 All sequels should accomplish what John Gwynne's hunger of the gods has. That is to say, Gwynne's latest expands the world and characters in such a way as to make the shadow of the gods appear a tiny piece of a mosaic you are finally seeing from the right distance. It hasn't all resolved yet, far from it, but every element is even clearer, every character fleshed out still further, the world immeasurably deeper. Unless you forget, all these elements were breathtaking already in the shadow. The hunger of the gods enters your good graces from the first, even as it's length, a good 20% longer than its predecessor, intimidates. Gwynne has added the story so far section, healthfully providing a reminder to all us readers, whose memory of certain elements of the prior novel might have been blurred by time. This text itself would have done a wonderful job recalling all that's past, but having those several pages worth of recap is something all authors of series should do, for utility's sake, if nothing else. Following the Battle of Oscutred, gods once again walk the mortal planes, 300 years after what should have been their end. In the middle of this is Elvar of the Battle Grimm, the youngest of her mercenary company, a character whose arc through the previous novel is a mere shadow of all that awaits her here. A deep tinker, she is desperate to act against the recently freed Lycraefer in order to honour a magical blood out sworn to save the Sader Witch Usper's Child. Left alone in the mythical land of Oscutred, the Battle Grimm find more than enough tools equal to the task of battling a goddess, making use of their enemy's resources as much as of a spare bone or two. I'm in awe of the journey Elvar takes throughout these pages, clenching victory after victory from the jaws of despair, with ingenuity and brute strength both. She's blood thirsty, but not without compassion, and even in her hurt, she is cruel only by necessity. Her final chapters here had me shaking with gleeful anticipation and excitement as Elvar dispelled old ghosts in the most violent way possible. Yum! And on to you and get me started on an excellent cast of supporting characters, such as her right-hand man Grand, or Grand rather, Excellent Chum and an excellent cast of Battle Grimm all around. I look forward to being reunited with them in the last part of this trilogy. The Blood Sworn meanwhile are on a mission to get back one of their own, the Sader Witch Vol. Glorious woman, as several antagonists describe her, Vol is plenty more than just that. She'll show as much, given the opportunity. The POV character here is once more Vag no-sense, the freed slave who embodies the sense of fraternity that makes the Blood Sworn so special. So a little bit of sense after all, eh? It's often a bittersweet journey, sweet for the depth of friendship Vag discovers in his fellow Blood Sworn time and again, bitter for the loss that comes with every battle. The warrior's life is no bloodless thing. And Vag's humanity makes it no easier. There's a terrible vulnerability in the way he perceives the world, a conflict between the human in him and the inhumanity of all that surrounds him, seen in passages like the following. Vag felt a lurch of nausea in his belly, followed quickly by a sense of guilt, that he was free while they were slaves. He had been one of them, not so long ago. A spark of horror and futile anger in his gut, that he lived in a world where people were treated like this. I do not know if a better world is in the cards, but if it is, I suspect Vag will have a part to play in making it so. Orca continues her quest to reclaim her son from the Child Steelers, joined by a few Blood Sworn following shadows' brutal final scene. To see her fall back to a former role, that of leader, is a source of joy. Comradery here too is the name of the game. I agree to love and know and fear for each of her new companions, and seeing all of them take an almost parental pride in returning character Lith, as he learned the warrior's craft is nothing if not cute. Orca's opening chapters here are bitter, seeing her process the pain of thinking herself closer to her goal than ever, only to find she has deceived herself. Grief had flowed from her like blood from a salt trust, but today the wound was seared and stitched closed again. Her heart called in heart. The hunt is on, as this wolf mother is ready to pay any price to save her cub from the drunken cultists. And what a journey it is. Two more perspectives join the fray, one of Tray to Biorre, the other of opportunistic coward Gudvar, both of them offering fresh views of the places of power in these worlds. Gudvar falls in the troll of Skulk the Gildurman, a filthy little wizard who really needs an axe stuck into his skull. Almost as much comes to think of it as Gudvar does. I enjoyed reading Gudvar's sections even as I felt deep-loating for the character. Gwyn does a brilliant job of capturing the inner workings of a man whose foremost instinct is survival at all costs. It's not a pretty place to inhabit, but it sure is interesting. Biorre's point of view is less about survival than it is about the cost paid by someone living a double life, someone having lived. And now returned to his original surroundings, burdened by that life. It is an arc successful not only in showing this, but also in following the recently freed Dragon God's agenda to crumble the present world order and place herself and her followers on top. Biorre's personal journey teaches him all the wrong lessons, as becomes evident time and again. I shouldn't say more for fear of spoilers, but I almost feel sorry for Biorre. Almost. Gwyn is one of the top tier altars you want to read action scenes from. Few can make a fight so scrumptious as he, so tactile even in its build-up. Take this, for example. All around Elvar, the battlegrim war crying out, blades hissing into fists, shields rising, studs and bellows, a swarm of creatures surging out of the impenetrable black. They were the things of nightmare, small, large, some slithering on segmented bodies, others scrambling on long-jointed legs, some dripping with slime, others clawed, fanged, pincers clucking, mandible jaws snapping, some with many eyes, some with none. And they fell upon the battlegrim with hissing fury. It's gut-wrenching prose whose stink you can breathe in, whose viscera you can almost taste, just as epic fantasy should be read, just as epic fantasy should be written. The cards are all set, the final hand has been dealt. The final chapter in the Blood Sworn's Saga Tale is ready to be told. I, for one, am desperate to see it finished. I leave you with these words of wisdom. And remember, orca continued, a shield is a weapon as well as a defensive tool. The rim can crush a windpipe or smashed it out. True are words. Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this video, please like it, share it with your friends, and let me know in the comments down below. Does this review excite you for the hunger of the gods? Have you read The Shadow of the Gods? I have a review of it as well. Not a video one. Maybe I will make a video review of it if there is interest enough. But for now you can read it on my blog, The Grimoire Reliquary. Thanks for watching. I'll see you next time. Bye!