I received an advanced review copy of A Time of Courage in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank John Gwynne and Tor for the opportunity.

A Time of Courage is the final entry in the Of Blood and Bone trilogy and the seventh story that takes place in Gwynne's phenomenal fantasy world The Banished Lands. After completing and adoring all of Gwynne's work I am running out of ways to describe how exceptional a writer he is. I will not say too much here regarding the actual storyline here as I don't wish to spoil anything for people who are yet to read this or those fantasy fans who are yet to discover John's work.

Wrath is one of my top five books of all time and A Time of Courage is very, very close to hitting those same lofty heights. One aspect exceeds all that the author has written before and that is the incredible battle sequences featured here. You won't find many book reviews where the blogger doesn't comment on how spectacular the fights and skirmishes are that Gwynne writes but what is presented here blows everything that has come previously away. Especially the final battle, the epic showdown of "good vs. evil" which has been seven books and millennia of history in the making. The finale takes up about twenty-five percent of the novel and I'm content to say that it is probably the greatest final battle I have ever read in fantasy.

When Gwynne writes I often feel completely like I am part of the world and events. During the battles it's is as if I have been given an adrenaline shot - I read at seven-hundred miles an hour and I am sure my heart beats much faster than it normally does. This is heightened by the way the author often ends point of view chapters with a twist or a bang! This normally occurs when he switches POV scenes to numerous characters who are at the same meeting, event or battle to see different viewpoints which aids to build up the pace and excitement expertly. Gwynne's writing is addictive and it's always so easy to just read one more chapter and then look at the clock and realise it's four hours later.

In addition to the action segments, these books shine because of the amazing characters, their relationships with each other, whether friendly or utterly bitter, and the presentation of hope - that good will succeed in this very violent and often brutally unfair environment.

There are five point of view perspectives that are presented. We will be familiar with following the half-breed warrior Riv, the horse-tribe King Bleda, the Demon King's fiance and sorceress Fritha, and the tracker and revenge-seeking Drem. I had to chuckle quite often as the latter always finds himself right in the middle of scenarios and encounters and he seems to get saved at the last second by half a dozen different characters throughout the narrative! The new point of view perspective is from another player on the "evil" side. This is the viewpoint of Jin, Bleda's ex-betrothed who has a vendetta that can only be settled when she murders him.

After falling in love with the characters in The Faithful and the Fallen, when I started this series I never believed I would care about this new ensemble as much as I did about Corban, Storm, Veradis, Maeqin etc... By the end of A Time of Courage, I can confirm I shouldn't have been worried. The whole ensemble is excellent. As well as the point of view characters standout players include the talented, charming yet cocky warrior Cullen, the legendary giant Balur One-Eye, and The Order of the Bright Star leader Brynne. I couldn't finish a John Gwynne review without commending him on how excellent he presents animal characters. Talking crows, a loyal white bear, a half-woman/half-wyrm are just a few examples.

The finale and the way events are wrapped up is exquisite. There are extremely sad moments littered throughout the novel and some tragic events are presented as the conclusion approaches. Some of your favourite players will not see the final page, and some die in horrific fashion. Others die in the most shocking and unpredictable scenes I've seen for a while. I'm not embarrassed to say that I cried quite a few times and that shows Gwynne's skill as an author to make me care so damn much!

There isn't really anything else I need to say. A Time of Courage is bloody incredible and Gwynne will have a fan in me for life. I know it was only January when I completed this but I will be amazed if this isn't the best fantasy book released in 2020.

Flawless!

No word better describes the result of the time and effort John Gwynne has put into A Time of Courage, the finale of the Of Blood and Bone series. It is a monumental achievement to have wrapped up this series so perfectly and speaks to the care and dedication that the author has put into this work, the love for it permeating every page.

I will spare you any spoilers by not discussing the plot, but I will say this: Picking up immediately after the shocking finish of the previous book, A Time of Courage wastes no time in plunging you into the atmospheric setting of a world on the edge of disaster. The events of the first two books have been ominously building toward a climactic showdown, and the time for courage has finally arrived.

‘They would kill us all. Every living, breathing creature that walks the Banished Lands.’He raised his hands, palms up. ‘That is why I fight. To protect those I love from death.’


From the first page, there is an urgency to every scene that promises a thrilling, frenetic and captivating read ahead, but I was still not prepared for how unputdownable this book was. Not only did the narrative set an inexorable pace, but it never shied away from spending a few quiet moments with its characters, bringing balance to a tale that could have easily focused too much on the action. It always stays true to its heart, giving testament to the themes this series embodies - family, friends, love, loyalty, truth and courage, blending these quiet moments seamlessly into the countdown to the inevitable showdown, never relinquishing momentum.

