A Time of Dread

· Macmillan Digital Audio · Narrated by Damian Lynch
4.5
4 reviews
Audiobook
15 hr 36 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook

'A Time of Dread reminds me of why I became a fantasy enthusiast in the first place' – Robin Hobb, author of Assassin's Apprentice.

Set in the same world as the Faithful and the Fallen quartet, the first novel in John Gwynne's Of Blood and Bone series, A Time of Dread, takes place one hundred years after the end of Wrath.


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 Land's 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. Try it on for size' – Mark Lawrence, author of The Broken Empire.

'John Gwynne is one of the modern masters of heroic fantasy' – Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Ruin.

Ratings and reviews

4.5
4 reviews
Roger X
May 24, 2024
Starts promising but ends up as very mediocre. The second book doesn't get better. Every few minutes the book switches between the 3 to 4 protagonists. Dialog is mostly very dry... "xy said"... "xy said"... "xy said"..."xy mumbled". Charakter development only happens for about two charakters. Everything else feels surface level and more or less goes through the paces. You wait for chapter after chapter for something interesting to happen and then it happens all at once but feels not really worth the build up. Description of any scenery is barely existent and not done well. As a whole the world has a interesting core with good ideas but feels underdeveloped at the same time. The writing is easy to follow and the reader is very good. This series is not bad and has it's better parts but is also far from great.
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About the author

John Gwynne studied and lectured at Brighton University. He's been in a rock 'n' roll band, playing the double bass, travelled the USA and lived in Canada for a time. He is married with four children and lives in Eastbourne, running a small family business rejuvenating vintage furniture. His debut novel, Malice, won the David Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut.

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