R.J Barker has recently became an auto buy author for me after the tide child trilogy.

This began as quite a slow burn for me to allow the reader to get to know the world that they will soon be embarking on however the characterisation that takes place was amazing and Gods of the Wyrdwood has been added to the TBR.

This is the kind of fantasy I really enjoyed. Mainly because it creates its own lore, full of new terms, creatures and history. RJ Barker again do this, with a slow burn first half of the book that then delivers all the fantasy I was looking for. Great start for the series, I will definitely pick the next one when it comes out in a few weeks from now!

This is the first book in a new Fantasy trilogy. Our main character is a forester, no one knows the strange woods better than him. But he's also an outlaw and used to serve the god of fire.

When forces are sent against him, and the people he cares about are used as a threat and bait to manipulate him, where is he going to stand. And what decisions will he make, particularly in response to what lives inside him that he's previously rejected.

This is very much 'proper' fantasy, everything is a bit weird and other. It did take me a bit of time to get I to it and get my head round everything, but it's definitely worth it. It is complex but I very much want to know where this is going.

Although I wouldn't say no to some kind of glossary/cheat sheet for book 2 on key terms!

3.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2024/04/01/gods-of-the-wyrdwood-forsaken-1-by-rj-barker/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Fantastic World Building, Slow Pacing

RJ Barker is an author that I can’t recommend enough. I’ve loved his previous two series and so couldn’t wait to grab a copy of his latest. Set in a stunningly imagined world this is a cruel place to live, Gods wax and wane with indecent haste and the magic is fueled by death.

As it is, it took me a little while to get into this one, there’s a lot to take on board as the story begins and although I loved the writing the plot was a little slow to surface. I would counsel patience with this book. Take the time to absorb the detail and get a feel for the place, the characters and the way of life. This is a fascinating world that the author has created and in a sense it steals the show, making the plot and characters take a backseat for a while.

Our MC, Cahan du Nahere, was taken as a young boy to be raised as the ‘Chosen One’, the Cowl-Rai. Destined for greatness his fortunes fell and instead he took the path of a warrior before returning to the home that he briefly knew as a child. Clanless, and alone his is looked down upon by virtually everyone. The farm that he owns is hard work and hardly prosperous and yet he has to struggle to keep others from taking what is his. And, he also struggles to keep repressed the magic that bubbles just below the surface, always looking for a way to take control. Known by the local villages as Forester, he is respected – but in a very peevish and mistrustful way, called on for his knowledge whilst being frequently belittled.

The forests here are places of power. Packed with unusual flora and fauna nothing is ever quite what it seems and what may look like a peaceful glade in which to stay the night is quite likely a deadly trap waiting for an innocent traveller to stop for rest – never to be seen again. Mostly, nobody wanders into the forest unless it’s totally necessary, and then usually keeping to the margins.

The other characters of note are Udinny, a monk who has fallen from grace as her ‘God’ is no longer recognised. I actually enjoyed this particular character very much – she has an almost childlike curiosity and chatters incessantly, she definitely brought a much needed lighter element to the read. Venn, is a young boy who is waiting to bond with his Cowl – something that requires a level of violence that he doesn’t want to commit. He and Cahan’s paths will eventually cross ultimately leading to death and destruction.

I will say that I love the way this author writes. He has a wonderful turn of phrase that I really enjoy and he definitely has no shortage of imagination.

Overall, although I felt this one started a little slowly it does get into it’s stride and has a very dramatic finale. I think that when I first picked this book up I had the wrong frame of mind and also I think my expectations had led me in the wrong direction a little. I look forward to seeing where this series takes us next.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. I also purchased the audio version so that I could both read and listen. The above is my own opinion.

I prevaricated for quite a while about how to rate this book, and about how much my expectations for it have been influenced by my love by Barker’s Tide Child trilogy, but ultimately 3 stars feels about right.

The strength of this book is - as to be expected from Barker - the world-building. Everything in this book is build around the wild forests, in a world with no metal, which manifests not just in the weird ecology but also in the way people live, work and fight. I was particularly fascinated by the way transportation worked in Cahan’s world, but there are many different parts to grab hold of, including the world-building around what it would like to live in a world with different religious sects dominating at different points in time.

