A wise person once said that in trilogies, the first book is good, because it builds the world. The last book is good, because it resolves the story. The middle book is just a filler, because these books come in threes.
The Hunger of the Gods is a second book in a trilogy. It comes with many traits typical of such books. There is no world building, apart from the description of some larger cities. Few of the story lines conclude. There’s a bit of a character development but it is only in the villains.
The world John Gwynne built is like an Orconomics spin-off with vikings. Lots of creatures, created by the dead gods and living around. Lots of fighting with swords and spears. Rage and berserk-style battles where the Hulks never die. The mains wolf-out at the right moment to save the day. A reader in a mood for super-heroic stories may appreciate all of that. I see that I gave John Gwynne’s first book 5/5, and even have another on my shelves at home.
Pros:
- The world is intriguing, despite not developing much since book 1
- Given that power comes from the blood, the physical strength doesn’t mean much. Men and women are equal, with the most fearsome warriors being women
- Orka Skullsplitter and Elvar Firebrand have some nice POV chapters.
- The dead gods are wiser than expected
Cons:
- The whole story relies on almighty slave collars. They are used to bind even gods and sorcerers, allowing people with no special gifts to dominate beings of incredible power. This isn’t great and reminds me of the worst parts of the Wheel of Time.
- Reckless behavior is rewarded with Breca and Varg No-sense making very little sense.
- It’s too long.
Overall, I think it’s readable but I’m discouraged to get the continuation.
3.5*/5
The publisher featured the dead god Ulfrir on the cover. In the book, it is described as wolf-sized but can expand at will.
Veselin.blog 
I listened to the audio book version of this trilogy earlier this year. I agree that there’s definitely serious “middle book syndrome” going on in this book; it seems to exist primarily to get all the pieces in place for the final book. I would say that the final book is worth reading and provides a satisfying, suitably violent conclusion. To me, the whole trilogy feels like a Skyrim DLC written by someone who had a firm grasp on Viking culture and its warrior ethos. I’ve read quite a bit of Viking era poetry and sagas, and the author definitely has strikes the right tone throughout.
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Thanks for the warning. This series was on my potential-to-read pile. I know all too well those books from trilogies with “middle book syndrome”. I can live with it, but sometimes… I don’t particularly care to deal with it.
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It’s like book 199 of the series about the dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden but with a bunch characters that are so similar that you struggle to remember which one is which. My recommendation would be to not start book one either, even though it was better.
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Thanks for the head’s up on that.
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‘Readable’ is not really a compliment
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