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Gods of the Wyrdwood

Contributors

By RJ Barker

Formats and Prices

Price

$19.99

Price

$25.99 CAD

“A splendid fantasy work, full of RJ’s trademark invention." —Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author 

Our lands are wild with gods. Our woods are wild with monsters…


Cahan is known as a Forester—a man capable of navigating the dangerous forests of Crua like no one else. But once he was more. Once he was a warrior.

Udinny serves the goddess of the lost, a keeper of the small and helpless. When Udinny needs to venture into the Wyrdwood to find a missing child, she asks Cahan to be her guide.

But in a land where land is won and lost for uncaring gods, where the forest is full of monsters, Cahan will need to choose between his past life and the one leads now—and his choice will have consequences for his entire world.

Praise for Gods of the Wyrdwood:

"A sweeping story of destiny and redemption. Weighty, deliberate, tender and brutal, this is a big, wonderful book and an utterly involving read." —Daily Mail
               
"A triple-threat of world-building, character and plot." —SFX Magazine

The Forsaken Trilogy
Gods of the Wyrdwood

For more from RJ Barker, check out:

The Wounded Kingdom
Age of Assassins
Blood of Assassins
King of Assassins


The Tide Child Trilogy
The Bone Ships
Call of the Bone Ships
The Bone Ship's Wake

 

  • "This is a splendid fantasy work, full of RJ’s trademark invention. Highly recommended."
    Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author of Children of Time
  • "At times lyrical and others stark in its depiction of battle, Gods of the Wyrdwood has all the delicious worldbuilding of a 90s fantasy you’d want to cut your teeth on but with characters & situations that resonate with modernity."
    Linden A. Lewis, author of The First Sister
  • "A sweeping story of destiny and redemption. Weighty, deliberate, tender and brutal, this is a big, wonderful book and an utterly involving read." 
    Daily Mail
  • "A triple-threat of world-building, character and plot, Gods of the Wyrdwood represents the work of an experienced novelist at the top of his game. This is Avatar meets Dune — on shrooms." 
    SFX Magazine
  • "A unique spin on the traditional Chosen One trope ... this one doesn’t turn out anything like you expect."
    Paste Magazine
  • “I’m fascinated with what Barker’s done here and where he’s going next. Gods of the Wyrdwood is an excellent book, with epic themes, epically strange worldbuilding, and excellent action scenes."
    Locus
  • "Anchored by a mysterious forest that you cannot help want to explore with the characters, Gods of the Wyrdwood is an exciting start to a brand new trilogy. RJ Barker brings the same level of magnificent worlds, characters, and prose from his Tide Child Trilogy and crafts a unique story."
    Fantasy Review
  • Previous praise for RJ Barker:

    "A vividly realized high-seas epic that pulls you deep into its world and keeps you tangled there until the very last word." —Evan Winter, author of The Rage of Dragons on The Bone Ships

    "The Bone Ships is excellent. Aside from the standout writing, it's one of the most interesting and original fantasy worlds I've seen in years." —Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author

    "I absolutely loved it. A whole lot of swashbuckling awesomeness by RJ Barker. He has crafted a fascinating world and a twisty plot, both rooted in characters I came to care about. A definite winner for me." —John Gwynne, author of The Shadow of the Gods on The Bone Ships

    "Blood of Assassins is a brilliant and often beautiful piece of literature from one of the most talented writers out there." Fantasy Faction

    "Often poignant and always intriguing, Age of Assassins reveals its mysteries with the style of a magic show and the artful grace of a gifted storyteller." —Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld on Age of Assassins

    "Outstanding. Beautifully written, perfectly paced and assured. Kept me reading well into the early hours of the morning. A wonderful first book—a wonderful book, period—that should be at the very top of your to-read list." —James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost on Age of Assassins

On Sale
Jun 27, 2023
Page Count
640 pages
Publisher
Orbit
ISBN-13
9780316401586

RJ Barker

About the Author

RJ Barker lives in Leeds with his wife, son and “a collection of questionable taxidermy.” He grew up reading whatever he could get his hands on, and having played in a rock band before deciding he was a rubbish musician, RJ returned to his first love, fiction, to find he is rather better at that. As well as his debut epic fantasy series, the Wounded Kingdom trilogy (Age of Assassins, Blood of Assassins and King of Assassins) RJ has written short stories and historical scripts which have been performed across the country. He has the sort of flowing locks any cavalier would be proud of. RJ’s novel The Bone Ships is the winner of the British Fantasy Society’s Best Novel, aka the Robert Holdstock Award.

Learn more about this author