Ruin

The third in The Faithful and the Fallen series, Ruin by John Gwynne continues the gripping battle of good vs evil. The Banished Lands are engulfed in war and chaos. The cunning Queen Rhin has conquered the west and High King Nathair has the cauldron, most powerful of the seven treasures. At his back stands the scheming Calidus and a warband of the Kadoshim, dread demons of the Otherworld. They plan to bring Asroth and his host of the Fallen into the world of flesh, but to do so they need the seven treasures. Nathair has been deceived but now he knows the truth. He has choices to make; choices that will determine the fate of the Banished Lands. The flame of resistance is growing - Queen Edana finds allies in the swamps of Ardan. Maquin is loose in Tenebral, hunted by Lykos and his corsairs. Here he will witness the birth of a rebellion in Nathair's own realm. Corban has been swept along by the tide of war. He has suffered, lost loved ones, sought only safety from the darkness. But he will run no more. He has seen the face of evil and he has set his will to fight it. The question is, how? With a disparate band gathered about him - his family, friends, giants, fanatical warriors, an angel and a talking crow - Corban begins the journey to Drassil, the fabled fortress hidden deep in the heart of Forn Forest. For in Drassil lies the spear of Skald, one of the seven treasures, and here it is prophesied that the Bright Star will stand against the Black Sun. Continue the epic fantasy series with Wrath. Shortlisted for the David Gemmell Legend Award for Best Novel. Praise for John Gwynne: 'It gets faster and more fascinating by the page' - Conn Iggulden, author of Empire 'Reminds me of why I became a fantasy enthusiast in the first place' - Robin Hobb, author of Assassin's Apprentice 'One of the modern masters of heroic fantasy' - Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time 'Exciting, well-written swords and sorcery. Try it on for size' - Mark Lawrence, author of The Broken Empire 'Kept me reading late into the night' - James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost

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 including 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.