A Time of Dread
Published on 31. July 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
512 pages
978-1-0350-6339-0 (ISBN)
Description
'Reminds me of why I became a fantasy enthusiast in the first place' - Robin Hobb, author of Assassin's Apprentice
The 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 Time
Of 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.
The 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 Time
Of 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.
Reviews / Votes
A Time of Dread reminds me of why I became a fantasy enthusiast in the first place. Fantasy can be an escape from reality, but some stories carry the reader to an enhanced reality, a place where the world seems to have brighter colors and sharper contrasts -- Robin Hobb, author of <i>Assassin</i>'<i>s Apprentice</i> A truly excellent read . . . Exciting, well-written swords and sorcery. Try it on for size -- Mark Lawrence, author of The Broken Empire trilogy John Gwynne is one of the modern masters of heroic fantasy -- Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of <i>Children of Time</i> A Time of Dread is marvellous. Gwynne's writing is superb, delivering not only twists and turns but also nuance and complexity -- Sebastien de Castell, author of The Greatcoats series Great evils, conflicted heroes, bloody battles, betrayal and giants riding battle bears! What's not to love? -- Peter Newman, author of <i>The Vagrant</i> I loved A Time of Dread and read it from cover to cover in two days. I couldn't put it down -- Miles Cameron, author of <i>The Red Knight</i> A brilliantly compelling heroic fantasy - likeable characters with nuance, a story that builds at a perfect pace and a thrilling, climactic ending that kept me reading late into the night -- James Islington, author of <i>The Shadow of What Was Lost</i> An accomplished and rousing tale of heroes and dark deeds that fans of epic fantasy will devour -- Tom Lloyd, author of The Twilight Reign series A fierce, gripping tale, and one I found hugely enjoyable -- Anna Smith Spark, author of <i>The Court of Broken Knives</i> A brilliant and bold journey into an unpredictable world, A Time of Dread is an exciting tale of rivalry, politics and a power struggle of epic proportions -- Lucy Holland, author of <i>Sistersong</i> Gwynne does an excellent job of weaving a classic light vs dark tale while keeping it interesting . . . a sense of foreboding builds along with the pace, balanced by the overall sense of hope * SFX * The stakes are high, the characters are engaging and relatable, and the action is thrilling . . . you will storm through A Time of Dread * SciFiNow *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pan Macmillan
Target group
Interest Age: From 18 years
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 31 mm
Weight
348 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-0350-6339-0 (9781035063390)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Previous edition
Person
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.
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.