John Gwynne’s debut novel, Malice (2012), is the first installment in the epic fantasy series The Faithful and the Fallen. The story is set in the Banished Lands, a world on the brink of a prophesied God-War between a creator god and his ancient adversary. As omens of the conflict begin to appear, the narrative follows a sprawling cast of characters, including the young blacksmith’s son Corban and the nobleman Veradis, who are drawn into a web of political intrigue, betrayal, and ancient conflict that will determine the fate of their world. The novel explores themes including The Conscious Choice Between Good and Evil, The Burdens of Lineage and the Trials of Manhood, and The Corrupting Influence of Ambition and Power. Malice was a finalist for the David Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Debut, and the series’ concluding volume, Wrath, later won the David Gemmell Legend Award. A sequel trilogy, Of Blood and Bone, is also set in the Banished Lands.

This guide refers to the 2013 Orbit e-book edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of graphic violence, bullying, animal cruelty, animal death, illness, and death.

Plot Summary

The Prologue, dated in the year 1122, depicts Evnis of Ardan, driven by jealousy of his older brother Gethin, making a pact in the Darkwood with Queen Rhin of Cambren. Aided by a giant named Uthas, they perform a blood sacrifice to summon the entity Asroth, the creator Elyon’s first creation and a “fallen angel.” Evnis pledges his soul to Asroth in exchange for the power to rule the kingdom of Ardan.

The narrative cuts to an excerpt from an ancient text, “The Writings of Halvor,” providing the mythological history of the Banished Lands and detailing a primeval God-War between the creator Elyon and his first-created, Asroth. The text describes the fall of a starstone from which Seven Treasures were forged, artifacts that help humans and giants become Elementals, or beings who can wield magic through the powers of the elements: earth, air, water, and fire. The book also details Asroth’s corruption of the giants, and Elyon’s subsequent Scourging of the world, in which humans and giants alike were slaughtered, their numbers decimated. The text also contains a prophecy about Asroth’s return in the flesh, heralded by a final God-War between two avatars of Asroth and Elyon, the Black Sun and the Bright Star.

Eighteen years after the Prologue, in 1140, Corban, the young son of the blacksmith Thannon, attends the Spring Fair at Dun Carreg, the fortress of King Brenin of Ardan. With his friend Dath, he witnesses the vows and handbinding of the king’s nephew, Marrock. Corban and Dath are bullied by an older boy, Rafe, who beats Corban and steals his practice sword. Ashamed of his fear, Corban leaves the fair.

Meanwhile, in the southern kingdom of Tenebral, a young warrior named Veradis and his brother Krelis escort a captured Vin Thalun corsair, a bandit from the nearby islands, to Jerolin, the seat of High King Aquilus, who rules Tenebral and oversees the other kingdoms of the Banished Lands. Veradis is to join the warband of Aquilus’s son, Prince Nathair. The corsair reveals that Lykos, the newly unified king of the Vin Thalun, is planning a secret meeting in Tenebral. Nathair persuades his father to let him lead a warband to intercept it.

Back in Ardan, Evnis, now King Brenin’s counselor, receives instructions from his conspirator, Queen Rhin of Cambren, to incite conflict. He orders a band of outlaws to burn the farmstead of Darol, the father of Corban’s friend Dylan.

Corban, wandering into the Baglun Forest near Dun Carreg, has a vision of a man with yellow eyes asking for help finding a cauldron. He then discovers a pregnant wolven trapped in a bog and frees her. The wolven spares his life before disappearing with her pack. Corban is found by Gar, the stablemaster of Dun Carreg. At the fair, Corban’s sister, Cywen, learns of Rafe’s attack and assaults him in retaliation.

That evening, the feast is interrupted by the sight of Darol’s hold burning in the distance. The next day, King Brenin and his men discover that Darol’s entire family has been murdered. Brenin swears vengeance.

Nathair’s warband travels south and finds that the supposed meeting is a ruse orchestrated by Lykos’s counselor, Calidus, to propose an alliance between the Vin Thalun and Nathair. To demonstrate his power, Calidus uses his Elemental earth power to trap Nathair. Veradis leaps through a wall of fire to protect the prince but is knocked unconscious by Calidus’s giant companion, Alcyon.

In the kingdom of Isiltir, a young nobleman named Kastell and his shieldman Maquin are ambushed by Hunen giants while guarding a merchant train. They survive and witness the giants retrieving a stolen relic, the starstone axe, from one of the wagons. They are rescued from pursuit by the timely arrival of Kastell’s uncle, King Romar.

