By John Gwynne
“This is a world of blood... of thooth and claw and sharp iron. Of short lives and painful deaths.”
September 11th, 2024
Original art and book cover by Marcus Whinney
Hello, once again! I will continue the series where I review some of my favourite books I've read recently. Don't miss out and check my previous post about Fonda Lee's Jade City here. And if you liked what you read, please drop a comment down below. If you did not like it, you are free to comment and tell me all about it as well. Just be advised that English is not my first language, so my writing might sound odd for a native speaker.
Today I will write about The Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne.
This review will have three parts:
First, I write a little about the author and my initial impressions of his book. Secondly, I prepared a summary of The Shadow of the Gods, with a small guide to characters and other worldbuilding elements. Lastly, I talk about the book’s main theme that ties it all together and a bit more about my own thoughts on it. If you are here for the spoiler-free introduction, please skip this last part and feel free to come back here after you have read The Shadow of the Gods.
Part I
About the author and the novel
Original art, Robson Michel's Ragnarök
The Shadow of the Gods is the first book in The Bloodsworn Saga (published in May 2021), as part of a trilogy by John Gwynne. He has also authored the epic fantasy series The Faithful and the Fallen and Of Blood and Bone. The second book in The Bloodsworn Saga, called The Hunger of the Gods, came out on 12 April 2022, and the third and final instalment, The Fury of the Gods, is set for release on 22 October 2024.
Here is his Goodreads page, if you’d like to give it a follow.
Yes, that's John Gwynne!
John Gwynne draws his main thematic inspiration for The Bloodsworn Saga from Norse mythology, Beowulf, and Ragnarök. However, readers will find that his portrayal of the old gods differs from the usual Viking tales. You won’t encounter wise, one-eyed deities or trickster gods of dubious origin here. Instead, Gwynne’s gods are ruthless Titans who once walked the lands of Vigrið, before the great Guðfalla—the epic battle that led to their downfall.
Gwynne’s characters are inspired by the works of authors like Bernard Cornwell, David Gemmell, and George R. R. Martin. They are living and breathing people struggling to survive in a brutal, ruthless world. If you enjoyed Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom series, you might appreciate Gwynne's vivid battle scenes and his authentic depictions of Viking warriors and their attire.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a Viking-themed fantasy story built around a unique mythology. It features an engaging, easy-to-follow plot with (mostly) likeable characters, each on their own quest. I would have considered the book relatively easy to read and accessible for new readers, if not perhaps for the frequent use of non-English words that might add a bit of a challenge in following the plot. Even so, the writing is straightforward, provided you’re comfortable figuring out the meaning of unfamiliar words from context. There aren't that many new terms to learn, actually, but you will already face most of them all at once in the early chapters. A glossary might have been helpful for some readers who found the vocabulary challenging.
Part II
Worldbuilding, Plot and characters
The Shadow of the Gods is set on a fictional continent called Vigrið, the Battle-Plain. Vigrið is a broken land, still recovering from the world-shattering war of the gods that ended with the Guðfalla, the last battle among the divine beings and their kin around the great Oskutred tree. Now, 300 years after the fall of the gods, humans struggle to survive amidst the remnants of these fallen titans and the incursions of the Vaesen—monsters driven to the surface after the Eldrafell volcano erupted, spewing fire and molten rock into the Vaesen Pit.
The map of Vigrið
Although Vigrið does not feature the familiar Norse gods typically found in Viking fantasy novels, many elements of Norse mythology are woven throughout John Gwynne’s narrative. His gods are portrayed as colossal, mythical creatures of immense power, such as Fenrir the wolf or Nidhoggr the dragon.
“All that you can see before you is Vigrið, the Battle-Plain. The land of shattered realms. Each steppe of land between the sea and those mountains, and a hundred leagues beyond them: that is where the gods fought, and died, and Snaka was the father of them all; some say the greatest of them.”
“Snaka was of course the biggest. He was the oldest, the father of the gods; Eldest, they called him, and he had grown monstruous huge, which you would too, if you had eaten your fill each day since the world was born. But his children were not to be sniffed at, either. Eagle, Bear, Wolf, Dragon, a host of others. Kin fought kin, and Snaka was slain by his children, and he fell. In his death the world was shattered, whole realms crushed, heaved into the air, the seas rushing in. Those mountains are all that is left of him, his bones now covered with the earth that he ruptured.”
Vesli the tennúr, by Andreas Johansson
The Vaesen are monstrous creatures that once belonged to a “world below” but were released into the continent and the open sea after the Guðfalla. In an interview with The Fantasy Hive, John Gwynne mentions Scandinavian folktales and mythology as his inspiration for these creatures, citing two references: The Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price and Vaesen by the illustrator Johan Egerkrans.