The not so good part of this book is that it feels like a lot of energy went into the world-building at the expense of a compelling plot. Cahan had the potential to be an interesting character with a mysterious past, but his only motivation is to be left alone (and this quickly falls apart when he keeps volunteering to help people so the plot has somewhere to go). I don’t necessarily need every book to have some overarching point - slice of life is a thing - but when a book is 600+ pages long I need some bigger mystery to solve or intended final destination to look forward to. The most interesting characters (the trion Venn, and sometime companion Udinny) unfortunately don’t get their own POVs. As a result, it felt like a long time spent spinning the wheels and not actually making much progress even when things were technically happening.

This is not my first trip with RJ Barker, nor will it be my last.

This is the first in a new trilogy, and the world is already so immersive by the end of this book I was wanting more, I was ready to dive into book 2.

Although this was a slow pace, there were never times you are bombarded with information, just as you get comfortable something new is introduced. You have already made up your mind on something before the truth is revealed and I truly love this about Barker's writing. A story with layers.

I didn't find all of the characters relatable and didn't feel any connection to them, this is a me issue and not RJ Barker's, I like to feel relatable to some of the cast and connect in that way when I read, I will say however all the characters are extremely well written so the issue was not with the writing.

All in all this was still a 4 star read for me and I cannot wait for the next one.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Fantasies published by Orbit are 100% made for me. I can't remember the last time I picked a fantasy published from their banner and disliked it. The same was the case for this. While the atmosphere and setting of this book was not one that I have generally consumed a lot of, the writing was really good and kept me interested. The climax was hard hitting and SO amazing now I need book two asap!

An epic creepy story about a man who was destined for great things and either gave it up or was pushed aside from his true path. The atmosphere in this book is excellent - the sense of dread everytime they entered the Wyrd Wood of the title was gradually increased throughout the book. The reveal at the end of the story shocked me and made me even more keen for book two.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this advanced copy.

This book was okay, so I need more to understand the whole story

Another great series starter for Barker!

The plot and characters are astounding. I am getting at Barker's writing and looking forward not to reading only the Forsaken trilogy but also his Tide Child trilogy.

Gods of the Wyrdwood is the first book in the Forsaken trilogy. First of all I really liked the concept of this book - the main character being the chosen one, but then a new chosen one appears and the main characters isn't the chosen one anymore. The characters were all well written, the world is an interesting one and the plot was compelling throughout. I would definitely recommend checking it out.

Gods of the Wyrdwood is my first experience of RJ Barkers work and though it is well crafted it struggled to hold my attention. At first I was really drawn in by Cahan, the main character, as he is claimed by the Skua-Rai as the new Cowl-Rai, where he will live as a god. It does not take long for him to realise that this is not a position that will last and he is discarded for the next very quickly. After that I started to lose interest, the character development felt a little flat and there was so much going on I struggled to care for any of the characters at all.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this title in exchange for this honest review.

I couldnt really get into this book sadly. Might give it another try, since i barely remember anything and the premise is still interesting.

It's been a while since I last read like a high fantasy.

I would consider Gods of the WyrdWood a high fantasy read.
It was a heavy magic theme that got confusing and slow-burning initially, but it gets so good and worth it.

The magic system and the world bring so many beautiful points that I get so obsessed.
However, what took me aback was how we were thrown into the world too fast.
In the beginning, most of the time, I got so confused about what was going on, or the terms they were using and what I was expecting.
I do wish we had brought it. I don't mind the slow-burning, but I wish there was a beginning to the world we were brought into then just getting us thrown into it.

The author did a phenomenal job of telling Cahan's story and journey.
It makes you grow into the curiosity of the world, and let me tell you, the action was IT.


Thank you Netgalley for this copy!

Gods of the Wyrdwood is a dark, delightful, poetic fantasy extravaganza! I have read other books by R. J. Barker and have always been impressed. However, here he knocks it out of the park. This is just simply stunning in all ways.

