Orbit Books has acquired a new 3-book fantasy series from author and Viking re-enactment actor John Gwynne! Orbit US editor Priyanka Krishnan has secured North American rights, and the first book will be launched in Spring 2021.
The Bloodsworn series (a working title) will draw upon Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. Set in a land of feuding kingdoms, the gods are dead but their relics hold power. Bands of mercenaries are hired to compete against each other for the best treasures they can find, which usually comes at a cost.
Said the author himself:
My first inspiration for this story is Beowulf; a band of Norse monster-hunting mercenaries—though the bands of warriors in this tale will be grittier and less heroic than Beowulf and his heroes, because the greatest monsters do not always fight with claw and fang.
I’ve delved deep into Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore to build this new world; a world of ice-blue fjords, of snow-peaked mountains and dark, mist-shrouded forests, a world where Dragon-ships prowl the seas and creatures walk the land.
Gwynne’s previous epic fantasy series The Faithful and the Fallen drew inspiration from Germanic and Celtic folklore, as evidenced in the creatures and the landscape of the Banished Lands.