You can check out this interview here.
Vigrið’s human society is no less brutal as it shares this land with the remains of gods and fearsome monsters. A war seems imminent as two powerful Jarls expand their territories, scramble for alliances, and amass warriors (called drengrs). Mercenary bands grow rich through monster-slaying and the capture and trade of thralls—enslaved people, often "tainted." The tainted are humans hybrids who carry forward the gods’ bloodlines, descendants of the gods who once walked the land and brought destruction to all. Their connection to the ancient divine bloodlines and the mysterious powers they still possess are considered justification enough for their enslavement.
Now, let’s talk about the three main characters of The Shadow of the Gods:
Orka, by ukyo911
First up is Orka, possibly the most badass of them all. A former warrior, she now lives a quiet life with her husband, Thorkel, and their son, Breca, in their small steading near the city of Fellur. However, their peace is shattered when they stumble upon a grisly murder during Breca’s hunting lessons in the forest. Unwittingly caught up in the local Jarl's politics, Orka must fight to protect the life she has built for herself.
“All is lies,” she murmured. “They call this the age of peace, because the ancient war is over and the gods are dead, but if this is peace . . .” She looked to the skies, clouds low and heavy, snow falling in sheets now, and back at the blood- soaked corpses. “This is the age of storm and murder . . . ”
Varg No-Sense by SamWhiteArt
Next, we meet Varg. In his first chapter, he is introduced as an escaped thrall who once worked on Kolskegg's farm near Liga. Now freed from his bounds, Varg is on a quest to find a Galdurman or Seiðr-witch who can help him relive his sister Frøya's final moments and uncover her killer. That’s when Varg’s journey leads him to cross paths with the mercenary band called the Bloodsworn.
“We are the Bloodsworn, closer than kin. A brotherhood, a sisterhood: we live and die together.”
Grend and Elvar by fhalldraw
Finally, there’s Elvar, a fierce warrior who has adapted well to the mercenary life with the Battle-Grim. Her primary goal is to prove herself to her peers, earn the recognition of Agnar, the Battle-Grim's leader, and achieve great battle-fame. Her adventures seem headed in that precise direction, though not without a detour to her hometown of Snakavik, a city built within the skull of Snaka.
“Because I do not know the reason for a thing, does not mean that a dragon-god did it,” Elvar said.
All three characters end up entangled in their own quests in search for what’s most important to each of them. And their searches lead them into world-changing conspiracies, blood-filled battles, and some deeply-buried secrets of Vigrið.
Part III
Themes and Interpretations
[There will be spoilers ahead, proceed with caution!]
Original art by Johan Egerkrans
“The world was broken in their ruin.”
I. Themes
The Shadow of the Gods is straightforward as far as themes go. It portrays a world recently deprived of its gods, and perhaps better off without them. The gods, in their immense power, represent a past of submission and destruction, where humans were helpless under the rule and whims of such titans and their kin.
“When Gods go to war, it is no small thing.”
Yet, 300 years after the Guðfalla, Vigrið remains a place of violence and injustice. Human leaders like Jarl Helka and Jarl Störr follow the same path as the dead gods. The great Jarls seem equally determined to build empirers over the corpse of the gods and destroy the world in their pursuit of power and wealth, all while making hollow promises of safety and peace. John Gwynne presents Vigrið as an unforgiving land, where violence reigns and one must be ruthless to protect themselves and their loved ones. There's a focus on the indivitualistic care of personal relations and small groups within a doomed society, where kindness and selfless acts can be equally rewarded with a lucky strike or an unfortunate death.
“If I have learned anything from my travels,” Agnar said, “it is that there is much in this world that I do not know or understand. Just because I have not seen a thing does not mean it is not out there.”
Blood relations and bloodlines have power over the characters and often determine their storylines, whether they realise it or not. That is especially true for the tainted, the human descendants of the gods' bloodlines, keeping their lingering powers alive even after their downfall.
In this world, being tainted means being treated as less than human; being the gods kin comes as a justification for their enslavement. To inherit the gods' blood means to carry the same powers and oaths that once shattered the world. Since the tainted are living reliques of the greater powers that once existed, they carry along the guilt for the past destruction. While bonds of blood and friendship offer a glimmer of hope and warmth for the people of Vigrið, particularly Gwynne’s main characters and side characters, these bonds may also be the very reason why their world is doomed to end. Again.
II. Interpretations
Here you will find my own thoughts about the novel.
I might have benefited from approaching The Shadow of the Gods without much knowledge of the hype that had built up since its release. Had I been swept up in the hype, my disappointment could have overshadowed the better aspects of John Gwynne’s work. Ultimately, The Shadow of the Gods didn't quite match my tastes and expectations. Nevertheless, I’m glad his novel found its audience, and that many people have enjoyed it. Please consider my thoughts as just one perspective, and any criticism I offer comes from a place of caring for the unfulfilled potential I perceive in the story.
