I don’t think A Time of Courage gives us anything particularly new, because we’ve seen by now what John Gwynne has to offer, but what we do get is nothing short of exceptional.

To say that the action in this book is intense would be an understatement, and at one point, after a battle covering several viewpoints over a number of chapters, I literally had to get up and walk around the house for a few minutes to take a breather (and return with a glass of wine). Here, we have some of the best battles I can remember reading, with true life-or-death moments where you’re not sure if the unthinkable is about to happen to a main character, or if they’ll make It out alive. In this third and final book the action is dialled up a notch, which is saying something as action is one of the things John Gwynne is well known for. This makes me sad, as I have enjoyed my time reading The Faithful and the Fallen and then Of Blood and Bone, and in combination, the two series stand firmly at the top of my list of favourites.

With A Time of Courage, we end our adventure in the Banished Lands, at least for now. What can I say about John Gwynne’s books that I haven’t already said before? But can the light triumph when the dark is rising?Ī Time of Blood is the spectacular follow-up to John Gwynne's A Time of Dread.A Time of Courage, Of Blood and Bone #3, by John Gwynne Like heroes of old, Drem and the Bright Star’s warriors must battle to save their land. And their allies in the Order may be too overwhelmed to send aid - with Fritha and her monstrous beasts closing in. This could decimate the fractured Ben-Elim. And when she’s found by the Ben-Elim’s high captain, he swoops in for the kill.Īs demonic forces multiply, they send a mighty war-host to overthrow the angel’s stronghold. She represents the warrior angels’ biggest secret, one which could break their society. Now Fritha, the demons’ high priestess, is hunting Drem’s party.Ĭoncealed in Forn Forest, Riv struggles to understand her half-breed heritage. But worst of all, they’ve seen a demon rise from the dead - making it even more powerful. They’ve witnessed horrors they’ll never forget, such as magic warping men into beasts. Drem and his friends flee the battle at Starstone Lake to warn the Order of the Bright Star.

A Time of Courage by John Gwynne