Fantasy can often be an intimidating genre. After all, the different types of fantasy are as expansive as the worlds they can be set in. But generally speaking, when most people think about fantasy, they think about epic fantasy. Those are the stories that span continents and feature an array of compelling characters. They’re action-packed and filled with sweeping drama. In short, they’re the kind of books that take you into a wholly new world.
John Gwynne knows how to pull readers into these grand adventures. His debut, Malice, swept the book world by storm as his hero battled giant wyrms, angels, and demons across a battered and broken land. He’s written three series, all with vivid worlds, unforgettable characters, and imaginative monsters running amok. And they all are influenced by the Viking cultures of the past.
In his latest series opener, The Shadow of the Gods, we discover a new world filled with dead gods and monsters. In it, three unlikely characters find themselves at the center of a new conflict. Driven by glory, vengeance, and duty, they all move forward to seize their individual destinies. As they do, they will shape the world or destroy it.
It isn’t easy to create a world that feels so familiar and alien at the same time. The kind of story that dips into history with one foot and an entirely different realm with the other. But that’s exactly what Gwynne is so masterful at doing. If you’re looking to be transported to another place and time, here are six books waiting to become your next obsession.
Iron Axe
It doesn’t matter that Danr’s mother was human. All people see when they look at him is the troll blood of his father. Condemned to hard labor, he is forced to answer to “trollboy," a constant reminder that no one trusts or respects him. But when strange creatures attack and spirits roam the land, Death herself calls on Danr. She sends him on a quest to find the Iron Axe. The only question is will the weapon save them? Or destroy them?
Wolfskin
Young Eyvind has only ever wanted to become a Wolfskin, a great Viking warrior. When he hears of a magical land across the sea, he seizes his opportunity to conquer the land and bring glory to his people. Instead, he finds a kingdom that is windswept and barren. But the people are willing to share their hidden bounty with him and he finds a treasure of his own in the king’s daughter. He’s on the brink of his life changing when his lifelong friend calls in his blood oath. His honor demands he answer, even if it means killing the only thing he’s ever loved.
The Broken Sword
When Orm the Strong kills the family of a Saxon witch, he never imagined what it would cost him. His newborn son is replaced by a changeling and raised by elves. Skafloc grows up unaware of who he really is or why he is the only one who can touch iron. But Valgard knows a different existence. He grows up angry, never understanding why he can never have the humanity he so desperately desires. And when he commits an atrocious act of violence, it sets off a chain of events that places the two men against each other where a mythical sword will determine the fate and future of them both.
All the Windwracked Stars
After the long battle in the ice and dark between the Children of the Light and the Tarnished Ones, only one Valkyrie and her steed survived. Because they lived, Valdyrgard wasn’t fully destroyed. In one last miracle, her steed was transformed in a miracle offering, Valdyrgard was transformed into a land where magic and technology worked hand in hand. Over two centuries later, Muire is the only city left on a dying planet. The Technomancer rules and humanity struggles to survive.
But now someone is hunting in her city… someone she hasn’t seen in a very long time.
Five Broken Blades (The Broken Blades Book 1)
The God King Joon must die. And who better to kill an immortal than the five most dangerous blades and liars in the kingdom? Especially when they all crave vengeance against the king. But revenge alone isn’t enough to forge an alliance among killers well versed in lies, deception, and betrayal. To kill the king and survive, they must learn to trust each other. An impossible ask because only one liar can take the crown and win.
The Rage of Dragons
For two hundred years, the Omehi have fought an unwinnable war. The lucky ones are born gifted. One in every two thousand women can call down dragons. One in every hundred men can transform into a killing machine. Everyone else is fodder. Tau is one of the giftless. He knows he’s destined to die young. But he has a dream of a future and a plan to escape. Before he can seize it, everyone he loves is murdered and Tau now dreams only of revenge. He devotes himself to becoming the greatest swordsman to ever live so that he can kill the three who betrayed him.