About Characters and Worldbuilding
The Shadow of the Gods has a very focused worldbuilding, with specific Viking elements extensively described and frequently revisited. It does not have, I noticed, neither a deep nor a wide world-building. All three main characters represent different stages of the mercenary path, from novice to seasoned killer, and display different worldviews and personal morals. Each character serves as a lens through which John Gwynne represents the life of a Viking warrior within the fictional continent of Vigrið.
Varg is a novice, a former thrall who landed in a mercenary band by accident, and whose personal mission has him willing to leave everything behind—friends, foes, and oaths alike—to fulfil it. At least until he learns more about his true nature and finds a new family with the Bloodsworn. While Orka is a seasoned warrior driven by a personal quest, with all the experience needed to pursue her foes across Vigrið and survive it. And Elvar falls somewhere in between Varg and Orka. She’s somewhat a former princess that has been a mercenary with the Battle-Grim long enough to be accustomed to the life of a warrior, but not long enough to have experienced the losses it inevitably brings.
That said, other aspects of the world-building feel underdeveloped or stifled. There’s little to say about Vigrið’s culture and society beyond generic farmlands, generic fishing villages, and generic mead halls (at times sporting gods bones or giant heads, but little else changes from one place to another). Even the most remarkable settings, like Snakavik or Helka’s mead hall in Darl, feel flat, and those apparently distinguishable characteristics aren’t enough to create greater distinction between the cities’ lifestyles. The characterisations of settings and the small moments of the narrative fail to address many questions one would naturally raise on reading the novel. For instance: How do the tainted people cope with the immense pressure of living under the huge bones of dead gods? What kind of economy sustains such large cities in what seems to be a largely devastated and untamed land? How are these fortifications stocked and the numerous warriors paid? If there is trade in exotic monster parts, what are they used for? What were the effects of abandoning the gods' cult over the last 300 years for the common folk, and how does this affect the rise of the Jarls with their human-centric views?
Overall, The Shadow of the Gods attempts to create an epic feel through its setting descriptions, world-building, and mythological inspiration. However, it lacks the necessary depth to be considered truly epic. This shortfall is evident from the map of Vigrið itself, which depicts a small stretch of land, with barely a handful of cities sporting uncomplicated internal or foreign politics. It seems oddly easy to travel from one place to another, despite the numerous deadly obstacles that make one wonder how anyone survives long enough to farm, fish, or trade. In this vague and limited geography, it is actually no wonder that a mercenary band escorting dozens of children across a desolate, Vaesen-infested land can seemingly teleport from one side of the mountains to the final battle ground without ever being detected.
About plotlines, plot twists and character development
I should point out again that I may not be the novel's target audience. It might be best enjoyed by casual readers, newcomers to fantasy fiction novels, or those admirers of Viking tales drawn mostly to well-described battles and the straightforward life of seafaring and shield walls. In my case, though, I found the plotlines simple and predictable, with a few problems in its storylines that were slightly distracting.
In Orka’s storyline, the red herring of Thorkel being the Bloodsworn’s former leader was so heavy-handed that halfway through the book it was impossible to not see her as the famed Skullsplitter. Her storyline lacked the depth and complexity needed to carry such a strong character. It could have been different if we had seen an Orka who had grown comfortable before tragedy struck—a once formidable warrior who dared to hope for a happy ending. She would then have to recover from a devastating loss, forced to abandon her years of peace as a wife, mother, and hunter-gatherer, and come to terms with her past warrior life while trying to rescue her son and avenge her husband. Instead, The Shadow of the Gods portrays a woman who never stopped thinking or behaving like a warrior, who was not burdened by years of peace, who never lost her abilities, her muscles, or her weapons to age or neglect. Orka has no character flaws to grow from or weaknesses to be exploited beyond her eagerness to fight and her tendency to take in strays—neither of which provide meaningful opportunities for character development or change.
Orka is portrayed as perfectly ready to be thrust back into battle, as if she had never left. I appreciated the early addition of her PTSD—it added a nice touch to her character that could have been explored further. However, her trauma disappears once her quest begins, with her paranoia becoming merely another asset with no other shortcomings in sight. Orka is a Viking John Wick—without weaknesses or burdens from her past as a warrior, wife, or mother; just a relentless character who happens to kill bad guys and occasionally saves clueless fishermen, orphaned children, and trapped giant ravens. There’s no quest for justice beyond fulfilling her own oaths, no real interest in uncovering the conspiracies behind the tragic events around her.
