Over the course of that year we can see a lot of growth in all the characters and because war is raging in the Banished Lands, everyone seems to be on the move. Valour follows the events in the Banished Lands over approximately a year from the end of the first book. Boy, am I in for a ride! Valour is the second book in the series and I was glued to its pages from start to finish. I felt that now was the perfect time to jump in and binge-read all of them. Although I faithfully bought all the books when they came out, I never got a chance to read them because life got in the way. Though it starts off slow, introducing a whole cast of characters and an interesting world, it picks up around the middle and sets the tone for a fascinating story that would entice many. When I read Malice back in 2013 (review here), I knew I was reading one of the next big series. Sides are chosen and oaths will be fulfilled or broken in a land where hell has broken loose.

The need to find the cauldron of the giants drives him on. Nathair becomes embroiled in the wars of the west as Queen Rhin marches against King Owain. Maquin seeks only revenge, but pirate slavers and the brutal world of pit-fighting stand in his way. But he has witnessed both combat and betrayal and his duty weighs heavily upon him. Veradis leaves the battleground and rushes to his King’s side. Malice is a dark epic fantasy tale of blind greed, ambition, and betrayal.War has erupted in the Banished Lands as the race for power intensifies.Ĭorban 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.

For if the Black Sun gains ascendancy, mankind's hopes and dreams will fall to dust. Those who can still read the signs see a threat far greater than the ancient wars. 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.

Nor does he agree with his father's idea to summon his fellow kings to council. Many of them don't involve his father, the High King Aquilus. He is one of the most skilled swordsman to come out of his homeland, yet he is always under the shadow of his older brother. Veradis is the newest member of the warband for the High Prince, Nathair. And nothing will stop him once he has started on his path. But what he wants - the power to rule - will soon be in his grasp. And the price he pays will be in blood.Įvnis has sacrificed - too much it seems. Corban wants nothing more than to be a warrior under King Brenin's rule - to protect and serve.

John gwynne faithful and the fallen