Showing results by author "John Gwynne" in All Categories

Elvar is struggling to consolidate her power in Snakavik, where she faces threats from without and within. As she fights to assert her authority in readiness for the coming conflict, she faces a surely insurmountable task: reigning in the ferocity of a wolf god. As Biorr and his warband make their way north, eager for blood, Gudvarr pursues a mission of his own, hoping to win Lik-Rifa’s favour and further his own ambitions.

Drem and his friends are haunted by the horrors they witnessed at the battle at Starstone Lake: the screams of men being warped into beasts and the sight of a demon rising from the dead. But worse than any memory is Fritha, the demons' deadly high priestess. And she is hunting them. Concealed in Forn Forest, Riv knows her very existence as a half-breed is a threat to the Ben-Elim. She represents their most dangerous secret - and if the warrior angels find her, they won't hesitate to silence her.

Events are coming to a climax in the Banished Lands, as the war reaches new heights. King Nathair has taken control of the fortress at Drassil and three of the Seven Treasures are in his possession. And together with Calidus and his ally Queen Rhin, Nathair will do anything to obtain the remaining Treasures. With all seven under his command, he can open a portal to the Otherworld. Then Asroth and his demon-horde will finally break into the Banished Lands and become flesh.

Lik-Rifa, the dragon god of legend, has been freed from her eternal prison. Now she plots a new age of blood and conquest. As Orka continues the hunt for her missing son, the Bloodsworn sweep south in a desperate race to save one of their own - and Varg takes the first steps on the path of vengeance. Elvar has sworn to fulfil her blood oath and rescue a prisoner from the clutches of Lik-Rifa and her dragonborn followers, but first she must persuade the Battle-Grim to follow her. Yet even the might of the Bloodsworn and Battle-Grim cannot stand alone against a dragon god.

After the old gods warred and drove themselves to extinction, the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrio. Now, power-hungry jarls carve out petty kingdoms, and monsters stalk the shadow-haunted woods and mountains. A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power, promising fame, and fortune for those brave - or desperate - enough to seek them out. As whispers of war echo over the plains and across the fjords, fate follows the footsteps of three people. All three will shape the fate of the world, as it once more teeters on the edge of chaos.

The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed in battle, but now giants are seen, the stones weep blood, and giant wyrms are stirring. Those who can still read the signs see a threat far greater than the ancient wars. For if the Black Sun gains ascendancy, mankind's hopes and dreams will fall to dust....

Corban flees his homeland searching for peace, but he soon discovers that there is no haven in the west as the agents of Rhin and roaming bands of giants hound his every step. Veradis leaves the battleground and rushes to his King's side. But he has witnessed both combat and betrayal and his duty weighs heavily upon him. Maquin seeks only revenge, but pirate slavers and the brutal world of pit-fighting stand in his way. Nathair becomes embroiled in the wars of the west as Queen Rhin marches against King Owain. The need to find the cauldron of the giants drives him on.

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?

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.

The demon king Asroth has been freed from his iron prison. Now, alongside his dark bride, Fritha, he plans to conquer the whole of the Banished Lands. In the shadows of Forn Forest, Riv and the surviving Ben-Elim desperately search for a way to unite those who remain against Asroth's vast army. Far in the west, Drem is with the Order of the Bright Star, besieged by a demon horde. Their fragile defenses are on the brink of shattering, but they know that it is better to fight and die than to live without hope.

Dopo il successo di "Malice: La guerra degli dei", vincitore nel 2012 del premio David Gemmell Morningstar, il secondo volume della saga "La fede e l'inganno". L'annosa guerra condotta dal re di Tenebral, Nathair, ha ormai devastato le Terre dell'Esilio. Insieme alla sua perfida e intrigante alleata, la regina Rhin di Cambren, i cui reali obiettivi sono sconosciuti allo stesso sovrano, il conquistatore percorre quelle immense lande con il suo esercito spietato, sterminando chiunque si opponga alla sua crociata e schiacciando sotto il suo giogo le genti sconfitte.

The Banished Lands has a violent past, where men and giants clashed in a war for supremacy and near-extinction for the vanquished. Now men rule the land, giants little more than a memory, lurking in the wilds and dark places. This tale takes place ten years before the events of Malice, book one of The Faithful and the Fallen, within the Darkwood, a great forest that splits the western realms of Ardan and Narvon.

