Book Review: The Fury of the Gods

The Fury of the Gods is the third and final entry in John Gwynne’s dark fantasy Bloodsworn Saga. The narrative continues directly on from the events of the prior entry, Hunger of the Gods. Where we left off, Orka Skullsplitter had just saved her son Breca after breaking him free from Rotta’s warband after they sacked a nearby holdfast.  Despite saving her son however, Orka is captured by Rotta’s forces after she was bitten by a frost spider shortly before throwing Breca in the river to be rescued by the remainder of her allies.  Across the ocean, Varg No-Sense and the Bloodsworn are wrapping up after successfully attacking and killing Prince Jaromir of Iskidan after he kidnapped their Seiðr-witch Vol. With Vol back, he hopes to finally commence the akall ritual and learn the fate of his sister who he believes to be dead.  Before the Bloodsworn can plan their next move however they are provided a message to meet Elvar who has now become the new Jarl of Snakavic after deposing her father with help of the wolf-god Ulfrir.  With her new seat of power, Elvar must navigate the new-found responsibility she has inherited and plan her next move in the coming war against the dragon-god Lik-Rifa. With the final moves being played, all three of our main heroes will come together as the final fight against Lik-Rifa and her army is set into motion.

In any good trilogy, the first and second entry always plays a heavy role in establishing the foundation of the world and then framing everything in line for the eventual conclusion.  Fury of the Gods serves as the pivotal crescendo of all of the world-building and character arcs that John Gwynne meticulously set up throughout the course of this trilogy.  The way he finally pays off on all of the long-standing plot threads is so satisfying to experience.  I was worried with so many plot arcs to wrap up that the book would feel rushed but I never got that impression from my time reading it.  The benefit of having 3 books to flesh out each of these point-of-view characters is that there’s notable depth to their presence in the world and story, so much so that you feel when the stakes of the narrative have drastic effects on them.  The way Gwynne concludes the final acts of the story feel so gratifying too on account of how well he’s able to outline the scale of this final conflict in a way that feels confidently epic. Seeing the conclusion of Orka, Elvar and Varg’s stories was definitely and experience rife with emotional resonance as each character caps off their journeys a pretty definitive fashion.

There’s no deviation in the tone or styling of the story here either.  Gwynne doesn’t lose sight of the Viking-inspired world he’s created for one second.  His ability to continue introducing new concepts and creatures right up until the very end is beyond impressive and highlights his devotion as a writer.  The mature and serious tone really helps make this final entry in the series feel meaningful as well.  As with any dark fantasy, things won’t always go the way the reader will hope and there’s a lot of emotional segments in the story which wouldn’t have been nearly as engaging if not for Gwynne’s ability to construct and imbue the sequence with the necessary weight and emotion required. 

Fury of the Gods puts a definitive ending on the Bloodsworn saga while offering readers a small window into more stories this world might have to offer.  I understand Gwynne went through a lot of personal struggles during his time writing this book with the loss of his daughter. His afterword truly brought me to tears upon reading it and discovering how he finished the book in her memory.  The fact that the man was able to establish this world, weave its plot through the lens of so many characters and tie everything up so confidently, all the while dealing with a real-life struggle I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy; truly outlines how much this man cares as a father and as writer. If you are a self-respecting fantasy enjoyer, this author deserves every bit of attention you can afford; he’s truly one of the best of the modern era if the Bloodsworn trilogy is anything to go by.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