This is Matthew Stogdill with the Sioux City Public Library, and you’re listening to Check it Out
Today, I will be talking about The Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne. It is the first book in his Bloodsworn Saga. Gwynne draws heavily from Norse mythology and Viking culture for this fantasy series set in the world of Vigrið. Vigrið has become a hard land since Gods-fall, the great cataclysm that resulted from the death of the gods 300 years ago, but though the gods are dead and their worship outlawed, their influence lives on. Monsters plague the land, preying on humans, squabbling lords hunt for the bones of the dead gods, and people who are descended from the gods can take on the bestial aspects of their ancestors
This book follows the quests of three separate protagonists, each weaving their own yarns, but bound together by the tapestry of fate: Orka, Varg, and Elvar. Orka is a homesteader who is just trying to live a peaceful life with her family while hiding from the shadow of her past. Her world is left in ruins when a string of child kidnappings near her home leads to her husband’s murder and her son’s abduction. Varg is an escaped slave on a quest for vengeance. His path leads him to join up with the Bloodsworn, an infamous band of mercenaries and monster hunters, where he learns the warrior’s trade and experiences the bonds of family for the first time. Elvar is a warrior of noble blood, but she thirsts for honor and glory in her own right, and she’ll chase them all the way to the end of the world.
The three of them find unexpected friends and gain dangerous enemies as they each uncover a conspiracy to unleash a power that could end the world.
Look for The Shadow of The Gods and other books by John Gwynne at the Sioux City Public Library.
Support for Check It Out on Siouxland Public Media comes from Verde Outdoor Media.