Nelle Terre dell'Esilio, le conseguenze della guerra hanno raggiunto il punto di non ritorno. Re Nathair controlla ormai la fortezza di Drassil, nascosta nel cuore della Foresta di Forn, e tre dei Sette Tesori sono nelle sue mani. Alleatosi con Calidus e con la perfida regina Rhin, è disposto a tutto pur di conquistare i restanti quattro Tesori, che gli permetterebbero di acquisire la facoltà di aprire il portale verso l'Oltremondo.

Soltanto perdendo coloro che ama, Corban imparerà il vero prezzo del coraggio. Le Terre dell'Esilio hanno un passato violento, in cui eserciti di uomini e di giganti si scontrarono in battaglia, scurendo la terra con il sangue nero dei loro cuori. Anche se i clan dei giganti sono stati spazzati via in ere ormai remote, le loro fortezze in rovina continuano a segnare come cicatrici la terra degli uomini.

Drem e i suoi amici, ancora perseguitati dal ricordo degli orrori di cui sono stati testimoni durante la battaglia del lago Pietrastella, dalle urla di uomini trasformati in bestie alla vista di un demone che risorgeva dalla morte, sono in fuga per avvertire l’ordine dell’Astro splendente. Fritha, la spietata somma sacerdotessa dei demoni è però più letale di qualsiasi ricordo, e sta dando loro la caccia. Nascosta nella Foresta di Forn, Riv sa che in quanto mezzosangue la sua stessa esistenza costituisce una minaccia per i Ben-Elim.

Der Auftakt der neuen düsteren High-Fantasy-Trilogie. In "Nordnacht", der neuen Fantasy-Saga von John Gwynne, werden die Hörer:innen in eine Welt entführt, die der skandinavischen Mythologie entlehnt ist. Im hohen Norden leben nicht nur die kriegerischen Wikingerstämme, die gegeneinander um Macht und Einfluss kämpfen, sondern die hohen Berge und wilden Fjorde werden auch von anderen unheimlichen und todbringenden Wesen bevölkert.

Sie dachten, der Krieg sei vorüber. Doch nun wissen sie, dass sich der wahre Feind erst gegen sie erhebt... Die Welt der Menschen steht auf Messers Schneide: Drem und seine Freunde wurden Zeugen, wie sich einfache Menschen in reißende Bestien verwandelten und sich ein Dämon von den Toten erhob. Dessen Hohepriesterin Fritha ist den Gefährten nun auf den Fersen. Doch nicht nur von ihr droht Gefahr: Riv hütet ein Geheimnis, das die hochmütigen Ben-Elim stürzen könnte. Werden die jungen Helden ihr Land retten angesichts der sich erhebenden Dunkelheit?

Der Krieg zwischen den Gerechten und den Gefallenen scheint entschieden: Der teuflische König Nathair ist in den Besitz aller sieben Kostbarkeiten gelangt, sodass er nun ein Portal für Asroth und seine Dämonenhorden öffnen kann. Der einzige, der den fehlgeleiteten König aufzuhalten vermag, ist Corban - doch der befindet sich in Gefangenschaft der Giganten. Um am Leben zu bleiben, muss er neue Verbündete unter diesen schrecklichen Feinden finden. Denn wenn Corban fällt, ist auch das Schicksal der Verfemten Lande entschieden.

Die Verfemten Lande versinken in Krieg und Chaos: Die dämonischen Kadoshim sind kurz davor, ihrem Herrscher Asroth und seinen Gefallenen Einlass in die Welt der Sterblichen zu gewähren. Doch damit dieses teuflische Unterfangen gelingt, benötigen die Dämonen die sieben Kostbarkeiten - das mächtigste Artefakt hält allerdings König Nathair in seinen Händen, während sich unbemerkt eine Rebellion gegen ihn erhebt. Denn zusammen mit seinen mutigen Gefährten und einer sprechenden Krähe macht sich Corban auf zur mystischen Feste Drassil, wo ein weiterer Schatz verborgen scheint.

Der Krieg ist ausgebrochen und hat die Verfemten Lande in Chaos gestürzt. Der Krieger Corban, der einst treu für König Brenin kämpfte, ist auf der Flucht - bis dem Feind ein wertvolles Pfand in die Hände fällt: Die junge Cywen ist Corbans Schwester, und um sie zu retten, würde er jeden Preis zahlen. Gleichzeitig ringt Corban mit der Bürde, ein Held zu sein. Doch während er vor seinem Schicksal flieht, formieren sich dunkle Mächte, um die Verfechter der Gerechtigkeit für immer zu zerschlagen.