TL;DR: An insanely epic conclusion to one of my favorite series of the year. High-stakes, fast-paced, gripping action and satisfying emotional resolutions across the board.
Synopsis:
The Fury of the Gods is the earth-shattering final book in John Gwynne’s bestselling Norse-inspired epic fantasy series, packed with myth, magic and bloody vengeance.
The final battle for the fate of Vigrid approaches…
Varg has overcome the trials of his past and become an accepted member of the Bloodsworn, but now he and his newfound comrades face their biggest challenge yet: slaying a dragon.
Elvar is struggling to consolidate her power in Snakavik, where she faces threats from without and within. As she fights to assert her authority in readiness for the coming conflict, she faces a surely insurmountable task: reigning in the ferocity of a wolf god.
As Biorr and his warband make their way north, eager for blood, Gudvarr pursues a mission of his own, hoping to win Lik-Rifa’s favour and further his own ambitions.
All paths lead to Snakavik, where the lines are being drawn for the final battle – a titanic clash that will shake the foundations of the world, and bear witness to the true fury of the gods.
Full Review:
Fury of the Gods did everything I hoped for—and so, so much more!
The Bloodsword Saga has earned itself a place among my favorites of the year by virtue of being gripping, fast-paced, blood-drenched, and epic. Essentially, everything I look for in a fantasy series. Shadow and Hunger of the Gods drew me into this world and kept me reading late into too many nights to count. Now, in Fury of the Gods, it all comes full circle and wraps up in truly spectacular fashion.
In the final Bloodsworn book, we’re following our same POV characters:
- Orka, whose hunt for her son had finally paid off at the end of Hunger, only for their reunion to be cut short when she’s taken captive by the rat god Rotta. Her son escapes, but as the book begins, we find her in chains, being tortured for information on where to find Ulfrir, the wolf god.
- Elvar, now Jarl in place of her slain father, leading her Battle-Grim against the dragon goddess Lik-Rifa. Turmoil and treachery simmers all around her, and she has to fight hard to consolidate her grip on her newly acquired people. But the real threat, the one that could destroy everything she’s tried to built, is so much closer than she had ever expected.
- Varg, who’s all but earned his place in the Bloodsworn, riding with Glornir and his fellow Tainted badasses to join the Battle-Grim and take up arms against Lik-Rifa. His past will come to haunt—and hurt—him in big ways before the end!
- Biorr, rat-blooded Tainted, traitor to the Bloodsworn, who is working with Rotta to help Lik-Rifa. He has been so staunch in his belief in the rightness of their cause, but as this book wears on, it’s fascinating to see him doubt whether or not Lik-Rifa is actually going to make the world better as she promised, or whether this latest war of the gods is just one more grasp for power.
- Gudvarr, the self-important coward. His POV was so much fun because you know every chance he gets, he’s going to take the route of self-preservation, survival, and cowardice. Yet somehow he keeps “failing forward” in really entertaining ways.
The book kicks off with Lik-Rifa and her host of Tainted and monsters clearly holding the advantage, and there’s no doubt that the odds are against our favorite protagonists and it’ll take every ounce of courage, skill, and determination to survive, much less succeed. And that’s exactly what John Gwynne does so well!
In this book, we see just how hard our heroes are willing to fight, what they’re willing to sacrifice, and how they struggle to make the right choices time and time again—and the outcome will (hopefully) tip in their favor because of it. The more impossible the circumstance, the more excited we are by the prospect that something insanely badass is going to happen (which, it often does) to even out the scales.
As with all John Gwynne books, Fury of the Gods features moments of daring and heroism, of the small-scale courage re quired to examine one’s own misguided beliefs and errors, of human goodness and decency, all wrapped up in the package of an epic, action-packed story.
At least 30-40% of the book is dedicated to warfare and battle, the clashes between the armies of Lik-Rifa and the humans who oppose her. And I loved every minute of it! John Gwynne is a master of writing war, bringing both battle-wide tactical acumen and sentence-level writing that makes every moment of clashing steel and iron absolutely sing. I was on the edge of my seat for half of this book hoping against hope that my favorites wouldn’t die.
And, in true John Gwynne fashion, some did die. The losses hit me hard, and I’m still mourning my favorite characters even days later.
Fury of the Gods delivers everything I could have hoped for or wanted to wrap up this trilogy, and in so doing, firmly cements itself on my Top 10 series of the year. It’s spellbinding, addictive, and is guaranteed to leave you breathless and wanting more.
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