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Hammer of Fate: An utterly gripping fantasy adventure (The Rune Song Trilogy Book 1) Kindle Edition

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 362 ratings

“Exceptional… An epic fantasy story that’s truly epic. A main character you can love and root for.” Tessa Talks Books ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

No surrender. No retreat. With twenty enemy swords at their backs and a broken bridge ahead, the last knights of an outlaw order turn to fight…

Adelais was raised in the far north, learning stories of the old gods and the skill of weaving runes into magic. Now, she is locked in a convent far from home, forced to kneel to a foreign god.

When inquisitors arrive with plans to torture an innocent man, Adelais cannot stand by. She aids an attack to free the prisoner and joins the raiders as they flee into the night.

Her new companions are
the last of the Guardians—once a powerful holy order, now ragged fugitives, hunted almost to extinction.

The knights carry a secret treasure, precious and powerful enough to shape kingdoms. Their pursuers, desperate to possess it, will crush any who stand in their way.

Nowhere is safe—in city or chateau, on the road or in the wilds. And even disguised as a boy, Adelais draws attention wherever she goes. Is she
angel or demon, priestess or witch?

Adelais must summon all her courage and all her memories of the old gods’ magic as the noose tightens around her and a thunderous final reckoning approaches.

Discover a thrilling new series, with a rich world and action that will leave you breathless. Hammer of Fate is inspired by Viking magic, medieval combat and the fall of the Templar knights—perfect for fans of Mark Lawrence, Andrzej Sapkowski, Guy Gavriel Kay and Robin Hobb.

See why readers love the Rune Song Trilogy:

Everything I want from a fantasy storyI was completely immersed… and has definitely left me wanting more. The start of another epic trilogy and I can’t wait to read more from this very talented author.” NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What an amazing, brilliant book! … I flew through the last 50% of this book and could think about nothing else.” @readwith_soph ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“What a
brilliant start to a new series!… Pure escapism… I absolutely loved it… Brilliant… I couldn’t read this fast enough… Fresh, exciting and flipping fantastic.” Bakers Not So Secret Book Blog

“Sometimes a book comes along that
reminds me so strongly of why I love reading that I actually get a bit tearful… If you haven't at least read the first book yet, you’re missing something special.” Dawn’s Book Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“It had
everything that I was looking for… Viking magic and Templar knights… Left me wanting to read more in this universe.” Catraphoenix ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“One of the
many things I loved about this book is the way Gudgion writes about battles… There is a fluid grace to the writing that makes you see and feel the impact.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BT8BH85D
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Second Sky (1 Jun. 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.5 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 468 pages
  • Customer reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 362 ratings

About the author

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G.N. Gudgion
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G.N. Gudgion (‘Geoff’) grew up with his nose in a book, often one featuring knights in armour. A later search for stories where women didn’t have to be either beautiful damsels or witches led him to the fantasy genre and the works of Guy Gavriel Kay and Mark Lawrence.

After Geoff gave up a business career to write, it was natural to gravitate to historical fantasy, to stories with complex, conflicted characters that a reader can bleed with, cry for, and perhaps fall in love with. They live in worlds where you can smell the sweat and the sewers, as well as the roses.

Geoff lives in a leafy corner of England, where he’s a keen amateur equestrian and a very bad pianist. He spends much of his time crafting words in a shed, fifty yards and five hundred years from his house.

He is also the author, as Geoffrey Gudgion, of supernatural thrillers Saxon's Bane (Solaris, 2020) and Draca (Unbound, 2020)

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
362 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the engaging storytelling and well-crafted prose. They find the characters believable, heroic, and sympathetic. The writing quality is also appreciated, with lyrical descriptions of landscapes. However, some readers feel the pacing drags at times.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

14 customers mention ‘Storytelling’14 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging storytelling. They find the tale compelling and evocative, with an intelligent fantasy story and timelessness. The books in the series have a balanced storyline and are enjoyable. Readers praise the characters as brave, heroic, and yet believable.

"...G.N. Gudgion is a must-read for anyone looking for a fresh, intelligent fantasy story with a timelessness that will endure long beyond its..." Read more

"...This is not high literature but it is a damned good read, well researched, and I found myself really emotionally involved in the battle scenes...." Read more

"Hammer of Fate is a gripping, epic fantasy tale set in a world remniscent of the french renaissance era, with a definite nod to the mysterious..." Read more

"...It started a bit slow but when it got started it was a good read...." Read more

6 customers mention ‘Character development’6 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters believable and heroic. They appreciate the strong female characters, especially Adelais, who is interesting and sympathetic. The book explores a fascinating new world with believable inhabitants.

"...is ritual, scripture, and liturgy; there are prayers, relics, and martyrs...." Read more

"...Other characters develop well and individually and the heroine Adelais is interesting and ‘sympathetique’..." Read more

"...A dark and gritty novel, beautifully written and carried by its characters, all of whom are wonderfully developed and stand on their own...." Read more

"...I totally love the main character Adelais. She is just so beautiful, complex, brave, heroic, and yet believable...." Read more

6 customers mention ‘Writing quality’6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality of the book. They find the prose well-crafted, gripping, and well-developed. The characters are well-developed, with a well-judged sprinkle of originality. The descriptions of landscapes are vivid, and the story is told with conviction and detail. Readers also mention that the book is well-researched and builds a credible world.

