This review contains SPOILERS for Valour and Malice, the first two volumes ofThe Faithful and the Fallen.
John Gwynne's Valour is a perfect follow-up to Malice, the first book in his The Faithful and the Fallen series. The pace in Valour quickens, and the story advances rapidly while still maintaining amazing character development.
In Malice, Gwynne is patient with his world-building and characters, easing readers into the story. He gives his audience time to get a feel for the central players as well as several secondary ones, while meticulously laying groundwork for the main plot of the series. In Valour, he adds more points of view, though most are characters introduced in book one. He provides more sides of the story as the conflict between good and evil expands.
Gwynne is a master of pace. Most of his chapters are short and with purpose. While many of the characters are on a mission or quest of some kind, he does not waste time with the day-to-day minutiae of that quest. Usually, those details show how characters bond with each other or how they deal with the idea that they need to do whatever needs to be done. But in this series, the author shows the bonding and character growth more through action than dragging the story on unnecessarily.
With each new chapter, Gwynne changes points of view, generally to a character in a different setting, in a different spot in the narrative. He often creates degrees of anticipation, as sometimes his chapters end with mini-cliffhangers. While readers will want to know what happens next upon a chapter's end, they'll also be anxious to see where the next character is in their own storyline.
Valour brings clarity to the plot started in Malice
The main two points of view remain those of Corban and Veradis. Kastel was the one POV character from Malice that didn't survive book one. Book two adds these points of view:
- Uthas - Benothi giant introduced early in book one
- Lykos - King of the Vin Thalun, answers to Calidus, named regent of Tenebral
- Maquin - Kastel's mentor and shieldman until Kastel's death, now a slave and pit fighter for the Vin Thalun
- Cywen - Corban's sister, held captive by Nathair (holdover POV from the first book)
- Camlin - Former bandit, now sworn to Edana, exiled Queen of Ardan
- Tukul - A lord of the Jehar, Gar's father
- Coralen - Domhain giant-killer, half-sister to Connall and Halion
- Fidele - Regent of Tenebral, mother to Nathair
Through these characters, the narrative plays out, covering the numerous story lines in the book. Even when there is overlap, readers get a different perspective on the ongoing events.
And there is plenty going on. Edana, the heir to the throne of Ardan, flees her kingdom with Corban and others sworn to her. They evade Rhin of Cambren's army and make for Domhain, hoping to find refuge. Readers get perspectives from Corban and Camlin during this journey.
Maquin and his friend Orgull, rocked by Jael's treachery, head for Don Kellen to warn the young heir to the Isultir throne that Jael is seeking to take the throne for himself. A mighty battle unfolds at Dun Kellen, and both Maquin and Orgull are captured while covering the escape of the young heir. They are made into slaves by Lykos, forced to row the Vin Thalun ships, and eventually thrown into the pits as gladiator-like fighters. Maquin is driven by his hatred for Jael.
Readers learn that Tukul is Gar's father and that both are Jehar. They believe Corban is the Bright Star, the living avatar of Elyon, the god of Light. This contradicts the belief of the Jehar following Nathair that Nathair is the Bright Star.
Cywen is taken captive as Nathair marches north, where the King betrays Owain and hands Ardan and Navron over to Rhin. The Queen of Cambren is a long-time acolyte of Asroth, the god of darkness, whose avatar, the Black Sun, will fight the Bright Star.
Despite her captivity, Cywen does find some sympathy from those who watch over her. First from Veradis, Nathair's long-time friend and First Sword, then Alcyon, Calidus' giant servant. Veradis is intrigued by Cywen, and he begins to question his blind faith in Nathair. When Veradis is sent to Domhain to help Rhin conquer that kingdom, her care is passed to Alcyon.
The giant becomes Cywen's caretaker as Nathair, Calidus, and the Jehar journey to Murias to capture the Caldron, one of seven great treasures needed for the battle between the Bright Star and the Black Sun. Cywen starts to understand that Alcyon is controlled by Calidus and that he isn't happy with his plight, though he has nothing to say in the matter.
Calidus is using Cywen as bait, counting on Corban to try a rescue attempt so Calidus can kill him. Corban does attempt a rescue, and it becomes another bloody scene.
Fidele was left in charge on Tenebral while her son, Nathair, went west. Calidus, behind Nathair's back, makes Lykos the co-regent and gives him a way to control Fidele through magic. Lykos becomes the sole ruler of Tenebral.
Both Corban and Nathair find out about their destinies, but in very different ways. Corban is told up front, and he doesn't believe it or accept it at first. As Valour progresses, he becomes increasingly accepting of it, though he is confused by the reasons why he was chosen for his fate.
Nathair, on the other hand, is convinced he is the Bright Star, goaded by Calidus. At one point, he learns the truth and is crushed by it. He knows he was betrayed by Calidus, as were the Jehar. At the end of the book, readers see Calidus' plan unfold and the depth of his betrayal.
Gwynne does a terrific job pushing all of these plotlines forward, amid numerous battles and fight scenes. The overall picture of what each character's place in the story is becomes more and more clear as the book moves along. Not everyone is who the readers think they are, just as some of the characters are not who they thought they were.
There is plenty of blood and betrayal in this book, and it is probably the main reason this series draws some comparisons to George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. While in this aspect, the comparisons are fair, the two stories are not similar. The Faithful and the Fallen isn't nearly as broad in scope as Martin's work, and it has its own story to tell.
Verdict
Valour advances the story so subtly started in Malice, but it doesn't surrender the character development that was so important in the first book. The growth of the characters isn't tossed away by the pace of this book, but rather enhanced by it.
Like the first book in the series, Valour is a real page-turner, and it is tough to put down. Despite its length, readers will fly through this book because of all the positives mentioned above.
All four books in John Gwynne's The Faithful and the Fallen are available wherever books are sold.