We had an absolute blast. Thank you so much for having us on, Philip. We have waited so long for a spoiler chat and it was so much fun! Can't wait to chat again. Also, to Jimmy - we did some interrogating! Dad said he loves Tad Williams and his norse tips of the hat. He said Tad is definitely in the melting pot of influences for everything he writes. Truth and courage! Ed and Will
Mission accomplished! I’m sure that will make Jimmy happy. As for me, I’m so grateful for the participation from the two of you in our discussion, and I hope it will be the first of many!
Thanks again for the invitation, Philip! This was so much fun and I had the best time chatting with you all! I hope we get the chance to do something similar in the future ☺️
Sarah Reads is awesome. I discovered her channel a couple weeks ago, her videos are fantastic, very articulate and insightful. Everyone should subscribe to her!
Loved this discussion! Completely agree with what Sarah said about it being the strongest start to a John Gwynne series whilst still having such an attachment to the Banished Lands. My jaw was on the floor with all the twists at the end
I pretty much agreed with everything Sarah said! If you're reviewing The Shadow of the Gods, Abby, I look forward to watching your video -- thanks so much for watching this one!
Philip is turning into the fantasy booktube ringleader. I love seeing all the outreach and discussions you are promoting across channels! Well done, Philip. Please keep it up!
Loved this! Finished the book today and I’ve been desperately looking for a place to talk about it or listen to others talk about it, so thank you very much for scratching that itch for me.
Our pleasure, Bryce! That’s the great thing about BookTube - we get to discuss the stories we love with other people who love them. The Shadow of the Gods is definitely one worth chatting about!
Now that I've finished the book, I've had a chance to watch the discussion, and this was a lot of fun. And of course, the book was fantastic-- I binge read the last part on Friday, trying to finish up before work started, because I had to know how this wrapped up. And what an ending!! Varg was my personal favorite. I feel the same towards Orka as you all described, but watching Varg transform from a lone, introverted thrall with such distrust and despair, to become a member of a group, a family, and suddenly have nice possessions and eat good foods, and feel love for others, and from others as well. Torvik was a great side character, since he would refer to Varg as "brother" and you would see how that would affect Varg, as he never felt this type of human connection aside from his sister.
Beautifully said about Varg! I enjoyed his development too as his humanity slowly emerged when he was becoming part of the Bloodsworn (ironic!). I’m really glad you enjoyed the discussion, Anthony!
Great discussion. Varg was my favorite. The more I think about it. I just love his Journey. In the beginning his scarred and slowly he starts healing emotionally. He has a band of brothers and sister now. I can't wait to see what happens next to him.
I’m also looking forward to what happens with Varg in future books. It feels like he’ll be steadier on his feet and ready to do some important things. We shall see!
I loved this discussion! Great Job Philip!! As a reader of the book, I love the work that you put into this online discussion. As to the characters, I like Varg the most because he is growing closer and closer to those he fights alongside. He first saw the Bloodsworn as a means to an end. As he takes his journey along with them, he genuinely starts to care about them. Remember how he took Torik's death? (I know I misspelled that I'm sorry). But the young lad who promised him to help him find and kill those who killed Varg's sister. Think about what drove him to slay the dragon blood warrior. He was motivated by his own comrades being in harms way. It he put it all on the line to help them in battle. His heart is big! And you continue to see this as the story unfolds. I really thought that this story was great, and the same for your online discussion!!! GREAT JOB!!!!!!
I need to finish the last 100 pages ASAP so I can watch this. Looking at the cast of the discussion I can already tell that this video is going to be great!
I finished this amazing book this morning, and finally got an opportunity to watch the spoiler section of this discussion video. So much insight from some genuinely great Booktubers. Philip, you do some excellent work for the Booktube community, bringing people together with these discussions. This one, and the First Law one with Mike/Petrik/Slowly Red were highly enjoyable. Thanks for all you do here and I look forward to more!