'We are just people, all of us the same. Flawed, fragile, stubborn, angry, happy. And life treats no one differently. We are born, and we live, and then we die. It’s what we do while we are here that counts. And if we can be called friend, then we are lucky indeed. '


The story would of course not have reached the heights it did if not for the brilliant characters; I find this to be another standout feature of the writing, evident across every book in both series. Every single character, be they human, monster or animal, villain or hero, is a fully developed creation who is flawed and relatable, more real to me than people I have met in real life, arousing a gamut of emotions deeply felt. I lived and breathed, fought, laughed and journeyed, hoped, cried and hated with them. I loved with them. And I confess, parting with them is bittersweet. It is a worthy ending, but the world of The Banished Lands has become a place I love returning to and friends I love to visit and I am sad to say goodbye. There is an abundance of superb characters to talk about, but I don’t want to inadvertently spoil anything, so let me just say that John Gwynne has outdone himself. If character-driven stories are your thing, this is as good as it gets. It speaks to the depth of the feelings instilled in me by the author's talent, that mentions of characters from the previous series, long since passed from this world, evoked incredibly emotional and poignant responses from me, resulting in tears on more than one occasion, and uh… there may have been some ugly sobbing when a certain wolf’s story was told. But there are no witnesses to confirm.

'Sometimes the only answer is blood and steel.'


One of the most astounding achievements of this last book is the mesmerizing, mammoth final battle; eye poppingly ferocious in its intensity and all-encompassing in its scope. I was so gripped in the thrall of Gwynne’s spell, I completely forgot to breathe on a few occasions! The entirety of the Banished Lands was represented including humans, Kadoshim, giants, draigs, wolven-hounds, Ben-Elim, bears and many more! Everyone was involved and fought for not only survival but for the futures of those they love and care for in a fight of such magnitude and violence that to call it anything other than a brutal, bloodthirsty battle would be an insult to it’s raw, chaotic, savage nature. If you thought you were going to start reading this storm of fury and take breaks anywhere, think again. It’s a relentless maelstrom that does not let up for 196 atmospheric pages to be exact. Yes, you read that right. 196 pages of palpable tension and non-stop action that sinks its talons in you and refuses to let you go. Stakes are raised higher than anything Gwynne has previously written, the dread of not knowing who will survive flapping like a murder of crows above every heart-stoppingly near miss, every anguished cry, every bone-jarring clash of steel. Quick shifts between character points of view reinforce the frenzied feel of battle chaos and being beset by enemies with no respite, every sequence a vital cog in this cinematic final battle of the long war, and all written superbly by arguably the best in the business where close quarter combat is concerned; the fight sequences thrilling, impactful and concisely choreographed. When the dust settled, I was wholly exhausted, my emotions wrung dry.

No surprise then that it took me a while to recover from the impact this book had on me, all thanks to the vivid prose and it’s completely immersive quality. Talk about engaging and addictive! Upon starting A Time of Courage, I spent every waking moment either reading it or wishing to read it, resulting in an endless internal struggle - rush to know how it all ends, or savour this final adventure? I tried to pace myself, but there is a limit to the patience I can display when faced with such temptation. It was over far too soon, bringing my time in the Banished Lands to a close, the trilogy completed. And whilst this series stands perfectly well on its own, it is in essence one half of a two-part puzzle. A Time of Courage is the final piece of the second part, the culmination of seven books in The Banished Lands, delivering an enthrallingly epic and sublimely satisfying conclusion to the overall series that will have Gwynne fans reaching for the rafters in applause when the denouement has passed and the final punctuation mark dots the page. I certainly did.

When any beloved series approaches its end, there is always that nagging worry that an author won’t deliver a satisfying conclusion, leaving you without that sense of happiness and fulfillment. Some do fail at this admittedly difficult task, but most succeed at least partly if not fully, bringing relief from the worry and joy for a story well ended. There is another smaller group though. Exalted in the hearts of readers and deserving of accolades, these authors surpass the loftiest of expectations and are real-world heroes to us book lovers, gifting us exquisite endings that make our bookish hearts thump in all the right ways. A Time of Courage is such an ending, and John Gwynne is such an author. All I can say is thank you.

eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.
Gosh, where to even start? Firstly, I LOVED it! However, it’s difficult not to compare this trilogy with the Faithful and the Fallen quartet. In my honest opinion, there is no comparison; TFATF will always be up there with the best of the best. Corban and the gang were unforgettable and are simply irreplaceable in my eyes. Just the merest mention of Maquin and a tear springs to my eye. His scene on the bridge in Wrath is one of my all time favourites. Hi whole story arc, though just a side character was amazing in itself.
Anyway, I digress! As a sequel, the Of Blood and Bone trilogy was a more than worthy follow on. It wasn’t just the classic good versus evil fantasy which was expected, it was interwoven with stories of love, loss, vendettas and vengeance too. Mainly and most of all though, it was about friendship and that’s truly what John Gwynne does best. Right next to his awe inspiring epic battle scenes of course, he gives us friendships that last a lifetime and beyond, and that is a rare and beautiful thing to behold. Now I don’t just mean friends in human form either, some of the most heartfelt and emotional scenes involved animal companions. The way Gwynne includes talking crows, wolven-hounds, giant bears and even draigs and ferals is beyond special. I’ll take one of each please.
I’m not going to go into any detail regarding plot points, as if you’ve got this far in the series there is no turning back. Reading A Time of Courage is an absolute must. There is no alternative path for you to take now. But I will say that a massive chunk of this instalment is battle and in battle there is death. Death in war is not discriminatory and this is what I find unique with Gwynne’s writing. Death comes for the good and the bad, therefore his battles are always a somewhat emotional, sometimes joyful but mostly a heart-breaking true reflection, so prepare yourselves accordingly. Go forth with TRUTH AND COURAGE!

I had very high expectations for A Time of Courage after reading the first two novels in the series (and from the Faithful and the Fallen series before that) but this novel just blew me out of the water. It was spectacular. From the first page to the last I was hooked and I didn’t want to put it down (for the sake of my eyes I had to at some point).

The story picks up immediately after the end of book two so I won’t give any spoilers but it just shifts right into the story and it doesn’t really let go until the end. There is so much action it’ll make your head spin but there are a lot of nice, quieter moments where you just get to spend time with the characters.
I continue to love the characters as much as I did in book one. Drem is still by far my favourite but they’re all awesome to read and everyone gets their chance to shine in A Time of Courage. There isn’t a wasted character in sight, they all have their part to play in the story.

There aren’t many people who can write battle scenes like John Gwynne. They are brutal and visceral with so much action and they are so well written, you almost feel as though you are there. At one point the POV of the characters was switching every two or so pages in the heat of a battle and it worked so well to amp up the tension in the story. If I had been sitting whilst I was reading this then I would have been on the edge of my seat because it was unrelenting and so good.

A Time of Courage is already a contender for my favourite book of the year. It combines sympathetic and likeable characters with a tense and action packed plot and some truly epically written battle scenes. John Gwynne has well and truly proved himself to be one of my favourite authors of recent years and I although I am sad that our time in the Banished Lands has come to an end for now, I am already excited to see what he comes up with next.

ARC provided by the publisher—Pan Macmillan—in exchange for an honest review.

A Time of Courage is one of the best final books to a series I’ve ever read in my life. It was truly a bittersweet, satisfying, and masterfully crafted finale to conclude Of Blood and Bone and the entirety of The Banished Lands saga.

Permit me to start this review with words from Gwynne himself:

“So, finally we come to the end of this series, and with it, the end of the Banished Land’s tales. Although Of Blood and Bone is a trilogy that can be read as a standalone series, it is also the final chapter of a longer history that involves the four books from The Faithful and the Fallen series. When read together they form around a one-hundred-and-fifty-year history of the Banished Lands, and a sizeable chunk of my life. Roughly seventeen years have flown by, I think, since lifting my pen and writing down my first ideas. I hope that you’ve enjoyed your time spent here, and that this book feels like a fitting and satisfying conclusion to all that has gone before.”


And what a marvelously fitting conclusion it was. A Time of Courage is the third and final book in the Of Blood and Bone series; it is also the seventh novel that takes place in The Banished Lands saga. Gwynne has mentioned it already, A Time of Courage can be defined as a culmination of the previous six books. Honestly, A Time of Courage feels more like the end of a seven-book series rather than the conclusion of the new trilogy. The final battle is here, and alliances from the entire world have to be gathered and united. It is time for the guardians of justice to unsheathe everything in their power and strengthen their bravery in the upcoming final epic battle of light versus darkness. One out of several things about A Time of Courage that elevated the spectacular quality of the trilogy to a higher level is the return to the tone exhibited in The Faithful and the Fallen. The previous two books in the trilogy—A Time of Dread and A Time of Blood—have been relatively darker in tone, while A Time of Courage read like a return to storytelling style in The Faithful and the Fallen. In this final installment, Gwynne tells a grim story but the themes of hope, love, legacy, friendship, camaraderie, truth, and courage never leave the core of the narrative. I loved this book so much. As a fan of all of Gwynne’s books, it would be an understatement to say that I was emotional during my time of reading through it. A Time of Courage, to no one’s surprise, earned its place on my “favorites” shelf; it is the most heart-breaking, intense, and by far the most action-packed installment in the scintillating trilogy.