"...Gudgion's carefully crafted prose has a timeless appeal to it; it felt as if this could have been written at any time during the last sixty..." Read more

"...This is not high literature but it is a damned good read, well researched, and I found myself really emotionally involved in the battle scenes...." Read more

"...A dark and gritty novel, beautifully written and carried by its characters, all of whom are wonderfully developed and stand on their own...." Read more

"Enjoyable series well written - this first book dwells heavily on the religion and priests activities which drags a bit at times...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Appeal’3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's timeless appeal and fantastic new world. They find it an enthralling fantasy story with interesting ideas and relics. However, some readers feel the story is too slow.

"Hammer of Fate by G.N. Gudgion is a must-read for anyone looking for a fresh, intelligent fantasy story with a timelessness that will endure long..." Read more

"What a page turner! GN Gudgion’s latest book has created a fascinating new world, peopled with believable inhabitants and a page turner of a story!..." Read more

"Interesting idea but so slow...." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Pacing’0 positive4 negative

Customers find the book's pacing slow at times. It starts slowly but picks up later.

"...like the old crusades is an interesting idea however this book is soooo slow. 400 pages of nothing exciting happening...." Read more

"The story is based on the Knights Templer. It started a bit slow but when it got started it was a good read...." Read more

"...dwells heavily on the religion and priests activities which drags a bit at times...." Read more

"This book has a slow beginning but soon picks up the pace. I think it’s worth staying with and I have just got the next one in the series" Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 June 2023
    Hammer of Fate by G.N. Gudgion is a must-read for anyone looking for a fresh, intelligent fantasy story with a timelessness that will endure long beyond its publication date.

    In 1307, Philip IV of France, in need of money, ordered the arrest of every member of the Knights Templar, confiscated their property, and handed them over to the Inquisition. Since their founding in 1119 for the protection of pilgrims travelling to the Crusader states, the Templars had been perhaps the leading military order in Christendom. The European zeal for crusading was in decline by the early 14th century, but the Templars remained rich landowners, with substantial holdings across Europe. Through torture, the Inquisition extracted confessions from the Templars of idolatry, denying Christ, and spitting on the Cross.

    It is in a fantasy realm not unlike the aftermath of Philip IV’s persecution of the Templars that we begin our journey in Hammer of Fate. Over several years, the King of Galmandie has worked to destroy the Order of Guardians, a religious brotherhood of knights that has long supported him in his wars, imprisoning and torturing them under accusations of heretical practices.

    When I began reading, I was immediately struck by Gudgion’s passion for and knowledge of the era of history on which the book is based. The world feels immediate and authentic, with period-accurate clothing, attitudes, and social hierarchy, plus a well-judged sprinkling of originality.

    Gudgion’s patience in developing his setting pays dividends; it created a level of immersion that wholly invested me in the stakes of the story. Take, for example, religion, a common cornerstone of fantasy world-building. I have seen countless flavours of this, but few have been as detailed or effective as what G.N. Gudgion achieves in Hammer of Fate. It is quasi-Christianity, but the unique details make it so much more than that: there is ritual, scripture, and liturgy; there are prayers, relics, and martyrs.

    When you have fictional persons whose primary motivation is religious ideals, their realism is infinitely magnified if you create a credible faith. I found myself regularly intrigued by characters’ relationship with their faith, almost as if they were real historical figures and this was a real religion.

    It is not, however, a book that holds your hand. For our two protagonists, it is (near enough) their first time encountering the Guardians and each other; there is no backstory between these characters for Gudgion to fall back on to fill the reader in. You are left to figure out the Guardians and their allies for yourself, through dialogue, subtext, and clever character work.

    This is one of the reasons that if I did not know Hammer of Fate had been published in 2023, I would struggle to tell you when it was written. Gudgion's carefully crafted prose has a timeless appeal to it; it felt as if this could have been written at any time during the last sixty years.

    Despite my consideration above of the Guardians, it is the antagonists of the novel I was most intrigued by. Junior priest, Malory d’Eeivet is, by turns, brave and cowardly, dogged and foolish, sly and naive. His faith waxes and wanes. It's fascinating to see his aspiration collide with the reality of what he is forced to do. In short, he behaves exactly as an ambitious young man thrown into this situation would. He is a wholly believable character, and a rarely sympathetic antagonist.

    The true villain is Malory’s superior, Ghislain Barthram. We see him only from other characters' perspectives, and they are rightly terrified of him. His single-mindedness reminded me often of another devious fictional priest, Waleran Bigod from Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth. However, with Bigod I always felt sure I understood his motivation; with Barthram I regularly found myself wondering – is he a true believer, a cynic hiding behind fanaticism for personal advancement, or somewhere in between?

