A Time of Dread: One hundred years after The Faithful and the Fallen, an epic saga begins

· Of Blood and Bone Book 1 · Macmillan Digital Audio · Narrated by Damian Lynch
4 reviews
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15 hr 36 min
Unabridged
Eligible
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About this audiobook

‘Reminds me of why I became a fantasy enthusiast in the first place’ – Robin Hobb, author of Assassin’s Apprentice

The first novel in John Gwynne’s epic and stirring Of Blood and Bone trilogy.

The Ben-Elim, a race of warrior angels, once vanquished a mighty demon horde. Now they rule the Banished Lands. But their dominion is brutally enforced and their ancient enemy may not be as crushed as they thought.

In the snowbound North, Drem, a trapper, finds mutilated corpses in the forests – a sign of demonic black magic. In the South, Riv, a young, tempestuous soldier, discovers a deadly rift within the Ben-Elim themselves.

Two individuals with two world-changing secrets. But where will they lead? And what role will Drem and Riv play in the Banished Lands’ fate? Difficult choices need to be made. Because in the shadows, demons are gathering, waiting for their time to rise . . .

Continue the heroic fantasy series with A Time of Blood and A Time of Courage.

‘A truly excellent read . . . Exciting, well-written swords and sorcery’ – Mark Lawrence, author of The Broken Empire

‘John Gwynne is one of the modern masters of heroic fantasy’ – Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time

Of Blood and Bone is set one hundred years after the end of Gwynne's Faithful and the Fallen quartet, and can be read as a standalone series. The trilogy includes A Time of Dread, A Time of Blood and A Time of Courage.

‘Reminds me of why I became a fantasy enthusiast in the first place’ – Robin Hobb, author of Assassin’s Apprentice The first novel in John Gwynne’s epic and stirring Of Blood and Bone trilogy. The Ben-Elim, a race of warrior angels, once vanquished a mighty demon horde. Now they rule the Banish...

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Ratings and reviews

4 reviews
Roger X
May 24, 2024
Starts promising but ends up as very mediocre. The second book doesn't get better. Every few minutes the book switches between the 3 to 4 protagonists. Dialog is mostly very dry... "xy said"... "xy said"... "xy said"..."xy mumbled". Charakter development only happens for about two charakters. Everything else feels surface level and more or less goes through the paces. You wait for chapter after chapter for something interesting to happen and then it happens all at once but feels not really worth the build up. Description of any scenery is barely existent and not done well. As a whole the world has a interesting core with good ideas but feels underdeveloped at the same time. The writing is easy to follow and the reader is very good. This series is not bad and has it's better parts but is also far from great.
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About the author

John Gwynne studied and lectured at Brighton University. He has played double bass in a rock ‘n’ roll band, packed soap in a soap factory and dug ditches for a landscaping crew. He is the author of the epic fantasy series The Faithful and the Fallen, consisting of Malice, Valour, Ruin and Wrath, the Of Blood and Bone trilogy and the Bloodsworn Saga.

He is married with four children, seven goats, five sheep, three dogs, three horses and three ducks, and lives in East Sussex, where he is part of a Viking re-enactment group. When not writing or running around after his wife and her ever-growing collection of animals, he can occasionally be found standing in a shield wall with his three sons about him.

John Gwynne studied and lectured at Brighton University. He has played double bass in a rock ‘n’ roll band, packed soap in a soap factory and dug ditches for a landscaping crew. He is the author of the epic fantasy series The Faithful and the Fallen, consisting of Malice, Valour, Ruin and Wrath, ...

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