“That what we fight for is love and friendship. Not schemes and strategies, but people. Our kind, our friends. Our loved ones.”


Following my tradition of reviewing Gwynne’s books, I’ll refrain from mentioning the names of the characters to make this review as spoiler-free as possible. It’s ridiculously astounding just how well Gwynne, once again, nailed the characterizations of his cast with absolute precision, even more so for the new characters compared to the previous two books. In my opinion, Gwynne’s immense talent for writing characters that become real in my mind is undisputedly one of the best in the genre. The characters have endured a lot of hardship, rage, and grief; their feelings were powerfully palpable. I have praised Gwynne’s characterizations for six novels/reviews now; consider this the seventh because his talent with characterizations remains towering strong with each new book he publishes. Take a look at this short line of thoughts that immediately summed up one of the main character’s personality:

“How have I come to be here, standing before a horde of snarling creatures who want to kill me? I don’t even like crowds.”


It may look simple, but the passage immediately conveys a message to the readers that this particular character isn’t good with crowds and most likely is a reluctant hero. Also, I want to use this review to once again urge you to read The Faithful and the Fallen first before you read A Time of Courage. I genuinely feel sad when I hear that readers are reading this trilogy without finishing the first series first. I can’t even begin to emphasize how much you’re missing out if you read this book without having read through the first series; the knowledge and experience acquired from reading The Faithful and the Fallen is what elevates this fantastic trilogy to an exceptionally spellbinding series. Not only do the names and returning characters from the first series have a more prominent role in the narrative here, but you would also be missing the tremendous emotional resonance and significance of the story that can only be experienced by reading the first series beforehand. I’m serious, even the mere utterance of names of the characters from the first series felt, to me, like hearing about real friends who I can’t see anymore. As I mentioned, Gwynne writes characters that become real in my head. I—along with many readers—have lived the journey of the characters in The Faithful and the Fallen, many of the characters have passed away because the story in Of Blood and Bone takes place more than 130 years after the events of Wrath, but hearing their names, legends, and legacy lives on and constantly mentioned tugged at my heartstrings in a way that I didn’t think would be possible. Please, I beg you to do yourself a favor and read them first. There are still three months before the official release date of this amazing culmination; I’m sure you have some time to treat yourself to read four superlative books that would heighten your reading experience of A Time of Courage.

“We of the Order have sworn our oaths and sealed them in our blood, pledged ourselves to truth and courage. But you who have not said the words, I know that you are the same as us, in your hearts. Warriors, brothers and sisters bound to a cause. Otherwise you would not be here now, standing at ourside, risking your lives. This is the sharp edge of who we are. We will stand and fight, together. There is no retreat this time. We win or we die.”


At the beginning of my review, I’ve mentioned that A Time of Courage is by far the most action-packed installment in the trilogy; this is true, and it is also the most epic and action-packed book Gwynne has ever written. The riveting action sequences are back and stronger than ever. Prepare yourself to be enthralled by the breathtaking battle scenes of magnificence without any pause or mute button; once you opened the first page of A Time of Courage, the brilliantly immersive battle scenes will fully compel you to read this book to its completion. Remember the 160 pages long final war in Wrath? Gwynne increased that page count into approximately 200 pages in the final war of A Time of Courage. If you add that page count to the entire battle scenes spread throughout the book, you’ll have more than 400 pages of terrifically written battle scenes in total, and most importantly, none of them ever felt tedious to read, not even once.

“Truth and Courage. Those are the words that define a warrior of this Order. They are more than words; they are a way of life. Would you choose them? You will be swearing to a life of hardship, a life where you put aside your own pleasures and desires, and place yourself in danger’s way. Again, and again, and again.”


