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Valour by John Gwynne

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Valour

The Faithful and the Fallen (Related to this series)

Narrator
Damian Lynch
Publisher
Pan Macmillan
Publish Date
24 October 2024
Run Time
23 hours 44 minutes
Format
Audiobook

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What to expect

From the masterful John Gwynne, Valour is the second epic fantasy in the Faithful and the Fallen series, following Malice.

The Banished Lands are torn by war, as the army of High King Nathair sweeps the realm challenging all who oppose his holy crusade. Allied with the manipulative Queen Rhin of Cambren, there are few who can stand against him. But Rhin is playing her own games and has her eyes on a far greater prize . . .

Left for dead – her kin have fled and her country is overrun with enemies – Cywen fights to survive. But any chance of escape is futile once Nathair and his disquieting advisor Calidus realize who she is. They have no intention of letting such a prize slip from their grasp. For she may be their one chance at killing the biggest threat to their power.

Meanwhile, the young warrior Corban flees from his conquered homeland with his exiled companions, heading for the only place that may offer them sanctuary. But to get there they must travel through Cambren, avoiding warbands, giants and the vicious wolven of the mountains. And all the while Corban struggles to become the man that everyone believes him to be – the Bright Star and saviour of the Banished Lands.

Embroiled in struggles for power and survival, the mortal world is unaware of the greatest threat of all. In the Otherworld, dark forces scheme to bring a host of the Fallen into the world of flesh to end the war with the Faithful, once and for all.

Continue the fantasy series with Ruin and Wrath.

Praise for John Gwynne:

'It gets faster and more fascinating by the page' – Conn Iggulden, author of Empire

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

'One of the modern masters of heroic fantasy' – Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time

'Exciting, well-written swords and sorcery. Try it on for size' – Mark Lawrence, author of The Broken Empire

'Kept me reading late into the night' – James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost

Critics Review

  • The prose is sharp, the pace works wonderfully well and when added to a whole cast of complex character that bring not only the world in which they inhabit to life but bring their own thoughts and desires to the reader with space to spare. All round, this series is building into one of favourites of the last few years and to have an author who can produce a second book of high quality in good time and schedule shows that this author has a bright future. Great stuff.

    Falcata Times

  • Valour is hands down, the best fantasy I have read in an age. I thought Providence of Fire might have claimed it, but Valour came swooping in and stole the title . . . may be becoming one of my all time favourite fantasy series . . . I’d probably class it with early Eddings, Gemmell and Goodkind, but with more maturity, stronger characters.. And more Omph! (technical term)

    Bookfrivolity

  • Valour manages to surpass what was already a very strong debut, somehow managing to be even better than Malice . . . John Gwynne is a writer good enough to create characters you can love, and confident enough to kill them off when the time is right . . . A great read. Real characters in a well crafted world you can really immerse yourself in to.

    Dominish Reviews

  • The ‘Chosen-One’ offspring of George R R Martin and J K Rowling, raised on the bedtime stories of Tolkien and whipped into fighting shape by David Gemmell . . . but still 100% Gwynne . . . John Gwynne wades in with a depth of world building that’d see most newbie authors flounder.

    Written With a Sword Reviews

See more reviews
  • I really enjoyed the parts of the story that were set in the Celtic-influenced areas. The settings are beautiful and vivid, and the forests and mountains and castles distinctly brought to my mind the time I’ve spent in Wales and Scotland.

    Half Strung Harp Reviews

  • A real gem . . . the traditional good versus evil tale in with very nontraditional twists.

    Power and Page Reviews

  • Influenced by Gemmell's Rigante and GRR Martin's Game of Thrones - two good strands of DNA. Great characters and plot - it gets faster and more fascinating by the page . . . Highly recommended

    Conn Iggulden, author of Empire, on Malice

  • With all manner of battles, betrayals and revelations. I particularly enjoyed the battle scenes and duels . . . If it sounds like your thing, then it probably is

    Mark Lawrence, author of Prince of Thorns, on Malice

  • It’s exciting when you find a strong new voice ringing out through the halls of fantasy, and John Gwynne hits all the right spots in his epic tale of good vs evil . . . Gwynne is definitely one to watch

    SFX on Malice

  • Reminds me of why I became a fantasy enthusiast in the first place

    Robin Hobb, author of Assassin’s Apprentice, on A Time of Dread

  • John Gwynne is one of the modern masters of heroic fantasy

    Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time

  • Brilliantly compelling heroic fantasy . . . kept me reading late into the night

    James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost, on A Time of Dread

  • Visceral, heart-breaking and unputdownable

    Jay Kristoff, author of Empire of the Vampire, on The Shadow of the Gods

  • The stakes are high, the characters are engaging and relatable, and the action is thrilling

    SciFiNow on A Time of Dread

User Reviews

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Details

Author
John Gwynne
Narrator
Damian Lynch
Duration
23 hours 44 minutes
Release Date
24 October 2024
ISBN
9781035073177
Format
Audiobook
Publisher
Pan Macmillan
Genre
Epic fantasy / high fantasy, Heroic fantasy / Sword and sorcery, Contemporary fantasy / Low fantasy, Historical fantasy, Dystopian and utopian fiction

Synopsis

From the masterful John Gwynne, Valour is the second epic fantasy in the Faithful and the Fallen series, following Malice.The Banished Lands are torn by war, as the army of High King Nathair sweeps the realm challenging all who oppose his holy crusade. Allied with the manipulative Queen Rhin of Cambren, there are few who can stand against him. But Rhin is playing her own games and has her eyes on a far greater prize . . .Left for dead – her kin have fled and her country is overrun with enemies – Cywen fights to survive. But any chance of escape is futile once Nathair and his disquieting advisor Calidus realize who she is. They have no intention of letting such a prize slip from their grasp. For she may be their one chance at killing the biggest threat to their power.Meanwhile, the young warrior Corban flees from his conquered homeland with his exiled companions, heading for the only place that may offer them sanctuary. But to get there they must travel through Cambren, avoiding warbands, giants and the vicious wolven of the mountains. And all the while Corban struggles to become the man that everyone believes him to be – the Bright Star and saviour of the Banished Lands.Embroiled in struggles for power and survival, the mortal world is unaware of the greatest threat of all. In the Otherworld, dark forces scheme to bring a host of the Fallen into the world of flesh to end the war with the Faithful, once and for all.Continue the fantasy series with Ruin and Wrath.Praise for John Gwynne:'It gets faster and more fascinating by the page' – Conn Iggulden, author of Empire'Reminds me of why I became a fantasy enthusiast in the first place' – Robin Hobb, author of Assassin's Apprentice'One of the modern masters of heroic fantasy' – Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time'Exciting, well-written swords and sorcery. Try it on for size' – Mark Lawrence, author of The Broken Empire'Kept me reading late into the night' – James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost

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