A Time of Courage by John Gwynne
Is this the end, or the beginning of a whole new world?
For some time before buying this book I was feeling a deep literary malaise. I picked up a number of books, tried to read them, and subsequently put them back down. I then tried to re-read some I had attempted before, and just could not find my way into the stories. Nothing seemed to capture and hold my attention. There was always something missing.
I was truly yearning for one of those stories that quicken the pulse and floods adrenaline into the system. The kind of story where your emotions are torn from your body; a burning hatred for some characters and deep, heartfelt respect for others. I needed to go on a journey, see and feel the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood amidst danger and despair. I wanted an epic tale, and I finally found it in A Time of Courage.
This is the third book in the “Of Blood & Bone” series that recounts the ongoing battle for the Banished Lands. Two powerful races crossed over into these lands eons ago to continue their own war. The Ben-Elim, powerful, white-winged warriors fighting to protect the lands from the Kadoshim, demonic beings of hate and malice. Caught between the two are the native inhabitants of the Banished Lands. They are all swept into this ancient war and must quickly choose sides. In a historic battle, the leader of the Kadoshim, the terrible Lord Asroth is defeated, and has remained frozen in place, locked in battle with one of the Ben-Elim.
The survivors at first cheer the victory, but soon learn that the Ben-Elim feel it is their place to now rule and enforce their own laws upon all the lands. And through the course of these stories (spoilers ahead), the Kadoshim who fled in defeat have continued to plot and regrow their strength. After hundreds of years, they finally succeed in releasing Asroth and beginning a renewed assault upon the world. It is here that A Time of Courage begins.
Gwynne’s characters express such raw, true emotion that you feel their love, their anguish, their rage. One of my favorites is Riv, a half-breed Ben-Elim. Through all of the books, she is a powerful, independent, smart warrior who is never afraid to stand for what is right. She learns many hard, terrible lessons and yet continues to fight. Her journey is just incredible and she is the epitome of the indomitable spirit.
Beyond the gloriously intense, and finely written battles (did I mention that these battles include revenants, Giants riding atop armored Bears, a flying dragon-like creature called a Draig, earth magic and much more?), the story and its series deal with deeper issues; the abuse of power, racism, oppression, honor, and justice.
This being the last book of the three, Gwynne pulls no punches, and the skirmishes and massive battles of this war claim many lives on both sides. So be prepared to cheer on those that you love, and feel the blood stir as they ride fearlessly into the war that will decide the fate of the Banished Lands once and for all.
Mr. Gwynne, as I may have mentioned to you once before, I can sum up this book with a single word: Brilliant.
