“You cannot be truly brave unless you feel truly afraid”
Sometimes a series can be too good. No, I’m not talking about A Time of Dread, although we’ll come to that. I’m talking about the impact Gwynne’s superb The Faithful and the Fallen series had on me when I first read it, way back in 2016. I loved how that series played so effectively with the established tropes of the epic fantasy genre, whilst also delivering a compelling story involving some memorable characters. I read those four books in rapid succession during that year and thoroughly enjoyed them all. The series left a lasting impression on me.
Whilst I started creative writing before I first read Gwynne, it’s still fair to say he was a huge influence on me as an author. After finishing Wrath, the series finale, I quickly picked up A Time of Dread, the first book in Gwynne’s follow up series, Of Blood and Bone. This was a return to the same fantasy setting 130 years after the events of The Faithful and the Fallen. However, I delayed making a start with the book. Looking back, I realised that I was worried Of Blood and Bone wouldn’t live up to my high expectations set by The Faithful and the Fallen.
Consequently, A Time of Dread languished, neglected, on my bookshelves. Put another way, I put off reading this book for so long that when I finally selected the paperback as my first read of 2026 the text was too small, because my glasses prescription had changed so much in the past decade. Fortunately, I’d picked up the series hardbacks at a bargain price not long before and was delighted to find these were not so taxing on my ageing eyesight!
It did take me a little while to get into this book, since it’s told from a multi-viewpoint perspective. This means the story is slower to develop from the outset as Gwynne establishes each strand, although the payoff of this approach comes in telling a much richer story overall. Gwynne handles the sense of mystery extremely well and maintains a feeling of suspense throughout. In keeping with the title, there is a building sense of dread in the first 25% as you don’t know who to trust. By that point I was completely hooked.
A Time of Dread also introduces us to a new and interesting set of characters, as well as some of the long-lived giants and Ben-Elim who played a part in events during The Faithful and the Fallen. The angel-like Ben-Elim now rule the Banished Lands but their fallen cousins, the Kadoshim, have not been completely defeated. Bent on the destruction of the Kadoshim, the Ben-Elim have placed the various human kingdoms under their rule, demanding a flesh tithe from each land to help them in their ongoing war against their sworn enemies.
One part of the novel focusses on the Ben-Elim’s stronghold of Drassil, where young Bleda and Jin are their conquered wards. There we also meet Riv, a berserker desperate to prove herself, although she’ll need to master her anger first and learn control if she is to be accepted into the ranks of the White Wings who fight alongside the Ben-Elim.
We also follow the exploits of the hunter Drem, a well-represented autistic character. Drem is surrounded in mystery and his father Olin soon proves to be more than he seems. Whilst Drem’s attention is romantically drawn to his neighbour Fritha, he quickly finds life is going to be much more complicated than he would like.
The other major viewpoint character is Sig, the warrior giant, as she hunts the demonic Kadoshim and tries to uncover their latest plots. Interestingly, Sig and her fellow warriors of Dun Serren are part of the order of the Bright Star. Founded by Corban, the hero in The Faithful and the Fallen, his legacy lives on long after his death. Those in Dun Serren follow their own path, much to the annoyance of the Ben-Elim.
Gwynne balances leaving the reader guessing about the plot and people’s motivations with some great action scenes. The impact of these feels visceral and real and the toll on some of the characters is high. The resulting grief of the survivors at those who have fallen is handled very well. In this book there are always consequences when matters are resolved with a blade and, to add an extra sense of jeopardy, no hound is safe.
The ending of the book is suitably climactic and packed with so many revelations. There’s one twist in particular that I didn’t see coming, although looking back I probably should have!
Some of my friends have said they consider Of Blood and Bone to be superior to The Faithfull and the Fallen. As I said at the outset, I was sceptical about this. However, after reading this book I have to agree! I think the reason why I prefer this novel is it’s a more sophisticated tale, told by an author who has full mastery of his craft. A Time of Dread was a thoroughly enjoyable read and an excellent start to what promises to be a wonderful series.
