Better to Live than to Die

The Faithful and the Fallen #0.5

by John Gwynne, John Keating (Reader)

"Better to Live than to Die" was published in the anthology Tales of Assassins, Mercenaries, and Rogues . About this story, author John Gwynne says, "The Banished Lands has a violent past, where men and giants clashed in a war for supremacy and near-extinction for the vanquished. Now men rule the land, giants little more than a memory, lurking in the wilds and dark places. This tale takes place ten years before the events of Malice , book one of The Faithful and the Fallen, within the Darkwood, a great forest that splits the western realms of Ardan and Narvon. It recounts a key moment in the life of a young bowman, Camlin, who is part of the Darkwood Brigands—a moment that has far reaching consequences for the great conflict to come."

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Audiobook, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy

17 pages, MP3 CD

First published August 1, 2015

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

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this after reading Malice and I'm glad I did, since I understand Camlin a bit better now. He played an important role in the book (and probably will further in the series), and now it's clear just how hard it was for him to leave Braith.

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Already familiar to The Faithful and the Fallen series, I enjoyed finding out a little more from the life of one of the characters having his own PoV, especially as he was one of my favorites. A kind of Robin Hood story, but here the thieves not giving to the poor, but keeping the spoils for themselves.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, maybe it’s my mood but I wasn’t really feeling this. Could also be that it’s been a while since I read the series and I only vaguely remembered Camlin and the world Gwynne created.

[Andreas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A (very) short story of how Camlin's crew got a new leader. I was never the biggest fan of Camlin in the main series, so this short story didn't set my world on fire or anything. But it was still enjoyable for what it was.

3.25/5 stars

[ThatBookish_deviant · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️

A quick prequel to The Faithful and The Fallen tetralogy. The events within take place ten years prior to the Malice timeline. This was a surprise find on audible, it’s currently free with a subscription.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stumbled across this one on audible yesterday, I was so happy to find some new to me writing by John Gwynne.
It is a story of younger Camlin and how he came to be friends with Braithe. Not telling you anymore, read it, listen to it whatever.
Very enjoyable novella.
5*

[Nina (the fussy reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

As of reading this short story, I'm currently halfway through the Faithful and the Fallen series and really enjoying it. When I learnt about this short story involving Camlin, a character I genuinely like in the series, I was very interested in reading it, especially when I found it in Audible's Plus collection for free.

It's a very short story that probably doesn't add much to the series in general, but I thought it added a lot to Camlin's character. I didn't quite realise the strength of Camlin's loyalty to Braith until I listened to this. And now knowing this, I realise how difficult Camlin's decision to leave Braith's company must have been for him. This shows some real character growth on his part and if anything, this short story has elevated my opinion of Camlin.

It's fast-paced and well written, and in classic John Gwynne style, there are a few cool fight scenes. This is by no means an essential read to enjoy the Faithful and the Fallen, but it was quick and fun nonetheless and I'd recommend it to any fan who has 40 minutes to kill and wants a satisfying, fulfilling short story.

[Tyrell ⚔️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better to Live than to Die is a short story set before the events in Malice. Though very short in length, it gives us a bit more of Camlin's history that will just enrich his character a bit more.

[Isabel Tyldesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 love me some Camlin back story

[Jacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narrated from the viewpoint of a young bowman, Camlin, this is a slight story of a gang of outlaws who take in a stranger who then fights for leadership. It could be our world (Medieval) or it could be a secondary world. Hard to tell unless you've read other works by John Gwynne. This is apparently a prequel to the events in Gwynne's book, Malice (which I have not read). I suspect it's for his established readers. As a standalone, there's not much to it, but the fight scene is well written, and well read by John Keating.

[Martha (Marty) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jumped into this without any previous exposure to the author or narrator.

It was an interesting and short little story. You are dropped into the middle of an event but it's easy enough to follow and it has made me want to try more by this author. Nice little piece of side-fantasy.

(No doubt you would get more from it if you had read The Faithful and the Fallen first but it is just fine for people who haven't. Just don't expect a lot of world building etc... it's only 35mins long)

[James Heys · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited when I found out this existed! The Faithful And The Fallen is one of my favorite series to date, and Camlin was one of my favorite POVs to read! Any excuse to return to the Banished Lands, and I'm on board, 100%!

This was short. Very short. But quality enough for what it was. Gives some extra context for Malice, but not earth-shattering in any way. I just wanted a little more...

[What the Sam Hill are you reading? · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5. I needed a little palette cleanser, so going back to the Banished Lands was a good destination. Camlin was my guy in The Faithful and the Fallen, so getting a bit of his back story was fun! No razzle dazzle here, just a solid little adventure.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

9 I didn’t enjoy the longer books in this world but this short story was rather good. Recommended to the normal crew.

[Interplanetary Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent short story and well worth the short time it takes to read it.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 An engaging short story that provides some more insights into Camlin - I only wish I had read it back with TFATF books, as I would have appreciated the characters and content more.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 mostly good— Good action sequences, falls short in the pacing and character dialogue for me.

[Stephen Richter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super short story of a year in a Brigands' band and a leadership change as witness by an archer. Big John Gwynne fan, so this was nice little tale,

[Jarin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camlin is one of my favorite characters. I loved getting to read this.

[Jakob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun action-packed short story featuring some of the more interesting characters from The Faithful and the Fallen. Does not really bring anything new to the table, but fun nonetheless.

[Ross Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decided to check this one out in preparation for my upcoming read of the faithful and the fallen. It was a nice short 30 minute story which I know gives some context of the story to come. But I enjoyed it, as I'm sure I'll enjoy the series when I read it in 2022