Thank you, David! For me, the discussions are the best part of BookTube and the greatest opportunity for learning and deepening my enjoyment of the books. I’m happy you’ve found them enjoyable too!
I've finally had the time to watch your video. Thank you all for your thoughts. It is so lovely to feel like I can sit around and chat about a book I really enjoyed.
What a cool panel for the discussion. I’ve only just loaded the video, but I’m super excited to watch until spoilers. Just about to start the audiobook
You guys what a great discussion! I finished the book yesterday and am with such a book hangover that I need more Shadow of the Gods content. Why is there no fanart for this amazing book?! Anyway the character analysis you did here was just fenomenal. Svik is my sole mate, the Bloodsworn are my ride or die, Varg annoyed me until chapter 43 and Elvar is just my absolute queen!. I feel that when Mr. Gwynne was doing his research for creating Orka, he got inspired in Latina moms, cause I saw sooo many of Orka’s traits in my mom, my grandma and my great grandma, and I loved her character so much! I did see coming the Orka plot twist but I did NOT expect the Varg/Bloodsworn twist and it just blew my mind to bits! I was here for all of it. The writing style was very atmospheric. I have the same issue as Sarah, where I sometimes struggle with imagining what the author is trying to show us, and the descriptions here helped, although sometimes they felt too much for my reading taste. I also felt super lost plotwise cause this is more of character driven story, than plot driven, and sometimes I struggle with that as well. But nonetheless I loved this book soooooo much. One of my favorite reads of 2021. I need friends like you guys to gush about favorite books! So good!
I'm happy you enjoyed the discussion, Jesmarie! I love your comment about Orka reminding you of Latina moms -- such a strong person and so awe-inspiring. Also, I totally agree with you about the atmosphere in The Shadow of the Gods. And, yes, we need some great fan art! Some good news is that Gwynne has finished the draft of book two of Bloodsworn, so I hope we won't have to wait too long.
I was so glad to hear you guys talk about Snakavik! One of the single coolest fantasy locations I've come across. Just one of the many aspects that made the worldbuilding so incredible in this book. I also loved Jimmy's description of the world's "atmosphere". I couldn't help but imagine a bleak, greyish tinge overlaying the world! Such a vivid reading experience.
Snakavik just blew me away! After reading the book, I couldn't believe no one had ever thought of such an epic setting before. Jimmy described the atmosphere, and a lot of other things, perfectly. It was a fun discussion!
I am so glad that I watched this after finishing the book, because I now see that there were definitely some things I missed! It never fails to amaze me how much value there is in hearing other people's assessments and interpretations of a book, so thanks for sharing this fun and educative discussion! I am 100% going to reread this book close to the release of the second book and I am already super excited to do so! John Gwynne never disappoints :)
I’m so happy the discussion was valuable to you, Esmay! I always learn a lot from discussions, which is why they’re my favorite thing to do on BookTube.
Have enjoy the book discussions for all of Gwynne’s books so far. I have watched them all after each book. Did you have a discussion for Hunger of the Gods also? Thank you guys so much for these discussions.
I have a review for Hunger of the Gods, but the discussion we planned for it never happened due to various people being unavailable and other factors. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the chats, though!
Awesome Ensamble! About the Boneback Mountains: I feel that Papa Gwynne is here combining the Norse Creation Myth with the Ragnarok: Odin & his brothers killed the Jotun/Giant Ymir, and used his body to create Midgard over the void, Ginnungagap, and fashioned the earth from his flesh, the seas from his blood, mountains from his bones, stones from his teeth, the sky from his skull, and clouds from his brain. Combining it with the Ragnarok, it would make sense that the remains of the world-sized creatures of the Jotuns (such as Midgardsormen/Jormundgand that you mention Philip) that the Æsir fight (and gets mutually destroyed), would become features of the New Midgard after Ragnarok.
