John Gwynne Faithful and the Fallen Collection 4 Books Set

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The ending was a great culmination of all the threads (or should that be threats?) and it does finish with most events being nicely tied up. No major cliffhangers. A few of my friends said that this books finale brought tears to their eyes. I will not argue - it is brutal and utterly devastating and unpredictable at some points. It didn't upset me too much following on from reading the heartless deaths in Malazan and also the fact I am a cold hearted psychopath. Unless, it involves animals. I saw a dead cat once and cried. If a characters' pet animal (who you will love) got injured I threatened to throw this and the remaining three books into my fire. And I will. You best think that over Gwynne before you release Wrath in 7 days or you with honestly feel my Wrath. Grr.

My only real negative was the pacing - which as I've already mentioned was just a little too slow for me. Also, while I enjoyed the familiar tropes and the comfort they bring, the first half of the book did feel a bit too familiar, leaving me craving something a bit more groundbreaking. I do wonder if I'd read this book before Shadow of the Gods (Gwynne's more recent series) if would have liked this more - because that book just set up a lot of expectations in my head as to what his original series was going to be like. The series also has some of the most hateable villains ever. We are talking Dolores Umbridge levels here. You'll know when you read all the awful things these guys do.This epic fantasy series is set in the Banished Lands, a place with a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed in battle, and where the earth is running dark with their heartsblood. Hey guys, I'm halfway through the fourth (and final) book of TFAF and can I just say, oh.my.god I haven't felt this way since ASOIAF and perhaps Riyria Revelations. Who would I recommend this to: I think this book would only be suited to adults who have a heart of steel. There are a few parts in this story that are brutal and I literally cried my eyes out. This is also not for the faint hearted a lot of killing, blood, guts and grim shit lol. The book is the classic battle of good and evil, G-ds and Demons, but unlike many of the typical Fantasy books we were raised on, it shows the internal battle of good people who find themselves fighting for the bad side, and those with dubious character, who have to stand on the side of the Light. Those are the characters who are best invested in throughout the whole book and the inevitable questions of what makes a person chose one way or another, what are the motivations which form the people we become....

Now, having said this. What is the genre that is the easiest to confuse with epic fantasy? A YA coming-to-age story. I know some authors who thought they are writing YA when in fact they produced a grimdark tale, Mr Gwynne, to the contrary, is convinced that what he proposes is a high fantasy when we get a bloated YA. As the demonic forces multiply, they send a mighty host to overthrow the angel's stronghold. Like heroes of old, Drem, Riv, and the Bright Star's warriors must battle to save themselves and save their land. But can the light triumph when the dark is rising? One thing I believe we see way too much after the success of HBO's Game of Thrones is every fantasy series labeled as "The NEXT Game of Thrones!" or "It's Game of Thrones meets the Arthur Legend!" etc. Denying the cultural impact of the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin would be pretty stupid. So I understand why marketers are doing this, but the problem is that it rarely turns out to be true. It's either nothing like Martin's series or it's a bad rip off. So where would The Faithful and The Fallen fit in there? I would say 50% of this book follows young Corban. A youth from Ardan who is dealing with bullies, family issues and the ever present knowledge that he needs to work hard before his looming manhood challenge; sitting the Long Night where he can prove he is a warrior which is his main ambition. He wants to make everyone proud if possible. It doesn't always appear easy for young Corban with the challenges he faces on this road to ever looming manhood. Well, if he makes it that far. Not a spoiler. Just may end up being a fact in this rotten world. I would possibly reconcile with this issue (still feeling cheated!) if not for the narration. I started reading just after finishing the Gentleman Bastards and after the magniloquent prose of Mr Lynch, Malice reads like an undergrad exercise in creative writing. The woodenness of this language reminded me of the Falling Kingdoms series. Crude strokes, like toddler's drawing, give you the idea of the world, and the characters, and the plot development but they do not manage to convey the world’s verisimilitude, make the characters lovable or plot credible.Animal companions! If you love animal companions you will surely love this series. I'll not go into this too much, but you will love these animals as much as any human character. Never thought I'd love a crow so much. I loved the characters. Corban ben Thannon may be my favorite Chosen One character of all time. He's flawed, stubborn, and makes mistakes, but you can understand his reasoning and he never feels "pure good" to an obnoxious or unrelatable level. Reading Maquin's journey was an incredible experience, and watching him finally get his vengeance in Wrath was exhilarating, and watching Fidele die was heartbreaking... Veradis ben Lamar may be one of the most interesting, three-dimensional characters I've read. His conflict between serving his blood-brother, High King Nathair, and fighting for good was highly engaging. The series really points out the dangers of committing atrocities for "the greater good," which I thought was a great touch. I enjoyed most of the POV's, honestly; Camlin, Fidele, Coralen, on the side of Good, and even Uthas and Lykos's chapters were interesting. This meant that he not only had to fix but also lift, paint and do whatever his wife told him to do. It was during this period that John started writing. Initially, he started telling his children stories during bedtime. They pestered him to write some of it down, since most of them were really good. Despite the fact that writing was more of a hobby, John was still able to write down two of his first books; Malice and Banished lands during this period. Tropes – yes this series are full of them. The Faithful and the Fallen doesn't bring anything new to the genre but it just does everything so well. You'll definitely feel like you read some things before, but Gwynne makes you forget about it and enjoy the ride.