I only wish the giant animals had been better integrated into the landscape before being used as yet another Deus ex Machina.
Varg’s storyline suffers from similar issues. His identity as a tainted thrall was so painfully obvious that it could only be considered a plot twist for the character himself. Everyone around him and their mother knew it, to the point where most readers would find it strange that Varg remained oblivious of his true nature for his entire life. His overall ignorance about himself and the world is his only notable weakness or flaw, which is conveniently resolved by the novel’s end. Despite other problems in the plot, I think the revelation that the Bloodsworn is a mercenary band of men and women sharing the gods’ bloodlines was actually well-executed. However, I would have preferred this revelation to occur sooner, allowing more space for Varg’s character development as he comes to terms with his new circumstances.
“Battle- fame is nothing; it is chaff on the wind. Bonds of love, of kinship, of passion, of friendship: that is what we should all be yearning for.”
Elvar's development was also fairly straightforward. Among the three main characters, she was the only one with a genuine character flaw—her somewhat naive understanding of what it means to pursue battle-fame at all costs. She fully embraced the ideal of fighting for fame, regardless of the cost to others. Elvar’s storyline is where the book’s central theme is most explicitly addressed: what makes history and what changes the world—battle-fame, oath-keeping, or blood ties? These are the forces that drive the world to both its glory and its destruction. The revelation of Elvar’s family background was the better timed middle-point among the three plotlines, giving her the opportunity to confront her dilemma and choose between continuing with the Battle-Grim or returning to her father’s court.
However, Elvar's character suffers from a lack of agency in her story. (Well, Varg too, but he barely chooses anything after biting Einar Half-Troll’s leg, really, so I had expected much less from him.) Her decisions within the Battle-Grim always align with Agnar, the leader she follows without question. Her rebellion against her father feels like a shallow teenager’s revolt, that never grows to challenge to her people's way of life. Despite being a central character in the midst of Vigrið’s political conflicts, she remains distressingly apolitical. She misses every opportunity to question the ways of her people, whether it is the rulers of Snakavik or her mercenary band, except when it concerns whom she should tie the knot with. I wanted so much to like her, there aren’t many female characters who have the chance to make such mistakes and be forced to walk a path of redemption and reckoning. Elvar could have been so much more as the story's Pandora who opens the box of curses.
The ending of The Shadow of the Gods
Let’s finish this post with a few thoughts about the plot twists and the end of the book.
Anyone familiar with the basics of Norse mythology would have anticipated from the very start of The Shadow of the Gods that Lik-Rifa (AKA Nidhoggr) would break free from her prison beneath Oskutread (AKA Yggdrasil). I felt like I took a spoiler to the face coming from the author himself before I could even be fully immersed in the story. It reminded me of my early teenager years reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the first time. That ending had been partially spoiled by those obvious character names: Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. I mean, really? There could hardly be a more revealing names for a giant black dog shapeshifter and a werewolf.
Varg was the same: Varg, Warg, a wolf. He was basically carrying Ulfir’s nametag.
Despite being nearly 500 pages long, The Shadow of the Gods felt like it lacked some developments before reaching its ending. The pacing was uneven; too much happens before anyone arrives anywhere, and all three storylines take too long to reach their midpoint or to deliver meaningful advancements. Orka’s midpoint only comes after she reaches Darl and faces her enemies in the tavern. The middle point in Varg’s storyline takes the longest to happen, coming only when he faces the dilemma of keeping his oaths to the Bloodsworn or accepting the shady Galdurman Skalk's offer. And although Elvar’s midpoint comes around the middle of the book, when she confronts her dilemma of remaining a mercenary or accepting her father’s proposition, that’s also where she actually starts her quest. Given that before this, she did not have any real engagement to the mercenary’s mission of capturing and delivering an enthralled man to Jarl Störr. Her real choice and inciting incident happens when she learns about the map to Oskutred and decides to search for it.
This imbalance gave me the sense that the book was unfinished, as if the real conflicts and climaxes were reserved for another volume.
I might still read the next novel, though I’m not sure if it's because I hope to see more character development and a better fulfilment of the story's potential, or if it’s because I need some closure, as The Shadow of the Gods doesn’t feel like it carries an good enough ending.
I will likely come back to read The Hunger of the Gods before the third and final novel is relesaed. Would you like me to write about that as well?
Until next time!
TL:DR
Do you enjoy Viking tales? Which other novels would you recommend to our community?
Have you read The Shadow of the Gods, was it how you expected it to be? Will you read The Hunger of the Gods next?
Would you watch a movie of Orka killing goons non-stop until she gets rid of their pitful, clueless and stupid lordling who made the mistake of killing her dog... I mean, killing her husband and kidnapping her son?
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