I like it! The next time I talk to John Gwynne, I must remember to ask about the possible Ymir influence. Thanks so much for watching and leaving one of your excellent comments!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy That would be awesome if you did, thank you! Also is very envious of Sarah: The Norse Vinland Settlement on Newfoundland is definitely on my Bucket List! Brynhilde the Valkyrie & Lagetha the Shield Maiden are of course famous mythical Norse Warrior Women, but would also mention the historical Frøydis Eiriksdotter (daughter of Eirik Raude/the Red & sister of Leif Eiriksson, who join her brother to travel & settle Vinland) from the Sagas of Eirik the Red & the Greenlanders and the semi-mythical two Hervors (mother & daughter of King Heidrik) from the Tyrfing Cycle.
@@MacScarfield I would very much like to visit L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland someday as well! Yes, there’s a rich history of strong women and women warriors in Norse culture, which archeology has confirmed in recent years as well. Great stuff!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Yeah, hope the Birka Warrior Grave & the Solør Woman is just the beginning! Also, even though they were not warriors, you would not like to be on the opposite side of either Gunnhild Gormsdotter (wife of King Eirik Bloodaxe, known as the "Mother of Kings") or Olga of Kiev!
@@MacScarfield It’s such a beautiful part of the world to explore. Gros Morne National Park is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and so worth visiting. If you love natural history/hiking, it’s such an underrated travel destination!
What a fantastic group of friends! All shared great reasons for reading this book that didn't even include the breathtaking cover. I'm looking forward to reading The Shadow of the Gods!
I have 50 pages left and I was looking at my phone and this pops up.. yayy. I'm subscribed to all of you here and it's so great that you've come together to discuss this wonderful book. Thank you Philip for hosting the discussion. 🤓 Damnit 14:07 and I'm taking a break to finish the book. I don't know if I'm more excited for the last 50 pages or the rest of this video.. lol
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I loved the ending of the book and the discussion here was a great way to cap off my read. Like Jimmy I want to go straight back and re read it.
@@yorkshirelasstracey5383 I’m so happy the timing worked out that way for you! It’s also great to hear of your enthusiasm for The Shadow of the Gods. Now we just have to wait for book two!
Great assembley! I finished The Shadow Of The Gods yesterday and recorded a discussion of it while making mead only to find out afterwards that my camera betrayed me. I enjoyed the book a lot despite it's weaknesses.
Oh, no! It would have been fun to watch your video on The Shadow of the Gods. I hope the mead turned out well, at least, though I guess you’ll have to wait on it. But thank you for watching our discussion, Raf!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Yeah, it'll take a couple weeks to ferment. But I still plan to make a video on the book in the near future, so you will get to hear all my gripes.
This was so dope to hear! Love the spoiler chats! You guys all had amazing insights and thoughts. A lot of smarts oozing in discussion for sure! And Jimmys set up though?! He was so crisp and clear! Is that his microphone? Or his headphones? I feel like we hear a lot of your guys computer speakers thus causing echoey/hollowed sounds and causing the convo to be less fluid. But Phillip does an excellent job navigating that space. Im not sure if that would translate to a much more fluid convo or if its just in my head lol.
Jimmy’s equipment seems top notch to me, making me wonder when I’ll be investing in something like that. I’m glad you enjoyed the chat, and thanks for watching!
I loved this book! Not my favorite Gwynne novel yet, but definitely my favorite first book of a series of his. Vigrið is also my favorite new fantasy world in a while. I’m swedish, so of course I love vikings and norse mythology.
I was delighted with the influence from Norse mythology, and at the same time I enjoyed the unique elements that Gwynne created for this world. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thanks so much for this. I really enjoyed the discussion especially about Varg’s character - I thought his arc was lovely (also excited to hear that Sarah is a Newfoundlander - so am I)
Varg is a fantastic character, and I’m looking forward to his development in book two. I also learned during the discussion that Sarah is from Newfoundland, which I hope to visit someday. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Spoiler Alert: At the start of the book there is a scene where a wounded fell wolf runs past Orka and her family. Unless I missed it, or have forgotten, it's never really explained what happened to the fell wolf - how did it get wounded? Almost feels like that scene is completely forgotten in the rest of the book.
