Malice - By John Gwynne
Overview of Malice - By John Gwynne
"Malice" is the first book in the fantasy series "The Faithful and The Fallen," written by English author, John Gywnne and released in 2012. Each chapter is from the point of view of a specific person within the story. Main protagonist and POV character, Corban, is a blacksmith's son from the kingdom of Ardan, who has no great grandeur or nobility to his name, only to follow the fantasy archetype and rise from simple boy to hero. The book's POV characters also include Cywen (Corban's sister), Evnis, Veradis (major character), Kastell (major character), Camlin and Ventos. The story parts three ways, represented by Corban and the Kingdom of Ardan, Veradis and his compatriot Prince Nathair, from the Kingdom of Tenerbal, and finally with the noble, Kastell, and his loyal friend, Maquin, from the Kingdom of Isiltir.`The story takes place in the fabled "Banished Lands," a country shared by historical enemies, mankind and giants.
It is a time of great change in the land, with High King Aquilus calling a council of kings from all the realms to discuss a supposed prophecy written centuries previous, by Havlor, a giant alive during the time before man stepped foot in the Banished Lands. The prophecy, found by Meical, the mysterious counsellor to Aquilus, talks of omens and auguries of an impending "God-War," where all will fight, good and evil. Good is said to fight under the banner of the divine "Bright Star", a warrior chosen by "Elyon," the God of this universe. Evil is said to fight under the banner of the "Black Sun," a person chosen by "Asroth," the ruler of the otherworld. The tale twists and turns, with Nathair, under the guidance/manipulation of counsellor, Claidus, believing himself Elyon's chosen conduit of virtue, raising an army of his own bannerman, as well as the skilled Jehar warriors, Corban begins training for the upcoming god-war, under the dutiful tutoring of stablemaster and secret master swordsman, Gar and supposed witch, Brina. Kastell and Maquin join the Gadrai, giant killers of forn forest, after unrest in their homeland. The separate stories connect, ending with the death of Kastell at the hands of his treacherous cousin, Jael, with Maquin surviving him, along with the remnants of the Gadrai. Corban is forced to flee his home with a coterie of his fellow Dun Carreg natives, after a spate of events leading to the death of King of Ardan, Brenin, as well as other close to corban, at the hands of Nathair and his imposing armada, under the guise of divine jurisdiction and the greater good. All the events correlate directly with the prophesied words of Havlor, the impending god-war and the mystical seven "starstone treasures."
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| Cover for Malice from series The Faithful and The Fallen |
Review of Malice - By John Gwynne
Positive
- The intertwining plot is extremely impressive from John Gynne in his fantasy debut. The eclectic mix of characters and settings seem overly abundant to begin with, but through intentional and thought out writing, the people and the places are easy to understand, and not overwhelming, which can be a risk when it comes to a novel dealing with this level of depth.
- The world building brings the scenes and settings to life, the eloquent and thorough detail Gywnne puts into his description of lands, forestry and towns is unparalleled. Any novel with a landmass akin to a continent, the mundanity of travelling will be necessary. However, Gywnne uses the travelling sequences to help build the world around the characters, allowing the reader to discover landmarks at the same time as the people in the story.
- The action sequences in the book are extremely descriptive and realistic, allowing you to easily imagine what the writer is describing. Gwynne himself is a Viking-reenactor, and has said that many of the scenes he writes are played out personally. The author's own experience allows for a lot of the combat to appear grounded, but infused with fantastical elements.
- The story pairs traditional high fantasy with grimdark, treading the typical tropes in an exciting way. There is a sense of good versus evil, like classic fantasy, but there is a lot of death, even with main characters, without it becoming overly bleak. The treading in between the genres of fantasy allows for the book to feel like classic fantasy, but without traditional plot armour, leaving the reader with a sense that any character could perish.
- The lore established in the novel is fairly similar to other works of fiction; particularly "A Song of Ice and Fire", by G.R.R Martin. However, through Gywnne's own influence, the book is far from derivative. Tales of Elyon being tricked by Asroth and laying siege to his creations, sacred items crafted when a star fell to the earth possessing great power, the noble "Bright Star" versus the evil "Black sun", mystical creatures like white wyrms and giant wolven, etc. Moreoever, beyond the fantastical elements you have the typical medieval influences, things like an elected first sword, a battle chief, politicking, court of swords, etc. The lore present in the book is familiar without feeling overused, seeming appropriate in the world it's set.
Negative
- Gwynne's world building and character development is excellent, however, an area which is slightly left lacking in this book is the character description. When it comes to visualising a battle scene or a mountain pass, Gywnne is able to paint a very clear picture through his imaginative word choice and level of detail, but in terms of being able to imagine a character, the reader is left to their own devices, without much aid from the author.
Overall
The book is a must-read for any fan of classic fantasy, set in a sweeping world, littered with unique and endearing characters. The story infuses traditional elements in the genre with more modern takes, creating a unique middle ground where you cannot predict what will happen next. The POV-based chapters are smaller than typical passages, creating a fast-flowing novel that puts you in the shoes of each person. This make it easy to become enamoured with the fable and fly through the pages. The ending of the book leaves the reader with many questions, with the crescendo of the story involving treachery, death and plans coming to fruition, perfectly setting up the sequel "Valour", which was released in 2014.
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