There is not much wrong with this book from my point of view. The characters are well rounded and solid, but main and side characters alike. The prose is poetic but not stuffy. It does not suffer from bloat but does allow the imagination some room for manoeuvre. The magic system, in my opinion is soft, as the cowl and it's origin is never really explained. I liked it as it lent an air of mystery to it. I don't need a magic system to come with a hard set of rules. Also, the cowl was suitably weird, as you would expect from the author.

However, it is the worldbuilding that is so absolutely stunning here. Barker has built a world meticulously and then thrown the reader in to flounder in its cruel depths. The Northlands of Crua are forever winterbound and locked in battle with the sunlit South. If the Northerners can defeat them, then the world will tilt and the North will be bathed in glorious warmth while the South will suffer the cold. The mechanics of that are never revealed, adding another bonkers mystery to the mix. Surrounding it all is the Wyrdwoods, where few people dare tread. The imagery here is masterful, both in terms of scenery and scale. Astonishingly beautiful but incredibly deadly. The Wyrdwoods were at the heart of some of my favourite passages in this book. Although the worldbuilding is first class, this does not mean that the plot suffers. No, it walks hand in hand with this strange place. Full of intrigue and twists, I loved what occurred in this first of a series and am full of anticipation for what happens next.

I loved my time spent in the Wyrdwoods of Crua and cannot wait for the next instalment. If you like your fantasy a little bit on the weird side but not lacking in action, I would highly recommend this one.

Gods of the Wyldwood is the first book in the dark fantasy series Forsaken, written by R.J. Barker, and published by Orbit Books. A novel where Barker has let his imagination fly, taking unexpected paths and showing his ability in the craft; a book that might feel a bit confusing at the start because the author doesn't take the reader by the hand, instead spreading a multitude of details that later will make sense, enhancing the experience and making it really satisfactory.

Cahan du Nahere was raised to be the Cowl-Rai, the saviour of god that would take warmth back to Crua lands; a time that never came as when he was fifteen, another Cowl-Rai appeared, taking over in the name of other God, making all his difficult training years worthless, relegated to a farm on the edges of Crua's forests.
He's kinda a hermit, somebody that is not well-accepted among the villagers from Hua, especially because he's a clanless; Cahan only wanted to renounce to his nature, and live peacefully. But when a traumatic event forces him to use his cowl, those powers inside him, he will have to start a journey (partly literal, partly metaphorical), changing in the process.

A second POV is also introduced, a woman that has risen to power, the High Lyric, who could be considered the leader of her religion. A hard woman, but at the same time, the mother of a trion, a non-binary child in this world; she wants to make them a Cowl-Rai, but in order to get that power, they will have to kill one, something they refuse.
Kirven is a cruel woman, manipulative, who won't doubt of going to war and resorting to violence if needed; but for her, all her acts are made to bond with her child.

With those two POV, a complex plot is woven; definitely in terms of pacing, I would say this book lands in the slow burn territory. Barker takes his sweet time introducing us to the world of Crua, another of the strengths of this novel, as it is quite fascinating, especially all the aspects related to the sentient forests and the different gods.
As said previously, Barker doesn't handhold the reader, and while that can result confusing at the start, once we form our own image, the result is quite satisfactory. The plot is definitely dark, but I would say it is quite justified, as a result of a brutal and complicated world, that gives no opportunities to the weak.

One last aspect I would like to mention before closing this review is how introducing chapters written in second person allows us to discover more about Cahan's past; an experiment that I found interesting, and that worked quite well.

If you are looking for a slow burn dark fantasy, with sentient forests and powerful characters, Gods of the Wyrdwood can be the start of a great series for you. It has definitely convinced me to continue reading the next books by R.J. Barker!

Cahan du Nahare is known as the forester – a humble man who can nonetheless navigate the dangerous Deepforest like no-one else. But once he was more. Once he was a warrior.

Udinny serves the goddess of the lost, a goddess of the small and helpless. When she ventures into the Deepforest to find a missing child, Cahan will be her guide.

But in a land at war, in a forest full of monsters – Cahan will need to choose between his past life and the one he leads now – and his choice will have consequences for his entire world.

I loved both The Wounded Kingdom and The Tide Child trilogies, so I was excited when Gods of the Wyrdwood dropped through my letterbox with a satisfyingly solid thump. R J Barker’s latest is released this week and I’m pleased to confirm it is everything I have come to expect from the author, and more.

It’s clear that Cahan du Nahare is a man haunted by the ghosts of his past. Every action he takes is an attempt to run further away from who he once was. Cahan wants to live peacefully, under the radar of the authorities, but life never works out that way. When it comes to helping others he might grumble and moan, but he is a good decent man at heart. Unfortunately, decent men always seem to have a way of making themselves known. Cahan is a fascinating character, his internal anguish feels palpable. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, willing him forward with every step.

The doubt that lives within Cathan finds the perfect counterpoint in the character of Udinny. Initially, her behaviour may seem a trifle erratic, Cahan thinks so, but there is a certainty to everything that Udinny chooses to do. She has found a path and is determined to follow it wherever it takes her.

At first glance, everything seems simple enough. Cahan offers to find a missing child with Udinny’s assistance. Simple things never manage to stay that way. Before you know it events have escalated into something far more complex. The local religious fanatics are an unforgiving lot and they’ve decided Cahan is a problem that needs to be fixed. Throw a living weapon with pacifist tendencies, a duo of undead warriors, all manner of weird creatures and a band of forest-dwelling bandits into the mix and you’re on to a winner.

The climax of the novel reads like a fantasy-fuelled Dirty (half) Dozen. Our protagonists and a handful of poorly equipped, downtrodden villagers facing off against insurmountable odds1. This whole section of the novel is so well executed, I loved every second of it all.

When it comes to awe-inspiring tales like this, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention something about world-building that is going on. R J Barker has clearly spent time considering everything down to the smallest details and it shows. He’s one of those authors who really excels when it comes to making the fantastical come alive. The Wyrdwood feels almost like a character itself. I love the idea of the interconnectedness of all things that exist in nature. In my wilder imaginings, Gods of the Wyrdwood has a Studio Ghibli-esque quality. There are hints of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke dotted throughout. Barker’s novel also touches on similar environmental themes seen in Hayao Miyazaki‘s work. As an aside, if Gods of the Wyrdwood does ever make the jump to the big screen the magicians at Studio Ghibli would be the ideal people to do it justice.

As I mentioned earlier, the physical edition of the novel has a reasonable heft to it2 so if you’re a weakling like me you may wish to consider the electronic version of the novel which I believe is considerably lighter.

I’ll happily admit I absolutely devoured book one of The Forsaken trilogy3 and it feels to me like we’ve only just scratched the surface of a much larger story. Cahan has further to travel and his actions in Gods of Wyrdwood will undoubtedly have repercussions. I can’t wait to find out what they are. Once again R J Barker has delivered an epic piece of storytelling flawlessly. Every time I think he can’t possibly top his last novel he goes ahead and does exactly that. Don’t you just hate him?

Gods of the Wyrdwood is published Orbit and is available now. Highly recommended.

The musical recommendation to accompany Gods of the Wyrdwood is the soundtrack to Elden Ring composed by Tsukasa Saitoh. There is a majestic, gothic quality to the music that captures the otherworldliness of the Wyrdwood perfectly.

1 As a wise man once said “Never tell me the odds”.

2 Six hundred-plus pages will do that.

3 Yes, it’s another R J Barker trilogy. Hurrah!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC.
I have to admit that I was stunned by this story. It gripped me tight and didn't let me go. I loved the world building and the story's magic system a lot. I enjoyed the idea of a kind of deadly forest. And I'm still not over the way the story ended. I really need more and can't wait to read the second book.

