Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  For my latest Waiting on Wednesday I check out one of the most anticipated fantasy novels of 2022, The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne.

John Gwynne is an insanely talented author who has been setting the fantasy world on fire for nearly 10 years with his amazing and compelling dark fantasy books.  Gwynne debuted back in 2012 with his Norse-inspired The Faithful and the Fallen series, which he later followed up with the sequel Of Blood and Bone series.  These novels are very highly regarded, and I have seen some rave reviews about them over the years.  I personally became more aware of Gwynne’s work earlier this year when I checked out the first book in his brand new Bloodsworn Saga series of novels.

The Bloodsworn Saga is another Norse inspired dark fantasy series set in a dangerous world filled with monsters, roving warbands and other dark creature.  This world was broken generations ago by the gods, whose devastating war rent the land, let demons in, and resulted in the apparent death of every single deity.  In the years that followed, men rose to prominence, and Jarls now battle for control, utilising the distant ancestors of the gods, known as the Tainted, as powerful slaves.  This is a very rich setting for adventure, and Gwynne used it to full advantage in the first novel in this series, The Shadow of the Gods.

The Shadow of the Gods was an awesome and impressive read that is easily one of the best books I have enjoyed this year.  It followed three separate characters as they set out on their own quests throughout the book, only to encounter the same deadly conspiracy that was attempting to unleash evil upon the world.  This was an incredibly epic read, and I deeply enjoyed the cool new world, the complex characters, and the exceptional and brutal action sequences.  The book ended with some big reveals, including the return of the god, and was such an awesome and outstanding read.

As such, I have been eagerly awaiting the next entry in this series, The Hunger of the Gods, and I was very excited when the full details of the book recently came out, including the epic and stunning cover above.  The Hunger of the Gods is currently set for release on 12 April 2022, and if this following plot is anything to go by, this is going to be another amazing read.

Synopsis:

The Hunger of the Gods continues John Gwynne’s acclaimed Norse-inspired epic fantasy series, packed with myth, magic and bloody vengeance.

Their hope lies within the mad writings of a chained god. A book of forbidden magic with the power to raise the wolf god Ulfrir from the dead . . . and bring about a battle that will shake the foundations of the earth.

It sounds like The Hunger of the Gods will continue to follow the main character of the first novel, Orska, Varg and Elvar, as they continue their epic and blood-filled quests.  I deeply enjoyed all three character arcs in The Shadow of the Gods, especially as each of their storylines were very well-written and contained a fantastic range of adventures and trials.  It will be great to see what happens to these characters next, especially after the revelations at the end of the first book.  I am particularly keen to learn more of Orska’s backstory, and it will also be extremely cool to see how Elvar, the only non-Tainted main character, will fare going up against a legion of dragonborn and their dark god.

In addition, I am curious to see what happens surrounding the supposedly dead wolf god Ulfrir.  The plot strongly indicates that the protagonists are planning to resurrect him to face Lik-Rifa, and if the incredible cover above is anything to go by, they will succeed.  While I am really keen to see a battle between giant deities (giant wolf vs giant dragon, yeah that has gotten me pretty hyped), I cannot help but think something is going to go wrong there, and the protagonists will end up in an even worse position.  No matter what happens, I am extremely keen to read it, and I am deeply excited to see how this second entry in the Bloodsworn Saga turns out.

Look, in all honestly, The Hunger of the Gods has been of my most anticipated books for 2022 for a very long time, and there is no way I won’t be picking it up the moment it becomes available.  This is going to be one of the best fantasy novels of next year, and if Gwynne continues the incredible writing that was featured in The Shadow of the Gods, I know I will have an amazing time with it.  The Hunger of the Gods is going to be epic, and I cannot wait to see what chaos, destruction and bloodshed Gwynne has in store for us here.