The Wound of the World

The Cycle of Galand #3

by Edward W. Robertson

Dante and Blays have forced Gladdic from the Collen Basin. But the victory might only be the first battle in a much larger war. With the land on the brink of starvation and politically fractured, Dante and Blays scramble to secure Collen's food, borders, and allies. Before their work is done, rumor arrives from Mallon. The enemy is mustering for another attack. Even if Collen can weather the coming storm, there's no guarantee their independence will last out the year. During a border raid, Dante learns Gladdic has fled to the shadowy realm of Tanar Atain, home of the Andrac. And the secrets Gladdic returns with could tip the balance of power forever.

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

518 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Ed is the author of the post-apocalyptic Breakers series and the epic fantasy series The Cycle of Arawn. A former New Yorker and Idaho-guy, he currently lives in the LA area. His short fiction has appeared in a whole bunch of magazines and anthologies.

Reviews

[Terry Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

I love these books, especially the banter that Galand and Blays has. Every time they talk I end up laughing.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loving this series! I'm continually impressed by how each new book finds and explores a new land in this setting with unique and thoughtfully created cultures and characters, and fascinated by how Dante navigates these peoples and places, growing and learning as a person. Dante and Blays' friendship and banter also continues to delight.

My only criticism, which isn't even really a criticism but rather just a wish for something I think the series has been lacking and I hope to see in the future, is romantic love for Dante! Early on I thought his lack of a love interest meant maybe it'd be Blays but I think if that shift in their relationship was ever going to take place it would've been in The Black Star, and we would have heard by now if Dante was into guys. My romance yearning heart continues to closely examine each new female character who pops up, wondering "is this finally her?" The brief attraction to Lira seemed more like a fleeting impulse Dante had, and he wasn't invested enough to even be disappointed by her rejection. I had my hopes set on Cee for a while, and I loved her snarky dynamic with Dante, but she now seems to have faded from the spotlight in this second trilogy. Winden might have gone there but then it turned out she was basically his adopted sister and I couldn't ever see her leaving the Plagued Islands anyway. Now there's Raxa, who might still be in play? The hostility and tension when they first met didn't feel like the sexual tension variety at all, and I'm not sure of their general compatibility, but I'm curious to see how that awkward alliance they have evolves when Dante presumably meets back up with her and Sorrowen back in Mallon.

Anyway, I'll just add that I love Dante and I feel like I know him so well, and I appreciate his dry humor and determination, but most especially how fiercely he cares for the small handful of people closest to him. It's why I'm dying to see how he is when he finally falls in love, and seeing how his usual thoughtful but sometimes stubborn and single-minded manner of dealing with anything gets applied to dealing with romantic love. I want to see him really fall for someone too, the kind of love that has him doing crazy things like he has for Blays in the past. It's a reason why I'm hoping if there's going to be a main woman in Dante's life one day it's not anyone we've met yet, because the dynamic he's had with every eligible female character so far has been lacking in any passion or serious emotional investment from Dante, even in the case of Cee or Winden who he had solid friendships with. I'm so ready for him to encounter someone who blindsides him with feelings, basically, and inspires him to act recklessly or even against his own interests on her behalf and all those classic romantic tropes. Bonus if they snark and banter like he and Blays do (I mean I've always thought the kind of woman who'd interest him the most would be one who teased and challenged him all the time, since that's what Blays and Cally did).

I also have every faith that Mr. Robertson can pull off a great romance for Dante considering I was very happy with Blays and Minn's love story! I don't know if you'll ever see this review but these are just some thoughts, from a fan. *wink nudge*

I can't wait for the next book in this cycle and I hope the overall series does continue on for many more books to come.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you once again Mr Robertson. It has been a long journey for both myself and the characters from a little black dog to a scary powerful white lich the books have just gotten better and better. This may be an epic fantasy series in the making (or maybe already is?) with unique magic and abilities but the core of the story is still two good friends and their often hilarious interaction with each other and their surroundings. Whether they are cracking anatomically incorrect jokes to accidentally starting wars, the stories have kept me entertained and amazed through out.

Admittedly the first trilogy Cycle of Arawn is a bit slower as the world builds and characters are introduced, but it still is a great read and a must for anybody wanting to read Cycle of Galand.

I have read each of these books via Audible and eagerly anticipate the 4th booth in audio format as once you go Tim Gerard Reynolds you never go back.

[Ejc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best one yet

Liked this book the best of the series. Can't wait for the next one. Actually, I liked this one the best of all the Galand novels (Cycle of Arawn included).