Bit late but to Jimmy`s point about using a god`s corpse to build something. In Norse mythology Odin along with his two brothers used the skull of Sutr or another giant to make the sky and his blood the ocean.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Yes! that one. Btw Dr Phantasy, do Vile and Ve get mentioned again in the sagas? Personally they sound like really cool characters.
I feel like every time Jimmy says the book tube beef cake he should be wearing a sleeveless shirt lol. And petrik is the best thing that has happened to book tube. Someone put him in their pocket and keep him forever 😃
I really enjoyed this discussion video. I just finished reading the shadow of the gods and I'm confused about something at the end. spoilers: So who exactly is the skullsplitter? Orka or Thorkell ? In the video you said it was Thorkell but at the end of the book Glornir say "Orka skullsplitter"?
I’m glad you enjoyed the chat! I’m not entirely sure because it’s been a while since I read the book, but is it possible the Skullsplitter name is just making clear the relationships between the characters (those relationships were not revealed until near the end of the book)?
Here's something I didn't quite get. If every bone of a dead god contained powers, then the giant remains of the father of the gods should have possessed immeasurable power. However, there's no mention of it. What am I missing?
John's ability to take inspiration from Norse mythology, Icelandic Sagas, and Beowulf and keep the spirit of such texts while creating something so unique was so impressive. I've been disappointed by 'Viking'-inspired fantasy before because they've either just added magic to historical fiction or they bastardize the mythology so badly it annoys me.
Agreed! Gwynne has done an excellent job of writing something original while giving plentiful nods to the source material. I love that about his writing!
We had an absolute blast. Thank you so much for having us on, Philip. We have waited so long for a spoiler chat and it was so much fun! Can't wait to chat again. Also, to Jimmy - we did some interrogating! Dad said he loves Tad Williams and his norse tips of the hat. He said Tad is definitely in the melting pot of influences for everything he writes. Truth and courage!
Ed and Will
Mission accomplished! I’m sure that will make Jimmy happy. As for me, I’m so grateful for the participation from the two of you in our discussion, and I hope it will be the first of many!
I had a blast!! Loved this discussion with my fave book tubers 💪🏻
Definitely the best discussion I've done on booktube so far! Thank you so much for having me!
Having you there made it special for me, Petrik! Thanks so much, my friend!
Thanks again for the invitation, Philip! This was so much fun and I had the best time chatting with you all! I hope we get the chance to do something similar in the future ☺️
Most definitely, Sarah! I’m looking forward to chatting about books with you again, and thanks so much for enriching this discussion!
Sarah Reads is awesome. I discovered her channel a couple weeks ago, her videos are fantastic, very articulate and insightful. Everyone should subscribe to her!
Hear, hear! I absolutely agree -- Sarah Reads is the real deal!
Loved this discussion!
Completely agree with what Sarah said about it being the strongest start to a John Gwynne series whilst still having such an attachment to the Banished Lands.
My jaw was on the floor with all the twists at the end
I pretty much agreed with everything Sarah said! If you're reviewing The Shadow of the Gods, Abby, I look forward to watching your video -- thanks so much for watching this one!
Philip is turning into the fantasy booktube ringleader. I love seeing all the outreach and discussions you are promoting across channels! Well done, Philip. Please keep it up!
Thanks, Danny! The discussions and interactions in the comments are the best parts of BookTube for me. I’m happy if others find them meaningful too!
Awesome discussion on Gwynne's masterpiece ! :D
Thank you! John Gwynne just announced today that he’s definitely finished writing book three!!!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Terrific news.Thank you!!!
Loved this! Finished the book today and I’ve been desperately looking for a place to talk about it or listen to others talk about it, so thank you very much for scratching that itch for me.
Our pleasure, Bryce! That’s the great thing about BookTube - we get to discuss the stories we love with other people who love them. The Shadow of the Gods is definitely one worth chatting about!
