Gwynne has a real talent for writing great characters in books. They’re all set in the same world but they’re all experiencing different corners of The Banished Lands.

If you’re looking for a fantasy book which feels like you’re reading multiple fantasy books at once, this may work for you. Gwynne clearly planned out the cultures, set out his ideas for how he wanted the book to progress and executed them brilliantly. The world Gwynne has built here is so immersive and engaging with a great balance of politics and wars which make almost every engagement between different factions and kingdoms seem tense and potentially fatal. They’re all engaging, with Corban’s, Veradis’ and Celwyn’s likely being the best three journeys I enjoyed reading. Each story generally involves characters growing up or growing in power. There are a lot of different plotlines going on, focusing on each of the characters’ different journeys.

Malice’s plot focuses on a handful of characters in The Banished Lands. It’s your typical fantasy story – different kingdoms, warring kings and some young characters who get very involved. The Banished Lands is a place where peace has been a luxury for a fair few years but war is coming as new powers come into play and new generations seek power. Malice focuses on a cast of characters from The Banished Lands with Corban being the main character we focus on and who interacts with nearly all of the other characters involved. Since then he’s been smashing out a book almost every year since then creating quite the portfolio of some of the best reads you can read right now. Malice by John Gwynne, as I stated above, was Gwynne’s very first novel back in 2012. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Please note that this article contains affiliate links – this means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.