[Michael Laxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrac are spooky

[Shannon I · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this one more than the first two in the series. Listened to on audiobook. I am excited to learn more about the newest villain and how Blays and Dante will relate to Gladdic moving forward.

[Lora Shouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great adventure with Dante and Blays. The banter between them, despite the often dangerous circumstances in which they find themselves continues unabated. And now they have Raxa Doss working with them.

They are still trying to deal with the Collen Basin. Dante is angry that the Keeper has just effectively declared that he is the avatar of Arawn, and knowing that he is no avatar, Dante is angry with her. When the Colleners betray him again as he is trying to secure their freedom from Mallon, he decides to pursue more pressing business – finding Gladdic.

But before they can start on that task, he receives word from Narashtovik that the original copy of the Cycle of Arawn has been stolen. Dante and Blays return to Narashtovik to find out that it is Raxa Doss who has stolen both the Cycle and Dante’s bone sword. With some difficulty (and Minn’s help) they manage to persuade her to go to Bressel with them to try to find Gladdic. They also take a young monk by the name of Sorrowen with them. Sorrowen was formerly a priest of Taim in Mallon but left because he had little talent with the ether but more with the nether.

Along the way, Dante trains Raxa and Sorrowen in the use of the nether, and together they discover more about how the nether works.

Dante leaves Raxa and Sorrowen in Bressel – Sorrowen installed in a temple of Taim – and travels to a place called Tanar Atain, where their friend Naran has gone to see if he could find out anything about Gladdic. Only now they have heard that Naran seems to have disappeared.

Tanar Atain is one of the nastiest places Dante and Blays have ever visited (and this is going some), being mostly a swamp filled with all kinds of obnoxious flesh-eating fish and other obnoxious swamp creatures. The people are strange too. And their connection with Mallon extends far beyond just Gladdic. Suddenly, everything is backwards to what it previously appeared to be.

[A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arawn is smiling...

Robertson never disappoints. I bought The Wound of the World the day it was released, but did so with a bittersweet click of the mouse. I didn't want Dante's and Blay's journey to end, and the gods must've heard my plea - because we haven't seen the last of the dastardly duo and the rest of Robertson's troupe of character perfection. The adventure is fresh, with more knowledge of the ether and nether coming to light, and enough of the familiar denizens of Robertson's imagination to cozy up with in companionable comfort. Pick it up with confidence.

[Eugene Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be my favorite book so far. I loved the journey to Bressel where Dante teaches Raxa and Sorrowen, that was probably the most real Dante has been so far. I enjoyed the dual story line, the political intrigue with Raxa and Sorrowen was a nice balance to Dante and Blays' foray into yet another kingdom on the brink of war. I almost gave it 5 stars but the plot takes a crazy left-turn near the end and the book ends really abrubtly (albeit on a big twist).

[Estevan Castillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. I feel like this might have been the weakest of the book in Dante's journey. Dont get me wrong, it was a very fun read, but it felt very disconnected from itself. Like 3 or 4 short stories instead of one novel. Perhaps it was all the jumping around. But I still love this series and am really looking forward to Light of Life!

[Katie Kurycki · Rating 3 out of 5]

More Gladdic...

While books 1-4 each had a story told within them 5 and 6 are more of a long drawn out chase scene

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty slow for the first 30%, but once it finally picked up, it kept getting better through the end.

[Rory Hector · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the book a lot. I mostly like it for the characters. The world and the magic are also great. I’m going to take a break from the series for a while, but I definitely would like to come back and read the next books, perhaps once the series is finished.

Book Summary: Dante and Blays are back in Narashtovik. Raxa is confronted by Dante and Blays. They make a deal where she will work as a spy for them, and she gives them back the original cycle of Arawn she stole but she says she will only give the bone sword back after the mission. She is joined by a young nethermancer in training named Sorrowen, and he is very timid but pretty shard. They go to Mallon I believe to spy for them for the remainder of the book. Dante and Blays then go to investigate what happened to Naran, who hadn’t been answering his loon. They travel with a girl, battle a swamp dragon creature, and they discover the creature has a special power. It is highly resistant to nether, and its horns are used to make very strong swords that hold traces. Meanwhile Raxa is acting like a noble woman during the day in the city then meeting with Sorrowen at night, they make some discoveries about what is happening in the city and eventually how it connects to other things that happen later in the book. Dante and Blays find Naran who is being held by Gladdic, and they escape with him during a revolt by the local people there. They chase Gladdic to a place seemingly made of bone and blood, where they fight essentially zombies, Gladdic, and his men. In the fight, Gladdic summons Andrac and Dante is still having his nether suppressed like with the dragon, making things much more difficult. Gladdic unleashes a large creature wielding a magic Glaive, which is revealed to be the “white lich” In the battle, Gladdic gets his hand blown off. The emperor Gladdic was working for betrays him since he failed to kill the Lich. Gladdic is waiting for death and considering killing himself, when Dante and Blays find him and talk to him, he asks them to kill him. Gladdic explains that the Lich is potentially the end of the world and then Dante asks Gladdic for his help to stop the Lich as a chance for redemption, and Gladdic get teary-eyes, seeming like he’s going to join and try to find redemption.