Now that I've finished the book, I've had a chance to watch the discussion, and this was a lot of fun. And of course, the book was fantastic-- I binge read the last part on Friday, trying to finish up before work started, because I had to know how this wrapped up. And what an ending!!
Varg was my personal favorite. I feel the same towards Orka as you all described, but watching Varg transform from a lone, introverted thrall with such distrust and despair, to become a member of a group, a family, and suddenly have nice possessions and eat good foods, and feel love for others, and from others as well. Torvik was a great side character, since he would refer to Varg as "brother" and you would see how that would affect Varg, as he never felt this type of human connection aside from his sister.
Beautifully said about Varg! I enjoyed his development too as his humanity slowly emerged when he was becoming part of the Bloodsworn (ironic!). I’m really glad you enjoyed the discussion, Anthony!
Great discussion. Varg was my favorite. The more I think about it. I just love his Journey. In the beginning his scarred and slowly he starts healing emotionally. He has a band of brothers and sister now. I can't wait to see what happens next to him.
I’m also looking forward to what happens with Varg in future books. It feels like he’ll be steadier on his feet and ready to do some important things. We shall see!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy also Orka and Varg team up next book. 🤩🤩🤩🤩
@@oscarandino9230 Awesome!
I loved this discussion! Great Job Philip!! As a reader of the book, I love the work that you put into this online discussion. As to the characters, I like Varg the most because he is growing closer and closer to those he fights alongside. He first saw the Bloodsworn as a means to an end. As he takes his journey along with them, he genuinely starts to care about them. Remember how he took Torik's death? (I know I misspelled that I'm sorry). But the young lad who promised him to help him find and kill those who killed Varg's sister. Think about what drove him to slay the dragon blood warrior. He was motivated by his own comrades being in harms way. It he put it all on the line to help them in battle. His heart is big! And you continue to see this as the story unfolds. I really thought that this story was great, and the same for your online discussion!!! GREAT JOB!!!!!!
Beautifully said, Darryck! Varg's character arc is fantastic, and I love how it continues in The Hunger of the Gods.
I need to finish the last 100 pages ASAP so I can watch this. Looking at the cast of the discussion I can already tell that this video is going to be great!
It was a ton of fun! Enjoy those last 100 pages - they fly by like crazy!
I finished this amazing book this morning, and finally got an opportunity to watch the spoiler section of this discussion video. So much insight from some genuinely great Booktubers. Philip, you do some excellent work for the Booktube community, bringing people together with these discussions. This one, and the First Law one with Mike/Petrik/Slowly Red were highly enjoyable. Thanks for all you do here and I look forward to more!
Thank you, David! For me, the discussions are the best part of BookTube and the greatest opportunity for learning and deepening my enjoyment of the books. I’m happy you’ve found them enjoyable too!
I've finally had the time to watch your video. Thank you all for your thoughts. It is so lovely to feel like I can sit around and chat about a book I really enjoyed.
I’m happy the discussion was fun for you, Josie! I certainly learned a lot from everyone.
What an amazing group of reviewers! The first 15 min made me even more hyped for the book, can't wait to come back when I finish it.
Thank you! I hope you’ll absolutely love The Shadow of the Gods, and we’ll be here for you when you’re done!
What a cool panel for the discussion. I’ve only just loaded the video, but I’m super excited to watch until spoilers. Just about to start the audiobook
Thank you, and I hope you’ll enjoy the story!
You guys what a great discussion! I finished the book yesterday and am with such a book hangover that I need more Shadow of the Gods content. Why is there no fanart for this amazing book?!
Anyway the character analysis you did here was just fenomenal.
Svik is my sole mate, the Bloodsworn are my ride or die, Varg annoyed me until chapter 43 and Elvar is just my absolute queen!. I feel that when Mr. Gwynne was doing his research for creating Orka, he got inspired in Latina moms, cause I saw sooo many of Orka’s traits in my mom, my grandma and my great grandma, and I loved her character so much!