RJ Barker can write any type of story and I will always love what he writes. I loved his previous series and loved this novel which starts a new one.
Gripping, intriguing, a fascinating world building and an excellent storytelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Gods of the Wyrdwood is the start of a new series from R.J. Barker, whose previous series I've enjoyed immensely. Fortunately, I can safely say that this is a strong start to a series: a new world, with new characters, but the same strong writing, the same emotional depth, the same strange and wonderful on every page. If you're looking for something new, something that will make you think, and make you feel, something which isn't quite like anything else out there...then this is the book for you.
Part of the reason for that is the worldbuilding. Barker has always excelled at creating worlds that feel real, feel lived in. They also tend to be strange, beautiful, and brutal, and this one is no exception. Because this is a world that lives or dies depending on power. A world whose very orientation on its axis is driven by magic. A world where the ability to command the elements is a function of a symbiosis between a person and, well, something else entirely. And also a world of wood. Much of the story revolves around The Forester, someone who can walk through the various levels of forest, perhaps even the titular Wyrdwood. Where a tree might be large enough to walk around, and where cuts from its branches might be able to be animated with a thought. The forest sits close by our protagonist, and the small world he allows himself, and stretches seemingly endless into the night. Stepping within is an act of courage, going too deep is an act of madness. Because what the forest is most of all is uncaring - but like the sea, uncaring doesn't mean not deadly, Each step is a risk. And within the forest, what seems like it's uncaring may suddenly come alive with malice or, perhaps worse, some kind of unknowable, but probably unpleasant (for you) agenda. But Barker really shines in shaping that forest, in making it feel like a place where things live, where everything has its niche, even if we don't understand it. And the trees and the various horrors they contain have a deeply grounded sense of place, a feeling of the concrete. And they're not alone in that. Outside the trees are the human world rolls on regardless. In the deeper distance, a continent-wide war is a conflagration devouring lives by the bucketload. The cities are ruled by an aristocracy filled with long-lived magic users, most of whom are some version of vicious, cruel or uncaring. They're made of soaring spires which seem to have been built by an unknown builder for unknown reasons, with an unknown lifespan and a propensity for...imaginative...geometry. The world beyond the forest is no less real, but may be more actively cruel. And it's a world driven by religion, by prophets, by big and small gods, as people in power try to grab on to just a little more.

And into that space steps the Forester, someone who was once a Chosen One. Someone meant to break the world. Someone trained to kill, to shatter, to make great changes. A once in a century event. And then...there was another one. Suddenly a special child ran into the night, no longer special. And a long timer later, we find them at the edge of the forest, living a solitary life, shearing for wool, farming, and keeping their head down. Trying not to feel too much, to stay out of trouble, to be a mouse in the walls and just be left alone. The Forester is someone who has hurt and been hurt, fought and been beaten down. They have a façade of self-interest, a need to remain cut off from connection. Or perhaps just a desire. How true their image of themselves as an isolated island is, well that's something you'll have to delve into the story for., I will say that the characterisation here is top notch, not just for our protagonist, but for the rest of the ensemble. The villagers who regard him with a mixture of suspicion and disdain. The mages who look for nothing other than a means to keep themselves alive, to survive and benefit from the deaths of others. The monks haranguing their parishioners, and the quieter rumblings of different gods in a world struggling with a clash between ancient theism and armed monotheists. There's a diversity of viewpoint, and an honesty in it that makes the story work, makes the characters feel like they're really there, people and not words on a page. You can laugh and cry and feel with them, empathise, sympathise, scream and cry along with them. They feel real.

As for the story. Well, as ever, no spoilers on this one. But it's got the bones of a redemption arc. It's got a found family at its heart. And it has a positivity, a hope in what people are, despite everything, in it soul. It's got a whole bunch of politics. Some genuinely horrifying and epic magic. It has the kind of battles that make you hold your breath, and the kind of brutal immediacy that will make you feel like you're bleeding. It has a truth to it, this story, a story of someone who just wants to be left alone, and the story of people who are willing to hold true to who they are in the face of a society with different expectations, a strength to say yes to truth and friendship and humanity, and no to murder, blood and fire, even in the face of a world that wants to hammer them into the ground. It's a story I couldn't put down. And that's the highest recommendation I can give - go and read this book right now.