Ruin

Description

Shortlisted for the 2016 David Gemmell Legend Award for Best Novel. The third in The Faithful and the Fallen series, Ruin by John Gwynne continues the gripping battle of good vs evil. The Banished Lands are engulfed in war and chaos. The cunning Queen Rhin has conquered the west and High King Nathair has the cauldron, most powerful of the seven treasures. At his back stands the scheming Calidus and a warband of the Kadoshim, dread demons of the Otherworld. They plan to bring Asroth and his host of the Fallen into the world of flesh, but to do so they need the seven treasures. Nathair has been deceived but now he knows the truth. He has choices to make; choices that will determine the fate of the Banished Lands. Elsewhere the flame of resistance is growing - Queen Edana finds allies in the swamps of Ardan. Maquin is loose in Tenebral, hunted by Lykos and his corsairs. Here he will witness the birth of a rebellion in Nathair's own realm. Corban has been swept along by the tide of war. He has suffered, lost loved ones, sought only safety from the darkness. But he will run no more. He has seen the face of evil and he has set his will to fight it. The question is, how? With a disparate band gathered about him - his family, friends, giants, fanatical warriors, an angel and a talking crow - he begins the journey to Drassil, the fabled fortress hidden deep in the heart of Forn Forest. For in Drassil lies the spear of Skald, one of the seven treasures, and here it is prophesied that the Bright Star will stand against the Black Sun. Continue the epic fantasy series with Wrath.

John Gwynne studied and lectured at Brighton University. He's been in a rock 'n' roll band, playing the double bass, travelled the USA and lived in Canada for a time. He is married with four children and lives in Eastbourne running a small family business rejuvenating vintage furniture. His series, The Faithful and the Fallen begins with Malice and continues with Valour.

Mythical, magical, intense, brutal, poignant . . . utterly brilliant. * Fantasy Book Review * The battles are brutal and bloody, just as they should be (especially when you chuck giants, bears, draigs and huge wolf like beasts into the mix). All through the book it builds, the smaller battles leading towards bigger and bigger ones and leading to a climax that will knock you for six . . .don't expect to come out of it with your heart in one piece. * Ebookwyrm * Triumphant . . . A masterful thrill ride of a book. * Dominish Fantasy Reviews * Dark, thrilling and bloody. But Ruin's strongest point is, for me, its characters. The author takes character relationships crafted throughout the first two novels - between friends, family, loved ones and, especially, animals - and brings them beautifully to the fore without overstating them, whilst also forging new ones along the way. * Half Strung Harp Reviews * This was an incredible follow-up . . . Ruin is probably the strongest novel in the series so far. Gwynne did an incredible job leading things to their logical conclusions for massive payoffs, while shuffling things up just enough to make me both dread and anticipate the finale. * Reading Lamp Reviews *