The Wolves of War

Wolfheart Chronicles #1

by John Gwynne

THE WOLVES OF WAR ARE BARING THEIR FANGS

The Clans once lived freely, honouring their gods and traditions. Then the northern invaders unleashed a tide of blood and fire. Now the Clans are a conquered people.

Ivan cares not for wars or kings. His only concern is the safety of his family, especially his daughter Halia, whom he would protect with his life. Halia has been trapped in her own body since birth, yet at night she has dreams of running with wolves and speaking with fae creatures of the forest. Many believe her cursed, but Halia's awakening powers may be the only way she and her family can survive the coming storm.

For the wolves of war are stalking the horizon. Two princes have become mortal enemies, and an iron-toothed witch haunts the shadows. As mighty nations clash, Halia must master her strange magic to protect those she loves. To do so, she must accept a terrifying truth.

Sometimes, the only way through the darkness is to embrace it.

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Adult, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adventure

496 pages, Paperback

Expected publication November 3, 2026

About the author

I am the author of epic fantasy series The Faithful and the Fallen, Of Blood and Bone and The Bloodsworn Saga. I'm also a Viking re-enactor and enjoy nothing more than standing in the shield wall with my three sons, who are as passionate about swords and axes as I am (when I'm not stuck in my coat of mail; it's harder than it looks).
I live on the south coast of the UK with my beautiful wife, three sons and my daughter, and an assortment of animals (at the moment three dogs, a horse and a lamb who thinks she's a dog).
My dogs think I am their slave.

Malice, my debut novel, was published by Pan Macmillan in 2012 and went on to win the David Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Debut of 2012. That was a truly wonderful moment, as David Gemmell is a hero of mine and one of the reasons I write.

The following three books in the series - Valour, Ruin and Wrath, were all shortlisted for the David Gemmell Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novels of 2014, 2015 and 2016, with Wrath winning the 2017 BookNest Awards for Best Traditionally Published Novel.

My second series, of Blood and Bone, is set in the Banished Lands, the same world as the first series. Book 1, A Time of Dread, begins 130 years after the events of the first series. A Time of Courage, book 3 Of Blood and Bone, made the Spiegel Bestseller's List in Germany.

My latest book, The Shadow of the Gods, book 1 of the Bloodsworn Saga, will be published in May 2021. It is inspired by Norse mythology, Beowulf and Ragnarök.

I am represented by Julie Crisp.

Reviews

[Edward Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

COVER REVEAL!

I would say this is Papa Gwynne's most powerful book. The vibe is The Faithful and the Fallen meets The Bloodsworn Saga... I cannot say anything more...

[John Gwynne]

The cover art for THE WOLVES OF WAR has arrived...

[Mark Lawrence]

It's hard to imagine a more John Gwynne book than this one.

Wolves, Vikings (abeit injected into Slavic culture in what's now Ukraine), arms, armour, battles in small and large groups, mythic creatures - all the good stuff. And on top of all that, the central family is strongly inspired by his own. Self-inserts can be annoying, but John has always seemed like he'd fit right into a fantasy book, and this works excellently.

There's clearly not a one-to-one mapping of the characters onto John, his wife, sons, and daughter - we can't assign each book attitude, deed, and thought to the real deal, but it's definitely fun to see the similarities, which are particularly strong in the interior art (at least in my ARC (Advance Reading Copy)).

The book has several point of view characters and they alternate chapters, but the star of the story is Halia - the disabled daughter in the Gwynne inspired family, and very clearly (confirmed in the acknowledgements) inspired by the author's daughter.

It's wonderful to see severe disability given representation in fantasy and in a natural way that feels like an organic part of the story. Additionally, I applaud the decision to have (very minor spoiler) the character's power not essentially counter their disability. I've seen a number of times when a character's inconvenient disability has basically become a prop because some magic power overrides its impact. That's not the case here.

As a quick aside, I've included profound disability in main characters in some of my work (The Visitor, The Visitor: Kill or Cure, Gunlaw) but not yet in a traditionally published book.

So, six cheers for John Gwynne getting this into the mainstream!

Some will start dribbling about WOKE and DEI, and those people should, sincerely, stick their heads down the toilet and try to flush away the stupid. This book really works. It's exciting, violent, tender, and imaginative, sometimes one then the other, sometimes all at once.