Gwynne is a virtuoso epic fantasy writer; he writes compelling storylines, empathizing characters, and he’s a genius at writing close-quarter battle scenes, either large-scale or small-scale. Seriously, seven novels now and there’s no sign of him slowing down the meteoric rise of his craftsmanship. He loves writing battle scenes. It shows, and he excels at it. Gwynne summoned intricate tempestuous devastations and unstoppable maelstroms of annihilations in his actions; bloody wrath and grim vengeance poured into the pages of this stunning narrative. The ruthless tactics employed were cunning, the brutal ground onslaughts were destructive, and the savage aerial combats were adrenaline-charged. Armies of monochrome wings filled the sky, battalions of ruin shook the land, azure flames conflagrate, and a storm of steels sang throughout the battlefield.

“Sometimes the only answer is blood and steel.”


It is worth noting that the last war in this book featured Gwynne at his utmost best. With his trademarked peerless cinematic perspective changes, Gwynne displayed the calamitous obliteration caused on both opposing sides. Compiling deaths and corpses from both opposing forces at the rapid rate of an Elemental disaster, the final war to end the Long War was a catastrophic clash of humans, steel, arrows, magic, animals, draigs, giants, Revenants, Ferals, Ben-Elim, and Kadoshims. The participants of the concluding battle reached a staggering number in the tens of thousands, and their compulsion for retribution and glory brought forth a plethora of chaotic explosions of blood and bone. Everything about A Time of Courage was maximally epic, elating, heart-shattering, jaw-dropping, and glorious. It has everything I want in a finale, it has everything I want in epic fantasy, and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to read this crimson behemoth of epic that certified A Time of Courage as the most epic installments in the entire saga. You heard that right; I’m not saying this lightly, the finale in Wrath was more poignant but A Time of Courage was more epic in every possible way.

“The defender of the innocent, protector of the weak. I will bring hope to the lost, give my life for the helpless... With truth as my shield... And Courage as my sword, I shall stand against the darkness.


It’s still January, but I might have found my favorite book of the year already. A Time of Courage was one of the two most anticipated books of the year for me, the other one being the fourth installment in The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson, and let me tell that you that it will be highly difficult for even Sanderson to overcome the greatness of A Time of Courage. A 5 out of 5 stars rating won’t do this book justice. Just like Wrath, A Time of Courage is epic fantasy at its best; it’s a masterpiece that deserves a 6 out of 5 stars rating, simple as that. I’ve been repeating this statement over and over again, and I have to repeat it once more that if you’re an epic fantasy reader and somehow you still haven’t read any of Gwynne’s work, fix that mistake now. If you postpone reading the tales in The Banished Lands, know that you’re delaying yourself reading one of the finest—and completed—epic fantasy tomes out there. In fact, I’m confident enough to claim that the seven books in The Banished Lands saga, as a whole, is THE best completed fantasy series of all time that I’ve read so far. Yes, I loved the entirety of these seven books more than I loved The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb and Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. Please do yourself a favor and read both The Faithful and the Fallen and the Of Blood and Bone series; they are absolute master class epic fantasy, and they deserve to be read by every enthusiast of the genre.

“We are just people, all of us the same. Flawed, fragile, stubborn, angry, happy. And life treats no one differently. We are born, and we live, and then we die. It’s what we do while we are there that counts. And if we can be called friend, then we are lucky indeed.


The Banished Lands is one of my favorite fictional worlds, and it may have become almost too real in my mind. That’s why it also feels bittersweet to read this book. The tales of The Banished Lands end here, at least for now. Gwynne’s next book, The Dragons Unchained, will be a new story in a completely new series called The Bloodsworn Saga. Undoubtedly, this is already in the list of my most anticipated books of 2021. A new journey awaits, and I will be there. I hope you will join Gwynne’s Warband of readers, too. Years from now, the eternal legends of the Banished Lands will still be sung, and we’ll be the choir that sang its song of origin.

Thank you, John Gwynne. You’re truly one of the greatest fantasy authors of all time. Thank you for writing these legendary stories for us to read. Congratulations, and I look forward to seeing where your imagination goes next.

Truth and Courage.

Petrik Leo

Self-proclaimed Chronicler of the Order of the Bright Star

Series Review:

A Time of Dread: 5/5 stars
A Time of Blood: 5/5 stars
A Time of Courage: 5/5 stars

Of Blood and Bone: 15/15 stars

Official release date: 2nd April 2020 (UK) and 7th April 2020 (US)

You can pre-order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository (Free shipping)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions

What an amazing finale to a phenomenal series! No spoilers and full review nearer publication, but this was worth the wait and then some. Fast paced, immersive and very satisfying. Highly recommend the whole series.