The Faithful and the Fallen centres on Corban, a young man on his quest to become a warrior and protect the Banished Lands from the forces of darkness. Through wonderfully conflicted characters, Gwynne explores the classic dichotomy of angels versus demons. And the demonic Kadoshim offer tantalising freedom. The Ben-Elim reveal themselves as brutal rule enforcers, with their human followers often paying the price. called ZTF J1901+1458 and located 130 light-years from Earth, that is slightly. At first, the protagonists seem obvious the Ben-Elim are the angels, bringers of light, while the brutal Kadoshim are the harbingers of darkness and death.īut not everything is so black and white. Tome Celestial: Slaves to Darkness is a huge boon to Chaos worshippers. In the Banished Lands, angels and demons wage war against one another in a landscape heavily inspired by Paradise Lost. Plenty of books deal with the celestial versus the demonic. Here’s a primer on the Banished Lands, its conflicted human occupants, and the forces of light and darkness determined to claim the world. His books, set in the Banished Lands, sweep masterfully from bloody battlefields to fraught personal dilemmas, which culminate in tense, explosive climaxes. And John Gwynne is no stranger to either conflict. Often, the best heroic fantasy is both intimate and epic, whether our hero is triumphing over inner demons – or the ones rampaging across the countryside.