    Finally, it would be remiss not to mention Adelais, our bold heroine. Her culture, sex, and religion mark her as an outsider in Galmandie and among the men she encounters, and her struggle to survive and succeed despite that through cunning, tenacity, and sheer gumption is in many ways the heart of Hammer of Fate. Can she really do magic, or is it merely happenstance and wishful thinking? It’s a question I’m still asking myself, days after finishing the book.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 July 2023
    Gudgion writes very well, both in terms of narrative that is gripping and compelling and in terms of evocation of place and time. There is some truly lyrical description of landscapes and you can nearly smell the grime and filth of mediaeval towns. This is an author who really knows horses and the animals come to life on the page.
    This is not high literature but it is a damned good read, well researched, and I found myself really emotionally involved in the battle scenes.
    As others have observed the junior inquisition priest Malory is a credible and credulous, flawed and ambiguous character. I shall be interested to know how he develops in the later books when I feel sure he will reappear.
    Other characters develop well and individually and the heroine Adelais is interesting and ‘sympathetique’
    If there is a criticism then it is that the author evidently feels he needs to write more sex, and more blatantly, into the story than is necessary. One gets the feeling an editor may have told him there needs to be “Sex”, but this may be my personal beef. Very few writers do ‘sex’ well and to be fair this is mostly done here quite empathetically - but there it is.
    Overall, I’m sorry to have finished Book 1 and I’m eager to get into Book 2, and I recommend others to do the same
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 June 2023
    Hammer of Fate is a gripping, epic fantasy tale set in a world remniscent of the french renaissance era, with a definite nod to the mysterious Knights Templar. The main protagonist, Adelais is truly a masterful character. She leaps of the page, a woman wronged by her own own people, banished to a house of worship she is desperate to escape, but fate has another path for her. A much more dangerous and challenging path, and yet their is the possibility for her to find love on the way.

    Adelais finds herself travelling with the Guardian brothers, each of whom sacrifice much in fulfilling their duty and beliefs. They seem to get a poor return for their dedication, and some of the scenes are harrowing. The Anakritis are truly vile and despicable in their pious justification of their actions. I hope they all get their comeuppance in due course.

    A dark and gritty novel, beautifully written and carried by its characters, all of whom are wonderfully developed and stand on their own. The magic is deceptive, almost hidden as Adelais tests her knowledge, and you are still left wondering, does she have magic or is it just circumstance? A wonderful start to a new epic fantasy trilogy. I can't wait read more of Adelais and her adventures.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 November 2024
    A story based on religion like the old crusades is an interesting idea however this book is soooo slow. 400 pages of nothing exciting happening. Could not bring myself to even attempt to read books 2 & 3
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 December 2024
    The story is based on the Knights Templer. It started a bit slow but when it got started it was a good read. It is a chase through the land by the clergy with a few twists and turns along the way.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 August 2023
    This is the best fantasy adventure I've read in years. I'm a bit out of practice with this genre, so got a bit overwhelmed at first with all the names of people, places and belief systems, but the author managed to paint such a memorable picture of the characters and settings that I soon got so immersed in the story, it was quite a wrench for me to have to leave it to do boring everyday things! I totally love the main character Adelais. She is just so beautiful, complex, brave, heroic, and yet believable.

    I can guarantee that by the time you get to the end of Book 1, you will want to go straight on to read Book 2.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2024
    This book is full of religious oppression, martyrdom, torture, bravery, death, and religious representatives who go too far in their zealous quest to wipe other beliefs and seek treasure.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 March 2024
    Enjoyable series well written - this first book dwells heavily on the religion and priests activities which drags a bit at times. The other two books in the series have a more balanced story and are very enjoyable.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Kathryne
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unexpected
    Reviewed in the United States on 20 January 2025
    I was surprised by this book. I know just enough European history to appreciate the parallels. A well woven historical fiction/fantasy! I will likely recommend this series to others and reread at some point!
  • Atl Canuck
    3.0 out of 5 stars average read
    Reviewed in Canada on 30 November 2024
    did not do much for me....did not finish..to each their own
  • Manuel Polzhofer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story, with good worldbuilding and incredible characters
    Reviewed in Germany on 5 December 2024
    Bought the book when it was available for free for a limited time.

    Because of that, I honestly didn't expect much of it - but boy, was I wrong.

    This was an amazing novel. Incredible characters, and the way religion gets handled in this is the best I've ever seen in a fantasy novel.
    Great pacing; I never once found myself becoming bored.
  • Natasha
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting historical fantasy
    Reviewed in the United States on 8 July 2023
    I don't tend to read a lot of historical fantasy but I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the character building, the world building and everything in between. There are a few mentions of horses being x_x which made me upset but hey, it's part of that time. I also didn't like Malory or his higher up (but that was part of the story), but I did enjoy to read Malory's perspective. The only thing that felt forced to me was Adelais and Arnaud's build up to the relationship. Otherwise, I am looking forward to book two
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great beginning
    Reviewed in the United States on 11 December 2024
    I read a lot of books. This one was one of the best I’ve read this year. I really enjoyed this story and finished it pretty quickly. I can’t wait to read the next in this series. If you like fantasy or historical fiction, a fast moving plot and engaging characters give this one a go. You won’t be disappointed. I highly recommend reading this book.

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