Bloodsworn Saga (#1- 3) by John Gwynne

The Bloodsworn Saga places a premium on familial relationships, either by blood or oath, and everyone’s actions reflect this.

I came across The Shadow of the Gods in the book club I’m in. To be fair, it didn’t seem like I was going to complete the reading, numbering it among the many unfinished works time and life wouldn’t let me complete, but it somehow sunk its Orna’s talons into my subconscious and didn’t let go.

I’d go back repeatedly, reading a page and dumping for another few days, only to return. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. However as the series progressed, I found I wanted to drop the book less.

Scandinavian flavor

The Bloodsworn Saga raised questions for me though. I have wondered if our sea-going brethren here in Nigeria ever thought to sail the seas the way the Scandinavians seemed to have done. Did the Scandinavians have to be so violent in their sea sojourns?

‘What a man can do, a woman can do better’ must have originated from that region of the world because what in the feminine violence? Even sex sounded like war😭! Their women must have championed equal rights. How much blood and gore from battles must an author write about?

Premise

I am finding it difficult to not spoil the books, but I shall try my hardest. The Bloodsworn Saga places a premium on familial relationships, either by blood or oath (technically still by blood), and everyone’s actions reflect this- a mother’s hunt for her kidnapped child, a brother’s revenge for his murdered sister, a daughter whose true desire is vengeance for he mother’s death.

Comeuppance is a greatly hinted theme. I did roll my eyes at many points in the novels because it was giving all these poorly written ‘You killed my master’ Chinese movies from the 80s.

Characters

I had somewhat hoped the author would kill off his characters, something akin to how viewers’ favorites died in the Game of Thrones, with no one knowing who’d go next, but he did well. Made each character relevant to the very end. Certain deaths were satisfying, albeit unnecessarily dragged out.

The loss of Elvar shocked me to the marrow. I didn’t shed a tear though. Capitalism has shriveled the little heart I should have. It’s a pity how her entire lineage got snuffed out.

Questions

There were gaps though. Who had carried Snaka’s heart at the dinner table? Hadn’t the time of gods passed? What role would Ulfrir and Skuld play in the days to come? Why hadn’t they revived the other gods in the pantheon? Would Rotta ever die? If he had been alive all that time before Lik-Rifa was released, why hadn’t his children populated the earth?

What happened with that traitorous Harek who had been Breca’s friend? They should have flayed his hide!

Final thoughts

There was enough mage craft to keep me entranced – especially the parts where they resurrected supposed long-dead powers.

Anyway, I hope Scandinavians critique The Bloodsworn Saga worse than that nonsense Tomi’s Children of Blood and Bones book. It is sinful that I liked this one the way I did.