If you like John Gwynne books, you'll love this one. If you've not yet tried one, try this one.

As ever, given the author's passion for Viking reenactment, there's great attention to arms, armour, and combat, and it's all delivered in his thrilling style. There's a great deal of historical accuracy and regional inspiration, along with the magic and mayhem.

The book reaches several creshendos in its threads and there are satisfying mini-conclusions while the main conflicts remain open for book 2 and beyond.

It's a great read and I'm sure it will prove a big hit. I look forward to reading more of the series.

I hope to get the audiobook for my own very disabled daughter who I'm currently sitting beside in hospital (she's waiting for a scheduled minor operation) - I think she'll love it too.






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[♥Milica♥]

I'm seated. The bookstore employees are scared and asking me to leave because it ‘hasn’t even come out yet’, but I'm simply too seated.

[Youssra (semi ia- shelving books don't mind me)]

Carrie x The Witcher with Slavic mythology and a sprinkling of vikings? The main character is inspired by his daughter who died😭😭😭😭

[LambchoP]

Love the cover art. So glad we have a release date!

John Gwynne is 10/10 for me, meaning I've given every one of his books five stars. I'm anticipating another banger read with Wolves of War, another Gwynne book to add to the favorite's shelf.

Now the wait for September begins....

[Ivana]

I heard the words “Slavic,” “witches,” “wolves” and “John Gwynne” and I am SEATED 🪑
Seems to be publishing on my birthday too, woohoo!

[Sarah Robins]

*quietly enters buffering mode until 08Sep2026*

[Sani]

I'm a simple woman - I see 'Slavic', 'fantasy' and 'John Gwynne' in one sentence and I'm sold. As someone of Slavic origin myself, I am so hyped about this and can't wait to get my hands on it. *__*

[Camryn Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3.5 Stars** The summer reading slump still has me trapped in its awful clutches so this took me forever to get through but overall I think it was a pretty good book. It’s the first John Gwynne book I’ve read so I can’t speak to how it holds up against his other works but it was definitely epic fantasy. I was interested in all the storylines but definitely much more invested in Halia and her family. Honestly if the whole book had just been her and her wolves and that storyline I probably would have been more hooked by it lol. But once the different POVs started coming together and things started to connect, that definitely got me more into it. I really liked the Slavic mythology aspects, that felt very fresh and interesting. I did struggle a bit to place myself in the world at first, primarily I think because reading this as an ARC, there isn’t a map yet haha so if I had that I think I would have been a bit quicker to get oriented on where everything is supposed to be. But overall, I enjoyed the story and the ending definitely left me looking forward to finding out what happens in book two.

[Seyfi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished The Wolves of War and wow 🤩 I loved it. This book felt so cinematic from start to finish.

I read John Gwynne’s previous Bloodsworn Saga, and at the beginning I did feel like the story was following a familiar arc. But as it progressed, it completely pulled me in and became almost impossible to put down.

What I loved most was how much the story focused on family, found love, loyalty, and the bonds people build in the middle of war and loss. Halia’s chapters were especially emotional, caring, and beautifully written. I loved her character so much.

The fight scenes were superb, the pacing was gripping, and the writing had that huge cinematic quality that makes you feel like you are watching the story unfold in front of you.

My only real complaint is the cover. I don’t think it fully captures the epic, cinematic experience you get from the book itself.

Overall, this was superb. I can’t wait for the second book.

[William Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes I am lucky enough to be Papa Gwynne's son. But that does not take-away from how proud I am of him for The Wolves of War. His most personal book. Inspired by our family and mostly by my beautiful sister, Harriett. This is a blend of The Faithful and the Fallen and The Bloodsworn Saga. Mythology with immersion and action and most of all, heart. I would fight and fight for these characters.

Head & Heart!

[Mercedes Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought a book could top The Faithful and The Fallen series for me but The Wolves of War has done just that. I was sobbing in a coffee shop over this story 💔❤️

An absolutely incredible read that I will recommend to everyone!

[Abby Sauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so so so thrilled to have gotten to read and review this for Library Journal! A full review to come, but, as always, John Gwynne is a genius, a master at weaving stories. Anything he writes I will read.

[César Cañete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Por motivos profesionales la gradación es orientativa