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Gallow #1-3
The Fateguard Trilogy eBook Collection
I have been Truesword to my friends, Griefbringer to my enemies. To most of you I am just another Northlander bastard here to take your women and drink your mead, but to those who know me, my name is Gallow. I fought for my king for seven long years. I have fled in defeat and I have tasted victory and I will tell you which is sweeter. Despise me, then, for I have slain more of your kin than I can count, though I remember every single face.Collected here are the first three Gallow novels, along with a collection of framing short stories. THE FATEGUARD TRILOGY tells of the years when Gallow discovered that a man as notorious as he was cannot live a quiet life, and in the end must choose a side, even if that means betraying his own people.And when you betray a king, you accept that there will be a reckoning. The Fateguard are coming ... Contains THE CRIMSON SHIELD, COLD REDEMPTION and THE LAST BASTION
- GenresFantasy
1045 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2014
5 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Nathan Hawke
14 books46 followersNathan Hawke is the pseudonym of fantasy author Stephen Deas.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 31, 2024
This was an amazing story, if you have the courage to really read and try to understand it. It has taken me a while to read it all of the way through with my mind in gear! All three novels combined in one cover, I wish now that I would have made a report for each book separately and then combined them at the end! However, I never realized until it was too late how complicated it would become, with all of the accumulating storyline and characters, as it grew into a trilogy.
The story is filled with good people that we never get to meet, because they were either captured, killed or slaughtered... whole cities, towns and villages while they either were sleeping or trying to protect their families, their livestock, their land and lively hood from the coming terror. They were mostly besieged and displaced by a warring nation of very evil warriors, who came from across the sea from a different land. These warriors felt intitled and totally uncaring of these people and their land. They came to become the ultimate rulers of this, for the most part innocent country. They had been here before and left, leaving an indelible impression and bone deep fear for their intent, hoping and praying that it was over, and they could go back to living their lives as before. But now they have returned, to settle some scores that had not been delt with to their satisfaction. Nothing but what they thought of as valor and power over these simple farmer class people would do. They felt these people were worthless and only good for their own purposes. What they believed belonged to them by rights of their royal bloodlines. Even though all they wanted was to set the locals against each other, and empty their cities, towns and even their farmlands through threats and forced slavery. They wanted the people of this land to worship and bow down to their kings, rulers and even their working-class warriors.
There are some that refuse the invaders and to quietly fight back and are able to lead groups to regain some footing and find out hidden secrets that would possibly save them. This was not a simple task, because they had to fight many of their own people who had felt their only chance to survive was to become the enemy also and the predigests that had already existed in their own country kings against kings, added to that of the invaders from across the sea.
Even our best hope the stories protagonist, the best of the people who were fighting for the good. Was also known as an enemy on both sides. At the very beginning, as he had first come as one of the invaders and did as they did until he slowly understood that they were terribly wrong and joined as best as he could with the innocents, the ones that would allow him to help and began to trust him. He fought for the other side with a great power that gave him a title that was known by all.
You just have to read this story and be prepared to understand the fight and see how as time and the fight goes on, the people change through pressure, even if they understand what is happening. They either fight against their own people, friends and family or they will die trying to keep what is their world intact. But you find as you read that there are things that are cursed, and there seems to be a magic that can protect some. The only thing is, they have to either Fear, Cling to, or Give up. Just when you think it is over, somebody is able to pull a way out of nowhere and save another day from being the end. In the long run, Love, Loyalty and Proven Truth are the only way to actually survive.
I highly recommend this book to those who have a strong stomach and will stick with it to the end.
The story is filled with good people that we never get to meet, because they were either captured, killed or slaughtered... whole cities, towns and villages while they either were sleeping or trying to protect their families, their livestock, their land and lively hood from the coming terror. They were mostly besieged and displaced by a warring nation of very evil warriors, who came from across the sea from a different land. These warriors felt intitled and totally uncaring of these people and their land. They came to become the ultimate rulers of this, for the most part innocent country. They had been here before and left, leaving an indelible impression and bone deep fear for their intent, hoping and praying that it was over, and they could go back to living their lives as before. But now they have returned, to settle some scores that had not been delt with to their satisfaction. Nothing but what they thought of as valor and power over these simple farmer class people would do. They felt these people were worthless and only good for their own purposes. What they believed belonged to them by rights of their royal bloodlines. Even though all they wanted was to set the locals against each other, and empty their cities, towns and even their farmlands through threats and forced slavery. They wanted the people of this land to worship and bow down to their kings, rulers and even their working-class warriors.
There are some that refuse the invaders and to quietly fight back and are able to lead groups to regain some footing and find out hidden secrets that would possibly save them. This was not a simple task, because they had to fight many of their own people who had felt their only chance to survive was to become the enemy also and the predigests that had already existed in their own country kings against kings, added to that of the invaders from across the sea.
Even our best hope the stories protagonist, the best of the people who were fighting for the good. Was also known as an enemy on both sides. At the very beginning, as he had first come as one of the invaders and did as they did until he slowly understood that they were terribly wrong and joined as best as he could with the innocents, the ones that would allow him to help and began to trust him. He fought for the other side with a great power that gave him a title that was known by all.
You just have to read this story and be prepared to understand the fight and see how as time and the fight goes on, the people change through pressure, even if they understand what is happening. They either fight against their own people, friends and family or they will die trying to keep what is their world intact. But you find as you read that there are things that are cursed, and there seems to be a magic that can protect some. The only thing is, they have to either Fear, Cling to, or Give up. Just when you think it is over, somebody is able to pull a way out of nowhere and save another day from being the end. In the long run, Love, Loyalty and Proven Truth are the only way to actually survive.
I highly recommend this book to those who have a strong stomach and will stick with it to the end.
August 17, 2022
Quite enjoyed it, even though reading all of them at once is quite a lot. It felt unfinished a bit, especially with regards to the big bad. It feels like the aulian subplot is just getting started really. That said, the story is a bit different from a lot of other books with you knowing about two warring cultures in one person. The tsundere type relationship Gallow and Arda had was a bit tiresome at times, but the relationship between Gallow and Medrin and Beyard was very interesting.
September 26, 2016
This book is a walking cliche (yes, I'm aware of the irony), reluctant hero, missing love interest, genius exotic foreigner, rampaging hordes of foreigners. Thing is, it all comes together and works, ignore the fact that everything looks a little bit like something else and just dive into the story. It's great experience, moves along at a cracking pace, doesn't get lost in detail but gives enough. Overall a great read.
July 21, 2015
Never a boring moment for Gallow in this an action fueled adventure where everyone is a hero, even the villains!
This set comprises 3 novels, the Crimson Shield, Cold redemption and The Last Bastion.
Feels like there is more to come as not all is resolved by any means.
This set comprises 3 novels, the Crimson Shield, Cold redemption and The Last Bastion.
Feels like there is more to come as not all is resolved by any means.
November 30, 2015
This was an interesting read, although some parts of it were rather slow. If you liked Abercrobie, you should like this one. You'll definitely need to watch for the next omnibus though as a number of items were still very unresolved after these first 3 books.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews