REVIEW: Warlords of Wyrdwood by RJ Barker
British Fantasy Society Award winning author RJ Barker returns to The Forsaken Trilogy with its second instalment, Warlords of Wyrdwood. The first in the trilogy, Gods of the Wyrdwood, is an essential pre-reading requirement and a novel I immensely enjoyed reading last year. Barker’s latest immersive epic fantasy is a complex and detailed read, and fans of his writing will not be disappointed by Warlords of Wyrdwood. Fair warning though, in this review I refer back to a significant plot point from the first novel which will be spoiled if you aren’t up to date with the series. If you have yet to read Gods of the Wyrdwood, look away now.
In Warlords of Wyrdwood, we reunite with Cahan, a Forrester and reluctant wielder of a magical power called a cowl. A solitary figure, through his own choice, for much of his life, Cahan now finds himself leading the people of Harn into the Wyrdwood for their own protection. Although they were victorious in their rebellion against the forces of the Rai, their village was destroyed in the battle, and they have no home left to defend. Cahan knows the Wyrdwood as well as anyone can, and without him, they would surely be helpless against the dangers lurking in the forest. But there is a corrupt magic in the Wyrdwood, a dangerous decay that Cahan is unnaturally drawn to. Can he keep the people of Harn safe from this new threat, the Rai who are pursuing them, and the omnipresent dangers of the Wyrdwood?
There is a brief synopsis of the first novel at the start of Warlords of Wyrdwood and this is extremely helpful in reminding the reader of the events of the first novel. Like Gods of the Wyrdwood, this is a long and complicated novel, and the reader enters a fully formed world. It took me a while to get fully acquainted with this world the first time around, and I felt similarly off kilter for the early chapters here. Barker’s world is richly detailed, but I had to work my brain to slip back into it and remember all the different connections between characters and the pantheon and magics of this world. That is not a criticism of Barker’s writing; this dark tale is not meant to feel cozy, comfortable, or familiar the way returning to some worlds can feel. It is after all, mostly set in a very weird wood.
In some way though, the Wyrdwood is slightly less weird than it seemed before because this is the second novel in the trilogy. The reader is more aware of its potential risks, even if the people of Harn are unaware of them, because they know what Cahan and Udinny went through in Gods of the Wyrdwood. But that is only one area in which the action of Warlords of Wyrdwood takes place, and the new settings are great unfamiliar realms to sink our teeth into.
I enjoyed returning to some of the characters from The Gods of the Wyrdwood and meeting new ones here. My standout favourite character from the first novel was Udinny, so I was a little concerned about how I would find this next instalment without her. I need not have worried, because (among other reasons) Barker’s characters continue to drive his writing. All of them are nuanced and interesting to the reader. Even those I did not like as much; I was still engaged with the chapters from their perspective and enjoyed reading their parts of the novel. Ont’s chapters and his growth in Warlords of Wyrdwood were a perspective I particularly liked reading.
From about the halfway point of Warlords of Wyrdwood, it took off for me, so this does begin as a slow-burn novel in terms of action. Again, this felt necessary due to the world’s complexity, as well as getting acquainted with the different POVs to set the reader up and ensure they are fully embedded into the story. But that did mean that I found the first half of the novel a bit of a slog to read. Sticking with it paid off, and the second act of Warlords of Wyrdwood was fantastic.
Barker has many twists and turns in the plot of this novel, and it was, overall, a good read and a solid second novel in the trilogy. Barker is a favourite author of many, and Warlords of Wyrdwood is a fine example of his talents – he is one of the few authors who always make me feel like their world is completely and entirely original. Thank you both to RJ Barker and the team at Orbit for sending over a review copy of Warlords of Wyrdwood.
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