Book Review - GODS OF THE WYRDWOOD by RJ Barker


(Title: Gods of the Wyrdwood / Author: RJ Barker / Publisher: Orbit / Publication Date: June 27, 2023 / Total Pages: 640)


Back Cover Blurb
In a world locked in eternal winter and haunted by prophecy, a young boy trains for years to become the Chosen One, only for another to rise and claim his place in the start of an unmissable epic from a rising star in fantasy.

The northlands of Crua are locked in eternal winter, but prophecy tells of the chosen child - who will rule in the name of their God, and take warmth back from the South. Cahul du Nahere was raised to be this person: the Cowl-Rai, the saviour. Taken from his parents and prepared for his destiny.

But his time never came.

When he was fifteen he ceased to matter. Another Cowl-Rai had risen, another chosen one, raised in the name of a different God. The years of vicious physical and mental training he had endured, the sacrifice, all for nothing. He became nothing. 

Twenty years later, and Cahal lives a life of secrecy on the edges of Crua's giant forests - hiding what he is, running from what he can do. But when he is forced to reveal his true nature, he sets off a sequence of a events that will reveal secrets that will shake the bedrock of his entire world, and expose lies that have persisted for generations.



Review
RJ Barker is up there with the select handful of authors whose books I will buy immediately upon their release, an "auto-buy" author if you will. Both of his previous series entertained the heck out of me and are also quite different in setting and theme. That right there should tell you what a versatile writer he is. So when I caught wind of the fact that he was releasing a brand new series, with the first book GODS OF THE WYRDWOOD coming out next month, well I simply had to try and get my hands on an early copy.

GODS OF THE WYRDWOOD is again a change-up in theme and tone as Barker shows off that versatility I just mentioned. The book is aptly named as there are definitely some weird things afoot with both the worldbuilding and characters, but in a very very good way. I always appreciate when an author injects some unusual elements into what can be a somewhat formulaic genre at times. It keeps the reader on their toes and there were quite a few moments where I was like, "where the f--- did he come up with that?" These moments were always welcome though and they created a great deal of mystery, especially when it came to the enigmatic fanatical leaders who set forth the rules regarding who are worthy to be part of society and those "clanless" who are essentially scum and should be discarded.

It does take a while to get your bearings with this story as Barker doesn't spend a lot of time holding the reader's hand and explaining everything. So you really have to pay attention right from the outset, but once the story kicks in about a quarter of the way in it all slowly begins to make sense until you are absolutely breathless by the last half. It's definitely not your run of the mill fantasy and I've seen some reviewers say they gave up on it because it wasn't like Barker's other books. I actually found this to be the reason why I liked it even more. The unpredictability and the sense of where is this all going was something that had me constantly on edge and wanting to peel back the curtain.

Ultimately I came away from GODS OF THE WYRDWOOD with a feeling that I'd read another brilliant RJ Barker book. I have one little nitpick though as I'm seeing this book being marketed with the tagline that Barker is "a rising star in fantasy". Well I take exception to that as there's no rising about it. Barker is in my opinion already a firmly established star in this genre and has been for quite some time. If you don't believe me just take the time to read all of his books, starting with his debut trilogy The Wounded Kingdom, continuing with The Tide Child trilogy, and now with this wonderful opening entry in the brand new Forsaken series. 

GODS OF THE WYRDWOOD is a fantastic start to what I'm sure will be a captivating series and I highly recommend it for anyone who craves the unconventional when it comes to their fantasy reads. Yes the magic is there and a lot of other familiar fantasy hallmarks but Barker pushes the envelope and challenges us to take a very different kind of journey with him in this one. It may not be one that we are necessarily used to but the rewards are many and magnificent if you invest the time and attention. I absolutely loved it and can't wait until the next RJ Barker book. I feel like I say that a lot.

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