Characters: The characters are great. I really enjoy the banter between Dante and Blays, they seem believable and I like their relationship. Raxa and Sorrowen are interesting too, none of the characters are bland in my opinion. Gladdic is a lunatic but I was very glad for the ending with him, and I hope he becomes somewhat good in the next book.

Plot: The books do seem to follow a standard pattern, but thats okay. I think the plot is interesting enough to keep me reading, but I’m not a very plot-driven reader. The lore of the world, religion, and creatures are very well-incorporated into the plot.

Magic System: The magic system is somewhat well-defined but they leave enough wiggle room in there to keep adding stuff, such as the addition of traces and using them to make the Andrac. And the addition of swords that use traces, armor that protects against or suppresses nether. The magic is mostly clear but it seems to evolve a little with every book. The magic system doesn’t try to make sense in the real world, e.g. he animated skeletons of rats which of course have no muscle to actuate their movements. When I think about it, I guess they kind of did make changes to the magic in order to solve a problem but that never bothered me when reading the book.

World: The world is pretty unique, and it has a lot of detail. I feel like I understand many of the cultures and cities in the book, their quirks like lying well or the socratic method being virtuous. Its a good world.

Pacing: No qualms with the pacing, things keep happening but we get enough time to enjoy the bigger moments. This many books in there doesn’t need to be a lot of slow back-story so it makes sense that it mostly gets right to it.

Writing: The book is well-written. The language is quite accessible, not a bunch of random words that no one uses from a thesaurus thrown in.

[Kamal Syed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another grand adventure for the dynamic duo of Buckler and Galland. Robinson continues his saga, and instead of completing in a trilogy, the series will extend to another two volumes. I'm glad because the story has been full of twists and turns along the way, and this volume is no exception. I won't give away the twist at the end, but I can say that things were not what they seemed and the real villain is finally revealed.

I enjoy the mixture of humour and action, though this book definitely starts to take a much more violent, bloody, and dark turn than the previous ones. The stakes are higher than ever, though I wonder how much longer the duo can stay away from home without facing their own revolution.

Enemies become friends and friends become enemies. From one unbelieveably dire situation to another, Blaze and Dante scrape by the skin of their teeth to escape yet again, ready to battle on another day.

If you haven't read the previous series, the Cycle of Arawn, definitely pick that up first and read them in sequence.

Listened to the entire series on Audible, the narrator is great.

[Kurt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is primarily a reminder to myself that I'm done with this series.

It's not bad, mind you, in fact I enjoyed large portions of these three books. The issue is that time is precious, and I like several other series more than this one. Why? Well, that's a bit tough. In essence, it just isn't holding my attention very well. The pacing is a bit all over the place, at least in my opinion. Generally, it's a bit on the slow side, with splashes of exciting events here and that to wake me up and draw me back into the story. Also, if I can zone out for several minutes and not miss anything important... well that's two strikes against the book in one event, isn't it.

I think I'll be taking a risk on a new series rather than stick around for more of this one. While I'd say Edward W. Robertson's books are a safe bet for a new fantasy book purchase, I'm currently leaning toward any of Brandon Sanderson's many series as the safe bet for when I'm caught up on everything else.

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good outing in the series, although personally I was a little surprised /disappointed by the ending. The book carries on from "The Silver Thief" with the primary focus being to track down Gladdic to prevent him from raising more demons. There are sub plots relating to Raxa and fight against the Citadel and the battle for the Collen Basin (which Dante concludes in his inevitable style).
One thing I really like about the series and its predecessor (Cycle of Arawn) is that whilst Dante is portrayed as one of, if the most, powerful nethermancers that has ever lived he is still shown as being fallible in his plans and dealings with others, and he is always learning. As ne moves through the world he finds uses of /problems with the Nether /Ether that he doesn't understand and then works hard to find solutions that enable him to become a better sorcerer.
Definitely looking forward to book 4

[Chris Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is pretty enjoyable. I really do love how Robertson creates depth to his lore. It always helps a story's atmosphere to give the world a lived in feel and hints of a mysterious, interesting ancient history never fails to draw me in. Much like the Gentlemen Bastards series, I find myself wishing to be able to delve more into the history of the locations.

