenal, the fact that he puts out books fast and great is astonishing. the story flows really well and ties together in the end.

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catching tail

I love this book and wait to finish the series its so catching and sweeps you up in with gruesome fights and epic adventures

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    3 out of 5 stars

Had a hard time keeping the 3 stories in order

It was interesting overall but a bit convoluted with the constant jumping between stories.
The varg and Elvar warrior bands got mixed together in my mind since none of the characters in them were memorable.

The writer really needs a thesaurus or to hear how humans speak.
After the 20th use of "thought-cage" or "sagas-tale" you'd think he'd figure out that people can use synonyms or contractions to convey that idea...

The Elvar story was basically just well-disguised exposition.

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Such a great listen

The book was amazing kept me on the edge of my seat. Cant wait for the next one.

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I will edit this review when I'm actually done

I absolutely could not stand this narrator, so I stopped after 4 chapters. He paused at a comma once for a FULL 2 SECOND COUNT, and then in the same paragraph would blow past periods and/or other commas as though they weren't there. I don't understand any of the other reviews who enjoyed him.

I gave it 4 stars for the other categories to give it the benefit of the doubt, and I'll update those once I'm actually done reading it (on paper this time) but dear GOD Colin Mace is not for me.

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couldn't be better

Absolutely loved this book and the narration. It's as if Brandon Sanderson and Bernard Cornwell did a collab, both at the top of their game.

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Great Setup for a great series.

Loved the book, loved the character development and the intensity of it all. Collin did a great job narrating the story. Sets up some great stories in the next book.

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