I did see coming the Orka plot twist but I did NOT expect the Varg/Bloodsworn twist and it just blew my mind to bits! I was here for all of it.
The writing style was very atmospheric. I have the same issue as Sarah, where I sometimes struggle with imagining what the author is trying to show us, and the descriptions here helped, although sometimes they felt too much for my reading taste.
I also felt super lost plotwise cause this is more of character driven story, than plot driven, and sometimes I struggle with that as well. But nonetheless I loved this book soooooo much. One of my favorite reads of 2021. I need friends like you guys to gush about favorite books!
So good!
I'm happy you enjoyed the discussion, Jesmarie! I love your comment about Orka reminding you of Latina moms -- such a strong person and so awe-inspiring. Also, I totally agree with you about the atmosphere in The Shadow of the Gods. And, yes, we need some great fan art! Some good news is that Gwynne has finished the draft of book two of Bloodsworn, so I hope we won't have to wait too long.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy awesome!! Can’t wait for book two! 💪🏻
This was SO fun!
It was a tremendous pleasure to discuss The Shadow of the Gods with you, Jimmy, and our other BookTube friends!
I was so glad to hear you guys talk about Snakavik! One of the single coolest fantasy locations I've come across. Just one of the many aspects that made the worldbuilding so incredible in this book. I also loved Jimmy's description of the world's "atmosphere". I couldn't help but imagine a bleak, greyish tinge overlaying the world! Such a vivid reading experience.
Snakavik just blew me away! After reading the book, I couldn't believe no one had ever thought of such an epic setting before. Jimmy described the atmosphere, and a lot of other things, perfectly. It was a fun discussion!
I am so glad that I watched this after finishing the book, because I now see that there were definitely some things I missed! It never fails to amaze me how much value there is in hearing other people's assessments and interpretations of a book, so thanks for sharing this fun and educative discussion!
I am 100% going to reread this book close to the release of the second book and I am already super excited to do so! John Gwynne never disappoints :)
I’m so happy the discussion was valuable to you, Esmay! I always learn a lot from discussions, which is why they’re my favorite thing to do on BookTube.
Have enjoy the book discussions for all of Gwynne’s books so far. I have watched them all after each book. Did you have a discussion for Hunger of the Gods also?
Thank you guys so much for these discussions.
I have a review for Hunger of the Gods, but the discussion we planned for it never happened due to various people being unavailable and other factors. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the chats, though!
Thank you, will definitely check out your review once I read HoG next month
Awesome Ensamble!
About the Boneback Mountains: I feel that Papa Gwynne is here combining the Norse Creation Myth with the Ragnarok: Odin & his brothers killed the Jotun/Giant Ymir, and used his body to create Midgard over the void, Ginnungagap, and fashioned the earth from his flesh, the seas from his blood, mountains from his bones, stones from his teeth, the sky from his skull, and clouds from his brain. Combining it with the Ragnarok, it would make sense that the remains of the world-sized creatures of the Jotuns (such as Midgardsormen/Jormundgand that you mention Philip) that the Æsir fight (and gets mutually destroyed), would become features of the New Midgard after Ragnarok.
I like it! The next time I talk to John Gwynne, I must remember to ask about the possible Ymir influence. Thanks so much for watching and leaving one of your excellent comments!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy That would be awesome if you did, thank you! Also is very envious of Sarah: The Norse Vinland Settlement on Newfoundland is definitely on my Bucket List!
Brynhilde the Valkyrie & Lagetha the Shield Maiden are of course famous mythical Norse Warrior Women, but would also mention the historical Frøydis Eiriksdotter (daughter of Eirik Raude/the Red & sister of Leif Eiriksson, who join her brother to travel & settle Vinland) from the Sagas of Eirik the Red & the Greenlanders and the semi-mythical two Hervors (mother & daughter of King Heidrik) from the Tyrfing Cycle.
