The Hunger of the Gods
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4.6 • 640 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
LOOK OUT FOR THE DELUXE LIMITED HARDCOVER EDITIONS OF THE BLOODSWORN SAGA ― featuring stenciled sprayed edges, a new introduction from the author, a foil stamped case, and custom endpapers. Only available on a limited first print run while supplies last.
The second novel of John Gwynne's New York Times bestselling Bloodsworn Saga, this story set in a Norse-inspired world is packed with myth, magic, and vengeance.
"Visceral, heartbreaking, and unputdownable." —Jay Kristoff on The Shadow of the Gods
THE DEAD GODS ARE RISING.
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 fulfill 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.
Their only hope lies within the mad writings of a chained god. A book of forbidden magic with the power to raise the wolf god Ulfrir from the dead...and bring about a battle that will shake the foundations of the earth.
Praise for The Shadow of the Gods
“There is not a dull chapter in this fantasy epic.” —Vulture (Best of the Year)
"A satisfying and riveting read. It’s everything I’ve come to expect from a John Gwynne book." —Robin Hobb
"A masterfully crafted, brutally compelling Norse-inspired epic." —Anthony Ryan
"A masterclass in storytelling . . . epic, gritty fantasy with an uncompromising amount of heart." —FanFiAddict
For more from John Gwynne, check out:
The Bloodsworn Trilogy
The Shadow of the Gods
The Hunger of the Gods
The Fury of the Gods
Of Blood and Bone
A Time of Dread
A Time of Blood
A Time of Courage
The Faithful and the Fallen
Malice
Valor
Ruin
Wrath
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lik-Rifa, the dragon god, is free from her prison and marches with her dragon-born Tainted followers to conquer the divided realms of Vigrid in Gwynne's furious, battle-filled follow-up to The Shadow of the Gods. As Orka Skullsplitter and Uspa, the Seidr-witch, both search for their stolen children, their quests lead them into the path of the Lik-Rifa's fierce war band. But Orka and Uspa have war bands of their own, along with monsters called vaesen and spell books written by the gods that can resurrect and enthrall even long-deceased deities. While reborn gods take to the skies to fight for dominion, mortals plot, scheme, and betray down below, all in the name of power. Gwynne keeps mainly to the Norse elements that make his prose ring with verisimilitude, but he expands his world with a visit to the mighty southern empire of Iskidan that gives the book a bit of a Byzantine feel. He also plays fair by giving his characters challenges that sometimes do defeat them, even as they hold the reins on revivified gods. It's an exciting outing that nicely sets up the trilogy's finale.
Customer Reviews
Outstanding Sequel
John Gwynne’s The Hunger of the Gods isn’t just a strong sequel—it’s the point where you realize he’s leveled up far beyond his early work. I enjoyed Malice and the rest of The Faithful and the Fallen, but those books always felt like classic fantasy training wheels. You could see the Tolkien fingerprints all over them, the tropes were more predictable, and the characters sometimes read like archetypes instead of living, bleeding people. With The Hunger of the Gods, Gwynne has shed all of that. This book is grimmer, sharper, and written with the confidence of an author who knows exactly what kind of world he’s building and exactly how much pain he’s going to put you through.
The difference shows most in the characters. Malice had plenty of names, but few who jumped off the page with the raw magnetism of Orka, Elvar, or even a petty little rat like Gudvarr. Orka in particular is the kind of character Gwynne never quite nailed in his earlier series: a complex, fully-formed powerhouse whose grief and rage carry more weight than a thousand prophecies. The fact that she feels both larger-than-life and painfully human is proof of how far Gwynne’s craft has come.
It’s also the prose. Malice sometimes trudged under the weight of its length, repeating familiar beats until you were waiting for the Big Destiny Moment to show up. Here, the short, punchy chapters keep you lunging forward. Even when the book drags a little under the endless traveling, the writing itself feels more immediate, visceral, and cinematic. Gwynne has traded the safety of homage for the savagery of innovation, and the result is gripping.
Worldbuilding is another leap. Malice gave us gods, giants, and magic, but in a way that echoed old-school epic fantasy. The Hunger of the Gods rips Norse mythology wide open and drags its entrails across every page. The gods aren’t background lore—they’re active players, reshaping the landscape, raising armies, and making the stakes feel apocalyptic in a way Gwynne’s early series never quite achieved.
Simply put, The Faithful and the Fallen was Gwynne proving he belonged on the fantasy shelf. The Hunger of the Gods is Gwynne proving he belongs at the top of it. This is sharper, bloodier, more emotionally resonant, and utterly confident in its identity. For me, it’s not even a comparison—this saga leaves Malice looking like the rough draft of what Gwynne was always meant to write.
Non stop
Several twists and great adventures
This really good book plus I no more
I no more about Norse mythology Loki son the finer the Wolf this is really good