So this story is basically a two parter with very different feels that could easily have been broken into two shorter books. First part is Galand having to deal with the thief girl from book 2, second is more chasing of Gladdic. IMO, the chasing of the thief girl was the stronger of these stories, with the Gladdic chase feeling a bit more repetitive for most of it. The ending was interesting, though, and certainly gives me the impetus to read the next one.

[Rilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall fun read, I love characters, the banter is great, the world interesting, the story engaging.

Egh, the business with Raxa was poorly done. Once they've catched her and let her go they could have take her blood and have means to find her everywhere. They could have the book and the sword back quite easily. She've lost her bargaining chip. I really don't like when MC is not smart enough to use his powers to full potential. Simillarly, why didn't he take Naran's blood when they were going seperate ways in case sth happened? But still, those are only small mistakes in all the schemes so I'll turn a bling eye ;)

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

These have become some of my favorite books. The Wound of the World is another excellent entry in this series. This is my second time reading it and I still find myself excited for what comes next even though I already know. You'll get a little further into how the magic works, see a new land, meet a new people, watch the characters struggle to understand and try to stay out of the politics of the new land, and once again fight against injustice. Dante and Blays are getting older, wiser, and more weary but they still take the time to constantly mess with each other.

[Dylan Mullaley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook
Whole series review since I'm reviewing after the fact.

While not terrible, the continuation of the Cycle of Arawn series, the Cycle of Galland, does not live up to the same standard as it predecessor and starts to feel like a cash cow the author is milking for its last few drops by the later books. The first few here were ok, but the stakes just keep rising and rising, and the characters keep doing less and less. I quit after The Light of Life which is book 4 of 10 in this new series.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that this is not the last book. This author is very good (imo) about not making me crazy to get the next book right now, I can absorb the story but I don't feel the terrible "cliff hanger" sense that I have to know what's gonna happen next. I understand its a style that sells books but if your books come out years apart I would rather wait with my sanity intact.

Anyhow the story is good, I have come to like the narrator and I've come to like the different characters in these stories.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book went from one place to another, always keeping me on my toes. The moment I thought I knew where it was going, it would change course and rush forward elsewhere. This should've felt jarring or disconnecting, but it wasn't. The story flowed organically, like the events were truly happening and people had to change plans according to situation. I loved it. There's nothing else I could say. I just loved it.

[Karen J. Rosselli · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Edward's writing is to notch. I've been reading of Dante and Blays' adventures since the beginning. They are never boring and the dialogue is just terrific. The descriptions of the worlds they travel and the characters they meet keep me completely engrossed. I have been sold on Edward since reading The Breakers series. Keep up the good work, Edward. You are one of the best indie writers I've ever had the pleasure of "meeting".

[Anthony K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man... ai loved it... but it really felt as though this could have gone on another 300 pages and had some kind of actual resolution... I feel like he is Robert Jordan-ing the fuck out of the series...

for reference... The farmer wakes early every morning to Robert Jordan his dairy cows, until he is satisfied on how much money his liter- er I mean milk will makr him.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The saga continues...

I have found these books very entertaining. I especially enjoy the pickles Dante and Blays get themselves into. Their dialog is both snappy and witty. The scenes with Raxa tended to drag a bit, though. However, for me it's not a deterrent from purchasing the next in the series.

[Bryce Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW

Talk about cliff hangers. This one ranks up there with the best. Galand and Gladdic. The feud continues with Gladdic once running away and Dante and Blays on his tail. But what happens when they finally have Gladdic within his hands. Well no spoiler but it is one he'll of a new dropping cliff hanger.

[Jean Jutras · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series

I randomly picked up The Red Sea and have been hooked ever since on the series. The witty banter between Galand and Blays is ever present in this book and does not fail. I was a bit annoyed that the story ended on a cliffhanger m, but overall I enjoyed the story and look forward to finish the series.

[Kristie Clarkson · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, SUPERB!!

Edward W. Robertson has become one of my all-time favorite authors. The man can write a story that sucks you in and keeps you there until the story has come to an end, and you are left wanting so much more! Like an addict in need of a fix! Absolutely superb!

[Trevor Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well now that got deadly real quick

I love the series. It’s actually a great after the cycle of arawan. The next step is that Galand makes hisself fly. His powers are developing and his mind is like a steel trap. Together with Blayes Buckler makes them unstoppable. I see who will eventually reign over all the lands. With the team he’s amassing. HE WILL BE UNSTOPPABLE!!!

[Simon McBeath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Stories

I need book four now!
This is the best fantasy series i have read in years.
Dante and Blays are the definition of adventure.