@@MacScarfield I would very much like to visit L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland someday as well! Yes, there’s a rich history of strong women and women warriors in Norse culture, which archeology has confirmed in recent years as well. Great stuff!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Yeah, hope the Birka Warrior Grave & the Solør Woman is just the beginning! Also, even though they were not warriors, you would not like to be on the opposite side of either Gunnhild Gormsdotter (wife of King Eirik Bloodaxe, known as the "Mother of Kings") or Olga of Kiev!
@@MacScarfield It’s such a beautiful part of the world to explore. Gros Morne National Park is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and so worth visiting. If you love natural history/hiking, it’s such an underrated travel destination!
What a fantastic group of friends! All shared great reasons for reading this book that didn't even include the breathtaking cover. I'm looking forward to reading The Shadow of the Gods!
I bet you’ll have a blast when you read it, Johanna, and that cover is indeed amazing (we mention it at the end)!
Just finished - what a brilliant book. Written , it felt, just for my thought cage
My thought cage is still appreciating the book too!
I have 50 pages left and I was looking at my phone and this pops up.. yayy. I'm subscribed to all of you here and it's so great that you've come together to discuss this wonderful book. Thank you Philip for hosting the discussion. 🤓
Damnit 14:07 and I'm taking a break to finish the book. I don't know if I'm more excited for the last 50 pages or the rest of this video.. lol
Those fifty pages will blaze by, I have no doubt! I hope you’ll enjoy the discussion!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I just edited my comment. 🤓
Ha ha! That’s so sweet! I would vote for the last 50 pages of the book, but the discussion was pretty amazing too, in my opinion!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I loved the ending of the book and the discussion here was a great way to cap off my read. Like Jimmy I want to go straight back and re read it.
@@yorkshirelasstracey5383 I’m so happy the timing worked out that way for you! It’s also great to hear of your enthusiasm for The Shadow of the Gods. Now we just have to wait for book two!
Brilliant - thank you
I’m glad you enjoyed the chat!
Great assembley! I finished The Shadow Of The Gods yesterday and recorded a discussion of it while making mead only to find out afterwards that my camera betrayed me. I enjoyed the book a lot despite it's weaknesses.
Oh, no! It would have been fun to watch your video on The Shadow of the Gods. I hope the mead turned out well, at least, though I guess you’ll have to wait on it. But thank you for watching our discussion, Raf!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Yeah, it'll take a couple weeks to ferment. But I still plan to make a video on the book in the near future, so you will get to hear all my gripes.
@@RafBlutaxt Excellent! There are few people whose gripes I’d rather hear!
It's really cool to watch Philip Chase's experience as a teacher in the smoothness with which he makes everyone in the room introduce himself! Hehe.
Ha ha! Too true! It’s like the first day of class. 😁
This was so dope to hear! Love the spoiler chats! You guys all had amazing insights and thoughts. A lot of smarts oozing in discussion for sure! And Jimmys set up though?! He was so crisp and clear! Is that his microphone? Or his headphones? I feel like we hear a lot of your guys computer speakers thus causing echoey/hollowed sounds and causing the convo to be less fluid. But Phillip does an excellent job navigating that space. Im not sure if that would translate to a much more fluid convo or if its just in my head lol.
Jimmy’s equipment seems top notch to me, making me wonder when I’ll be investing in something like that. I’m glad you enjoyed the chat, and thanks for watching!
I loved this book! Not my favorite Gwynne novel yet, but definitely my favorite first book of a series of his. Vigrið is also my favorite new fantasy world in a while. I’m swedish, so of course I love vikings and norse mythology.
I was delighted with the influence from Norse mythology, and at the same time I enjoyed the unique elements that Gwynne created for this world. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Another wonderful discussion. Hopefully we'll see these for the Of Blood and Bone trilogy some time in the future.
I think that will happen eventually. In the meantime, thanks so much for watching this one!