Nathair forges a secret treaty with the Vin Thalun and returns to Jerolin, where King Aquilus calls a great council of all the kings of the Banished Lands. King Brenin departs Dun Carreg to attend, leaving his brother-in-law Pendathran to hunt Darol’s killers. Corban begins secret combat training with Gar. Evnis’s wife, Fain, dies, and he blames Brenin for refusing him permission to take her away for healing.

At the council, Aquilus reveals the prophecy of the God-War and the upcoming solar eclipse, one of the signs. A fragile alliance is formed, but many kings remain skeptical. Nathair, frustrated by his father’s methods, confides in Veradis his ambition to forge an empire.

In Dun Carreg, a captured outlaw, Camlin, is rescued by his chief, Braith, who takes Marrock hostage. Corban and Cywen witness the escape and are sworn to silence in exchange for Marrock’s life.

Later, during a hunt, Evnis’s party attacks a wolven den. Corban recognizes the mother wolven as the one he saved. Evnis kills her and nearly all her cubs. Corban saves the last surviving cub, invoking King’s Justice to protect it. Queen Alona allows him to keep the cub, whom he names Storm, on the condition that she never harms anyone.

In a secret meeting, Nathair reveals to Veradis his belief that he is the Bright Star. They then meet with Lykos, who pledges his allegiance to Nathair as the chosen one. Traveling by Lykos’s fleet of ships, Nathair leads his army to the southern land of Tarbesh to aid King Rahim against the Shekam giants in order to gain his allegiance. They learn the giants ride draigs and have magic-wielding Elementals, but using new shield-wall tactics, they win a decisive victory.

Nathair’s party then finds the hidden fortress of Telassar, where the Jehar warriors, led by Sumur, pledge their loyalty after Calidus reveals that he is one of the Ben-Elim, Elyon’s angelic warriors, and that Nathair is the Bright Star, Elyon’s champion in the upcoming God-War.

On Midwinter’s Day, the sun darkens as prophesied. In Jerolin, King Aquilus confronts Nathair about his secret dealings with the Vin Thalun. After their meeting, Aquilus and Nathair summon King Mandros of Carnutan, who has been resistant to Aquilus’s alliance, to Aquilus’s chamber. He flees moments before Veradis discovers Aquilus has been murdered and Nathair stabbed. Nathair blames Mandros and tasks Veradis and his father’s battlechief Peritus with hunting Mandros. Mandros’s son, Gundul, turns against his father, and together, they defeat Mandros’s army. Veradis kills Mandros.

In Ardan, Rafe attacks Corban. Storm intervenes and mauls Rafe. Fearing Storm will be executed, Corban flees with her to the Baglun Forest and is forced to leave her there for her own safety. He returns and takes his warrior trial early, joining the ranks of Brenin’s soldiers.

King Brenin’s party travels to Narvon for a royal wedding, and Storm secretly follows them. In the Darkwood, Braith and Rhin’s champion ambush Queen Alona’s party, Morcant, disguised as men of Narvon. Tull, Brenin’s first-sword, is killed, and Alona, Edana, and Cywen are captured. When Morcant orders Cywen’s execution, Camlin defends her and joins Brenin’s warriors. Corban, Gar, and Storm track the captives and join a rescue party led by Marrock. They free the women, but Alona is mortally wounded and dies.

Believing Brenin is responsible for the murder of his son Uthan, who was secretly killed by Evnis, King Owain of Narvon besieges Dun Carreg. A relief force is defeated, but Nathair and his warband arrive by ship.

In the north, Veradis and his combined army attack the Hunen giants. After a brutal battle, they are victorious. In the tunnels beneath the giant stronghold, the giant Alcyon kills King Romar in a dispute over the starstone axe. The Jehar then turn on the men of Isiltir, and Jael, Kastell’s cousin, kills a wounded Kastell to ensure his claim on the throne.

After Corban defeats Rafe in a duel to secure Storm’s place in the fortress, Evnis and Nathair’s forces betray Dun Carreg, opening the gates to Owain’s army. Cywen and the traitor Conall fall from the battlements during a fight and are presumed dead. Sumur, the Jehar leader allied with Nathair, kills Pendathran, Evnis kills Brenin, and Nathair kills Corban’s father Thannon when he rushes to defend his king. Gar reveals himself as a Jehar warrior and fights off Nathair’s guard to protect Corban.

Corban leads a small group of survivors, including Gar, his mother Gwenith, Princess Edana, and the warrior Halion, through secret tunnels beneath the fortress. They escape by sea on a fishing boat. Halion reveals he is the son of King Eremon of Domhain and will take Princess Edana there for safety. As they sail away from the burning fortress, Gwenith tells Corban they must talk about who he truly is.