Time of Dread

‘Reminds me of why I became a fantasy enthusiast in the first place’ – Robin Hobb, author of Assassin’s ApprenticeThe first novel in John Gwynne’s epic and stirring Of Blood and Bone trilogy.The Ben-Elim, a race of warrior angels, once vanquished a mighty demon horde. Now they rule the Banished Lands. But their dominion is brutally enforced and their ancient enemy may not be as crushed as they thought.In the snowbound North, Drem, a trapper, finds mutilated corpses in the forests – a sign of demonic black magic. In the South, Riv, a young, tempestuous soldier, discovers a deadly rift within the Ben-Elim themselves.Two individuals with two world-changing secrets. But where will they lead? And what role will Drem and Riv play in the Banished Lands’ fate? Difficult choices need to be made. Because in the shadows, demons are gathering, waiting for their time to rise . . .Continue the heroic fantasy series with A Time of Blood.‘A truly excellent read . . . Exciting, well-written swords and sorcery’ – Mark Lawrence, author of The Broken Empire‘John Gwynne is one of the modern masters of heroic fantasy’ – Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of TimeOf Blood and Bone is set one hundred years after the end of Gwynne's Faithful and the Fallen quartet, and can be read as a standalone series. The trilogy includes A Time of Dread, A Time of Blood and A Time of Courage.

John Gwynne studied and lectured at Brighton University. He has played double bass in a rock ‘n’ roll band, packed soap in a soap factory and dug ditches for a landscaping crew. He is the author of the epic fantasy series The Faithful and the Fallen, consisting of Malice, Valour, Ruin and Wrath, the Of Blood and Bone trilogy and the Bloodsworn Saga.He is married with four children, seven goats, five sheep, three dogs, three horses and three ducks, and lives in East Sussex, where he is part of a Viking re-enactment group. When not writing or running around after his wife and her ever-growing collection of animals, he can occasionally be found standing in a shield wall with his three sons about him.