Thanks so much for this. I really enjoyed the discussion especially about Varg’s character - I thought his arc was lovely (also excited to hear that Sarah is a Newfoundlander - so am I)
Varg is a fantastic character, and I’m looking forward to his development in book two. I also learned during the discussion that Sarah is from Newfoundland, which I hope to visit someday. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Great start for Saga🐉🗡🛡⚔
Definitely! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Perfect thing to watch minutes after finishing to get me pumped for book 2
Happy to oblige! I know Gwynne has finished the draft of book 2, so perhaps the wait won’t be unendurable!
I recently finished Shadow of The Gods. Awesome book. John Gwynne does not miss.
Just in time for The Hunger of the Gods!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy 😄
Spoiler Alert: At the start of the book there is a scene where a wounded fell wolf runs past Orka and her family. Unless I missed it, or have forgotten, it's never really explained what happened to the fell wolf - how did it get wounded? Almost feels like that scene is completely forgotten in the rest of the book.
ooo, this will me a must watch after i finish the book
Happy reading!
John Gwynne has become one of my favorite authors. The shadow of the gods was no disappointment!
For me, The Shadow of the Gods was Gwynne’s best book I’ve read so far, but I’ll be starting Of Blood and Bone next month, so we’ll see!
Bit late but to Jimmy`s point about using a god`s corpse to build something. In Norse mythology Odin along with his two brothers used the skull of Sutr or another giant to make the sky and his blood the ocean.
Yes! Good one, Benjamin. Ymir, also called Aurgelmir, was the primeval being or giant from whom Odin and his brothers created the worlds.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Yes! that one. Btw Dr Phantasy, do Vile and Ve get mentioned again in the sagas? Personally they sound like really cool characters.
@@benjaminmolina3456 Vili and Ve are largely forgotten post-creation. They were there to give us the mandatory three, I suppose.
Petrick the Pioneer has a ring to it huh. Navigating the fantasy wild west so we don't have to. He's like the Lewis and Clarke of books.
Amen to that! And I like the alliteration there - Petrik is the Pioneer and the Perfect Portal into fantasy!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Haha nice. Enter if you dare! Your TBR will NOT come out unscathed.
I feel like every time Jimmy says the book tube beef cake he should be wearing a sleeveless shirt lol. And petrik is the best thing that has happened to book tube. Someone put him in their pocket and keep him forever 😃
Someone needs to make a t-shirt that says, “BookTube Beefcake”! And yes, Petrik is awesome!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy sleeveless lol
@@darren2880 Of course!
In all seriousness I’m really excited about this book. John Gwynne has become an automatic read for me
@@darren2880 It’s a fantastic book, and if you like Gwynne’s previous stories, then it’s a safe bet you’ll enjoy this one.
I really enjoyed this discussion video. I just finished reading the shadow of the gods and I'm confused about something at the end.
spoilers:
So who exactly is the skullsplitter? Orka or Thorkell ? In the video you said it was Thorkell but at the end of the book Glornir say "Orka skullsplitter"?
I’m glad you enjoyed the chat! I’m not entirely sure because it’s been a while since I read the book, but is it possible the Skullsplitter name is just making clear the relationships between the characters (those relationships were not revealed until near the end of the book)?
I also thought the giant’s head was Elvar’s father lol
In that case, you’re in excellent company with Sarah!
Here's something I didn't quite get. If every bone of a dead god contained powers, then the giant remains of the father of the gods should have possessed immeasurable power. However, there's no mention of it. What am I missing?
Excellent question! I have a feeling we’re going to find out the answer in book three, which will be out in October. Cheers!
I'll give ya a 👍for now, but I gotta ✌, until I read the book. (It's on its way)
Thank you, and happy reading!
John's ability to take inspiration from Norse mythology, Icelandic Sagas, and Beowulf and keep the spirit of such texts while creating something so unique was so impressive. I've been disappointed by 'Viking'-inspired fantasy before because they've either just added magic to historical fiction or they bastardize the mythology so badly it annoys me.
Agreed! Gwynne has done an excellent job of writing something original while giving plentiful nods to the source material. I love that about his writing!
And they thought the MCU was the biggest ensemble of all time!
I call Dr. Strange! 😁
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